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A start to the day reading my investment papers and magazine and progressing my woodland purchases and then down to St Neots auction to sell our excess duck eggs and talk business to Ekins before time looking after Daniella, reading to Debbie and working on The Lady ahead of our boat trip all as the teachers reject a 5 ½ % pay rise, suicides rise in overcrowded prisons and vicious fighting continues in Beirut over the refugee camps as hundreds die and thousands are wounded
Awake groggily and my morning tea. I read a little more from my ‘History Today’ book and was then quickly on to my FT. A poor breakfast of wholemeal brown toast and apple juice and then back to finish the paper and read a few more things from my briefcase, including last week’s Economist and Investors Chronicle. Washed, shaved, showered and then out to feed the birds and let the ducks out. 12 eggs today as even the poorly duck lays an egg, which was a surprise. To the office after a grumpy exchange with Di and there to sort my papers and make and receive some phone calls. Spoke to Nicholas de Zoete about how to invest the children’s nominee cash next month and also to complain of not hearing from Causeway. No luck in talking to Fountain Forestry as they are all at a seminar, but found out that the Ekins rep was at St Neots market. Elected to take a drive into St Neots and met him there. Upped my offer for Archer’s Wood to £40,000 and still have the trust to beat. They are slow to find the funds, but are not too worried about the price. On after to Shaw’s and, after a wait, saw our duck eggs sold for 50p dozen for 5 ½ dozen. Others fetched up to 75p, but ours were hidden and rather small.
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Some morning reading history books before some share and forestry investment decisions and transactions and then a mission to bring my missing ducks back through the paper Mill Lock and home as a massive car bomb kills 60 people in Christian Beirut and an opinion poll puts Thatcher’s Tories into third place for the first time!
Awake first and I went downstairs to get the drinks myself – a coffee for Diana and tea for me. I sat in bed for a while reading my current history magazine – articles on the Russian view of the end of World War II and also on the 300th anniversary of the English Invasion by French Huguenots in the original sanctity that gave rise to the word ‘Refugee’. Down to breakfast of boiled duck egg, which the children also enjoyed as well. Then back to read The Financial Times, finishing it at 8.30am in time to wash and shower whilst listening to ‘Yesterday in Parliament’ on Radio 4. More conflict for Thatcher and her ministerial team in the Commons and the government are being given much more of a run for their money this parliamentary session. Quickly dressed and out to the birds. The five ducks I managed to bring in last night each laid an egg. To the office and a morning using my cheque save account to pay a number of large bills that had been waiting a while. Also to type up authorisation for a specialist accountant to help me on my forestry affairs and a £6000 claim for 6 months Kode consultancy fees. I also dug out Diana’s Kode share certificate and sent it off with the Talisman stock transfer.
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By train today to Kings Cross and the Financial Times buildings for an interview with their technical page editor and lunch afterwards as I stay sober and return to St Neots in later afternoon for a trustees meeting about family investments as prison officers complain of their buildings ‘bursting at the seams’ as a result of draconian arrests and the Special Branch is criticised for snooping on citizens but I end the day tending The Lady’s batteries for our weekend trip
Awake to a cooler morning after yesterday’s humidity. The girls led their merry jig this morning and Debbie brought her tape recorder and insisted on playing me a tape. Despite this, read The Financial Times before and after a breakfast of (rather well) boiled egg. Up eventually, hair washed, and out to the birds. The doves are gradually getting used to the new large-capacity drinking vessel and the ducks laid 9 eggs. To the office and to sort out a few papers and read today’s mail. More gilt edged and dividend cheques, which are welcome. Also to stock up with my BMMG/LAN papers for today’s interview and my trust papers for this afternoon’s meeting. Off quickly to St Neots to pay in my cheques to the Abbey cheque account and post some letters and then off to Stevenage by car in time for the 11.20 train to Kings Cross under the new time table. I read a few computer journals on the way and then take a taxi to The Financial Times buildings and wait for Martin Isherwood to arrive. We are joined by Geoff Chalish of the FT technical page and walk to a local restaurant, where I treat them to lunch. Between the distractions of a very sexily dressed waitress and Martin getting steadily pissed on the wine, I manage to get across a fair amount about the BMMG and cut the lunch short at 2.30pm for a taxi back to Kings Cross.
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A morning of bank queries and problems and then a drive to The House of Lords for a PITCOM Council and plenary meeting where satellite broadcasting was the issue inside the committee room and then Sunday Trading Bill was passing the chamber beneath as the Bradford Fire victims get a Royal visit and the London tube strike is eventually called off
Awake to my tea and morning paper, but the girls saw to it that I could read little before breakfast. Crawling all over my bed and competing for attention, they were eventually sent downstairs. I joined them for a breakfast of toast, more palatable of late, and then back up to read the paper properly. A late start on washing and shaving, but dressed easily from my bedside clothes rack, which was a sound purchase this weekend. To the office and some confusion over my bank/building society accounts and the bills we have to pay. Also as to where to pay in some large dividend cheques from Kode and some others for government stocks. Eventually established that, though we have plenty of cash on deposit, we are short on funds available by cheque. When Diana came over with a cup of coffee, therefore, I asked her to pay the lesser funds into the Abbey cheque account and the larger ones into the Abbey high interest account. Time then to complete some correspondence and small accounts and update my investment summary to include income and purchases in this tax year. Then to start the long process of printing it out before called to lunch. A spring salad and ice cream to follow, which I would have enjoyed a lot more if it were not for my mouth ulcers, which are troubling me at the moment and aggravated by the pickles and creams. An hour more at the office and then home and quickly changed into my Huntsman suit for the car journey to London. The roads were quite good considering commuter traffic was up 30% with the tube strike. I was pleased for the comfort of my air conditioning and saw others suffering in their cars on a dull, wet, yet humid day. Arrived early and parked on a two hour meter and walked to the House of Commons.