VOTE GREEN posters, bill boards, peppered Halesworth veins and artuaries. Door knocking, exploring streets I’d never known, finding friends homes, people in stress, champagne socialists. As the day grew closer, more wanted to be involved. Worked with Sarah on polling day, at the Riffle Hall, met Oliver and still have his pen.
Lowestoft Count, with Caroline Topping, (so admired). As we witnessed in this classic open democracy, I thought, this archaic system will surely one day be computerised and closed, and so what fortune I have now to witness it physically, the ballot boxes arriving, the papers checked, double checked, before segregated, and a feel emerges of the winner. I could not make out between Conservative and Labour, but was shocked at the number of reform votes. In the end just 2,000 votes in it, and Peter Aldus, after 14 years, gave a most graceful speech of stepping down and handing the batton to Jess Asato.
We celebrated, unofficially, in Kaliwoods. Over 60 came, many for the first time ventured here, and found parking (one almost motored up the footpath of Holton Pits!) Undeterred by the rain, no one left. It felt emotional, such a gathering north, south east west of the Waveney Valley. Unexpectedly, from a side field, met one who specialised in lichen, and another who specialised in ancient geology (he knew the SSSI of the Pits well). Such rich diversity in our tribe.
On Monday some of us gathered to wave Adrian bon voyage on his journey from Diss to Westminster. He was our our man in Westminster. He will represent us.
It took a while to get down from this story, and greet the 100’s of emails that lay silently waiting.
Kalikellett 