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Day of meetings with industry colleagues, DTI minister’s aides and then a little time with my family before an evening with the BMMG Chairman, Nigel Smith, plotting the industry’s next moves as the economy falters
Up on time and to the office for a good hours work. Telephone message from Romtec inviting me to call about the cancellation of BIT85; and we talk about the chances of saving the exhibition concept. I agree to talk to the organisers and arrange a meeting. I also call Dr Bill Unsworth of U Microcomputers to confirm my availability for his press conference on Tuesday and provide my help. Then the mail which does not contain anything particularly interesting – I have not seen Computing and Computer Weekly yet this week. At 10.15am Diana and I take off to St Neots and do the weekend’s grocery shopping together. I take round the pram whilst Diana handles the supermarket trolley and it is fun to see how good Daniella is and how she wants to see over the cot side and everything around her. Then to get a bail of straw from the farm and some ready-mixed sand and cement mixture from the Little Paxton tool hire depot; before setting off for Huntingdon and my train to London. Before we parted, we stopped at the riverside café/restaurant and had a couple of cups of coffee together. On the train to London I prepared my thoughts in respect of my DTI meeting. Angus Grey is my new contact at the DTI, and the background to the meeting was the forthcoming meeting with the new IT Minister, Kenneth Barker. But before making my way to Bressenden Place, I taxied to Theobald Road and took a brief lunch with my BMMG friend and colleague, Graham Clifton, at Transam Microsystems. It seems that he is involved in a new venture of intelligent modems for cellular radio and I wish him well but decline any personal involvement.
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Wet and windy but restful day, checking on my Mum Grace to see that she has improved and asking about my maternal grand-father Albert Antrobus, who died in his 30’s as the news is full of economic problems
Up early and time to read The Financial Times and eat breakfast before washing, shaving and dressing and making my way to the office. I received my income from disposing of the T&C shares today, and also a couple of computer publications in which my efforts were mentioned. Some time on my Prestel terminal keeping track of the stock exchange slide and the decline in the pound – it was down another cent today and at a record low against other currencies. A sandwich lunch with Di and then an afternoon and early evening preparing a five page report on my BMMG activities for September and October. I finished typing this by 8.00pm. a call today from Angus Grey of the DTI and we agree to meet tomorrow afternoon; but Nigel Smith is unable to join us. I also contact Mum and Dad to see if Mum is any better (which she is) and also ask more about her father Albert Antrobus. It seems that he was born Albert Edward Antrobus of a Leicester family about 1887, married Alice Maud Crabtree about 1895/8 and took over a singer sewing machine service centre in Edmonton to die in his thirties there about 1921. Evidently Alice was in service with his family and her brother was sent to work as a coal miner.
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Celebrating Diana’s birthday with my parents as Sterling dives over the ongoing miners’ dispute and the economic gloom matches the dull and drizzly weather
Up fairly early and I get Debbie to give Diana her cards and present on her birthday. The dressing gown that I had purchased from Debenhams yesterday was from Debbie and Daniel together, and we had bought cards from each of us (and Daniella) on Saturday. Breakfast as normal and washed and dressed soon after 9.00am and able to work at the office. Little in the mail and several BMMG phone calls about our catalogue and newsletter copy. In the end, I agree to meet Nigel on Friday night to resolve them and I will work on the copy in the meantime. Off for lunch with Diana at The Little Chef as an extra birthday treat – there we can keep an eye on the baby in the car at the same time.
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A day basking in the glow of my anti IBM/BT Jove success and celebrating with a shopping trip to Cambridge for Diana as the Pits Overmen & Deputies announce a supportive strike, Tebbit’s wife’s recovery is of concern to Norman and the BMA start its anti-tobacco campaign
Up on time and to see the printed confirmation in The Financial Times of the BT/IBM licence rejection. I also popped to the local newsagent to get a Guardian and Times and all carried the story supportively, but did not include any of my personal interviewed comments. One aspect of not being thus reported will be the positive reinforcement of the fact that the opposition was very widespread, even if it did need to be mobilised. After breakfast, an hour or two to return telephone calls and contact Computer Weekly and Informatics. Also to talk to John Lamb and bring him up-to-date as well. Then to collect Diana before off to Bedford and to Debenhams to buy a coat, two slips and a new dressing gown for her birthday tomorrow. A rather poor lunch in the restaurant as Debenhams appeared to be very disorganised; serving haddock instead of the plaice that Di ordered. We stop in at Willington Garden Centre on the way back home to see if they had any books on doves (which they didn’t) and note the special offers on garden furniture. A few hours’ work back at the office, after our tea break, where I managed to write to Freda over her loan and also to write up and type the minutes from the recent DTI/BMMG LAN meeting. After tea to spend time with Daniel’s homework as I had to make him repeat sections of it.