Doing the deal with Branmer to sell Comart on another very cold and frosty day whilst tending to personnel matters as my thoughts on the Budget are published in the computer and national press and our 14 ducks lay a record 12 eggs!
Another very cold day with frost forecast tonight. A cold north-easterly wind continues and is expected to prevail for the whole weekend. The decorators have now finished most rooms and we stand a chance of restoring the house to some sort of normality – even to comfort if I can obtain supplies of coal to light the fire. No sign of the builders return and the balcony is still sited on the front lawn! A busy office day whilst managing to spend half of the morning with Branmer’s Mr Ffaulks-Jones. I made him the same offer as Kode – my shares for £3M but also offered some £25,000 to relinquish the option on 25% of the Byte Shop. In the end a good afternoon’s work with many personnel matters completed and the work cleared before my holiday on Monday and Tuesday of next week.
A little frustration with Ian Nickson tonight, however, as I do not immediately agree with a large offer and removal package for a software engineer without time to discuss it. Home in mid-evening and to hear from Diana that our 14 ducks laid a record 12 eggs today. News today of almost all of the NCB coal pits closed by union action but also of ballots in a number of minefields that voted not to strike. It seems that the chances of the need for a national ballot are rising and the coal miner’s chances of victory against the government slim. There is a record 26 weeks of coal stocks stored at the pits and power stations and the spring and summer seasons are ahead. I get mentions in Computing and the Financial Times with favourable comment in line with the points I have been making. Early to bed this evening, thoroughly cold but wrapped up with two hot water bottles.