Off to Prickwillow Pottery to collect our two new house plaques after Diana had declined coffee at home and gone off to St Neots and then back to fit the plaques and to review Daniel’s day at school (and his exploits with Claire) and receive Nigel for a visit and look around The Hayling View and provide some alarm parts. Thatcher’s Autumn ‘re-shuffle’ just brings in junior turks to help with propaganda and the US/USSR powers engineer a face-saving Daniloff spy swap deal
Rather late to bed last night and sluggish to wake up this morning. Still, got shaved and dressed in time to get Daniel to clear his room up before breakfast and we all had some nice croissants, made by a local baker. Out straight away to the doves and then to make a start on the east gable of the roof. I had hoped to have a morning coffee with Di and Della after my exertions, but she insisted on rushing off to St Neots to have one there, which rather upset me. We have spent a lot of time and trouble on the house and garden and I can think of no better place to sit than outside with the view.
After a cold night, it had warmed up to be quite pleasant. We had a row and I worked on, finishing that side of the house. Di returned and offered a makeshift salad roll lunch, but I refused it and chose to go out instead to Prickwillow. I stopped off in St Ives for lunch at the rendezvous café and also ate a mars bar, after drinking a pint of shandy to slake my thirst. Then off to Prickwillow, where I collected the two house plaques for the Hayling View and was quite pleased with them. I came home via Ely, had afternoon tea there, and bought some brass screws to put the plaques up with. Home after 4.35 and chatted to Daniel after his first day back at school. He was already covering his books, as requested, and seems to be trying hard. Tea of lemon sole, which the girls ate with alacrity, then out to put up the plaques, which is quite tricky to get the three screws tight, without putting them under stress. I used putty to cushion them. Nigel Smith phoned and then came round with a couple of alarm contacts, which I needed and I showed him our house and the gardens. Pete has been clearing the undergrowth and opening out the latter and the prospect is quite enlarged. Locked up after Daniel returned home. He had been with Claire and her friend again – “over at the playing fields”. Thatcher has announced her Autumn reshuffle of Ministers, but there are no changes at Cabinet level. There are new faces at junior level and a distinct move to the right wing. She hopes that these spokesmen will put over her unpopular policies with more flair. The Manchester crash inquest hears today of an emergency door being jammed during the evacuation. There are now modifications in design. An idea to break the diplomatic deadlock over the detention of Daniloff has been voiced. It is suggested that both him, and a Russian in detention in the US, are released from prison on bail and into the custody of their respected ambassadors. Essex win the 3-day match cricket County Championship and Graham Gooch clinches the final points needed with a wicket today.