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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.
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Visit to Dr Wright to see about my bad back only to hear of it being attributed to a long-term deformity and to get an anti-tetanus booster injection for the mouse bite I suffered this morning and then a conference with my building Mr Cheeseborough after which I needed to revise our architects brief whilst also supervising Daniel’s biology and history homework. Geoffrey Howe calls off multi-party Middle east talks with the PLO amidst more suspicion and violence and Thatcher welcomes Ghandi at Heathrow as 120 cars are involved in an M1 pile-up in thick fog
A better night, but still in pain, but Diana helped me up this morning and the tea was a great comfort. It is cold these mornings and foggy too before the sun breaks through and warms everything up. I read the paper in the kitchen and, after breakfast, took my turn in the bathroom. I had milk and cornflakes this morning, and the milk was ‘Gold Top’ which is high cream milk from Jersey cows. The dairy are running a promotion on it at the moment because many customers are drinking less in fear of the level of cream on cholesterol and heart disease. But, as the milkman says, he is 60 and had had cream all of his life. A modest wash and, before dressing, I called up the doctor’s surgery and to my surprise got an appointment only half an hour later. I quickly went in the garden with the intention of feeding the doves, but got no further than the garage where I found a mouse in the grain bag. In trying to catch it, the little thing bit my finger and made it bleed. Off then to see Dr Wright, who examined my back and noted the deformity I have had since birth. My shoulders have a drop on my right side (which I already knew from my tailor) and my spine is curved at an angle of 10-15deg. It seems that he is surprised I have not had earlier trouble and refers me for physiotherapy to try to use exercises to straighten it. I walk over to the Almond Road clinic afterwards and register with them, but they will have to contact me because there is a waiting list.
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Struggling with my bad back on a warm and sunny day but then organising a boat trip on The Lady with Daniel and his friends who help me with the loading and unloading and then the clearing of my gardens and the planting of some shrubs that we bought as Winston Wilcott has been charges with PC Blakelock’s murder in the Tottenham Broadwater Estate riot
A very poor night’s sleep, with my back causing problems when I moved and also the temperature being too warm to start with. Eventually I got up to make the morning drinks as Diana was playing possum and the children were already up and playing. Down to my special Sunday breakfast and then to relax and read the Sunday Times. A bit difficult getting comfortable to read, but then went out to feed the doves and ducks when Diana returned from a walk with the girls. I was going to do them alone but Di insisted that Della came too. The grass was soaking wet with dew and I could not sit down with her. The effect of carrying her made my back worse and in the end she slipped over, I couldn’t pick her up, and Di had to come to console her. Debbie came too, but ran away when I needed her. On to the ducks, but no eggs from them, despite the new litter yesterday. I then had a morning drink before getting Daniel and Steve (who had come again today) to help me in the garden. They helped clear the undergrowth from the old plot and planted two more box hedging plants. In to lunch and then, at my suggestion, we all set off afterwards for a ‘cruise’ in The Lady, through St Neots lock and on to the Eaton Socon garden centre.
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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.