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A walk around Paxton on a beautiful day identifying trees and spotting our old Utopia II boat and then visiting next door about buying their house as Miners rally in Trafalgar Square to seek support and Irish talks break down immediately
Another slow start to the day and a late morning laying in bed reading The Sunday Times with only one break for a fried breakfast. A quick shave and wash and then out to the birds. The doves fed hungrily again and the ducks laid another five eggs. Then, the neighbours being out for the day, I settled to shampooing the car and vacuuming the inside. A good job done by lunchtime as I rinsed and leathered it clean. Lunch of chicken and Di’s speciality to follow and then, with some disappointment on Diana’s part, I set off on my own for a long country walk. A beautiful day with the warm south-westerly airstream back in the 50s at least – perhaps even 60’s degrees Fahrenheit. First I strolled along the towpath identifying the tree species as a fair number of ash, sycamore in the main. Then to the small wood, where the riverside chalets used to be until damaged by fire vandals some years ago.
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Day of potential property deals and garden maintenance as the IRA are ambushed in Ulster whilst their bomb explodes in the Paris M&S and the weather turns better with the end of snow and ice
A lay in for some time and the, after morning tea and breakfast, even longer until I only finished reading The Financial Times after 11.00am. Out to the doves, who were really desperate for seed, and already rooting in the mud for seed. Only two eggs from the Khaki Campbells today. Eventually ready to leave at 12.00am and we dropped by St Neots to post our letters and collect Daniel’s jacket from the cleaners before making for the Cambridge Little Chef. Debbie’s health had been a matter of concern today with a very bad cough, but she had seemed to perk up a bit before we left. At the Little Chef, however, she couldn’t stop coughing and so we had to cancel our planned trip to Cambridge and turn back home. We stopped off at Chris Curry’s estate at Croxton on the way back and saw three young men looking suspiciously like Estate Agents walking down the drive. Perhaps the recent Acorn disaster is forcing him to sell up! This morning our neighbour had come round and informed Diana that they had definitely put their house on the market at a price of £62,000, which we think is a little high.
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Busy day of Computer Industry and personal finance actions as Thormaid becomes mine and I satisfy the herald at the Royal College of Arms about my achievement as Thatchers returns to face a Sterling Crisis
A lay in this morning as I read a book about waterside Ely – past and present, until my paper and post arrived. Breakfast of duck egg, boiled with buttered bread all round and then back up for the papers, and a rather late lay in reading the Investors Chronicle as well. At last David Christie had sent to Vintners our wills in draft and they had been copied to me for my comments. Up and, after a quick wash, out to the doves, who were very hungry for once. Then the ducks, who had laid 5 eggs in their clean straw. To the office a little late and no messages as I had forgotten to leave the answering machine on. A pile of mail and mostly computer magazines, which I read thoroughly, finding some comments from me in Computer News on inward investment.
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Identifying local tree varieties as I negotiate for Thormaid purchase and visit the Molesworth Peace camp site that has been forcibly disbanded as Civil Liberties issues dominate the news
Awake to The Financial Times as usual and then up to breakfast and the morning mail. Information from George McRobbie, the Wick District Manager of Fountain Forestry, and dividend payments from Gilt-edged securities. Fountain Forestry have reclassified more of the initial sum as Section 168 rather than Section 68 expenditure, which is even more tax efficient. Out to the birds – only two duck eggs – but the doves were feeding reasonably. Time then to clear out the duck hutch for the first time in weeks because of the freezing weather. Fresh straw might even make them lay better. To the office and to pay a couple of phone bills and calculate the amount needed to cover the Fountain Forestry transfer for Barclays. I checked the proposal arithmetic and tried phoning Mr Robertson in Thurso to see if my signed agreements had arrived – but he was in court in Wick and the girls were clueless. Calls from Buckden Marina (who would like some money) and Bill Barrett, who briefs me on the latest situation for the press conference arrangements and LAN report questionnaire. Lunchtime looms and back to the house for hamburgers and ice cream. Then off to St Neots to withdraw money from the building societies and pay the combined sum into the bank. On the walk back to the car, I noticed the trees alongside the backwater were a mixture of ash, willow and mostly sycamore. Feeling like a drive on the day that a court order was expected to evict the peace campers at Grafton, I went over and saw that they had already left and that the water authority were erecting retaining gates to prevent them returning. Then on to Molesworth, where I drove past the horrifying wire barricades and saw the pathetic remnants of the camp dispersed a few weeks ago.