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Time tending to The Lady and then off to Peacock’s Bedford Auction before working on my steamer chair before meeting Nigel this evening and planning my exit from the BMMG
Awake to my morning tea and the paper until quite late. Breakfast and then a rush to get washed, dressed and ready before the arrival of Mr Worley, our boat cover specialist. He arrives as I finish the paper and I show him onto The Lady. The very wet weather we have been having has found a number of leaks in the roof, which is a disappointment. The dry weather must have opened up the cracks again, but I shall fill them when I get the chance. Coffee and then on to Bedford to Peacock’s antique showroom on viewing day. But, as I drove there, the Jaguar’s windscreen wipers failed; one stopped and the other carried on until they were in a tangle and bent. The rain poured again. Not a great deal of interest at Peacocks – very little silver and only one or two small furniture items I would have liked.
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Some reading and work on one of my steamer chairs before an accountant’s tax meeting and then to market with dozens of duck eggs for auction after failing to reach my industry contacts as Stansted is planned to become London’s Third Airport and FIFA consider banning English international as well as Club football
Awake to my morning tea and still a little tired after my recent late nights. Then the paper and breakfast of cereal, brought to my bedside, which is a luxury I am getting used to. Up to wash whilst listening to ‘Yesterday in Parliament’ on the radio and recordings of Thatcher’s hectoring tones again as she seems to have abandoned her new ‘soft’ image she acquired from her speech lessons. Dressed and out to feed the doves and a look at the newly varnished steamer chair that has dried overnight. Then to the office as it comes on to rain heavily. Some time sorting out calculations and papers for today’s meeting with my accountants and then off to meet Roger Brittain for my 11.00 o’clock appointment.
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Family trip to our favourite Cambridge refreshment haunts and bookshops before home to Daniel and Debbie for homework and stories and then back to my steamer chairs as a bomb explodes outside the Syrian Embassy whilst Thatcher is meeting the Israeli foreign minister and Kinnock demands the numbers behind planned Tory pensions reform
Groggily awake after my late night and to catch up on my journal this morning before reading today’s paper. Up for a duck egg breakfast and then back to finish the FT. Eventually, to the bathroom at 9.00am and late washed and dressed. To the office for 9.30am and some time trying to sort out my tax receipts, before realising how much of a problem I still had. Home for a coffee and then off with Diana to Cambridge, parking at the Round Church car park. To The Copper Kettle for our lunch of roast beef and funny to see the number of American, middle-aged tourists, milling with the traditional English Cambridge academic types. After, to visit the National Trust shop where I bought a host of small wooden toys, which were cheap, but very well made. Then to spend time in two book shops before visiting the antiquarian book shop, but do not buy anything from any of them.
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Some time on my financial summaries and information for tax purposes and then contacting the BMMG which seems to be going off of the boil before some time with the children as the government plans to curtail pensions and with it end the all-party consensus for the first time since Beveridge
Awake early by prior arrangement and my breakfast in bed. I manage to read the paper by 8.00am and get washed and dressed by 8.30am. Out to the doves, still incubating two eggs, and the ducks that yield 10 eggs. Another bright and sunny day, but the barometer has been falling steadily and it will soon come to an end. To the office much earlier than usual and to complete my reading of journals and sorting of all my papers into some sort of order. Then to try phone calls to Nigel Smith, Owles Hall and John Lamb, but all to no avail and so I fall to updating my accounts. I work out how much has to be transferred from the Gateway into the Abbey to prepare for next Mondays cheque for the new house. Also how much is needed to top up my Barclays and Abbey cheque accounts to cover cheques and payments outstanding and expected. Lastly to check my Homelink balances and pay my boat registration fees by electronic funds transfer.