Breakfast by the river on a fine, warm and sunny morning after driving off for milk and before recovering our missing dove hen from the pool and working on The Lady in the blistering heat with a subsequent dip in the pool for revival! Debbie’s school friend Briana and family also came for a swim which was a godsend today, but thunder storms are likely in days to come. The 10th anniversary of the Soweto disturbances resulted in reports leaking out of eight more black deaths today, despite the news blackout, and West Germany join Thatcher in disgracefully blocking sanctions at an EEC Foreign Ministers meeting
Fast asleep this morning when Di brought my morning tea and I did not want to get up. Then showered and shaved and down to get my breakfast. Unhappily, Daniel had drank the last of the milk and this started a fair row and really spoilt the beginning of the day for me. I spent some time opening up the house and outbuildings at the start of another swelteringly hot day, but still no milkman and so I had to drive to St Neots to get a bottle of milk. Home after and my breakfast, at last, in fine style by the river, under the garden parasol. Much warmer today and with even higher humidity too.
Then to check the swimming pool and a big surprise when I found my missing dove hen sitting on the skimmer ledge, soaked through and almost dead. It had been missing 2/3 days and I had checked the skimmer yesterday and so god knows where it had been and how it had got there. I put it on the dove table to dry out and then held it while it took first a sip of water then a few seeds. I worked on the boat cockpit roof again and kept my eye on it and eventually it managed to recover, which was quite a miraculous escape all told. Lunch inside, as Di was in a hurry and then out in the torrid heat again to varnish The Lady. Swimming with Debbie when she came home from school and she brought Briana, her mother and two sisters as well! It was 86degF outside in the pool area and 84degF in the water and I do not know how we could have coped without the pool today. Tea of pork chops when Daniel came home, then I badgered him into an evening of history revision with more swimming half way through. Late to clear up and lock the house tonight and an earlier night in near 80degF heat, which was not pleasant. News tonight is centred on South African apartheid and the anniversary of the first Soweto disturbances 10 years ago. All news is banned by this repressive regime, but we do hear that another 8 black people died today. In a meeting of EEC Foreign Ministers today, Britain and West Germany stand against economic sanction for South Africa, which is quite disgraceful. There were also millions of blacks on strike throughout South Africa today. More hot and humid weather forecast for tomorrow, but there is expected to be widespread thunderstorms to clear the air in the afternoon.