Another very busy day with the builders making good progress and Diana and I making equally good arrangements for the remaining curtains and carpets before a pub lunch at The Cross Keys and the sobering telephone messages wanting me to lead a seminar and open a factory! The Geneva Arms conference has the US faltering over its demands for USSR human rights as the Russians steal the publicity show and a new security gate goes up at Molesworth and children are pulled out of the mud 3-4 days after the Colombian disaster
With Diana for this first time last night as we managed to put the mess out of our minds after two weeks of chaos. Down to breakfast and time to read the FT before rushing to wash my hair and shave. Time also to take some video shots of the kitchen prior to the fitting of the units and also on the progress of the rest of the works. By now there was a steady stream of contacts. The builders first and a chance to resolve the outstanding problems with Mr Cheeseborough; the curtain fitter from Brittains, Cyril, next to fit our last lounge curtain pole and measure all of these new curtain rails I have fitted. Then Smallbone at about 9.45am to get started and the plumber soon after to move the inlet valve and do a few other jobs. After settling all of these workmen down, I went out to feed and water the ducks and doves. The new birds look very bedraggled and messy, with the double hazard of the netting and mess on the narrow walkways causing it. If I was to get pre-warning of a settled and dry spell, I would let them out sooner, rather than later. Off with Diana then for a busy morning in St Neots. To Brittains, where we order all of our curtains, selecting the materials and styles/colour for each room. Then, whilst Di chose carpets at the St Neots Carpet Company, I picked up my new outside lighting sets from the electrical shop, and then doubled back to the carpet shop to arrange a Wednesday meeting at Willow Close.
Both to the Abbey National for £100 cash and then on for a nice cheese and pate ploughman’s lunch at the Cross Keys, which we were visiting for the first time. Home in time for the end of Joan’s cleaning and to see the workmen progressing well. By the end of the afternoon, the builders had completed the roof tiling and the lintel for the outside door to the ironing room, the carpenter and plumber had paid brief visits before more work shortly, and the kitchen fitters had got most of the base units in place and identified and ordered the shortages. Tea of sandwiches, but the chestnuts I had bought turned out to be bad. An evening at checking my outside display lights, checking Daniel’s school work and doing a little reading. I checked my answering machine tonight and found a number of calls logged. In particular it was disconcerting to record two requests; one to give a lecture on Computer Public Policy at City University and the other to open a new UK company’s factory. Quite a dilemma. News of last minute preparations for the Geneva Arms Conference, as both the US & USSR leaders arrive and hold their initial conferences with the press. The West are raising Afghanistan and Human Rights as two final obstacles, but the Russians are stealing most of the show with an unaccustomed play for publicity. In the early hours of this morning, the military erected a new security gate at Molesworth, which heralds the start of the building process for installing cruise missiles. All this as an ironic sequel to the opening of the arms talks. Stiff sentences today of up to 8 years in response to a recent rash of rape cases. 10 years also for Philip Hartwell for the murder of his 2 year old daughter, as his third conviction for child abuse. Doctors in Colombia are amazed at the self-preservation instincts and tenacity of the small children survivors, as they are pulled out of cold mud 3-4 days after the disaster. The mud was hot enough to burn them at first. Terry Waite is back on the way to Lebanon after talks with US officials in London. The weather is cold and frosty tonight and snow showers and more low temperatures are forecast for the next day or two.