Diana’s family celebrations in Bedford and maths help for Daniel as Kode’s share dive and the Queen tried to counsel Thatcher against divisive policies
Another poor night – this week has been too busy with late night sessions, but I am sure it will settle down. To the office for a couple of hours – me working on a letter and cheque to Hoare Garett and Daniel doing more long division. Still only one duck egg today as they are fully into moult and not getting very well looked after. Off together at 11.30am after coffee to town to stock up on money, get some more A4 typing paper and sea food for tea. Unfortunately, Westcom was not open for the sale of diskettes. On to Bedford and the 80th birthday celebration of lunch with ‘Uncle Tom’ and twenty or so relatives of Diana, many of which we did not know. Always trying occasions due to the advanced age and distance of these relatives. We completed our stint and drove home through Bedford.
Daniel remembered where his friend Gary had lost his coat and we were able to pick it up and deliver it back to him. Back home and I spent the afternoon and evening catching up on a range of reading and sticking the latest press cuttings into the ‘Life After Comart’ album. The papers today reported the results for Kodes half year, which proved a great disappointment. The shares dropped 53p from 283p to 230p wiping off £150+K from our investment. News also of attacks by Arthur Scargill on McGregor on the eve of the talks, accusing him of achieving a first year of unmitigated disaster and losing the taxpayer £5Bn of revenue. Thatcher also briefs the Queen today about the dispute; the Sovereign is known to dislike the prolonged divisions of her subjects. The pound sterling nosedives to a new low against the US dollar of $1.2730 before closing a little better at $1.2755, still down a whole cent. Freda phoned today and is recovering from her operation.