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Family and domestic day, entertaining the children, searching for a lost duck and helping generally as Thatchers talks of involving troops in her industrial disputes
We are woken by a ‘helpful’ Deborah who has heard Daniella crying and runs in to let us know. Evidently the baby only needed one feed last night but both Diana and I are feeling tired as we start the day. Di prepares the morning drinks and a breakfast of cereal and toast only – my legs are still aching from my marathon walk of yesterday evening. Then to return to bed to read The Sunday Times from cover to cover as Diana takes on the housework for the first time. Eventually up and a quick shave and outside to see the day. The rain is continuing in showers and the ground is thankfully moist after weeks of drought.
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Getting back to ‘normal’ family life and shopping for food and supplies after which I take a long walk for relaxation, noting the worms and hedgehogs out after the rain, as the miners’ and dock workers’ strikes spread to the ferries
Diana is up with Daniella first thing and so brings up the morning drinks for the first time since the birth. A much better day. She is no longer in pain and the swelling and inflammation of her right breast have both receded. This morning’s visiting midwife (the fourth different one since the visits started!) agreed the improvement and the discontinuance of the dehydration tablets. Diana had managed to continue feeding throughout, supplementing the breast milk with a little soya bean milk, but mainly expressing her sore breast with an Egnell breast pump and saving the milk.
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Diana is a little better and the domestic situation settles down and so I take a little time off housekeeping Daniel to Cambridge to buy a new Jaguar as the Mortgage Rate rises from 10 ¼ % to 12 ½ %and the Docks talks break down and Maxwell takes over the Mirror Group
Up for the normal morning routine except today Daniel had started his holiday and was able to help me to get Deborah to school. Diana is much better today with her breast inflammation reduced, but the lump remains and so she took dehydration tablets morning and night. Blessedly her breast milk supplies remain intact, although she still has to use the pump on one of them as it is too painful otherwise. Anyway our desperation is improving, Diana is eating well and Daniella only needs a little bottle milk at night. I use the improved situation to go off with Daniel for a few hours to Cambridge. We look at the Jaguar cars at Marshalls in Cherry Hinton Road and take a 4.24ltr Sovereign for a test drive. I pay £1000 deposit and order one in British Racing Green, registration A66 VEG, which should be ready on Tuesday.
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Another day overshadowed with Diana’s breast crisis but her Mum Norma and the midwife and Doctor are all at hand; as Kode shares and Sterling fall and Thatcher courts more aggravation with further denationalisation
Another slow start but eventually prepared the drinks and gathered the family together. Our (by now) normal routine for breakfast with Daniel helping tremendously with Deborah and then I took her to school. Comments from other children and their mums about our picture in The Trader yesterday. Home to collect the duck eggs and do the washing up and Norma arrives to help again. Diana’s breast is less painful but still lumpy and sore and the midwife is unhappy about Diana not taking the dehydration tablets. Off to Grove House and an hour’s press interview for a personal profile in Electronic Times and a further hours interview with Michel, the latest choice for Comart’s French operation. Both very satisfactory and so back home to find Diana more uncomfortable and Daniel arriving home.