Playing with the kids on a wet day
Playing with the kids on a wet day

Cold and wet day playing tending the ducks and doves and playing with the children as Thatcher cancels her Irish trip and Animal Rights Groups poison Mars bars

A slight lay in and then relieved to see that Daniella had safely seen the night through with her heavy cold. A long read in bed of The Financial Times and several items of mail before breakfast of honey and toast and wash and dress. Slightly disappointed that my weight had risen above 13 ½ stones again. Out in the morning cold and drizzle to clean out the doves and change their water and seed. I also pushed them into the pigeon holes to try to get them dry and warm. They are now completing the second of three weeks of confinement and acclimatisation. I also feed the ducks before we welcome the arrival of Daniel’s old friend, David Tomblin. Father John brings him up from St Albans and leaves him for the weekend. Off together to St Neots and a short time for shopping. I pay my £1,000 British Petroleum half year dividend into the Abbey National Building Society and have time to find a food dispenser for the doves in the St Neots arcade pet shop. Off then to collect Daniel from school (where he shows David around before we leave) and Debbie from a friend’s house after ballet. We drive on to The Happy Eater for lunch and drop back into St Neots afterwards to let the children spend their pocket money. An afternoon at home, Daniel and David playing with the computer and me playing alternately with them and Debbie.

Then I light the fire in the lounge and we roast chestnuts for Debbie and I before tea and after feeding the ducks and putting them away. A tea of hot dogs and cakes and after we settle down with the boys for a game of monopoly, which I win after everyone had tired of it by late evening. The weather today had continued damp, cold and dull – there had only been 18 minutes of sunshine in a whole week at nearby Bedford. News tonight of a further militant act by animal rights activists, putting poisoned mars bar chocolates into supplies in five English cities. Some mystery over the planned meeting between Thatcher and the Irish Premier, Fitzgerald, with her trip to the Republic seemingly cancelled for security reasons.