Farewells to Brighton after nostalgic visits to the universities and home to find everything well if a bit chilly as the NUM seeks help from Libya and 40,000 attend church service in Warsaw for Polish Solidarity priest
An early awakening on the first morning of Greenwich Mean Time, British Summer Time having ended at midnight. A noisy night with a first class gale rattling the windows and the radiator valve working overtime. Then Debbie wandered in to go to the bathroom and I realised it was morning. All to get washed and dressed and then down together to a splendid breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Then upstairs to pack and make ready to leave. The weather today was foul on the sea front with gale force winds whirling down the streets, whipping up the sea into white plumes and filling the air with salt spray. We drove off to Black Rock Marina to photograph the waves hitting the sea wall and then drove off to Sussex University at Falmer to film Diana’s old offices in the Arts Department. Time to see Moulsecoomb and a much expanded Brighton Polytechnic to bring back my own memories before we set off for home. A good trip through a quiet city as we stopped at two places for coffee and lunch to finish off our weekend’s pleasure.
Home to find everything OK; the ducks gleeful at being fed, the dove cotes intact and both houses sound and well. The house is a bit cold and chilly after a weekend without heating and so I prepare a log and coal fire which we thoroughly enjoy for the evening. Plenty of mail and papers to read and so a warm and relaxing evening. News tonight of further controversy over the NUM’s visits to Tripoli and contacts with Libyan parties interested in supporting the miners cause. In Warsaw tonight over 40,000 people attend church services in remembrance of Popieluszko now that more details of his fate become known. Sir Geoffrey Howe, Foreign Secretary, visits the Lebanon and offers troops to assist in any follow through of the Israeli withdrawal.