Christmas Eve - Working on my new alarm and smoke detection system today before tending to the doves and ducks and then easing off to help Diana prepare the presents for Christmas Day tomorrow. This as Thatcher hits out at our Allies for not supporting action against Argentina over the Falklands and there are more deaths in South Africa
A better night and a lay in at last, with my morning tea, planning the zoning for our alarm system. At last down to breakfast, with the family behaving a little better and then back to bed a while to read the FT. Kode are up another 10p/share this morning making a recovery from 65p to103p in the last month or two, which is very pleasing. Then to shower, wash my hair, shave and dress before unpacking all my alarm components again and checking them through. I telephoned the alarm company, who confirmed that the self-activating bell module, shutter contacts and smoke detectors are OK, despite my doubts, but they will be sending me some adapters. Then, as Di took Della shopping and Daniel went off to play with Gary, I put up the alarm box in the hall and took off the ceiling plasterboard so as to wire it up to the mains. Debbie watched the portable TV in the playroom and played with her toys at the same time.
Diana home to prepare us lunch and then I spent the afternoon putting up smoke detectors. As C-TEC had sent them with batteries, I could commission them in the interim as stand-alone devices and so I put one in each landing and another in the rear hall near to both boilers and the kitchen. As dusk drew near, I slipped out to feed the doves. They do appreciate their seed so much when it is given to them late in the day, that it doubles the pleasure. It seemed so quiet being Christmas Eve and also the river was high to dampen the sound as well. A mild day, bright with some sunshine and not a bad day to be out. On to the ducks. Pete was here this morning and had let them out, but no eggs alas. I fed them and put them away with the minimum of bother. Back in to a tea of buns etc. and then to try to trace a path for alarm wires through the house. I would have done more, but Diana insisted that I ceased as she wanted to have Christmas away from all disruption and building work. I then watched a documentary on the TV about the life of a fallow deer in the New Forest, until Di came down and got me to change over to see the news and then Cagney & Lacey. Pat and Amie Law called by tonight with a present for Debbie and the Bishops of Willow Close called by to deliver their regrets in person at not being able to accept our invitation for drinks and a guided tour on New Year’s day. As darkness fell, it came on to rain really heavily again and I began to wonder if the river was going to come up again after all. Bed at 11.00pm after Di had carried down all the Christmas presents to put by the tree for the morning. News tonight of the discovery of a boy’s body by the side of the A35 in Dorset, in suspicious circumstances. Margaret Thatcher hits out in a World Service radio broadcast against the UK’s allies, who are less than supportive on her plans for the Falklands. In truth their call for negotiations with Argentina are based on the soundness of pragmatism. Terry Waite, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s envoy, still tries in Lebanon to secure the release of a British hostage, Alex Lowe. But his main attention is on the fate of four Americans. A light aircraft crashed into a shopping centre near San Francisco in California. There is so much uncontrolled private aviation that I am not surprised. Westland have won a 21 helicopter order from India, but it will not affect the Sikorsky vs EEC rescue operation either way. As 1985 draws to a close on the worst year for South African deaths (another 11 die yesterday) there are Christmas open air services and carols in the last manifestations of hope for a peaceful future. A mild Christmas Day is forecast for tomorrow, but it is still forecast to get colder later in the week. Too much sherry, nuts and dates tonight, but it is Christmas.