Full day of shopping for The Hayling View, carpets, furnishings, fittings and new King Sized bed before lunch with the girls and then back to conciliate between conflicting tradesmen priorities as Thatcher’s government progresses more measures that discriminate against the poor and ignore the needs for industry support and policy which will be her eventual downfall
Another sound night, but fairly short. We are enjoying the comfort of a fully fitted bedroom after a long period without. Down to breakfast with the others and then the walk across the house for my shower and shave. Dressed next and in good time for the builders – the painter was not working today. The carpenter was the first to arrive and, after I let him in, started by putting up the skirting board in the future baby’s room and then working on the roof space. As I went out to feed the doves, the decorator resumed his papering, the builder connected up the waste to the drain and Mr Cheeseborough carried on tiling. The electrician also got here to resume work on the lights and boiler controls. Diana and I soon left to take Della for a few hours in town to do some shopping and avoid the disruption. A coffee at the Copper Kettle and then back and fro between the lighting shop in the Cross Keys yard and that in the market square. We bought a host of light fittings and lamp shades; three blue fringed ones for the guest room; two blue flowered glass and a fabric one for the lounge; some fawn lampshades for the hall & landing, including a wall fitting; and a rather splendid wood/glass light for the dining room. I then met up with Diana again at Claytons, where I bought three door bells, transformers, wire and push buttons.
A few more DIY items and then along to our furnishings shops to check progress. At The Carpet Scene, we organised our shower room and bathroom carpets for next Monday; at St Neots Carpet Company, we did the same thing for the new baby’s room. On to Brittains, where we collected the ironing room curtains, three more curtain rails and ordered a new Slumberland, king size, posture spring bed. The shopping finished, we went off to the Little Chef for lunch and Della enjoyed her customary burger. Home and the afternoon working my way round fitting the new lights and shades. My progress rather disturbed by a rising conflict between the vinyl fitters and the electricians, who were vying for the same time and space. I had to intervene and give priority to the sparks, but both left in the end without finishing either job. The vinyl being left unlaid was the biggest blow and I can only hope that they will return tomorrow and finish the job. Then to clear up and we had to have tea in the dining room again. A bit depressed, we nevertheless continued our toils afterwards and I completed the light fittings, but did not try to start the doorbells. News tonight of the DHSS white paper on the welfare state. SERPS is to remain, but be reduced in funding; the rest was a series of reforms, but linked to budget cuts and the Minister, Norman Fowler, did not do well defending the paper in front of his opposition party critics on a TV programme tonight. The cuts are described as hitting the poorest; the Low Pay Unit claims they would double the number of families caught in the poverty trap, Labour’s Meacher called the plans to cut widows benefit ‘harsh and unfair’, and the Director of Housing Centre, SHAC, said ‘the proposals would mean a severe loss in housing benefit for many pensioners, single people and childless couples.’ In another decision today, the government decided not to intervene in the Westland/Sikorsky deal, despite the Defence Ministry being in favour of a European consortium’s approach. Two further decisions for Thatcher’s laissez-faire beliefs, but I have reason to believe that she will pay for them both, with her popularity suffering. Another passenger airliner was involved in an incident today as three pieces of a British Airways Jumbo Jet fell off – two parts of a wing flap and a tail came from an engine exhaust. The weather, though still fine, was a bit chillier today. It is forecast similar for tomorrow, with possibly a little light drizzle.