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Poor and unexpectedly mild night and day commencing with the gardener’s frustration with Marilyn’s rabbit’s effect on our plants and ending with it being snared and disposed of after a successful day selecting wall tiles and kitchen equipment and then planting the ‘Daniel oak’ tree in the Hayling View gardens at some cost to my back. US fighters force down the Boeing 737 with the PLF hi-jackers aboard and three youths are detained after the Policeman was knifed
A poor night as I worked late on my abortive video copying and then lay awake thinking of our kitchen problems. A warm night too as the weather had turned unexpectedly mild. Down late to breakfast as I updated yesterday’s journal and then to quickly read the paper before my morning wash, shower and shave. Kode shares had plunged 10 pence yesterday, plumbing new depths at 85p. Out to feed the doves and to chat with the gardener – he had to chase a rabbit away this morning and grows daily more frustrated. The birds fed well and I finish up quite a bit of seed before setting off with Diana and Della for our car journey. First to Bedford and, whilst Diana did some shopping, I looked over the Peacock auction viewing. Nothing of any interest whatsoever. Then to rendezvous with Di at the Gibbs and Dandy Gale’s home improvement shop where we looked mainly at the wall tiles. Poor Di is suffering from the first day of a period today and, the baby reflecting her pained mood, is having all sorts of trouble with her. We just managed to find some tile designs for the kitchen and bathrooms before we were all exhausted and had to leave for St Albans. By car via Luton and the A6 and just in time for our 12 noon appointment. Di stayed in the car with the baby as I went over our preferred appliances with Smallbone and then I relieved her whilst she looked at the design with them. We finally got them to plan for our Moffat oven and hob, Hoover dishwasher & Leisure sinks, but we agree to have the Neff fridge/freezer and extraction accessories.
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A coolish day ‘working’ with Della and liaising with Cheeseborough and his large team of builders as they work on The Hayling View conversion and, the electricity being switched off, I work outside clearing shrubs and making a large bonfire before an evening editing videos of the work as Peter Walker, the last moderate in Thatcher’s Tory government warns of the dangers of such high unemployment
Slept well, but my back was still not up to sitting in bed when I awoke to my early morning tea. Out in my dressing gown to open the house next door (for I have taken to locking it again every night) and then to breakfast with all of the family. Washed, dressed and then, about 9.30am, out with Daniella who wanted to help me feed the ducks and doves. Waylaid in our long walk around the buildings by Mr Cheeseborough who, accompanied by a good half dozen builders and two electricians, resolved a number of queries with us about the work. From a position of slow progress over the last day or two, they are now leaping ahead and are wanting to know the colours and styles for room decoration, which is an encouraging sign. On after and Della, bless her, had a good run round and thoroughly enjoyed the outing, but it did slow things down somewhat and so I was ready for a coffee when we got back. No eggs today and the ducks have dwindled now to 11 in number and so, 1 by 1, two must have been taken through the lock recently by passing boats – I must go and look for them soon. A nice day, coolish slight breeze, but sunny spells and so, after coffee and with the electricity in my office turned off anyway, I decided to do some work on the riverside gardens. First, to cut a large overhanging branch from the hawthorne tree next door and start to make a pile of bonfire material from its debris.
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Time in my new gardens identifying the roses and then out to buy fruit and oak trees and with Della for my coffee and biscuits and then typing up detailed instructions for my building and extension work until I hear from Lynne Smith that Nigel has been admitted to hospital with a heart attack and will not return to work on BMMG affairs but I will leave the succession to other computer industry colleagues. The police are getting no help from Tottenham in finding the police killer and teachers strike over grievances with the government
Slept well and then up to breakfast with the family. Jokes and frolics as usual and all I could do to keep them in check. Then to the paper – my gilt- edged stocks continue to hit new heights – and to wash and dress. The radio continues to cover the Conservative Conference and all they seem to do is knock the competition. Out to view the garden and feed the doves – they come so freely to the new pigeon mix – and I notice that the blue cock has his feet tangled up with cotton thread still this morning. I hope that it frees itself because I have not managed to catch it yet. I roam round deadheading the roses. I also read the Rose Expert book this morning and recognised my roses as well known and trusted varieties. Time then to feed the ducks and let them out, but only one egg this morning. To the house for morning coffee, when I played with Della as she coaxed biscuits from me. Then to the office and a morning reading the mail and typing out a long letter for the architect, detailing the contract (and variations) with the builder. A call from Lynne Smith, who tells me of the admission to hospital of Nigel with a heart attack. He will not be able to work on BMMG affairs, but I will not step in to the turmoil – it will have to be Bill Unsworth and Bill Barrett.
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Struggling with my bad back on a chilly morning that turned wet later watching the leaves begin to fall but the shrubs are doing well and the builders working away on the windows and we make a trip to St Neots to order a lounge suite and carpet before I spend time on my wills , trust deeds and national savings certificates as Tottenham council is at odds with the police with the Spurs cup tie called off and an Italian cruise liner Achille Lauro with 400 people on board is hijacked by Abbas’s Palestinian PLF.
Slept well and woke to my morning tea on a chilly morning. Strange how my bad back prevents me from sitting up in bed, so I stagger over to the chair to drink it. Breakfast, completion of my paper, and then washed and dressed whilst listening to the radio. Interviews with top Tory politicians, who are on the defensive for this year’s conference. Dressed and out to the doves. A bright and cool morning, but the wind has dropped and veered to the west and so I lingered in the gardens and observed the plants to see how they were faring. The leaves are beginning to fall and so are a number of twigs brought down by the wind. The shrubs all seem to be taking and the gardener is keeping the shrub beds free of weeds and planting more polyanthas to flower next spring. A lone builder works today and makes painfully slow progress on putting a single window into the wall of our dining room. In to the office to read my morning mail and study the kitchen appliance information. I decide that Diana has not fully thought through the sink design and, when I go back for morning coffee, I encourage her to look at it again. After coffee we go off to Brittain’s of St Neots, leaving Della asleep and in Joan’s care while she cleans. A long two hours looking at carpet and furniture, but we eventually earmark an oatmeal/flecked, heavy duty for the halls, stairs and landings and then, after much deliberation, choose a new £1,000 lounge suite and an Axminster carpet.