A day of arguments with Diana as she wanted to go shopping and then eat out for lunch and I wanted to stay in and get some more work done and so we went our separate ways. I could then carry on painting my gates, spreading weed killer and washing The Lady’s fenders until I had to stop working outside when it started to rain. Then to forgo my office work and join Diana in the lounge to watch a bizarre video film about a pig. Britain is still third in the European Games medal table after poorer results today but General Walters, the US Envoy touring Europe to drum up support for US action against Libya will not be seeing Thatcher but just Geoffrey Howe. The Irish ‘baby swap’ saga continues
A good night and awoke before Di again and then our pre-breakfast routine. Opted for the last of my natural honeycomb on toast this morning, which I enjoyed, but then got into a dispute with Diana, which I did not want. She wanted to go to St Ives this morning, but, with no general auction, Daniel away, and more European Athletics on the TV, I did not. In the end, I gave her a fiver to go with and settled down to a morning alone. I phoned the Fitzpatrick Riding School, apologised for yesterday’s error and booked Debbie into next Monday and then Fridays thereafter.
Out to the hungry doves and then started priming the rear pair of gates, turning all three of my gates upside down to paint underneath. They looked quite funny back on their hinges whilst inverted, but it is a good technique! Then I rested by feeding/letting the ducks out and making a coffee to drink in front of the TV. As I watched, the rain started spitting and it continued to stop me painting again today. I did manage to cross a couple of items off of my action list by pouring weed killer on the drive and washing and putting away The Lady’s fenders, but that was the lot outside. Another disagreement over lunch and so I made myself a couple of salad sandwiches and a cup of tea, whilst they went to the Happy Eater. After, I lit my office fire and spent the afternoon and evening watching the athletics, whilst updating my income summaries on the computer. Stopped briefly for a tea of prawn and brown bread and only gave up at dusk to feed and put the ducks away. Down to 10 Khaki Campbells lately, but they lay above a half dozen eggs a day. Later, I forwent my office fireside to watch a video film with Di in the lounge, which was a rather bazar British comedy about a pig. A less successful day at the European Athletics Championships – our heptathlon hope, Judy Simpson, only got a bronze after being in the lead until the last event and our marathon favourite, Steve Jones, ran too quickly in the first half and faded out of the lead and the race. We are still third in the medal table, however. News is of a US journalist being held in Moscow on espionage charges. It seems that US envoy, General Walters, touring Europe and trying to drum up support for anti-Libya measures, will only meet Geoffrey Howe, not Thatcher, which could lessen chances of another US raid. In the NATO military exercise, ‘Northern Wedding,’ off of the Norway coast, a US helicopter crashed with 8 marines dead or missing as a result. Another twist to the baby swap sage, as hospital blood tests fail to establish the parentage of the two baby boys conclusively. Mothers and babies stay at the Portlaoise General Hospital whilst further tests are carried out.