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Poor day that commenced with an argument with Diana over Christmas arrangements, continued with a water leak crisis and then finished with news of the murderous Palestinian attacks on the Israeli airline check-in desks
Slow to get to sleep last night as Diana & I argue over the failure of our Christmas Day reception for her family. I apologise for offending them, but point out that it was not all my fault; the dining room proved too crowded and unsuitable for the children, and the guests lacked an appetite for the food that Di had devotedly prepared. Then slept poorly anyway, before waking to my morning tea. Still very windy and increasingly cold as the day wore on. The floodwater had receded slightly, however, and after breakfast and showering, I was able to walk on the plot and feed the doves. Joan and Pete were working today and Pete fed the ducks for me and then spent much of the day cleaning my Jaguar, which had not had a good clean in a long time. I started work on the link corridor floorboards, planning to raise sufficient of them to be able to wire a heat detector onto the kitchen ceiling. Imagine my surprise when unscrewing a doorstop so as to remove a carpet, when I found warm water gushing up at me in a fountain!
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Boxing Day – A visit to my parents in Stanton as they proved unable to drive to us and very pleased they were to see us too as we tuned in their new television and showed them our videos. The river is rising but we had raised our shed contents and the West Country is worse than us as the West African troubles escalate
A sound night and a lay in at the end of it. I hope I can get as much sleep again tonight. Up and to another fine fried breakfast and then my shower room to wash, shave and get ready. I still appreciate the luxury of it after several days! Out to the doves in weather still wet with rain. The river comes up still and I return with Daniel later to tend to the sheds. We have to put everything up on tables etc. and away from the rising floodwater. We also bring up the lawnmowers and put them in the garage. Dad phones and has to decline our invitation to come over. Mum has had a wakeful and painful night and the very windy and wet weather has deterred them from trying to make the trip. I phone them back after morning coffee and we offer to go over and see them after an early lunch. A nice lunch at the breakfast table of cold turkey, sausages and crisps from yesterday. But some nice fresh Christmas pudding and cream to follow.
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Christmas Day – Nice family Christmas Day lunch with Diana’s family visiting and me ‘helping’ before a big clear-up session and Bond film with Daniel as 53 die in South African tribal fights and torrential rain falls that threatens our river to rise
Awake groggily this morning to my morning tea, suffering somewhat from the prodigious amount of sherry I had yesterday. The children were well underway opening their presents by the time I got down to join them and Daniel had already been literally bowled over by his. He was so excited by getting the tower HiFi that he toppled over backwards! Dan and Debbie opened theirs so happy and excited. Pity they had to make such a mess with wrappings everywhere. Then I set the video up whilst the children cleared away their things and Della came down to open hers. She was very good, but Debbie kept trying to open her presents as well and even Daniel forced one or two of them. Out after to feed the doves on another mild and bright day, after, that is, a slight mist had cleared.
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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.