Nick's Week, May 2009

My bank holiday weekend was cut short by an early train from London on Monday for a campaigning tour of Somerset in the rain.  Now I know what they mean by ‘Labour Day'.

On Tuesday I was sealed in meetings - broken by a visit from the Storrington branch of the British Legion - but at least the last vote came an hour early at 9pm.

On Wednesday I escaped to visit a waste facility, hurtled back to give a speech on rural issues, then more meetings, and on to speak at a dinner of my local Patrons' club which I had to interrupt to vote on the Finance Bill.  When I returned at 10pm I had missed the meal.  I got back to my flat at 11.30pm and had some toast.

As I write on Thursday I'm on a 7am train to Uttoxeter, where I'm meeting farmers and visiting a canal restoration project, then straight on down to Petworth for a National Park meeting, and back up to London for a family supper.

I have a full day of meetings and surgeries in the constituency on Friday, including a public debate on local landfill sites at 7pm, so I'm not sure when I'll get back to my house in Arundel.

On Saturday I'll be at the Amberley Business Breakfast, and supporting a British Legion coffee morning, then up to Loxwood to attend - by coincidence - another restoration project, this time for the Wey and Arun Canal Trust (of which I'm a new Vice-President).

I could be heading back up to London that afternoon for the Real Food Festival to support our ‘Honest Food' campaign for country of origin labelling.  On Sunday I'm looking forward to the annual walk for the marvelous Sussex Snowdrop Trust which cares for children with life threatening illnesses.

I don't begrudge this schedule for a second - I have a great job in a wonderful constituency, and it's always interesting.  And on Monday it starts all over again with an early train up to Cumbria...