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Daytime visit to Which Computer Show and lots of British exhibitors and then home on snowy roadsbefore visiting Mum at Papworth whilst she prepares to go home as the RUC shoot a speeding driver and the British hostages are moved in Libya
Awake fairly early as Diana prepared Debbie for another school day. More snow overnight and marks where Paddy and his friends last night had been throwing snowballs at the doves – but they are all right. The morning paper and then down to breakfast of melon and a half slice of toast and honey with my fruit juice. My weight down to 13st 7lbs as I wash afterwards. I get ready and leave for the Which Computer show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. A difficult journey with roads of patched ice and freezing weather affecting my windscreen washers, but I averaged 40mph and arrive about 11.15am. Time to look around the show both morning and afternoon twice.
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Dad takes the girls to school as Diana mis-posts some money which is a minor private financial problem compared with the Chancellor's Uk economy and ‘baby Cotton’ is passed over to its buyers
Awake on a very cold morning with a hard frost on the ground. Debbie camps in bed with me reading from her book as I help her with the difficult words. After a warm morning tea, I get the paper and scan the morning’s stories. They report that the baby born to the UKs first surrogate mother has been granted in custody by the High Court to the American parents that bought her. Calls for an early law to ban this prostitution of human life will now increase. Down to a breakfast of very ripe melon and only half a slice of toast and honey. Debbie’s friend Emma was dropped off to join us for breakfast and afterwards Dad took the two little girls to school. I lay in to complete the paper before up and dressed, arriving at the office rather late at 9.45am and relieved to see that no incoming calls had occurred. A busy morning contacting Skipper Boats and the Jersey Silver Springs Hotel to try to sort out some personal arrangements; then to clear up some papers and try to get some BMMG action items out of the way.
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Daniel to play at the Blooms whilst we take the girls to the swings in the cold before visiting Mum in Papworth who is struggling to recover and then an evening TV session about Charles I as the sterling and exchange rate crisis preoccupy the government
A better night’s sleep and I awake to morning tea and the holiday brochures to scan. It seems that it could be cheaper to book direct and better to take the Jaguar over and go by ferry. I retrieve The Sunday Times and finish reading them before and after a fine fried breakfast of duck egg, fried bread and bacon. Mr Stephen Bloom comes to collect Daniel in his Range Rover at 10.00am and takes him off to spend the day with his son, Jonathan. Dad tends the doves and ducks and then plays with Debbie. A grand lunch of turkey with a new bird roasted today – they still had them left after Christmas at a good price – and after, I tend the fire, catch up on my journal and continue reading. The ice and flurries of snow without have curtailed hopes of car washing. Then a walk with Diana, Debbie and Daniella to the local playing field and swings, and a cold walk it was too.
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Expedition to Jordan’s Mill at Biggleswade for duck and dove food before a visit to the nee St Neots library and then to hear news of Mum’s recovery at Papworth from Dad and an evening’s reading as Terry Waite struggles to free Libyan hostages and Kennedy experiences black protests in Soweto
A poor night’s sleep with both Diana and I alternately restless and waking each other up. A slow start as I read the paper before and after breakfast, but eventually up, washed and dressed. Dad had done the doves and ducks and the small, weak dove, found by Dad last night and put into the garage, returned to the dovecote after a little persuasion. Dad wished to make his own lunch today and so the rest of us out in the Jaguar and first down to The Jordan’s Mill at Biggleswade for two sacks of layer pellets before we return to park in St Neots market square and shop. I trail Daniel between the Gateway Building Society and Barclays Bank. The Barclays statement shows an overdraft and the Gateway money is needed to avoid overdraft interest charges accruing at a daily rate of 2 ½ %, plus Barclays Bank Rate (now a total of 13%). To the fish shop to buy half a pound of prawns and two herrings for tea and then off to the new St Neots Library at The Priory Centre for the first time.