Indira Gandhi's clothes at time of death
Indira Gandhi's clothes at time of death

Day starting sunny and fine as I catch up on my journal and then fix my dove cage before a family lunch and afternoon’s work on BMMG business as the Indian Sikhs suffer reprisals for Mrs Gandhi’s murder and Polish colonels are arrested for the Polish priest’s murder

 

Late in bed, reading and catching up on these last two days journal while the warm sun slants in through our balcony doors. I continue after breakfast until finished and washed about 10.00am. Out to ready my tools and fix two hooks to the wall before the gardener helps me to lift the dove cage into position after a certain amount of struggling. Then to the shed and make a shelf out of marine ply cut by circular saw. I fit this in position with two brackets to form the cage bottom. In a few weeks’ time it will still remain as a feeding tray. With all finished, and the office checked for urgent messages and mail, we set off for St Neots to do some shopping at the Co-op. Diana conveniently leaves her cheque book at home and I pick up the bill for the largest grocery purchase ever - £47! Lunch at The Little Paxton Little Chef and then back for an afternoons work at the office.

Phone calls to Nigel Smith and Helen Gibbons to find out the status of BMMG activities and then to my sister Freda to encourage her to keep her smallholding, which she now seems keen to do. Telexes in reply to correspondence before home for tea and an evening’s television. News tonight of over 500 dead so far in India as the authorities mount a huge security operation for tomorrows funeral of Mrs Gandhi. Horrific tales emerge of atrocities against Sikhs. In Poland, two Interior Minister Colonels have been arrested in connection with the murder of the Polish Priest as his funeral service takes place. In England, the NCB tries to tempt miners back to work with a Christmas bonus, which Scargill condemns as blackmail. The Ethiopian relief effort gets under way and the Archbishop of Canterbury is now going to visit. The weather again very fine today but the weather breaks this evening with fine rain.