Model sailing with Daniel on the river as the hot weather ends with rain as I consider buying another riverside plot and Thatcher’s cut-backs come home to roost

The overnight temperatures dropped to 57degF and maximum temperature today was 82degF. The barometer rose very slightly to 1016mb. A slightly more restful night, but I am not sleeping too well at the moment. A latish start and after breakfast Daniel and I finish preparing Elke for radio control cruising. After a successful trip up and down the river and with the batteries recharging, we get to work on The Lady’s aft cabin roof. I needed Daniels help for encouragement and to compensate for a stiff back. We wire brush the roof and complete the painting of half before the rain intervenes.

This evening, we barbeque sausages and hamburger steaks as the air turns much fresher and cooler than it has been for some days. I hear today from our plot neighbours that their planned sale of the plot for £5,500 to Muriel and Roger has fallen through. They say that Muriel has left home with the baby girl, which is very difficult to believe but must be true. Daniel and Diana feel that we should purchase the plot ourselves but I think the price is too high and Diana changes her mind when she realises it would give me the space I needed for a goat!

Time this evening to put away the dinghy’s outboard engine. Daniel and I had used the dinghy not only to guard against needing it for retrieving Elke but also when we had used it to take Daniel’s model sailing dinghy up to the lock-pool to sail it. It was a clear night to start with but not drying early enough to allow me to paint the other half of the aft cabin roof. Perhaps, another day!

Television and paper news today of the MORI poll on poverty where 5 million Britons are living below what most of us feel are the levels of necessity. It also reports 76% of the country as being willing to pay higher taxes to care for them. It seems Thatcher, Parkinson, Tebbitt and co. are out of touch with public opinion after all as they cut back the social services. A bath tonight and preparation for a hectic work day tomorrow as I am hopelessly behind.