A normal day getting the children to school with me attending to maintenance jobs and Diana getting her hair done in Cambridge before the evening excitement of dressing formally and arousing neighbourhood interest before collecting Nigel and Lynne Smith from Hail Weston for the Kimbolton Ball at The Castle where me met Roger Britain and others as the Jazz band played. News filtering through of the Karachi PANAM hijack ending in tragedy as the four Arab terrorists killed 16 passengers and shot 120 others with machine guns as Palestinian security forces prepared to storm it.
The day starts with the school routine, but I manage to get down to breakfast a quarter of an hour later than the rest of the family. Then I got the children to attend to their rooms that they had left in a mess and ate my own toast and marmalade. Read the paper, as usual, after, but opened up the house first to please the others, then went out to the doves, who ate slowly at first. It seems that their seed intake is closely linked to the weather, with less food being needed when the temperatures are warm. Took my papers to the office and worked out, by revaluing my investment portfolio, that we had increased our money some 18% these last two years, despite our use of it. Assuming that the original £2.5M was always going to be liable to capital gains tax from its beginnings at 30%, the resultant £1.75M (net of tax) is now over £2M.
It is only now that the Kode shares are sold and private-quoted investments are going public, that I have been able to do the sums. Morning coffee out with the doves again, then to the outer garage to apply my next coat of Sadolin paint. Took Daniel to the Little Chef for lunch, as Di had gone to Cambridge to get her hair done. She came back as usual later, disappointed that the cost and time taken had not produced the desired result – whatever that might be. This afternoon putting up the garage guttering and sealing the bird nest holes, before Debbie came home from school and it was time to take her horse riding. We rushed there at the last moment, as usual, and Debbie had Magpie for once. She was not keen on him and her worse fears were realised when she asked him to trot and he cantered uncontrollably around the arena, making her cry. A poor tea of cheese pie and vegetables and then soon time to get ready for the Kimbolton Ball. Kept out of Di’s way, as she fretted about everything, then got myself ready in dinner jacket etc., made sure the birds were OK, and got Daniel to lock up and put the alarms on. Surprised to find much of the street out to wave us off, taking an interest in our trip. They were fascinated by Di’s long ball gown and me in my dinner suit, as they do not get these opportunities themselves. Arrived at Hail Weston House ten minutes late to find the others in our table party ready and Nigel and Lynne Smith the hosts. We drove off in our car and Nigel’s to park and then walk up the grand steps of Kimbolton Castle to enter this wonderful old building and fascinating venue for the ball. A long evening and only home at 3.30am to find the children asleep and well. A nice meal, a lot of talking in competition with a loud jazz band, and a little dancing. I was interested to talk to Roger Brittain (our accountant and treasurer of most Kimbolton School activities) and confirm that he is related to the Brittains furnishers and also the late George Brittain, farmer, whose farm and land were recently up for sale. No chance to watch a news broadcast tonight, but kept hearing snatches of the Karachi PANAM highjack. Four Arab terrorists took over a passenger jet and, as Palestinian security forces prepared to storm it, they shot indiscriminately with machine guns, killing 16 and injuring 120. A gunman on the London underground was detained without anybody being hurt.