HMS Coventry named after the vessel lost in the Falklands
HMS Coventry named after the vessel lost in the Falklands

Another early start on a mild but wet day, this time to get Debbie off to her horse-riding and then I spent the day of copy-writing and planning for the next FOCUS issue with Michael, Pat and Percy Meyer and Sally Guinee to have special editions for Priory, Paxton, Buckden and Eaton. Debbie had her friend, Helen to stay for the weekend, Daniel had his mock driving test today and the instructor only gave him a 65% chance of passing.

One of British Navy's top secrets revealed; the existence on board our battleship HMS Coventry of a laser weapon. Russia's Foreign Minister, Eduard Shevardnadse, has backed Rumania's new leaders and offered to supply gas and oil. Kenneth Clarke is in trouble again in the ambulance dispute; his chauffeur being paid £25,000 which is double the £8-10K he is asking the ambulancemen to accept!

Another early start, this time to get Debbie off to her horse-riding. Again, I was the last down to breakfast, eating on my own apart from Della. I tended my conservatory, fish and doves in the absence of Pete today, and then made myself a coffee and tried telephoning the marine electrical place in Norwich to see if they were open, but they were not. This destined me to a day of copy-writing and planning for the next FOCUS issue and so I got Michael over and we had a session on the Priory and Paxton stories and case-work. After lunch, he returned and we were joined by Pat and Percy Meyer and Sally Guinee and we created the rest of the copy so they we are going to have special editions for Priory, Paxton, Buckden and Eaton which will be quite an achievement.

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I carried on this evening, completing the actual lay-out for the Eaton Socon version which looks quite good, but I still have the others to complete. I have decided that I must get the help and co-operation of the other party members in getting the copy written and typed in future so that I then have the lay-out to do as my only job. Then, we need somebody interested in computer typesetting and journalism to take this task over, which will reduce my commitment to that of the others. Debbie had her friend, Helen, to meet her at her horse-riding and she came back to the house to stay for the weekend. Daniel had his mock driving test today and the instructor only gave him a 65% chance of passing later this month. As a result, they are trying to get his test put back a few weeks. Di went into St Neots and did her weekly shopping which was a bit of a bind on a Saturday. She is normally luckier than that. The top news is of the discovery of one of the British Navy's top secrets; the existence on board our battleships of a laser weapon. It was seen on board HMS Coventry during a NATO exercise when the crew forgot to cover it up and it is a laser gun that can blind (supposedly temporarily) enemy pilots by laser rays. There is now a big fuss as to how the secret got out and also why we are using such weapons which some feel are escalatory. Russia's Foreign Minister, Eduard Shevardnadse, has backed Rumania's new leaders and offered to supply gas and oil to help that country get through the winter. Back home, Kenneth Clarke is in trouble again in the ambulance dispute. He is now supposed to be offering more money if the unions drop their requirement for a regular annual formula, even though he said that there would be no more money available. There has also been another scandal about his chauffeur being paid £25,000 which is double the £8-10K he is asking the ambulancemen to accept. This dispute will run and run. A milder day today but quite wet which meant that it was quite good to stay in and work.