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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.
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Chairing the Xitan Review meeting on a bitterly cold day to find Geoff struggling with its management and then late writing up the results as the Miners pickets withdraw but Diana sells three dozen of our duck eggs and Daniel recovers from his sickness
Early to the office and preparations for the Xitan Review Meeting and quick review of the morning mail. A terribly frustrating meeting – Geoff Lynch is patently struggling with the responsibility with people and management problems. I will soon have to either help him or replace him and the future plans of the company are far from clear. A late evening at the office writing up the minutes and clearing other work. Back to the house which is still in a right mess but the decoration is reaching completion. Today Diana sold 3 dozen duck eggs to some new customers. News tonight of the withdrawal of the Yorkshire Miners pickets as Nottinghamshire Coal fields are closed. The weather continues very cold with a bitter north wind but Daniel has recovered from this morning’s sickness.
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Sending my budget response to the Press, so as to pre-empt calls, allowed me to get on with meeting BOS executives, promoting John to Comart Managing Director and then made time for Nigel to brief me on CBI budget discussion as Gerry Adams of the IRA is shot and High Court injunctions start tackling the Miners’ Strike
Up as usual and to the office and first to write my response to yesterday’s Budget and get it telexed to the principal journals to forestall a series of phone calls for comment. I had spent the early morning reading the detail of the budget analysis in The Times. A good morning’s meeting with Chairman Alistair Jacks and colleague of MPLS BOS talking future cooperation and mutual benefit in developing compatible products. A sandwich lunch and then an afternoon clearing the mail, catching up on reading and short meetings. Amongst items discussed are quality issues of packaging and mechanical assembly. News today of an assassination attempt on Gerry Adams, the Sein Fein leader, as he stops three bullets and sees three colleagues also hit.
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Day in London addressing the ECIF, negotiating with PA and Kode about their prospective purchase of Comart after being distracted by family history research and then analysing the Budget ready for my press Interviews before returning home to building chaos
Up early and, after a quick slice or two of toast, off to St Neots railway station to catch the 7.20 to King Cross. A full train and so I move to first class accommodation planning to pay the excess but no ticket collector arrived. By tube to Aldwych and spent 8.30 - 11.00 searching the Death Indexes at the Registry; and apply for the death certificates for Merab Broad and what could be John Broad Snr. Also a multiple search to try to find details of John Broad Junior’s marriage to Sarah. On by taxi to arrive at the Hotel for the ECIF semiconductor group, and after a wait for 30 mins drinking coffee, to address them on behalf of the BMMG and answer questions. A good buffet lunch to follow in good and attentive company before walking to Victoria Station to call the office. Only then to realise that I had forgotten my next appointment with P.A. and the Kode executives; so I get June to phone ahead, catch a quick taxi and arrive only 30 min late at 3.30pm somewhat unprepared. A good two hour meeting. In essence we discuss a purchase of Comart in three stages of £1M each as the business generates the profit and they go off to put a proposal together.