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The morning deal done to purchase our neighbour’s house and press interviews before a mad rush to the Houses of Parliament for my PITCOM presentation in Committee Room 5, badly received, but with good support afterwards from Sir Peter in the main committee, Room 10, and afterwards in the hosted dinner at the Royal Horseguards Hotel and close links formed with a young MP, Philip Oppenheim on a day where Soviet premier Chernenko dies and Gorbachev is poised to take over, prescription charges are hiked and Egyptian Al-Fayed takes over Harrods and the House of Frazer
Up in good time and down to my toast and apple juice. Up to my Financial Times, which I managed to read before washing and dressing. Out to feed the doves and ducks (6 eggs) before early to the office to start a good morning’s work. I read Desiderata before starting, which is always a salutary philosophy. At last I wrote to Brian Androlia of ACT, to a number of others and got mostly up to date on both my private and industry correspondence. Diana took Daniella to St Neots, collected my bank statement and suit from the cleaners, and paid more gilt dividend warrants into the Abbey National. In mid-morning Peter, my next door neighbour, comes to the office and we talk of my work and office equipment before settling down to the terms for 7 Willow Close. We agree a price and I write a formal offer and put it through his letterbox at lunchtime. He was asking £62,000, I was offering £60,000 and we settled at £60,500 to keep him happy. After coffee, incoming phone calls (2) from Computer Weekly on standards and the Budget expectations; from Computing (the magazine) on LAN standards and the Guardian by freelance and arrangements to meet about IBM standards on Wednesday. The gas fitter calls to overhaul the office boiler in the middle of all this, but we survive. I finally manage to contact Roger Martin of ICL and progress the question of their BMMG membership and participation in the LAN project. Also the BMMG Chairman and Vice Chairman about the meetings to agree a DTI submission and Martin Isherwood on the question of membership circulars. At the end of a fair session, to the house, quickly changed, and off to St Neots. Running, I withdraw £100 from the bank, purchase £3.00 worth of stamps (10 x 1st and 10 x 2nd class), leap back in the Jaguar and drive at 100mph+ to London for my House of Commons PITCOM Council Meeting. I arrive early after a good trip in the bright sunshine and park at a 2 hour meter outside the Royal Horseguards Hotel and walk to the Commons.
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Recovering from my cold on a fine and sunny day and rising to see my pretty neighbours about acquiring their house for joining it to mine whilst my family went their own ways and then to brief my children about the project and watch some TV. Ten Israeli soldiers killed in a suicide car bomb attack, the GLC agrees to be rate-capped and the start of East/West arms talks in Geneva
Another lay in after a better night; my nose and throat now settling to the cold well. I came down to pour myself a cup of tea and read The Economist until The Sunday Times came. Down to another fine fried breakfast and then up to finish reading the papers and stay in bed most of the morning. At 11.00am up to get washed and shaved for the first time these last two days and then dressed tidily and over to the neighbours to talk of the terms for buying their house. The neighbour, John, was away in St Ives, but his wife was there squatting in nightdress and gown by the front door and talking on the phone. Her daughter in the shower and warned not to come out naked as we spoke, which was a pity. I updated her and left the suggestion of £60,000 as the price and promised to write a formal offer subject to contract and planning permission. It will be a shame to lose such a pretty neighbour and her daughter, but we will be glad of the space.
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Late start after recovering from my cold in bed and then this sunny and mild spring-like day recuperating and gathering press cuttings after a busy and exhausting week as an RAF soldier is shot in Germany and support gathers for the Miners’ plight
A lay in, but woke up dry and needing my morning drink. Down to find Diana and my drink and then up to have my breakfast in bed. I stay there after, still heavy with cold, and spend the morning reading the papers in bed. Debbie brings me some bread and honey for lunch and then Di takes her off to the Happy Eater as I stay in bed and listen out for Daniella. The afternoon watching television and extracting more press cuttings from Datalink, Computer Weekly for the scrapbook. Then to read the last of the computer journals, which were in record quantity this week. The rest of the day recuperating so that by nightfall I was feeling a fair bit better. Tea of prawns, bread and ice cream to follow then television this evening. The weather started sunny and mild this morning, but ended the day with rain. News tonight of a senior RAF officer being shot at in a raid by terrorists on his car in Germany. Also of Scargill addressing a women’s union rally and getting an ovation. An NDP/Observer opinion poll majority favours an amnesty for the majority of miners not convicted for violent offences. I try for an early night, tired and hoping to feel better in the morning.
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An early Huntingdon riverside property viewing in mild weather proved uninspiring but then my office mail had lots to consider with another speaking engagement before a Little Chef lunch and more work with Daniel on his maths homework as the past MI5 agent spills the beans on union and CND leaders phones being tapped against guidelines and our injured Antarctic explorer gets rescued by helicopter during a miraculous break in the bad weather
Awake fairly early as Diana brought up the local papers so that I could read them with my morning tea. I was glad to get the drink as my throat is sore now and my cold has fully developed. Down to breakfast and up again after retrieving my Financial Times from where Debbie had inexplicably hidden it. Up to wash, shave, shampoo my hair and dress and then to phone Ekins about the riverside house in Huntingdon to try to get an appointment to view today. This proved impossible, but Diana had to take Debbie’s urine sample to Hinchingbrook Hospital and so picked up details and looked at it from outside. When ready, out to the ducks (9 eggs) and to feed the doves when the grizzle hen stayed rooted to the nest. To the office to collect the computer journals, and there were many. Specific BMMG mentions in Computer Weekly (2) and Informatics, where the absence of ACT from the group was mentioned again. I checked by phone with Buckden Marina to find The Lady ready for a trial and so all out by car (with the children at school) to the marina.