Commodore 64
Commodore 64

Another fine day with pressure peaking at 1035mb started with Della walking around the garden nursing my sore back and a visit from the swimming pool builder who can build it this autumn and then a Happy Eater lunch and visit to Bill Bickerdike’s garden centre before getting Daniel’s new Commodore computer this afternoon and witnessing Marilyn’s grieving rabbit cortege as I work on my video files, and the recriminations over the capture of the hijackers continue

Slept poorly, nursing my poor back and also finding the night’s temperature variations a distraction. First, warm and stuffy from yesterday’s warmth and then cold, as the clear autumnal night air chilled the room through the open window. Breakfast of toast and fruit juice as usual and then upstairs to read my Financial Times. Washed, dressed and out eventually with Daniella to do the birds. She enjoys these little walks immensely, but is becoming far too adventurous and is easily distracted by the steps and slopes, which she loves practising her walking on. First the doves, who feed well and then the ducks, who are very dirty in their litter and have broken two of their three eggs. Still only 11 of them as well. Marilyn catches 2 of the 3 Aylesbury males today and is inflicting them on St Neots riverside park and intends to get the rest soon. She has some boys to take out a dinghy today and they spot her dead rabbit on the river and bring it back – complete with trace presumably! She has only herself to blame. Inside to morning coffee and then to look after Della as Di continues to get on with the housework. I try to continue my video editing, without much success, and then it is time for us all to set off for St Neots. Oh yes, the swimming pool man from Elan Pools in Over came this morning and confirmed that we could get one into the designated spot in the back garden. He is compiling a quotation and full design and hopes to persuade us to build it this autumn, rather than next spring, as they have virtually no work on at the moment. We collect Daniel from St Neots and then set off for the Happy Eater. Daniel is in a good mood and excited by the prospect of getting a new Commodore computer this afternoon, but gets a bit impatient as I insist afterwards on us going to Bill Bikerdikes in Sandy for some more box and santolina plants – as well as an ornamental yucca.

Back home at last and Debbie and I stay at home as the others go off to Huntingdon to get the Commodore 64. I start to catch up on my reading, first outside and then inside as the grieving Marilyn awaits the boys return with the funeral cortege and then, as Debbie gets increasingly bored, wonder where the others have got to. She finally settles to playing Plasticine and nicking chocolate bars from the cupboard as I go out to feed and clean out the ducks. A sorry mess they are in and I am further annoyed that Daniel is not here to help when I struggle with the awkward job of lifting soiled straw at arm’s length and further damage my back. It seems that the others were twice separated and lost in Huntingdon, but it was too chilly for a barbeque anyway when they got back. Tea of sardines for me and various for the others and then the evening succeeding at last with the task of assembling and dubbing commentary on to my Hayling View video tapes. Late to bed watching them, clearing up, and locking up the house and the start of another restless night with my poor back. News today of continued reverberations over the Egyptian counter-hijacking with the Egyptian government under suspicion of complicity in the US deed and Italians (now the recipients of the terrorists) under threat of more hostage taking and reprisals for holding the prisoners. A beautiful day today and the barometer reading very high levels of 1035 – nearly the highest I have seen. In the summer this would be a real heatwave, but in October it is just misty in the morning, mild during the day and cool at night. At least the plants and humans appreciate the sunshine, even if the days are short. I wish my back allowed me to get on.