To Manchester by car for Byte Shop meetings and then home via John’s for dinner as the NGA dispute twists and turns and bombs go off in Oxford and London
Up on time but little time to wash and snatch a quick breakfast before leaving early. By car to collect John from Rushden and then on to Manchester’s Britannia Hotel for a Byte Shop regional review meeting. A difficult journey due to the very harsh frost which made minor roads slippery. To start our meeting on time but without Derek who reported sick with sickness and diarrhoea and was unable to come.
A good Manchester Review Meeting. Sales are very high with the IBM predominating and Apricot overtaking the Comart communicator as the only worry. Profits well ahead of budget but effort needed to regain control of escalating stock levels bought on by the disorientation of fast trading. All in hand and more dedicated Comart sales effort promised for the future. At 4.00pm a changeover to meet Gordon Coventry of Glasgow, come down to discuss the future of Adrienne. An agonising session with a compromise reached preparing the relief of Adrienne’s company secretarial duties, the agreement of 30 hours a week minimum hours criteria and the offer of an Admin Manager title and job spec. This to be put to her as a decision of the Directors. Home by car and on the way John succeeds in hitting a road sleeper and getting a blow-out! The weather had thankfully turned mild but still a major problem to change the wheel in the dark. A pleasant meal of chicken at John and Beth Lamb’s and chance to run over some reliability reports with John and agree the outline agenda for a sales executive’s training course in January. News today of further trouble over the NGA dispute with TUC Secretary Murray (Len) disassociating himself from the committee’s decision and anticipating a further meeting of the General Council to reverse the decision. A bomb went off late tonight in a telephone kiosk near Oxford with no explanation as to its circumstances. Another bomb was discovered off Oxford Street in London but safely detonated. The pound sterling exchange rate has fallen this afternoon to a record low of $1.42 against the dollar which is a welcome development for microcomputer trading.