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Grove House surveys and decisions whilst chairing a Xitan Review meeting and being interviewed by Segal Quince as Spurs win the UEFA Cup and NUM/NCB talks break down again
Up on time and my normal breakfast of toast but with boiled egg and fruit juice. A wild day starting fine but ending with showers. On time to the office and some early meetings before the post arrived early for scrutiny before my meetings. A brief chance to meet Ian and discuss capital approvals, declining to agree his IBM PC hard disc enhancement through lack of due justification. At 9.30am ready to see any one of three but eventually Geoff Lynch arrived and we met briefly before the structural surveyor, Mr Keagan, arrived late to be briefed on examining Grove House. A short encounter before despatching Mr Keagan off to undertake a full survey and report back after 3.00pm. Then to chase up the Xitan Directors for a timely start to the Review Meeting – Derek and Geoff engrossed in unproductive interchanges on their share trade up opportunities!
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London legal meetings for takeover advice and with Royal College of Arms Herald before back form more legal advice with regard to Grove House and then attending a depressing Kimbolton Parents evening for Daniel as British Leyland close their Bathgate Truck and Leeds Bus Plants
A cool and rainy day, with the ground continuing to get the watering it desperately needed. Up early, to breakfast, and out by car to St Neots station in time to catch the 8.02am Kings Cross train; paying for my 1st class return fare by Barclaycard. A pleasant journey, in good comfort and able to undertake a little reading of the Kode takeover papers. Time to browse through the book stall at Kings Cross station and I buy a couple of boating magazines separately to provide sufficient change in coins for the underground ticket machines. Off by tube to Liverpool Street and a short walk to the offices of Ashurst Crisp at Broad Gate House.
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Completing the purchase and fitting out of Grove house as the Peat Marwick accountants are satisfied with what they find whilst Daniel gets a TV and computer ban from Diana for carelessness as the Miners dispute develops further
Up on time and, after a normal toast and fruit juice breakfast, off early to the factory calling at D H Barford on the way to drop off the Grove House keys. A morning of meetings and phone calls organising the acquisition of Grove House in terms of structural survey, legal terms, and arrangements for power supplies and furnishings. Also eventually to hear from Richard James of Ashursts and to discuss the takeover terms and conditions. An afternoon meeting with Carlton Lowe to complete personnel reviews and also to discuss the reactions of Derek Morgan to what he has taken bitterly as a demotion. Assurances all round that this is not the case. A late update with Stephen Day of Kode and the Peat Marwick investigating accountants who still remain satisfied with progress so far.
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Recovery day, taking a towpath walk with Debbie, playing computer games with Daniel and catching up with bills and payments as we get some rain to break the drought
A quiet and insubstantial day and I found trouble in turning to anything being so weary after an exhausting week. Still, a sound night’s sleep and then the first up at 7.00am to prepare tea, coffee and blackcurrant juice to bring the whole family in bed. Then a splendid fried breakfast, with the children also having fried bread and, for Deborah, her first taste of brown sauce which she liked. A long morning’s lay in reading The Sunday Times from cover to cover. I am not as content with it as I was – the coverage of the Miner’s Strike as very biased against them. The week’s news of the escalation in the Gulf War between Iran and Iraq with neutral oil tankers the target of occasional air raids. This situation threatens both the commercial trade in oil, its price and the international economies on the one hand and political stability on the other with the danger that America will intervene. Up, dressed and out with Debbie who takes a pleasant walk with me down the towpath and back along Gordon Road.