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Model sailing with Daniel on the river as the hot weather ends with rain as I consider buying another riverside plot and Thatcher’s cut-backs come home to roost
The overnight temperatures dropped to 57degF and maximum temperature today was 82degF. The barometer rose very slightly to 1016mb. A slightly more restful night, but I am not sleeping too well at the moment. A latish start and after breakfast Daniel and I finish preparing Elke for radio control cruising. After a successful trip up and down the river and with the batteries recharging, we get to work on The Lady’s aft cabin roof. I needed Daniels help for encouragement and to compensate for a stiff back. We wire brush the roof and complete the painting of half before the rain intervenes.
This evening, we barbeque sausages and hamburger steaks as the air turns much fresher and cooler than it has been for some days. I hear today from our plot neighbours that their planned sale of the plot for £5,500 to Muriel and Roger has fallen through. They say that Muriel has left home with the baby girl, which is very difficult to believe but must be true. Daniel and Diana feel that we should purchase the plot ourselves but I think the price is too high and Diana changes her mind when she realises it would give me the space I needed for a goat!
Time this evening to put away the dinghy’s outboard engine. Daniel and I had used the dinghy not only to guard against needing it for retrieving Elke but also when we had used it to take Daniel’s model sailing dinghy up to the lock-pool to sail it. It was a clear night to start with but not drying early enough to allow me to paint the other half of the aft cabin roof. Perhaps, another day!
Television and paper news today of the MORI poll on poverty where 5 million Britons are living below what most of us feel are the levels of necessity. It also reports 76% of the country as being willing to pay higher taxes to care for them. It seems Thatcher, Parkinson, Tebbitt and co. are out of touch with public opinion after all as they cut back the social services. A bath tonight and preparation for a hectic work day tomorrow as I am hopelessly behind.
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Slow start on another hot and sticky day but then family shopping expedition to Biggleswade, and trip with Daniel to Bedford for radio control batteries and the cinema for a James Bond film before preparing for the morning on The Lady
We had overnight temperatures of 60degF minimum rising to 81degF maximum today. The barometer rises slightly to 1015. Another hot and sticky today and I’m still quite exhausted from lost sleep earlier in the week and the heat. A slow-starting morning of paper and breakfast before completing most of my domestic paperwork. Then with the family to buy two bags of growers pellets for the ducks and to shop in Biggleswade, enjoying the market town and its more casual air. We went to the model shop but it is closing down and short of stock.
Home for lunch of mince pie (shepherd’s pie) and runner beans before getting out for Daniel all my old radio control gear and cluttering the dining room. I take Daniel to Bedford, to the Happy Kitchener chandlery to see motor boats and purchase a few items. Then to the model shop at Tavistock Street where we get some good advice on batteries and such. Lastly to McDonalds hamburger takeaway and on to the cinema to see ‘Octopussy’ the latest James Bond film, which Daniel missed last weekend.
Home to a setting sun on a fine day and, after dusk at 8.45pm, the full moon lights my way back to the house after putting away the ducks. Today the start of the football season with the F.A. Charity Shield between Cup and League winners of last year Manchester United and Liverpool. Late evening fiddling with the radio control models and gear trying to prepare a boat for the morning.
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Hot and sticky day in the office managing staff reviews/disputes, press and industry calls with administration work until late
The overnight temperatures was down to 55degF and today’s maximum rose to 87degF and , as the barometer down to 1014mb, we experienced a very close, hot and sticky day with high humidity and despite the warm breeze. Open, as my office windows were, and despite my plants and papers being blown about, I was hot and bothered for most of the day.
First a very helpful meeting between 8.00am and 9.00am with John Lamb and David Fear to compare notes on Cromemco and Tecmar discontinuance and also to agree a company policy for our Middle East sales pathfinder, Tony Tidswell. Afterwards, the mail and at 9.30am, a one hour interview with a journalist on the history and present position of Comart and then the completion of June’s review and first sight of three service reviews with John Lamb which made me despair at the rampant conflict and disagreement. They have to be deferred until Monday.
This afternoon, in a number of meetings with Derek Morgan on premises and supply purchasing plans, Derek Weatherby on financial figures and personnel problems and a number of phone calls on all subjects from hopeful salesmen, applicants for the BMMG and the Chairman of Pifco who wanted to invest in the Byte Shop! Meanwhile the paperwork backlog mounts and I work late to clear my desk with a fist full of action items outstanding.
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Xitan review/decisions and BMMG progress with Graham’s help as I liaise with DTI officials and finish at Nigel’s house getting him more involved and putting the industry to rights
A clear sunny and very hot day, although I do not fully believe my thermometer and its registration of 90degF at its highest today. Overnight temperatures fall to 58degF and the barometer has stayed stable. Early discussions with John Lamb before the morning post and a Xitan Board meeting commencing at 9.30 until a late lunch. Geoff’s Xitan is progressing, filling its key personnel vacancies but suffered a sales setback in July which is already seen to be overcome in August and September. A development proposal is accepted for 8088 dual processor facilities for the Reformatter, together with a new technician position, but a further proposal for a new combined disk controller is put on ice. A U.S. trip for Jane Dards and supplier liaison is sanctioned.
Early afternoon and return phone calls made on BMMG business. Graham Clifton confirmed as handling security aspects of export controls on Tuesday, John Marshall set going on five potential new BMMG recruits and arrangements made for a meeting with Nigel Smith in the evening. Lastly a telephone discussion with D of I IT Division aide Tony Keston who is persuading me to help out Kingston Micro Systems Centre with a machine loan, counselling caution about duty rate change delays, and encouraging us to consider the preproduction ordering support scheme as a potential way of obtaining government funds for Microsystems centre loans – Interesting! I arrange to meet him in October for a visit to Comart facilities. The remainder of a short afternoon discussing at length with Ian Nickson the feedback on the Development Policy, pressing on consideration of methods of achieving better timescales, and considering a poorly completed review.
Off then to Nigel’s house and there to drink martini, put the industry to rights, and persuade him to take an active role in Compec BMMG publicity and investigating the basis under which we may seek blanket relief on import duty. Home late to news of Texas Typhoons, Bizarre French lorry attacks on pubs, and undue concern about apprehending the sexual assailant of a six year old boy. I retire with the incomplete Xitan minutes on my conscious and thought of an early start to tomorrows work.
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Return to work, overviewing satisfactory Comart and Byte Shop progress until late as British Leyland shop stewards concede
We awake today to the first rain for some time – a good soaking spell that will restore greenness to the gardens and freshness and colour to the flowers. Overnight temperatures, however, only fell to 61degF and rose today to a maximum 76degF, the day being very muggy and close. The pressure surprisingly rose to 1019 and the future weather is awaited with interest.
First day back in the office and a full day starting early with the in-tray and mail, continuing with morning and afternoon meetings with Peter King each side of a full Byte Shop Group Board Meeting. Tonight, late at the office completing all manner of work until dusk. The Byte Shop results are ahead of budget for July and similarly forecast for August. Peter is well into the task of closer branch supervision and is proving every bit the positive influence I had anticipated. He has the rare combination of commercial acumen and financial control that sustains a creative businessman to longer term achievement. Plenty of problems but well in hand. Tonight resuming his search for local property. Bob Robinson has settled his case with us via ACAS on much the original terms, David Fear has the arrangements for Tecmar termination well in hand, and John Lamb is well advanced with Cromemco. To cap it all Peter appears to have sorted reasonable trading accounts for all Byte Shops with Acorn direct.
Tonight more news of young child molestations which preoccupy the media, of Botham’s return to form in cup cricket and of Steve Crams low key homecoming from the Helsinki World Championships. Shop stewards concede the case of the dismissed British Leyland workers who had infiltrated the company after filling in application forms falsely. Tomorrow another day and preoccupation on Xitan Systems with Geoff Lynch.