Another poor night, despite an early bedtime, as it was uncomfortably warm and humid but then an enjoyable breakfast of croissants with the girls before watering and feeding chores and then mowing the games lawn after which Daniel joined me for a game of croquet. His friends came to play croquet, swim and use the outboard motor dinghy rather too enthusiastically as I worked on my photographs. The news today is of the dismissal of the Chinese party leader Xhao Ziyang, who had been conciliatory to the student protests and paid the price with his job as students are tried and executed and the ‘tank martyr’ was shot dead. Rival Asian and National Front rallies clash in Dewsbury and Peter Walker issues a challenge to the Prime Minister over early connection to the EMS as the Tory support plummets in opinion polls.
I had an earlier bedtime but still a restless sleep on a warm and humid night. I was still up as usual for a meal of croissants which the girls particularly enjoy. Then my range of watering and feeding chores before I decided to mow the games lawn. It is coming on very well but will still need more work to make it very level in years to come. I dragged Daniel out to join me after for a game of croquet. Then lunch, after which Daniel had a whole posse of youths visiting to play with. They swam, used the croquet lawn and then the outboard motor dinghy and had a good time. Unfortunately, they did each to excess and I had to have a go at them for going mad. I was sticking back the rest of the photographs used in my book into the album which took all afternoon and evening. However, I was also watching England being humiliated by Australia in the second Test Match. England captain, Gower, was making a terrible job of using his bowlers and then we could not bat for toffee. I also went out to deliver more books that had been requested for the two Little Paxton Newsagents and then I returned a number of photos to three people who had lent them for the book. I tried to get to sleep earlier again tonight. The news today is of the dismissal of the Chinese party reformist leader Xhao Ziyang, who had been conciliatory to the student protesters in Tiananmen Square and paid the price with his job.
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Even so, he was faring better than some of the others – protesters are being tried and then executed for their part in the disturbances. One youth who had been seen around the world standing in front of tanks and stopping them has been shot dead. His appearance on TV in the scenes and made him into a famous martyr. At home, there was 59 arrests after rival Asian and National Front rallies on the same day in Dewsbury. Thatcher’s discomfiture is fuelled by the leadership of Peter Walker at the Tories Welsh conference, as he issued a challenge to the Prime Minister over early connection to the EMS. The opinion polls give the Labour Party a large 14% lead over the Tories at 48% to 34%. The Greens are put third 8% and the Democrats fourth at 6%