Returning home after a quaint flight from Wick to then drive from east Midlands to a mass arrival of our children’s friends for swimming after which I edit my tapes and catch up with work. A constitutional crisis is growing as Her Majesty the Queen finds Thatcher quite unwilling to listen to advice and now even Sir Geoffrey Howe publicly speaks out
A better night’s sleep at the Ladbroke Mercury Motor Inn, Wick, and awake to our early morning call and tea at 7.00am. Pity there could be no breakfast until 7.30 and then the breakfast room was full of a large coach party and other residents who wanted an early start to the day. We barely had time to eat our breakfast before the taxi arrived and we made Wick Airport by 8.00am. It was raining lightly, but steadily, this morning and we had to stand outside the terminal building until let in. The crew and a ‘one-man terminal staff’ arrives with the keys and the passengers – all six of us – get into a Piper light aircraft and sat with the single pilot, as he flew the plane down to Aberdeen.
Then a change to the more conventional, though still quaint, short passenger liner, which was sparsely fitted for our remaining journey to the East Midlands Airport, via Edinburgh. Daniel and I played chess as we flew and ended one match apiece, with the last one drawn as we arrived. The climate was warming steadily as we travelled and, from 60sF and rain in Wick, it ended in a heat-wave of the high 80sF and burning sun in Eastern England. Thankful again for our air conditioning in the car, we drove home in early afternoon on roads which were moderately busy with lorries. As we drove, we listened to the lunchtime news and, with South Africa still the main issue, there was an interesting speculation that there could be a constitutional clash between the Queen and Thatcher, with Her Majesty having, as a last resort, the ability to speak out against the way Mrs Thatcher is damaging the Commonwealth Games, and possibly the unity of the Commonwealth itself. More countries have brought the boycott total to 6, including Malaysia, and many more seem likely to follow. There is a debate in the House today, with Sir Geoffrey Howe speaking for the first time since the speculation of rifts between the Foreign Office and Downing Street. Home to change out of sports jacket and trousers, into shorts and no top, as the humidity is also high, like the temperature. A cup of tea with Di and the girls, who are pleased to see us back and I tell Di all about our trip. Then to the doves, where I find that the pole-cote chicks have retained their rings, but one of the two in the wall-cote needs ringing again. Then, locking gates and front doors against all intruders, who feel we run a public house, we enjoyed a family swim, with Daniel and the two girls joining Di and I on an ideal day in the pool. Della swims better by the day and I spend time teaching Debbie and Daniel to dive from the edge, which they have never done properly. In to tea of cheese rolls and cake, then Daniel is allowed to have Gary, Claire and Heather round to swim and Debbie also has Amy as well. This evening I start to sort out the tapes and equipment so as to edit my Forestry shots, but cannot do much before bedtime. With windows open and the temperature still high, we retire to bed for both a rest and sleep.