My Birthday working at home today
My Birthday working at home today

Morning tea and Birthday present opening in bed and then a fried breakfast before late out to the ducks and doves in a frosty day and to sort out some logs with Daniel and his friend Steve before a video chat with Helen’s father as I sorted out my TV frame adjustment and we heard news of the Soviets cutting off electricity to the Afghanistan US embassy that is sheltering a defecting Russian soldier, The South African regime is criticised by the US and two French agents plead guilty to the Greepeace boat sinking

My birthday today and reached the age of 39. Awake to my morning tea, but Di was a little slow to realise the date before eventually ushering all the children in to wish me many happy returns of the day. Then to open my presents; a ballpoint pen from Debbie to replace the one she lost for me last week, a box of fudge from Della, which the children were dying to eat, a pair of handkerchiefs from Daniel and a new cardigan and couple of pairs of socks from Di. Down to a fine breakfast of fried egg, bread, mushrooms and then I sat upstairs and read the Sunday Times, relaxing on my birthday. I was thus engaged for a long time and only got out to the birds at 10.30am. Two duck eggs this morning and both groups of doves seem to have prospered through the night. There had been a severe frost of 5-6DegC and the rhyme was a complete layer on the ground. The day soon warmed up and it proved to be another fine, still and sunny day. I cleared out the ducks and then got Daniel and Steve to help me to move some logs before we all went inside and put a whole host of boxes up in the loft.

Di had been packing all of our excess things from the house so that they will be out of our way for the next month or so. Time next for lunch and Steve was invited as he was visiting for the day. Across to my office this afternoon to collect some papers and then I balanced my bank statements and paid a number of pressing accounts, including the Smallbone kitchen. Out to the birds and then, as it got dark, Diana’s friend Helen’s father came round to talk video cameras. It was an interesting chat as we each had learnt their use and had not met anyone else that had got one. I showed him how to film in poor light and he made a few suggestions about ways of overcoming the problems I have been having on frame synchronisation. After he had left, and we had eaten tea, we readjusted our television set and to our immense relief managed to run our recordings perfectly! Later this evening we had the task of packing up our clothes and separating those for giving to Oxfam from those we need to use over the next week or two. Eventually finished and, after my journal and the TV news, we went to bed quite tired. We have made progress, but still have a lot to do tomorrow. News tonight of speculation by Gerry Adams that Sein Fein (the political wing of the IRA) is about to be banned on both sides of the border in Ireland. US and Soviet diplomats in Afghanistan try to solve the dilemma of a defecting Russian soldier as the government cut off the electricity to the US embassy sheltering him. Senator Jessy Jackson, the previous US presidential candidate, has spoken out during his visit to London against the South African press censorship. More riots take place there today, but only the briefest details are available because of the news suppression. The two French agents charged with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior have now pleaded guilty to this and the manslaughter of the Greenpeace photographer. The weather forecast is to stay dry tonight and tomorrow, but raining by the evening.