Affectionate time with Debbie and Daniel and then in to Comart to unload and tour the company before personnel and management meetings on a damp and drizzly day as Thatcher deepens the cold war, cuts the health service and closes Chatham Docks whilst trouble brews in the coal industry.

I awake to much affection and interest from Debbie who notices my absence away and now makes a fuss wanting to hold my towel and pass things for me in the bathroom. and she has a frightening coughing fit later, which was worrying. Daniel looked taller, even though I had only been away a day, I do not think I had noticed his size.

On time to the office and first to unload the car of exhibition equipment brought down from Manchester. I notice the increased respect and regard that my people hold me in, now I am getting more remote from them on a day-to-day basis. I am sure that my name is often quoted in vain and my presence is often a bit too much of a good thing! I sort out one or two latecomers and parking errants and then settle for the first of two second interviews for June’s assistant. A series of meetings today with David Fear on appraisals and recruitment plans; Ian Nickson on the arrangements for the second interviews for the Software Development Manager, June on progress on personnel matters generally and brief encounters with Derek’s Morgan, Weatherby and Carleton Lowe.

News today of over 5000 jobs (Health Service) to be lost by next March and these being the first direct cuts in the history of the health service. The coal board has offered the miners a 5.2% increase which Arthur Scargill rejects as unacceptable. Vauxhall workers are on strike over pay as well as fears about jobs. Moscow react to Mrs Thatcher’s speech of yesterday to a right wing US audience as the cold war of words continues. They accuse her of ‘rabid anticommunism’. Four bombs were set off by the IRA in Dungannon today whilst security operations continued to recapture the IRA prisoners. The Chatham dockyard closed today after 400 years of ship repairs for the navy.

A rather damp and drizzly day today and variable weather forecast for tomorrow. All rather depressing news and weather at the end of tiring week.