Suffering from my aching back on another damp, misty and rather unproductive day but cheered by the sparrows cheeping and Della joining me to feed the doves and ducks as Debbie was busy with church and party engagements and Daniel worked alone on his boat. The Hippies head for Hampshireand the New Forest, Kenneth Bakers tidying-up campaign and Geoffrey Howes African Aid speeches are both dismissed as ‘crap’ and a Basque bomb damages Les Garzas Hotel in Benidorm
Up after a lay in and then the curtains open to reveal another damp and misty start to the day. Despite my back ache, relief, and to the bathroom before sitting in our bedroom folding chair to write my end of month journal, as the sparrows cheeped a belated chorus to the start of a new month. It is forecast warmer for later, but we shall see. A lazy day and, after my normal Sunday breakfast, I sat out under the front porch with Della, who watched the river craft and birds with me. She is impressed with ‘bebeducks’ right now and implored me to feed them when we did our ducks and doves together. I put the new dove chicks rings on for the third time and I trust that they will stay on this time.
The older chicks (or at least one of them) are looking mature and now peer out of the wall-cote. I put more acid in the pool today, which seems forever alkali, and Daniel swam this morning and Di and Debbie joined him after lunch. Della could not be tempted in then, having only just been woken up. Pork for lunch again, which was much appreciated. I tried to do some paperwork this afternoon, but was rather depressed by the length of the job list that needs doing. At least I cleared my desk and updated my appointment diary and also prepared for my accountants meeting in the morning. In better spirits, I would have done more, but with my back hurting and the pool distraction, I could not concentrate. This evening I watched the second World Cup match, with Brazil beating Spain 1-0 in a lacklustre performance. A short walk to the weir and back tonight, at the end of a clammy and dull/damp day, with temperatures in the low 60degF. Debbie was quite busy with church in the morning and a party in the afternoon, but Daniel tended and painted his boat on his own, with his friends banished for a change, to give us some peace and quiet. The news is of the Hippies today, is of their progress from Corfe Castle in Dorset towards Hampshire. 70 vehicles long and separated into groups stretching over 20 miles, they will stop in the New Forest tonight, but with their ultimate destination unknown. In a Kenneth Baker plan adopted by Thatcher, 30,000 jobs are being created for environmental tidying up campaign, but the municipal unions are unimpressed, pointing out that 150,000 have been lost in recent times. A macabre incident in South Africa, as a black plain-clothed policeman is buried alive at a cemetery whilst attending a funeral service. The UN has come up with a document on African aid, but without commitment and Bob Geldof has dismissed Sir Geoffrey Howe’s speech as ‘crap’. The Basque bombing campaign at Spanish holiday resorts continues, with a bomb at Les Garzas Hotel in Benidorm. Tired to bed after a weather forecast of more dull and mild weather tomorrow.