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Morning of industry calls and arrangements, reading the press and noting my coverage for the BMMG, and then a rest from all this and walk around Paxton Pits to see the bird life before an evening in to hear that Millwall games have been suspended understandably but also that there are terrorist risks to the Royal Family and Belgium have agreed to deploy Cruise missiles
Awake early but no morning paper today, for some reason, and poor Debbie cried when I wrongly accused her of hiding it. Down early to breakfast and then washed, dressed and out to the ducks. 10 eggs today as they go from strength to strength, and all five doves feed well also. The incubation goes on, but whether or not the doves are successful must now depend on the weather – it was freezing cold with sleet today. To the office and a long list of phone calls to make from an early start. I eventually get through to Mike O’Regan of RML about next week’s meeting; Jarogate to approve Equinox as a new BMMG member, Gerald Frankel about Monday’s BOTMA press conference, Owles Hall to swap messages and tasks etc. Back to Diana at 11.00am and off to St Neots. Me to the post office, the bank and the fish shop; and Diana to the week’s shopping in the Co-operative supermarket. I waited for her whilst reading today’s computer press – mentions of the BMMG in Computer News and Computer Weekly.
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Full day on Computer Industry affairs before a rest for tea with wintry weather on the way and to hear the news of the Luton vs Millwall Riot last night - 'The day that football died'
Awake at 6.30 with my morning tea after an unsettled night. I come to and get the paper as I am also called to breakfast. To bed again after and to read The Financial Times as the morning sun slants across my bed. The morning mail full of legal documents and other dull missives. Up, washed, dressed and out to the doves, who are hungry in the chilly northerly breeze. Up by ladder to view the dovecote, where I see that the grizzle hen now has two eggs, which are being incubated by her and the indigo cock, each in turn. To the ducks and to find 8 eggs today. The neighbour’s Aylesbury ducks seem to have taken up camp on our gardens these days. To the office where the mail contained press comments on the LAN initiative in Electronics Weekly and Computertalk. Phone calls to Martin Isherwood on leaflets for next Tuesday’s Local Government Seminar; to Bill Barrett on the attendance for the meeting next week; to the DTI to compare notes on a London Demonstration Centre venture; to Alan Ball to try to enlist his help with two seminars; to Chris Shelton to get him to speak at a NCC Micro Advisory committee meeting as well as visit Chris Curry of Acorn to chase FTS for BMMG membership. Calls from Electronics Week and at least one other journal (PC News) for comment. Lunch with Di’s parents, who now seem to have recovered from their colds, and then back for another afternoon session on the phone.
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Off by train to London for an interview with the Guardian at The Grosvenor Hotel and then meetings with the DTI and NEDO at Millbank who were very welcoming and gave me lunch and listened to my advice on tariff statistics and then home in the drizzle Hail Weston House to brief Nigel as the world focuses on Moscow where exploratory arms talks proceed between ceremonies to bury the Soviet 1st Secretary but at home, civil rights are protected for Molesworth protesters
Awake a bit late at 6.45am and straight up to wash and dress before down to a slice of toast with the family. Quickly out to the car and off to St Neots Station to catch the 7.39am train to Kings Cross, travelling first class as the only chance to get a seat so as to be able to work. A nice journey, just managing to read The Financial Times and see the news of Sir Clive Sinclair’s/Rob Wilmott wafer-scale-semiconductor venture, which is interesting and deserves support. By tube to Victoria and across to the Grosvenor Hotel coffee room to await my first appointment. Eventually Collin Barker, a freelance journalist writing for The Guardian, arrives late and we spend an hour talking about standards, free competition, and the threat of IBM. Off by taxi to Millbank just in time for the NEDO Consumer Hobby Micro Group Meeting. A fascinating, if rather confusing, session where the DTI were pushing the BMMG LAN exercise with embarrassing enthusiasm, and where I get the chance to talk to Chris Curry of Acorn about BMMG co-operation. After lunch and drinks, courtesy of NEDO, downstairs to the DTI Statistics section to talk to Messrs Gouldstone and Gillott about the clarification and tariff headings for computer statistics and put across my views for their revision. The present descriptions and classes are 20 years out of date.
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A shopping to Cambridge and lunch at The Copper kettle as my car is serviced and then home to help Daniel with his Maths homework, to read poetry to Debbie and then relax on an evening where the news was of the Cherenko funeral and the chance for talks on limiting nuclear weapons, Leon Brittain trying to defend the security services tapping phones for political purposes and of Israeli troops running amok in The Lebanon wantonly murdering men in reprisal raids for yesterdays killings
Awake at 6.30am and first to catch up on yesterday’s journal whilst breakfast was brought up. Then the morning paper until 8.30am when up, washed and dressed. I go out to feed the doves – four flew down and the indigo cock stayed in the dovecote to incubate the egg/s whilst the grizzle hen fed well. Then the ducks and quickly to the car where Di was waiting with Daniella. Off to Cambridge where we drop the Jaguar off at Marshalls for a 7500 mile service and walk from Cherry Hinton Road into the centre of Cambridge. Coffee and shortbread at Belinda’s, for we were needing refreshment. We split up to meet for lunch and I began a process of visiting second hand and antiquarian book and print shops. Lunch at the Copper Kettle and then to rendezvous again for afternoon tea. During this time I bought an c1850 print of Huntingdonshire, and books on Kimbolton School, and a Royal Thames Guide and a child’s poetry book to read to Deborah.