Off to the Ekins Auction in St Ives after noting the new doves egg on a mild and sunny morning for £390-worth of successful bids for silver before home to learn of some very successful BMMG recruitment and to unpack our new garden furniture as the TUC supports a sacked miners' fund
Awake to my morning tea and finished reading the paper before breakfast. Down to a breakfast of boiled duck egg, which we all, except Diana, enjoyed as usual. Up to read my auction catalogue and make a few notes and then to get showered, shaved, washed and dressed. I find a shower manages to get me going rather more effectively than trying to wash down, though I enjoy a bath most of all, if I have the time. Out to the birds on a mild and sunny morning and the doves and ducks both feed well. The blonde Qualmond had laid at least one egg and, with the indigo cock, seems to be incubating conscientiously, which is hopeful. Eight only eggs from the ducks, who are only now getting back to a full feed. Strangely, one laid an egg and size of a pigeons today and I played a good joke on Daniel and Diana by pretending I had taken down the doves egg as a dead loss!
All ready and by myself to St Ives and the Ekins salesroom. An hour or two getting used to the procedure and then I settled down to the silver auction. Successfully bid for three table spoons for £60, my 12 table knives for £140, six tea spoons for £38, sugar tongs for £12 and a set of six tea knives for £25. I missed an 1830 Dublin cherry fork and 4 George Adams salt spoons, but the bidding was too high. Paid for my purchases – at £390, a lot less than I expected, and the knives a bargain – and then to the car and Waits Quay for a Chinese takeaway. Chinese soup and a chicken Egg Fu Yung, which I ate with one of my silver tea and table spoon purchases, which was lovely. Home and to lay out my purchases for Diana to see, after I made myself a couple of mugs of tea. Over to the office and a couple of hours making phone calls to Bill Barrett, Martin Isherwood, Nigel Smith, Bill Unsworth to ascertain that 5 companies (including ICL, FTS and Sinclair) had applied to join the BMMG, which is good. Bill is chasing Ferranti Wythenshawe as Bracknell were the party that replied in the negative. No paperwork accomplished, but I have decided not to go to Xerox tomorrow to give me more time to catch up. I closed the office and spent ¾ hour fixing my new coat hook to The Lady. A tea of sausages and ice cream to follow and then out to erect and unpack our new garden furniture, which we bought some time ago. A fair job with boxes and packing material to collapse and carry away. Six cushioned upright chairs, two cushioned relaxing chairs, two cushioned footstools, an extending table and oblong parasol – all in white with matching blue cushions. Together with the white bench (already assembled for some time) I fair covered the lawn with a colourful display and Diana and I sat in them before I packed them carefully away. The ducks fed and away at dusk and then in to the news. A regal fuss tonight as rumours circulate over Princess Michael’s father being involved in Nazi atrocities in the war. The Baron was a known Nazi, but Princess Michael has only just found out he was involved with the SS as a Major. She only met him at the age of 17, as her parents had split up after the war. In space, the US astronauts have rigged up a Heath Robinson device to try to commission the latest rogue satellite tomorrow. The TUC congress backs a McHaley call for support for the sacked miners and money and a day of action were agreed. Thatcher fields the first political attacks in the Commons from all directions. Cambridge United football team lose again this evening and are bound to be relegated to division 4. After today’s warm and sunny day, another is forecast again tomorrow.