Lively and happy domestic day of dove training, Christmas shopping and log choreography as the Miners have to respect the Courts authority
An early awakening when Deborah left her bedroom door open, broadcasting light and cassette stories throughout the house. Some time reading my Economist and Investors Chronicle from yesterday and then down to my Sunday breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, tomato and bread. I receive a phone call from my log supplier who offers to deliver the logs early this morning and I accept the plan. So after breakfast I quickly shower, shave and get dressed to be ready. A fair load of logs arrives, costing £35, and it takes me most of the morning with Daniel and his friend Paul to stack the logs at the back and side of the garage, with the remainder by the fence. Time out to feed and tend the pigeons and ducks. The doves have started to roam around the roofing and I am determined that they should stay on the dovecote. The older Indigo cock is causing the problem by guarding the surrounding territory for his Grizzle mate jealously. No eggs again from the Campbells.
In at 12.30pm for an early lunch of sausages (Di had forgot to put the pork roast into the oven!) and then afterwards I settled to start The Sunday Times, whilst Diana does the washing up. I hear via the teletext that we are only being allotted a fraction of the BT shares we applied for – 4,000 against 250,000. Then to set off for Brampton Garden Centre for a couple of hours and we looked at all the plants, furniture and Christmas items together. I bought a clay robins nest box, Debbie made a visit to the Father Christmas grotto and Di selected a range of Christmas decorations with Debbie’s help. Home via St Neots riverside park where I treat the family to afternoon tea at the café. The rain pours down and the sky is so overcast that it is quite murky by 3.00pm. We drive back and I spend an hour rounding up the doves and feeding all. The doves had scaled the roof again, got sopping wet and then dropped to the ground when shoed off the roof. I use the ladder to poke them into suitable pigeon holes in the dovecote which is the first time that the Blue cock has been inside. I hope it settles them down again. In for a tea of crumpets, scones and stilton cheese and then to spend the evening reading today’s Sunday Times, finishing The Economist and watching TV with Diana. The miners’ union National Executive are calling a special delegate conference tomorrow to consider the High Court demand that the union submit to the court’s authority. In Northern Ireland, a soldier and civilian have both been killed in a shooting incident. Security arrangements are in progress for tomorrow’s meeting of European Prime Ministers at Dublin Castle. The weather today was mild at first but, after the downpour early this afternoon, it became colder.