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Visiting Cambridge of a freezing cold day and arranging family trusts and historical purchases whilst having lunch at The Copper Kettlebefore dropping off The Lady’s winter cover and a Commons Row over Thatcher’s role in the Clive Pontin prosecution as night frosts drop to beyond -10degC
Awake on another very cold morning after a good night’s sleep and I sit up and drink morning tea and listen to the radio. Down to breakfast and up to finish The Financial Times as usual before to the bathroom at 8.30am and wash my hair whilst listening to the radio account of Yesterday in Parliament. The House of Commons temperature was high due to the Pontin decision and much gloom amongst the government benches. Out after to the doves, which I manage to feed on the bird table – even though a careless dog owner sent them flying, by not keeping it under control. Then the ducks and only three eggs this morning. The river is freezing over and the decreasing unfrozen gap tempts the ducks out to the middle from which they were difficult to retrieve later. In to a half hour in the office and time only to collect the mail and check for messages. Buckden Marina are chasing over the boat cover, but have quoted quite reasonable prices at £70 each for two 120 Amp hour, heavy duty, batteries of 12 volts. Back to retrieve the boat cover from the workshop and struggle into the car boot with it and then to read the mail and drink coffee before loading up the car with the baby things. Off then to Cambridge and to park in our favourite meter bay for a 2 hour sojourn. A difficult walk into the centre over icy paths, but to a lunch of roast beef and pie to follow at the Old Copper Kettle restaurant.
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A long time to warm up today after a very cold night and then lots of correspondence before failing to get Daniel to buy a Valentine’s Card and then playing board games with the family as Thatcher faces parliamentary censure for deceit and more cold weather is forecast
Awake on another very cold morning with the same degree of frost, but the east wind has thankfully calmed down. A long time before the house warmed up while I read the paper in bed. My normal breakfast of toast, but with marmalade and tea to help warm us up. Then up at 8.30am for a session in the bathroom to get washed and dressed. Constant interruptions from the kids are rather irritating. Out to the doves and pleased to see them fit, even after the cold night. Then the ducks and eight eggs today and the river freezing slightly. A good day at the office, either side of lunch, completing a good measure of correspondence to ICL, the BMMG, Mr Robertson my Thurso Solicitor, Freda (on loan securities) and copies where needed to all and sundry. I also wrote to Alan Ball, confirming the terms of his appointment as BMMG consultant and made a few phone calls as well. A brief break for lunch, in the middle, of soup, crisp bread and cake to follow and a time to watch the teletext headlines before back to work. By 4.00pm I had checked that my £40K cheque had not been presented to Barclays and could have afternoon tea and drive into town to post my letters. Then to collect Daniel from the bus stop. Evidently only 8 pupils had turned out for his class today out of 24, due to the weather and cancelled bus journeys. Then to collect some cleaning and photographs before trying unsuccessfully to get Daniel to join me in buying a Valentine from the card shop.
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Looking after my birds and family and then visiting Molesworth to see the anti-nuclear demonstrations for myself as Thatcher’s Tories are level pegging with Labour in the polls and Mandela holds out for his principles in South Africa
Awake during the night with Diana; and then to settle Debbie who had woken with her cold and difficulty in breathing. We awake later again on a very cold morning, with frost on the inside of the glass as well as the outside. It has evidently been as cold as -7degC overnight and far less with the wind chill effect. I read The Sunday Times before a breakfast of fried egg, bacon, mushrooms and bread; and then back to bed to finish it off. A quick wash and, with several layers of clothes, out to the birds. The Blonde Qualmond is recovering and, when I take it out of the garage, it flies back to its Blue mate and they welcome one another with a fair amount of billing and cooing! The water is thawed out and a good quantity of mixed seed and grit left for them – I will resume my bird table training when the cold weather is over. Then to the ducks and another record of 9 eggs today. A morning reading from my British Battlefield book as Daniel plays his Elite microcomputer battle game with his friend Paul. I light the fire before lunch and bring in a fair pile of wood to last the day. Lunch of pork and a fight with the children to get it eaten with good manners. After, I dress up and take off on my own by car to fill up with above £30 of petrol at Croxton and on by road to Cambridge and back to Huntingdon; the side roads are blocked with the high wind drifting the snow. I hear the emergency services on the radio and of the troubles at Molesworth and so make my way further along the A604 past Huntingdon.
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Cold and snowy but quieter day with Daniel off school tending the doves and ducks in the freezing weather before our Happy Eater family lunch and some nice log fires as Thatcher castigates the miners at her Tory YC Bournemouth conference and Glenys Kinnock visits to support the ladies at Molesworth
No urgency to get up this morning as Daniel’s school was closed because of the snow. A good fall of snow had continued overnight and the wind coldly from the north east as well. A long lay in reading The Financial Times and Economist, after breakfast downstairs. At 10.30am, up at last, washed and dressed and out to the birds. I put the bird table on the towpath, after cleaning it of snow, and put on some seed. The grizzle hen swooped down, but could not quite land and fluttered into the snow the other side of the evergreen hedge. As I recovered it, I spotted the Blonde Qualmond that had been forced down in the night, with her tail and wing feathers frozen with snow. I take her indoors, thaw out the snow and then put her in the garage in a bucket lined with cloth to dry! Up with the ladder to the dovecote and to clear off the snow. I then found the Dilute Indigo hen, who had been missing for days, dead in the top box, which was a shame. However, I do have more of that colour and I must breed these stronger for outdoor survival. I would be more worried, though, if the Blonde Qualmond was to fall by the wayside, as I want two pairs to breed this spring and then we will be well set. Over to the ducks and eight more eggs again today.