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Some industry calls and agreement for river plot purchase and then a trip down memory lane to Shefford, Stondon and Hitchin before stop at Antiques showrooms and Bickerdykes garden centre and then home to talk to Bill Tees about my landscaping all as a TWA airliner is hijacked and a large bomb explodes in a Belfast shopping centre
A fair night with more rain, but a sunny start to the day. The morning paper and then cereal for breakfast in bed. Up, washed, dressed and out to the birds, but only five duck eggs, though one more broken. The 13th duck seems to be recovering well and is eating satisfactorily. I take time to empty the house of soiled straw so that it can dry out today. To the house again and the morning mail. A letter from Mr Poynter accepting our offer of £5750 (+legal costs) for the other riverside garden, which now gives us the full frontage to the river alongside our new combined house, which is excellent news. To the office and phone calls first to Eleanor Deady of Vinters to get the legal arrangements under way and to Great Gransden Gardening Centre to discuss the prospect of some assistance in landscaping the enlarged gardens to combine them into a coherent whole. Then returned calls to Informatics Daily Bulletin and a DHSS consultancy, the latter about an article in their Health Service equipment catalogue. Home and to collect Diana for a drive and day out in Hitchin. Her parents were to look after the girls today and let us have the time free. We set off, stopping at Sandy Little Chef for morning coffee, and arrived in Hitchin after travelling through the ‘memory-lane’ of Shefford and Stondon.
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More restful day, basking in yesterday’s publicity for me in the Financial Times and then making industry calls before an afternoon landscaping and catching up on recent news. Thatcher is on the defensive over welfare cut details, Paul Getty funds The National Gallery and the English FA appeals against the football ban
Awake rather early as Daniella wakes up crying loudly and disturbing us. I start the day with a sore throat and onset of a cold and am glad when my morning tea arrives to relieve it somewhat. Some time reading the morning paper and pleased to see my photograph in the FT and a report on the BMMG networking plans. Down to breakfast of boiled duck egg and we all enjoy one except Diana. Back to finish the paper, but eventually up to wash, shave and dress from 8.30 to 9.00. The paper full of the continuing decline on the stock exchange, with the Electrical sector leading the market down. Out to the office and an hour or so making some phone calls and handling a few issues. First to call Dr Jill Hills and obtain her agreement to write for the PITCOM journal. Then to call the BMMG and talk to Bill Barrett, who was not able to confirm whether John Lamb would take the BMMG Publicity Officer role on. A call then from Martin Isherwood referring to the FT article, which had also drawn the attention of Jill Hills earlier. To the house for coffee and then to rush into town.
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To London by 1st class for a Computing interview and then to the Commons and off by coach for a PITCOM visit engaging Lord Barnett , Derek Broome and Brian Murphy to good effect and hearing all about the Arianespace project from its Chairman as we drank ‘Hayley’s Comet’ Champagne and ate caviar
An early start, drinking morning tea on my feet and preparing quickly for an early train. To the office for some papers and then on to the station. Just time to pay for a first class return to Kings Cross as the train arrived. A full train, but a few seats in first class with the other passengers standing, which continues to be a scandal. A good journey and chance to catch up on some reading before arriving at Kings Cross and The Great Northern Hotel at 8.30am. A breakfast interview with a journalist from Computing newspaper, Mr Jim McCarten. He conducts an interview for use as a ‘Personality Profile’ which I shall read with interest in Computing Magazine in a week or twos time. On by taxi in quite heavy traffic to Westminster and the Members Entrance of the House of Commons. A luxury coach collected MPs, Lords, and PITCOM Council Members for a day trip to Milton Keynes and a hosted visit to the Burroughs Education Centre. I was seated opposite Lord Barnett (Joel Barnett, the former Financial Secretary to the Treasury of the last Labour government). A heartening conversation with his Lordship on technology matters as they affect government policy. An interesting chance to exchange news on industry policies and finance. It seems he is Chairman of a number of public companies these days and a Director of Burroughs.
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Day of tolerating my parents in law as I try to get work done but I am successful at auction and repair the outboard motor for Daniel as the Russian premier looks to reform his planners
Awake to my morning tea, the paper and breakfast in bed and rather long over all of them. As Diana went with her parents to drop Debbie off to school, I to wash, dress and shave, being somewhat put out by my parent-in-laws return, uninvited, to help with the washing up. It was well intended, but quite disruptive to my flagging attempts to get out on time. The birds and to discover that the two dove eggs were destroyed and the incubation ended. One egg missing and the other broken and discarded on the dovecote ledge, which is a mystery. I can only suspect crows/rooks or the avid attentions of the other cock doves that disrupted the mating pair. Only 7 eggs from the ducks as well on a poor morning. At last I set off for St Ives and the auction, pausing in St Neots to collect my pass books from the Abbey National and pay in this morning’s dividend from Ladbrokes. I arrived in St Ives and parked the car in the old cattle market car park, arriving at the auction just too late for the first few lots. A long day, successfully bidding for the Victorian mahogany curtain pole, six SH/DC tea spoons and a single SH/DC table and desert spoon each, contained in a mix set selling cheaply. As a folly I also bought a contemporary silver goblet and paid £180 for the large bronze weather vane that will look grand on my house, if only I can mount it safely.