A mild and showery day of domestic, investment, bird-husbandry and financial progress and some time wiring Lady Martina before tangling with Daniel over his ongoing homework priorities as Thatcher suffers a Lords reverse over ILEA abolition and Pym forms his Tory opposition group
Awake after a small lay in and my morning tea and soon the paper to accompany it. Down to breakfast of toast and honey and then to finish off the paper before 8.30am. Washed, dressed and out to the birds before 9.00am and only 11 eggs to show for it. Up to the dovecote and the baby dove is growing and putting on weight. The formative feathers seem to be white and I have high hopes that it might be a hen like its mother. To the office and to clear my desk first of papers and catch up on my reading of received journals. Then to make a couple of calls to Owles Hall and to find John Lamb, but could not do the latter. Diana came across with a gas fitter who managed to find two leaks in our cooker at 39 Gordon Road and so she was right to suspect a gas leak by smelling gas. Time then to reconcile my two bank accounts and find the Bank of Scotland in balance, but Barclays needing some funds. Off to St Neots after coffee and take Diana in to Barclays to become a joint account holder. The building society and then fish and chips from Eaton Socon to take home for lunch.
After, another work session and I select a few of the urgent bills to pay and decide to cancel Datalex in favour of using telex facilities via Telecom Gold. To St Neots again, alone this time, to open the Abbey cheque account and post my letters. Home to a tea of prawns and then a couple of hours in The Lady wiring up the new cockpit light. Then in to row with Daniel and upset him after an appalling attempt at his history prep. News tonight of the death toll rising in the Bradford football fire and copies of letters were released that carried warnings last July that the wooden stand was a fire hazard. A window cleaner complains that he was pushed back by police and not allowed to fight the fire. The casualties are being treated for their burns feeling lucky and thankful to be alive. The government announce a judicial enquiry, but field criticism by linking the disaster to a search into hooliganism. The government suffered another defeat in the Lords today as the Abolition Bill dealt with the Inner London Education Authority. Francis Pym’s Centre Forward Group of Conservative MPs was also formally launched today to use its influence and votes to battle for reflation and the reduction of unemployment. The re-run TGWU is under way with everyone scrutinising the procedures. More demonstrations in Holland against the visit of the Pope amidst intense security. At least today the demonstrations are peaceful, but yesterday warning shots had to be fired. The weather milder and showery today and this trend is forecast to continue over the next few days.