- Details
Tidying the house after another active day and week for builders and plumbers without a central heating system but with a compensating log fire in a more comfortable house, curtains fitted by Diana to the dining and sitting room and lunch out at The Happy Eater once Daniel returned from school. Thatcher is still battling with the C of E over suburban deprivation and concentrates on leaving UNESCO, passing more laws to suppress protests and digging the Channel Tunnel
A sound night after another late retirement and down to breakfast with the family early in view of the planned work for the house this morning. Toast and fruit juice again and then in to shower, wash and shave before dressing quickly. The plumber arrives as I complete the unlocking and, after his morning coffee to wake him up (!), climbs the ladder to strap up the ballcock in No 6 to isolate the water supply for draining the heating system over this side. I walk round undoing the radiator valves so that, when he connected a drain pipe to the boiler and unscrewed the union, the heating system emptied slowly into the back garden. Out then to the doves, who now feed hungrily and readily at the bird table and to the ducks, who scrambled eagerly into the river. The Ouse has risen strongly with this last few day’s rain, but is still contained within its banks and I am reckoning on it staying that way. By this time a couple of builders and Mr Cheeseborough had also arrived and they spend the morning moving the boiler onto the quarry tiles in the corner position and channeling the pipes in a trough cut by percussion drill into the concrete floor of the hall.
- Details
A day hastening the builder’s progress, shopping with Diana for our ‘Nordman Pine’ Christmas Tree and helping to look after Della before cleaning up after the builders with Daniel’s help on this 5th Anniversary of John Lennon’s assassination on which Europe agrees to support the US ‘Star Wars’ programme to the detriment of our own research efforts and Austin Rover have to cut a further 700 jobs
A deep sleep awoken too early for my liking and to lay down again and rest until summoned for breakfast. The family together at this time of day – separate the children’s’ squabbles and you have a spirit that future memories will be made of. Quickly to wash and dress as the builders were arriving and the decorator and plasterer were here by 7.30am. Dressed and then, the day starting much brighter, out to feed the doves and ducks, who were very hungry after yesterday’s desertion. Then to start the liaison with the builders who, despite yesterday’s meeting conclusions, were already talking about delay. Pete was clearing leaves and has shifted a ton in these past two days – the oaks, which hung on to them longest, finally gave their last. Another large mail of security catalogues and computer journals, interspersed with a few important items and so to try and sort it out. Unfortunately the office all dusty from work again and so sat in the lounge with my papers to read the journals and sort the rest. Also to return a couple of the key phone calls.
- Details
By train with Bill Barrett for the BMMG meeting at Systime’s ‘white elephant’ building at Leeds whilst my architect was left to chivy up my builder before home to a poor meal and an urgent task of preparing the ironing room for the next day’s work. This as Labour win the Tyne Bridge by-election and my newly-supported Alliance doubling their vote, all at the unpopular Tory’s expense
A good night’s sleep and early awake and to quickly drink morning tea. Down to breakfast of toast and fruit juice and then a shower and hair wash before getting dressed in my Huntsman suit and best black shoes. Also to dig out my raincoat and hat/umbrella. I had prepared my clothes the night before and the family were rather surprised at my smartness, which was in direct contrast to my style recently. A murky and wet morning and, as the day developed, it was extraordinary to see how the darkness persisted almost throughout the day. Off by car to Stevenage and there to park in Stevenage railway station car park and join the queue for my return ticket to Leeds. Just in time to catch the train without worry, but rather surprised at the £38 price for the return journey. Bill Barrett was on the station to meet me and we traveled together enjoying a wide ranging conversation that took in management, politics, economics and the micro industrial scene. After two hours we arrived and took a taxi to Systime’s factory. The ‘Glass Palace,’ as it is known in the industry, is an acknowledged folly of Systime’s founder Ian Gow, who left them in the recent past after a company collapse. A huge building, with seemingly acres of open space, was now a sad shadow if its former use with, I estimated, less than 5% of its computer manufacturing capacity utilised.
- Details
Tired and thus slow to let the builders in today and then disappointed with their tidiness, though they are getting the work done. Much organising today and helping to look after Della at lunchtime and then Daniel for his tea and following Chemistry studies. Brent Council heavy-handed treatment of the Beckford girl’s social workers is an issue, and the Queen celebrates Downing Street’s 250th birthday with all of the surviving prime ministers but Delhi has suffered another massive chemical scare with hundreds affected
After a late night, another good night’s sleep, but I was again reluctant to wake up and must get some early nights soon. I lay down again after my morning tea and then was rather late getting washed, dressed and shaved so that, after breakfast, the builders had arrived before I had got the house ready for access. Indeed the decorator was the first at 7.45am and I did not let him and the plumber in until 8.00am. These tradesmen forget sometimes that the ‘building site’ is a home and people are trying to live in it. Eventually to tour the house, opening up, and taking up the carpet pieces in the link building. The plasterer started work in my office and so I took my papers downstairs to the lounge and sorted through them. The post arrived, several catalogues of alarm and security equipment and a bevy of computer industry journals, and I made phone calls to Eastern Gas (to inform them of the difficulty to expect over removing the boxed in, but redundant gas meter), Bill Barrett (to make arrangements for tomorrow’s BMMG meeting) and Brittains (to say that I was OK for the dining room carpet to be fitted today). I then heard from Jarogate to the effect that their Friday press launch had to be cancelled due to lack of journalists (thank goodness!) and because this then freed me up for Friday, I decided to go into town with Diana.