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A good day for the plasterer, plumber and decorator building and for me catching up on work in my news office and then being pleased with Daniel’s progress with his Physics studies as MP’s criticise the care regime that led to the tragic death of Jasmine Beckford. In South Africa, 50,000 mourners were joined by Western Ambassadors and back home, 750 Westland Helicopter workers are made redundant
A very much better night’s sleep and rather reluctantly awake to my morning tea. Up, washed, dressed and to prepare the link building for the builders tomorrow, until breakfast called. This morning the plasterer was back and the plumber and decorator were here as well. I settled to some office work, sorting out my papers some more, reconciling my bank and building society statements and generally tackling a backlog of paperwork. Now that my office is reinstalled in a warm room, not plagued with damp and cold, I am quite content to do the work again. Diana went out with Della to Bedford this morning, catching up with her Christmas shopping, and I felt a bit deserted. I used the time also to plan the next four days, now that I am due to be in Leeds for a BMMG meeting at Systime on Thursday and in Surrey for Jarogate’s factory opening on Friday. Di back for a late lunch, but we were not able to use the kitchen due to a builder grouting the new tiles at one end and the decorator working at the other. The doves fed well today, but struggled to keep on their feet in the strong and gusty wind, but the weather is still very mild for the time of year. The gardener fed the ducks this morning, as I forgot to get them in last night and they always pester him when that happens.
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Uncomfortably warm house with uncontrolled heating on the warmest December day for some time and then out to shop for furnishings as the builders continued working before back to meet up with the new SDP/Liberal Alliance party leaders to promise financial support as a bomb explodes at the Luxembourg ‘Future of the EEC’ meeting, David Steel defends the Archbishop of Canterbury’s right to research social issues and the Church opposes Sunday trading
I had another very poor night. I was kept awake by the heat of the uncontrolled boiler in this mild weather and Diana by her cough and chest trouble, made worse by the dust. Eventually asleep by about 2.00am and sound asleep when woken at 6.30am with my morning tea. Down to the breakfast room for toast and fruit juice and a nice chat with the family. A dark, rainy and overcast start to the day and strange to see how long dawn was delayed as a result. Quickly showered and dressed and around the building checking on my preparations for the builder’s onslaught. The carpenter arrived first and blew my plans by first having timber too long to keep within the bounds of the kitchen and then removing the shower room door so as to provide access for tiling! Other than that, the arrangement was a success and made a big difference to the comfort of the house. Out then with Diana to St Neots, where we visited Brittains, Eastern Electricity, and other furnishing shops to complete our purchases. Morning coffee at the Cross Keys before lunch at the Southoe Bell to complete the morning. Home and, on arrival, a chat with the builders about the tiling patterns. They just about finish in the kitchen today, though running out of tiles, and the window surrounds in the shower room are also just about finished. Much concern over the problem of translating my design for the Bloomsbury tiles and surrounds of the window into practice, in view of the need to cut partial tiles. The plasterer was here on schedule and rendered the utility room, despite having to sheet up against the heavy rain. Then upstairs to make a fair start on the link building, but still plenty to do when the day was done. No decorator or plumber, which was disappointing. This afternoon I alternated between watching the tiling and getting up to date on my reading. By the end of the day I had finished, sorted out my desk, and returned a number of phone calls. I deferred my purchase of hall, stairs & landing carpets until the New Year, checked with Jarogate that they were still intending to have Thursday’s event, as I had heard nothing, and agreed to see SDP St Neots Chairman, Percy Meyer. When he came after tea, I saw him in my temporary office and talked with him and his colleague, Derek Nichols, the Liberal prospective parliamentary candidate. I agreed to support the Alliance Party with a regular donation in their run up to the General Election.
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Windy day working inside on tidying the house, re-laying carpets and editing videos whilst the family got more settled in their new rooms and moving my office again so as to take possession of the finished section unto ourselves as now the Archbishop of Canterbury pleads for relief for the poor in inner cities like The Duke of Edinburgh had called for the end of mortgage tax relief
A fair lay in this morning for a change and time to update my journal as I have been running a day behind of late. Down to the breakfast room for a fine fried breakfast in our Sunday tradition and the family dallied a while and was more friendly than of late. Now that Daniel and Debbie have access to their new rooms and playthings, they are more relaxed and balanced. No time to read the papers, but quickly showered and shaved and then out to feed the birds on a milder, but very windy morning. The new doves are finding their wings the hard way, but just manage to flutter down to the dove table in the gusty wind. Then to the ducks, who were neglected last night and they made up for it by eating plenty this morning. In after, and time at long last to take the latest shots in the Hayling View video and only just time before one of the builders arrived to load up one of my dismantled cupboards and pay me £60 for it, which is a fraction of its true value. Then morning coffee and to start sorting out the carpets in the outer garage. I had decided to relay the hall, stairs and landing carpets in the new half of the house and force the builders to use ladders, back and front, to the central balconies for access.