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A warm and occasionally sunny day visiting Ely for an auction and then planning my speech to the Financial Times conference before an evening gardening and cutting back shrubs as claims of police brutality vie with tales of hooliganism in the Handsworth Sheffield riots
Awake after a good night’s sleep and awoken fairly early for this morning’s arrangements. Down to breakfast of boiled duck egg, but unfortunately Diana had not cooked them properly and the children wouldn’t eat them. This started an argument as a poor commencement of the day. I had time to scan the FT headlines in the quiet of my room and then, getting late, I showered, shaved and dressed and went out at 8.00am. A brisk drive to Ely and the Comins antique auction. An hour to view the lots prior to the start, but little of interest. Virtually no silver and only one folding chair – of a low-slung, reed-backed type that I do not collect. I stayed for coffee and then waited for this lot to come up and put in some low bids, but let up when it rose to £30. Another coffee and biscuit in the Old Boathouse café and then into Ely town centre to buy a new pictorial map of the Cam and Lower Ouse. Away and to stop on the way home – first at Wyton Garden Centre to buy 4 gorse shrubs that I had been searching for, and then at Brampton, but no yew varieties in sight. I am still undecided over our hedges; between the existing Leylandii, Hawthorn, Holly, Box and Yew. I would prefer Box, but it would take 15 years to grow back, or the Yew, but retain doubts about the stories of the poisonous seed and leaves. This was all part of The Master Plan for The Hayling View as seen below.
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Visit to Cambridge for Daniel’s school stuff and some research by me on games lawns for Country Houses after which back to my office for some Computer Industry and Investment correspondence and then some barbecued hamburgers for all in the riverside garden as Thatcher holds out alone against South African sanctions and then surcharges Liverpool and Lambeth Councillors who resist her austerity and central control as a full scale riot follows in Handsworth
A good night’s sleep catching up on the last two days. Daniel slept in until 9.00am, which is very unusual for him. Awake to my morning drink and Financial Times but, no sooner had I started reading, then Deborah called us all down to breakfast. She likes to prepare the meal these days, but both the timing and the selection of food is a variable feast! A very mild and humid morning and so I sat in the lounge to read and managed to finish the Sunday papers and the FT, but did not learn a great deal. I also took much more pleasure from reading the opening chapters of my new book ‘Gardens for Small Country Houses’ and learned from it already. I could see that a games or tennis lawn was a regular feature and I am further resolved to have one. Washed, dressed and out to the birds and, for the first time, the new pigeon comes to the table. The mating cock indigo fantail is bullying all the others at the moment and getting very territorial. I hope he tries one more clutch of eggs with the Qualmond hen before winter. To the ducks and just 5 eggs today and I hope for more tomorrow. Then to the office briefly, where I work a little before finding that Daniella is restless and so a coffee on the front lawn and then ready to leave. Off by car to Cambridge so as to take Daniel around the shops for some things for school.
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Poor night as Huntingdon Police call about Daniel and his crew on board Aquabean but they had moved on when we got there but then took in Willington Garden Centre, Buckden village hall antique fair before back to cut hedges and an evening reading as Liberal leader David Steel addresses the SDP conference, Reagan ponders over South African sanctions and Alain Prost wins the Monza Grand Prix and with it the Formula 1 title
Another poor night. This time instead of anticipating Daniel’s boat trip, we were suffering from it. The Huntingdon police rang me at 3.00am in the morning to tell me that Daniel and friends were roaming the streets of Huntingdon and a member of the public had made a complaint. We then rested uneasily until morning. It seems that they tried to sleep twice and couldn’t. Then, when in town, some other youths were breaking bottles, which led to the police being called and by then they were the only ones there. We had to ban further overnight boat trips this year, which upset them. Awake to my morning tea, whilst I caught up with yesterday’s reading and then shaved and bathed as Diana cooked and fried breakfast. I had to send Debbie to her room without finishing her meal due to more misbehaviour and even Della was giving her customary anguished yells for no good reason.
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Preparation for Daniel’s first solo boat trip and some detailed videos of this, Debbie and Amy playing in their new Wendy House (Bills’ Shed) and the progress creating The Hayling View before editing these videos and enjoying a tea of prawns as a further death occurs in South African police responses and schoolchildren are attacked with police wielding whips
A poor night. Thinking of Daniel’s boat trip tomorrow and all of the things for him to do and take kept me awake for most of it. Eventually asleep, then awake to my morning tea. An early breakfast again and then a little time reading today’s paper. Up, washed and dressed and out to the birds. An improved 5 duck eggs today as they are growing out of their moult. Rather depressing to see the moles on the bank have been moving again and Eddie has now cleared his stretch and there are more there. Then to try out Aqua-Bean with Daniel, and find it in good order. He needs some petrol, but the boat should be up to scratch for their maiden voyage later. Out with the family and Gary for a lunch at the Happy Eater, but Debbie misbehaved and I did not allow her any ice cream or lolly. When we returned afterwards, there was no Paul and eventually Daniel and Gary had to leave without him. I took some video film of the riverside garden for the first time since planting the standard roses. Today there was a peacock on the riverside lawns, the first time I had seen it there, but Diana tells me that it had flown in before.
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