Some time with Della this morning after an uncomfortable and clammy night and then to lay a square of old carpet in my office and fit a door lock to give us some privacy and normality before calling the BMMG and only offering to advise and declining to help them for Compec and then clearing out the garage for Smallbone’s kitchen units to be delivered tomorrow. This as teachers are blamed for the drowning of schoolchildren washed off a cliff at Land End and eight IRA men are charged with the Brighton Bombings
Difficulty in getting off to sleep and I found my bedclothes very heavy and oppressive. Perhaps Diana has been adding more blankets without me knowing. A little lay in listening to the radio news and current affairs before summoned to my breakfast of toast and fruit juice with the family. A little more reading of the morning paper and post before time to hurry to get ready before the arrival of the builders. Washed and shaved in the bathroom today with Debbie for company as she handed me things from the shelves and then crawled under the basin as I shaved. I got dressed as Debbie packed her school bag, read some books and played until it was time to go. Then the builders came and I let them in to both houses and got them to open up the kitchen door so that they did not have to walk through our front door. Diana then waited to set off for town in a hurry, but I persuaded her to stay for a coffee and to allow Della to stay home. I walked Della to help me feed the ducks and doves on a sunny and calm day, if very cold. Della to bed and then across to my office where I laid the old square of carpet in the box room as an office and vacuumed it reasonably clean. The builders completed the cross-house ducting today; the carpenter put in the kitchen to hall door frame and patched up the holes where the wall had been demolished and moved along; the electricians finished off most of the wiring (all of the kitchen and most of the hall and utility room); and the Scottish plasterer rendered the kitchen ready for the finishing coat of plaster tomorrow.
In early to refresh myself and soon Diana returned for lunch. Rolls, butter, with turkey and tomato filling and more fruit to follow. I am eating quantities of conference pears at the moment as they are in good condition – firm and crunchy that I like. A fair morning’s work. As well as sorting out my office carpet, I had also put in the new Yale deadlock into our other front door. It had to be a temporary job for the moment, as the previous lock holes were not in an ideal position, but it immediately gives more security, provides us with keys at last, and can be dead-locked so that the builders have to use the side door and leave the front passageway clear. This afternoon I managed to contact Bill Unsworth at the second attempt and excused myself from this week’s meetings and BMMG activities at Compec, but offered to continue to help the BMMG in an advisory capacity. Then to start clearing the inner garage for tomorrow’s arrival of the Smallbone kitchen modules. This task took most of the afternoon and meant moving a lot of items to the sheds and Diana’s car to the ‘lay-by’ in the drive. I also put the weathervane in the outer garage as we are due to put it up on the chimney tomorrow. Tea of more sandwiches with Diana and the girls as Daniel was invited to tea with his friend Gary tonight in a celebration of his birthday. In the end Daniel did not get back home until after 9.30pm, which was a bit upsetting. As I checked the builders work tonight, I realised that the door outside was at least 20cm+ out of position, which meant that Smallbone will have to re-specify the wall units, otherwise there will not be enough room. Main news this evening was of the arrest of a man in connection with a number of rapes and a murder in the London area. In the enquiry over the Land’s End drowning of schoolchildren (when they were washed off a cliff) the escorting headmaster and staff are blamed for lack of supervision. As 8 IRA men, charged with the Brighton Hotel bombing of the Conservative Party Conference, appeared in Lambeth Magistrates Court, there was massive security. After several day’s suspicion, an outbreak of Legionnaires disease is proved at Glasgow infirmary. In the Lord Mayor’s banquet speech tonight, Thatcher forecasts record spending in the public sector, which is an interesting change of publicity policy – having failed to control public spending, she is now claiming credit for increasing it! The weather forecast to continue colder, with some slight snow/sleet showers, but nothing extreme enough to threaten our building work.