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Morning of a fine and sunny day tending the ducks, doves and family and then lunch with John Lamb to hear lamentable news about Comart and Kode before a traumatic tea with misbehaving Debbie as sequestrators pursue the NUM and Chile represses any dissent
Awake to an aching back, which I decide is due to all that ladder lifting! A consoling cup of tea and, driven to the toilet, I collect The Financial Times from the front door for myself. An early-ish breakfast – toast is back in stock again and the normal apple juice to accompany it. I weighed 13st 6lbs this morning, only 1lb down on my weight when I started trying to cut back. Diana cut my hair after breakfast and I celebrated the event by washing it and my hair brush thoroughly, as both had been very oily lately. Washed, shaved and dressed, then I set up shop in the lounge babysitting whilst Diana took Daniel’s bike to be fixed. I had the radio phone to hand in order to still take calls from the office. I wrote a two page letter to my sister Freda, trying to point out some of the pitfalls of her cottage letting idea. Diana returned to help me finish it and make a cup of coffee. After 10.00am out with ladder to clean and feed the pigeons. Fascinated to see them overcome their shyness of the nest boxes – at one time there were three in a single one. The returned Blue is trying to get back the Blonde Qualmond after his sortie and by the end of the day seemed to have succeeded.
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Busy day working at home as the murder takes place in Bombay of the new Deputy High Commissioner, Percy Norris, after he and his wife entertained the England Cricket Team last night as his first social dinner in Bombay
A poorer night. First I felt hot and turned back the eiderdown and then the wind got up in the night and I woke up freezing! Di brought me a cup of tea and the paper, which upset Debbie who wanted to do it – but later! Soon up for breakfast of cereal as Di had run out of toast, then quickly to wash and shave so as to get out and check the pigeons. Up the ladder and to replenish their seed and clean their container. Still only five in evidence as the Blue seemed lost for ever. I let out the ducks early as I was dressed for it and noticed that the river is still well up, but below the highest with the ducks accessible. To the office to take note of the latest de Zoete and Bevan statements and reconcile my bank account. Also to reply to a few items of sundry mail and check out the computer. I ascertain that the problems I had last night had developed into a computer hardware fault and I confirm this with a call to Comart which cuts short my work. I therefore play with the Prestel enquiry service, scanning the financial advice ahead of telecom and checking my Homelink account status.
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Releasing the doves from their cage and spending the day on family matters but failing to plan a visit to Freda before supervising Daniel and Debbie’s homework as nuclear disarmament and miners arrests top the news
A fine sunny day with a slight ground frost due to the clearness of the night sky. We had slept well and woken on time. A nice cup of tea as I read Pepys and, rising for an urgent toilet call, I collected The Financial Times from the front door myself and took it up to read. Breakfast of toast, honey and apple juice, and then a quick wash and dress and out to the doves. I had decided, with the rise of the barometer, that today would be the day and so I prepared the doves water and seed supplies and took out the ladder. First I cleared out most of the droppings with the sand spade and then lifted up the cage and eased it out over and backwards so that it fell to the ground behind me. The doves fluttered up to the top of the dovecote and I used the spade to clean up the edges of the feeding tray, then put out their water and food and retired to watch from a distance. The pairs were mixed up, but gradually sorted themselves out, and I went to feed and let the ducks out then settled, after a cup of coffee, in the office to work.
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Family day walking around Little Paxton as Daniel visits Gaz in Eaton Ford and the CND campaign against Trident
Another bright and sunny morning with the light filtering in as I sip my morning tea. A few days of Pepys November 1665 journal before The Sunday Times arrives and I read the Business News. Down to a nice breakfast of fried egg, bacon, mushrooms and toast before another hour in bed finishing off the paper. Then up, shaved and dressed in some old clothes so as to go out and tend the doves. They always buck up on the mornings with sunshine and were prancing about as usual. The older Blue Indigo cock is still defending the tray as territory for his Grizzle hen and creating havoc for the feeding arrangements. Over to the ducks to feed them as I could not get them in or feed them last night. The river has receded quite a lot and from the tide marks I notice that it did not quite get into the duck house or the sheds. Even so I emptied the former of straw and opened all doors of both so as to give the maximum chance of today’s sun and fresh breeze could dry and air them out.