Sunny day negotiating for woodlands, visiting markets with the children and looking around the sights of Cambridge as politicians wade in and football authorities go overboard in the aftermath of the Heyzel football deaths
A good night’s sleep and awake on a sunny morning to my morning tea and paper as usual and back to normal. Time also to read the Economist before breakfast brought to bed for me by Diana as a special treat. Up at 9 for a shower and shave and then out to the birds. The doves fed tamely from the table and were quite hungry. 12 eggs from the 12 ducks I now have, as the 13th seems to have become a full casualty. Sometime in the office sorting the mail and reading today’s computer journals and then a phone call from Barry Gamble of Fountain Forestry. He reported on the £40,000 offer we made to Ekins for Archers Wood on Friday and will phone tomorrow afternoon to chase up our ultimatum. He also tells me of the additional land from Broubster up for sale from its new owner, but I only offer 70-80% of its former price as an opportunistic move. Back to the house for coffee and then all together to St Neots for market day. I took Debbie to look around Shaw’s produce auction, but not much of interest. Alone; on to look at the pig market and then the stalls in the market square.
A quick visit to the Abbey National for £100 cash and both pass books updated now that my 7 day account has ended. Di having finished her weekend grocery shopping, all of this, and then to the Little Chef for a lunch of ‘Waist Preservers’. The family left for home and I took the bus from Market Square to Cambridge after waiting in the hot sun. I hopped off at the old area and looked into the old disused, but restored, on top of the hill, which was charming and the dedications written in the visitor’s book fascinating. Then an hour in Cambridge Folk Museum and a very full and instructional visit it was too. I particularly liked the parlour and kitchen displays and the old wood and steel baby walkers. Taxi to Marshalls and then to drive the repaired Jaguar home. Cool in the shade of the trees for a barbeque and then, after, to tend the ducks and doves, read a bedtime story to Deborah and check out Daniel’s school work for correction. News today of the aftermath to yesterday’s football riot and Mrs Thatcher has entered the public fray, typically, to call together the football authorities and organise a ban on European visits of UK football clubs. Football ticket passport cards and heavy sentences will follow. Belgium has blamed the Liverpool fans squarely for the troubles and have banned all British football teams from visiting in the future. But there is criticism also of the arrangements for the match, the ticket sales rules, the scant policing, and the weak barriers. The English National Team are in Mexico next week for a four-nation tournament and play Italy next week – ironically in a city where 6 died in a football riot recently. In Turin, the victorious team return to a muted welcome and all public entertainment was cancelled today. More news and film tonight of the other tragedy yesterday when children from St Albans were killed and injured on a coach trip to France. Diana is worried that David Tomblin might be among them, but will not phone to ask. Another child dies from Tyne and Wear in a pleasure park accident, when a ‘twister’ fair ground ride broke. The weather forecast, dry again, which is a blessing.