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A morning of domestic care and concern and time with my Hayling View landscapers and then lunch with the in-laws before making decisions on Scottish estates and showing the films to my parents as Daniel’s bike is broken again and they find the Air India’s Black Box flight recorder
Awake first as I heard Daniella snuffling and so I prodded Diana into life to get the morning drinks. As she had difficulty, I went down to help look after the baby, who is much improved after her recent infection. Up to catch up on yesterday’s journal and read today’s newspaper and then to get washed and dressed rather late. To the office, where plenty of mail and then out to feed the ducks and doves. I used a ladder to observe the doves and found two baby squabs had hatched. I tried to put rings on them, but found them rather small, but we shall see if they remain. I sort my papers out and then call in Mr Tee to discuss the work progress and time payments. We agree that there will be extra charges for the hire of the chainsaw, rotavator and rubbish skips, and that I will pay for some more time than that estimated in view of extra work and difficulty experienced.
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Day visiting tourist ‘attractions’ in Wick with Daniel and then flying home to a re-union with Diana and the family as Rainbow Warrior is bombed and sunk and FIFA allows English national football back into competitions
We eventually sleep well in the stuffy room and wake to a very wet morning. Some time catching up on my journal for yesterday’s very hectic activities, with Daniel impatiently waiting, and then to get washed and dressed as he watches breakfast TV. Down to the restaurant for a good breakfast, courteously served, with Daniel enjoying cereal, then scrambled egg and I a fried meal with toast and Tipton marmalade to follow. We then went out to the shops with our anorak hoods up against the persistent rain. Wick is a small town, but important for the region, and has a very good selection of shops for all purposes. We looked around Woolworths to keep out of the rain, and then a HiFi and toy shop near to the hotel. We bought new headphones for Daniel and a small Roland Rat puppet for Debbie. Refreshments at the central café several times during the day. Before lunch we walked to the Heritage Fishery Museum and were impressed by the breadth of the exhibits on the herring fishing industry, which is now, regrettably, long declined.
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Historic first visit and video recording for Daniel and I to my newly-acquired 630 acre forestry estate in Broubster in the Scottish Highlands
The porter wakes us at 5.30am with a continental breakfast of toast and tea, which is a relief as we worried about getting up on time. 10 minutes to eat it and then a quick shower for both of us and hair wash and shave for me. Dressed, packed and out of the hotel before 6.00am. Time therefore to film the hotel, airport and Air Ecosse aeroplane, which was one of those deep bodied de Havilland Short Bros things that we used for the Channel Islands last year. Aboard and quickly away, landing at Edinburgh and Aberdeen en route and rather irritated by a bossy air hostess moving us about and ending in a path of cigarette smoke, which pleased me little. The crew changes at Aberdeen, however, and, with only nine people aboard, the service is much improved. Because of the Aberdeen wait we ended up 40 minutes late, but George McRobbie was waiting for us and took us back to the Fountain Forestry offices in Wick. The building is an old herring factory in central Wick, but, of course, the trade is long finished and the workshop used for plant storage and maintenance.
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Busy day monitoring my family illnesses, supervising The Hayling View Landscaping, writing computer industry articles and ten travelling with Daniel to the East Midlands ready for his first trip to Thormaid as Reagan tackles terrorists, France rues a rail accident and the UK government is under economic pressure
Awake after another poor night caused by the hot weather and, no doubt, Diana worrying about Della, who woke up at least once with her illness. Morning tea and a quick read of The Financial Times before down to a breakfast of cereal. Diana was still tending to the girls and so Daniel and I got our own meal and drank milk as it was in abundant supply. Out to the doves and ducks and a better morning for eggs as we collected at least eight. The doves carry on brooding, but I haven’t checked to see if the eggs have hatched yet. Out to the front gardens to see the landscape gardener, Mr Tee, and show him the scale plan that I had drawn of the planned gardens. A nice sunny morning, with little wind. Diana joins us to discuss the fate of the rose bushes and we agree to keep the Eastern boundary path for winter access. In then to the office and to return the phone calls logged on the answering machine. To Vinters, who tell me that they have received the local searches for the riverside land purchase and that contracts will now be exchanged for an early completion.