Working all day on my Hayling view garden plan and enjoying lunch using our best silver and dinner service as Geoffrey Howe works the weekend assessing the damage of the Soviet expulsions and Sev helps Europe to our first Ryder Cup victory against the US in more than two decades
Asleep well until woken with my morning tea about 7.15. It seems that Diana wanted a lay in but Debbie was wondering about the house and woke her up. As the paper had not come, I got up, dressed and washed and was then ready for my Sunday breakfast. Diana always gives me fried egg, bacon, mushrooms and bread on Sunday and today was no exception. Out then to try feeding the doves, who ate a little, and then in to resume my garden plan. After I had drawn a while, I went outside to get some more dimensions and let out the ducks. It was dry today (which was a blessing) but cold, with a chilly wind. When the sun was out and away from the breeze it got quite warm and almost pleasant at times. Five eggs today, which is a bit better, as I wouldn’t let them out until 10.45. Morning coffee and then back to my endeavours. By lunchtime I had redrawn all of the existing front and riverside gardens, leaving the potential new plots until after lunch. In to a meal of chicken, roasted with some nice vegetables. We used our best silver and china and so I had a washing up job to do afterwards, which took until 2.00pm.
Then out and, scrambling across fences and through brambles, I measured as best I could all of the remaining plots, including my old one. In to draw them out after a large mug of tea to quench my thirst. By the early evening I had drawn them all out with original features in pencil and a 100ft x 50ft games lawn duly accommodated. It will need a lot of work removing stumps, shifting earth etc., but it can be done. The biggest problem will be growing the new hedges piecemeal so that the site does not get too exposed. Also removing Bill’s slipway winch, which is secured with a massive concrete block. I pack up and then stick the plan on my bedroom wall with Blu-Tack. Out to put away the ducks and there is just time before dark to plant a further three Box plants on the old plot, where the new hedge will be. In to relax and watch the TV news. News of the Russians response to the British expulsions, with the details released of the 25 Britons expelled from Moscow in retaliation. Geoffrey Howe, the Foreign Secretary, is spending the weekend at the Foreign Office assessing the damage. Britain has won a multi-billion pound arms order for aircraft for Saudi Arabia, but the Israelis complain that they will represent a threat to their security. Europe has won the Ryder Cup in the annual Europe vs US golfing challenge for the first time in 28 years and the American players were left complaining at the crowd’s behaviour, which was admittedly far from sporting. President Mitterrand of France, fresh from the crash of the Ariane space rocket, is in the South Pacific for another ‘A’ bomb test and continues to see France attract criticism from New Zealand. An offer for South Pacific leaders to view nuclear tests at the Mururoa Atoll will hardly help. The forecast is rain for tomorrow.