Return of the noisy and messy builders after a better night and then off to Jordon’s Mill in Biggeswade for our duck and pigeon food where our friends have rebuilt their mill and are milling flour and should be back to milling pellets in three weeks as Charles and Diana now wow the Americans and Kasparov beats Karpov in the World Chess Championships
A better night and soundly asleep when Diana brought the morning tea. A slow start by reading the paper until breakfast of toast and fruit juice. More papers and a quiet time in the lounge before it became apparent that the builders were working again this morning. First the plumber wanting to get in next door and then banging noises revealed the presence of two labourers under the direction of Mr Cheeseborough. They were chiselling out the plaster from behind the old units on the right and, after removing the cooker from the other side of the kitchen, they chiselled that out too. Then they used the hammer drill to carve their way down to the ducting. The plumber was connecting up the automatic washing machine next door and so we ended up with only the sink unit against the wall and a re-commissioned gas cooker in the middle of the kitchen! Leaving the labourers to clear up, we set off for Biggleswade and first dropped off at Jordon & Addingtons Mill to get some layers pellets for the ducks and mixed corn for the doves. To my surprise Marilyn was the customer in front of me and remarked on the progress we were making with our house conversion. The mill will be partially back in action this weekend and milling flour in a week. Pellets should be on stream in three weeks. Although the fire was very bad luck, it has meant that they are now equipped with the most up-to-date and efficient plant going.
Then into Biggleswade town centre, which is still my favourite place for shopping. You can still park on the street and we stopped and waited a while for a coffee in the café opposite. Then to the shops. Pears, winkles, cockles and stilton cheese for me before finding a newsagent opposite the car and getting some ‘no smoking’ stickers for the house. Off home to lock up the house as the builders left and then in town to collect Daniel. While I was waiting I bought a No 2 Yale lock and some 3A and 13A fuses for the house. Off to the Happy Eater for a good meal and then a two hour drive to the Canal History Museum for Daniel to see the exhibits and obtain some material for his school history project. Home in time for me to put the birds away and feed them and then tea of winkles and cockles and buttered bread and stilton and cream crackers to follow. An evening of computer games with Daniel after tea and, after about a half dozen games of motor racing with Daniel, I managed to match and beat him at last. Over to the rest of the house where we saw the washing machine and boiler working well, and I look forward to fitting the front door lock and no-smoking signs in the morning. News tonight of the pursuit of the M4 rapist and his victims are being given police protection as he has kept their papers for identification. Prince Charles and Princess Diana arrived in the US today to a tumultuous welcome and overt admiration for the Princess. Gary Kasparov wins the world chess championship, beating Karpov in the process.