Difficult day struggling with a cold as the boys help finish off lifting my dovecote onto its pole as the industrial unrest deepens and spreads
I awake today rather poorly. I have a temperature and a husky chest which I think is some type of mild bronchitis, but strangely no other symptoms of severe throat or cough. I rise to breakfast of melon and toast but return to bed to read The Financial Times and rest for most of the morning. Eventually, feeling better, I get up and dressed, let out the ducks and marshal the boys to help me place the dovecote onto the mounting post. It is extremely heavy and difficult to place as they stand precociously on a wobbly table. Eventually with a large heave we succeed and are shattered by the effort. Despite strong wind and a heavy and high centre of gravity it seemed to survive the afternoon intact. I returned to the office later on to read the mail, answer phone messages and conduct some correspondence. Phone calls to the BMMG Chairman, Nigel Smith and Secretariat Helen Gibbons to review our activity and meeting schedule and agree action accordingly.
A conversation also with John Lamb who has won a battle on the employee share scheme and is also assisting me with obtaining BMMG literature racks and last week’s Computing newspaper. I return home to tea and then sort out recent press cuttings and stack the remaining computer journals. An evening of television as my chest remains sore and I start to get a throbbing headache to match. News tonight of optimism fading in the coal dispute as the NUM and NCB still report wide differences. In the Labour Shadow Cabinet elections, Tony Benn and Eric Heffer fail to get seats in a swing to the centre right. The Sun newspaper will not appear tomorrow due to a NGA dispute and strikes are also voted for at Jaguar and Austin Rover. A row between English and French security men guarding the French President’s visit erupts when explosives are found.