A relaxed start to the day catching up on reading and love-making before up and out to do some garden and security planning before hosting a fine Sunday lunch and trying out our new dishwasher as The Labour Party works on reforming its Liverpool Militant Tendency and bombs and mines kill South African and Ulster policemen and people
A lay in this morning after a succession of late nights and caught Diana before she could leave the bed to make the morning drinks. She was staying there hoping I would make them, but was only made love to for her pains, which was not in her mind at all! Time to catch up on yesterday’s journal and then to read a boating magazine before my customary fried breakfast. I lit the log fire to keep the lounge warm for the day. A long time in the old lounge and in front of my fire reading today’s Sunday Times. I enjoyed it, but wonder whether I ought not to cancel it in favour of the Observer. Since becoming part of that Australian Maxwell’s publishing empire it has become more right wing in political posture and sensationalist in character. Diana was not too happy at my occupation of the bed and so at 10.30am I washed, dressed and showered and went out to feed the doves. They ate two whole handfuls of mixed grain this morning, which is the most they have had so far. The river had receded a little, but was still high and the weather, though still dry, gradually turned cooler as the day wore on. Daniel and his friends Steve and Gary were working on his boat, Aquabean, and bailed it out, fitted a bilge pump and rearranged the winter cover during the day. I helped them a little, but spend most of the time trying to work out the existing pipes on the link building floor and then fitting a chub security bolt to the underside of one of the balcony doors whilst I could.
Lunch of pork with all the trimmings and Daniel’s friends joined us and we all served ourselves for choice from the dishes. The dishwasher is working well. We stack the plates at each sitting, put it on rinse and stop, and then set it to wash thoroughly once we have a full load. The numerous items we have bought in the Royal Doulton Lambeth ware range means that we need not fear running out of crockery. This afternoon I took Daniel and Gary over to Colneworth to try to collect our Evinrude outboard motor, but were disappointed again – this time they close at 1.00pm on Sundays! A poor tea of sandwiches only and some cheese cake to follow and then this evening I put up some curtain rails to be ready for the decorators this week. Away with the ducks, but they were a bit reluctant to come today – there was a fishing match opposite and the anglers had fed them too much bread. Later I caught up on my journal, listened to the news and then worked out my alarm order, which I will send off in the morning. News today of the opening of the Labour Party enquiry into Militant Tendency in Liverpool and of initial damaging evidence of rule breaking and exploitation from Jane Kennedy of the Public Employees Union. Labour MP Ernie Roberts has lost a selection vote to a leading black member’s campaigner. In Northern Ireland, the two police killed yesterday by a bomb at their police station were identified. In South Africa, a land mine exploded outside a post office, killing and injuring 5 people. The forecast is for fog tonight, with some frost and then more rain spreading into the region tomorrow.