To Cambridge feeling slightly better and to Belinda’s for some coffee and The Copper Kettle for some lunch each side of some book shopping before to St Neots to collect Daniela and give him his £5 pocket money with which to buy Diana a card and himself a record. The teachers reject a pay offer and 16,000 schoolchildren are kept away from Bradford’s schools in protest against ‘racialist headmaster’ Honeyford and his new supportive Chairman of Governors as Ghandi calls on Thatcher to support sanctions against South Africa
A slightly better night’s sleep, but still awake for some of it. Awake rather earlier than necessary to my morning tea and then down to breakfast before reading the paper and waiting for the bathroom to come free. Then washed and dressed and out to the doves – having missed out late yesterday they ate hungrily. Quickly to let the ducks out and recover one egg and then to set off with Diana and Della for some shopping in Cambridge. We arrived about 10.30am and kicked off with some morning coffee at Belinda’s coffee bar. Little Della was quite good and shared a biscuit cake with me, but kept taking mouthfuls which were too big! Then a few doors up to Laura Ashley where we looked at paints, wallpapers, fabrics and boarders for interior decoration. They specialise in coordinating these aspects. On then to Eaden Lilley, who had just had a fire alert and the staff were filing back into the building, and their paints department where we look at the Dulux white range and the paper boarders. We also choose a beige regency stripe sheen paper, but we will need some 30-odd rolls to do the two stairs, halls, landings and the intervening sitting area. Then to look around the rest of this department store and I buy Diana her birthday present – a matching set in grey leather of a handbag, clasp bag and a purse.
I then go on to W H Smith and Heffers to buy some journal folders and silver books whilst Diana does some more of her Christmas shopping and then we have lunch of roast beef at the Copper Kettle. Della behaved perfectly and is beginning to learn some manners at last. Then home to St Neots and we stop at the Homefit kitchen centre. Luckily Della is asleep by now (I wore her out walking up and downstairs at Laura Ashley) and we had a good chance to look at the kitchen tiles. I order a sample set of Broadstone and we hope to get them by the weekend. Then to the house and I pick up Debbie from school myself and take her to the local newsagent to get a birthday card for Diana and also her present (a notebook for shopping lists). Home again and to feed the doves. The builders started today to cut out the walls of the two houses to take the adjoining walls, but then the boss cut them over to the new French windows in the playroom and by the end of the day they had cemented in a new lintel. Off then by car and I pick up Daniel from the school bus (under cover of catching the post) and take him to St Neots to get his card and present for Di. He gets some rose bath things and also buys a record with the rest of his month’s £5 pocket money. Home then to a tea of two grilled trout, the ducks, and then a complicated game around the house moving from room to room, wrapping Di’s presents and getting the kids to sign cards etc. A long process of getting Daniel to do his geography prep and swot up a good proportion of it and then the TV news. Main story today is still the cancellation of the PLO talks but, after taking a lot of flack, the UK government are defended by the Jordanian King Hussain, who put the breakdown down to a misunderstanding of the PLO. Another youth, a white one, is charged with the murder of PC Blakelock. India’s Ghandi calls on the UK to support S African sanctions during his talks today in London. The teachers have formally rejected their pay offer. In the continued protest over the alleged racialism of Headmaster, Ray Honeyford, about a quarter of Bradford’s 16,000 schoolchildren were kept at home today and tonight the parents demonstrated when a pro-Honeyford chairman of the board of school governors was appointed. The high pressure is still holding, but there is a little drizzle around the Eastern region. My back has been a bit tender today and I have been carrying it somewhat, but it seems to have lasted the day.