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Driving along the south coast looking at garden furniture before on home via London, arriving to find Di much better for lunch with her parents before a meeting and tax planning session with my accountant and then home to help Daniel with his homework as two Ira terrorists are jailed and the Sizewell nuclear reactor enquiry ends
A poor night. First cold and then hot with my cold developing and a strange room to cope with. The morning tea was late, but afterwards to get quickly washed and dressed and then down to a fine breakfast. Both food and service good and the waiter spoiled me and I was recognised from yesterday’s TV – a new hazard! Packed and down to check out and off down the coast to Brighton, and north from there by the main motorway. Still bright, but with a cool wind. I stopped at Handcross, Sussex and looked at the Bulldog garden furniture in the Handcross Garden Centre. A splendid ‘Wendy House’ and octagonal garden chalet caught my eye and also a suntrap shed. Onward via London, eventually arriving home at 12.30pm to find Diana much better and eating lunch with her Mum and Dad. Over to the office to check the mail, but nothing too urgent and no further messages of note. Back to change into sports jacket and trousers and settle to lunch of white bread rolls and cheesecake to follow. Then to load the briefcase with tax papers and drive to the accountants, dropping off my Huntsman Saville Row suit at the cleaners on the way and tipping the girl to look after it quickly and safely for me. A good hour with Roger Brittain. I have reduced my marginal income tax rate down to 45% by way of Forestry and the Business Expansion Scheme. We also decide to transfer about £80K-odd to the girls and to put these funds on deposit for them to mature with the interest in three months’ time.
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First a Portsmouth TV South and then secondly a BBC Radio Brighton interview before an evening talk as the key note speaker to the IDPM association meeting and then to bed after a steak and ale discussion with four of their leaders completed a very tiring day!
Up on time and early to make the morning drinks, wash and dress. I skipped breakfast. Diana is still ill, but struggled up to comb Debbie’s hair so that she could return to school after her illness. Daniel gets himself off as usual and then Di helps me to pack my brown suitcase for my trip to the south coast. Out briefly to feed the doves and let the ducks out. The grizzle hen is still sticking to the dovecote and I think an egg will soon be laid. All packed, out then to the car after opening my mail and finding Fountain Forestry details of both Archers Wood and Upton Wood – but the latter is a 999year lease, which does not much appeal. A fine sunny day as I drive down through London and onward across Kew Bridge and down the M3 to Southampton. Out to the Portsmouth road and I soon find the TV South Studio and meet up with the presenter for the 6.00pm Coast to Coast television show. We meet at 12.00noon, talk for 10 mins about the interview, allow the makeup lady to powder my forehead, and then have a 2 ½ min interview in one take and without intention of editing. Farewells, the powder washed off, and then back to Southampton city centre. No luck in finding the Ordnance Survey maps that I wanted. The OS office no longer sell them direct and a good local stockist is out at lunch. Back out of Southampton and along the coast as the day continues mild and sunny. I am just managing to contain my cold and ticklish throat with lozenges. I stop for lunch at a nice pub in a seaside village and eat a large plate of steak and kidney pie to make up for breakfast and put me in good stead for a late dinner this evening.
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Very successful BMMG press conference in the London World Trade centre but the pictures of Maerdy miners marching back to work, heads held high and with bands playing, banners flying, in a display of defiance and loyalty to the cause are what I remembered from today
We oversleep and Di wakes me at 7.25am, which is a worry. Quickly up, down to shower and wash my hair and then a hasty breakfast of Weetabix. Daniel has already seen to himself and leaves by bike for the St Neots bus. Debbie, ill from yesterday, is having the day off from school and so I just fend for myself. Out to the birds and I quickly put seed and water out for the doves and then to bring in another eight eggs from the ducks. Quickly out by car to Stevenage where I parked in the station car park and observed the old sections of felled oak – I counted over 200 annular rings, which is a great shame that these were felled to make way for the new railway station 20 years ago. By train, 1st class to Kings Cross, at last reading the daily paper and then by tube towards Tower Bridge. The journey was a tortuous one with very few circle line tubes running and so I hopped off at Liverpool Street and got a taxi for £2.00 to the World Trade Centre venue. First the BMMG Members Meeting, which was well attended by 12/15 members, with Alan Ball also coming along to begin his involvement. A fast and furious session with topics ranging from membership to standards, exhibitions, exports etc. Finished by 12.15pm and then photo sessions with two lots of photographers before the drinks reception at 12.30pm. We finally started the press conference at 1.00pm and had a full house of journalists from both the computer and national press.
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Preparations complete for the BMMG press conference completed and Tessa Curtisbriefed and then some time helping care for my ill wife and family as some miners try to hold out for reinstatement of sacked colleagues before settling the dispute and an earthquake in Chile kills 124 and injures more than 2,000
Diana had a poor night looking after a restless baby, but managed to get both children out to school on time. A chance to read the paper, down to a breakfast of toast and wash, dressed and out to the birds. The grizzle dove hen is getting broody and has made a crude nest, lined with some old oak leaves. I fetched the ladder to examine the dovecote to see this, but there are no eggs yet, but it will not be long. Eight much cleaner eggs from the ducks now that they are laying in a hutch of clean straw. In to the office and first phone calls from Martin Isherwood and the BMMG at Owles Hall. It seems there are few replies to the questionnaire in the short time available, but at least no outright opposition and, with a few suggested changes from Nigel Smith, the text of the Press Statements stand. Tessa Curtis of Computer Weekly phones and I brief her fully to meet her deadlines tomorrow, but she is still coming to the conference anyway. I check this move with Martin later, who reports even more press acceptances and so we seem assured of a full house. I start the job of the last leg of my IT paper and am getting on well when Diana calls me over for lunch at 1.00pm. Off to the local Little Chef for lunch and Daniella sits with us in a high chair for the first time. Funny to see her growing up so.