A trip to Cambridge today via the scenic route to avoid the A45 roadworks with Daniel to use his birthday vouchers and for me to research Koi Carp keeping before home to fit Daniel’s new propeller and to start restoring the swimming pool for the season and cleaning out the duck house until dusk. News today of Thatcher being ‘converted’ to the prospect of East/West arms limitation talks, of The Herald of Free Enterprise sinking killing more passengers and crew than at first thought and yet another top secret defence worker has died in suspicious circumstances giving rise to a conspiracy theory
A poor night and then tired when it was time to wake for my morning tea. Showered and dressed and able to get the children to clear up their rooms before we all had a breakfast of boiled egg and toast fingers. After we had got Debbie to school, the rest of us set off for Cambridge in the Range Rover. We took the route via Woresley and the Gransdens to avoid the A45 road works and therefore arrived in Cambridge Round Church car park a bit later. A brisk walk to Eaden Lilley, but Di’s father, Charles, slipped out past us as we went in, in his normal hospitable fashion. Still, met Norma and she looked after Della as Di went shopping and I accompanied Daniel to spend his birthday money and vouchers.
We got him a couple of computer books with his £3 book vouchers, then more rechargeable batteries and a fuel can with his Argos vouchers and money. All back to the Copper Kettle for lunch, but I just had time to buy three Koi carp books from Heffers bookshop for myself. Lunch of roast beef and roast chicken and, for Della and Daniel, chocolate cake to follow. Back to the car and home, being delayed again by the road works. Once there, Daniel and I installed the new finer propeller to the Little Lady and we took it for a run and tuned the engine. A pleasant and successful effort. Later, I took the winter cover off of the swimming pool and started the long process of vacuuming the sediment on the bottom and trying to clear up the dark green algae growth. Worked at this and the ducks until dark. Then my journal, a chance to read my Koi books until bedtime. Debbie did some more Peak Maths, but Daniel watched the TV. The news today is of Thatcher converted to the view that there could be an East/West arms agreement by the end of this year. The ‘Iron Lady’ has softened her views on the ‘Bear’ nation. The actual achievements of the negotiations are hard to evaluate, but a few minor agreements include the end of jamming of GB/USSR radio broadcasts, a joint space mission, targets for increased trade and a few other things. She had stayed behind the US negotiating position all the time, to provide a united Western front. It seems that the ‘Herald’ capsize was responsible for many more deaths than at first thought. Numbers missing vary by as many as 60, with several dozen names a mystery. After 3 days of storms, calmer weather has allowed the resumption of salvage efforts and the counting of bodies will be the only definitive way of knowing the death tally. A third Marconi defence systems computer worker, David Sands, has died in suspicious circumstances, to which a fourth can be added by inference, to make a team of victims giving a broad insight into the top secret work. The stock markets were nervous again today, but the index fall was only a small one. Michael Cane and Paul Newman have won Oscars for acting in the latest awards. Several marines are in trouble with the US authorities for lax security at the US Embassy in Moscow and all marines have now been withdrawn from their post. A 15 year old amateur boxer, Joseph Sticklen, has died after a knock out in a fight last Friday. The weather stayed mostly dry today and a bit chillier than yesterday, but we shall have to see whether we get some rain before the brighter weather that is forecast.