Nigel Smith visits today after I clear out the guttering and the swimming pool contractors plaster the pool sides and bottom. This as both UK teachers’ unions vote to boycott GSCE examinations, South African Bishop Desmond Tutu comes out in support of sanctions and the US intervenes to underpin the oil price
Not awake until 8.00am and then time to read the paper in bed with my morning tea before breakfast. A bowl of cereal and fruit juice and then to shower and dress a little quicker than yesterday. To my office and to phone Gerard Chadwick of Vinters, one of my trustees, to discuss Capital Transfer Tax. I decided to buy £11,000-odd worth of indexed linked government stocks for Daniella’s trust and telephoned the stockbrokers accordingly. Just as I was going to take Di to town for the weekend’s shopping, Nigel Smith turned up without warning and we spent an hour and a half chatting and showing him round. We arranged to see the antique auction in Bedford together on Friday.
In to town and, Di being upset at the delay, I helped her get the groceries from the Co-op and we both did a couple more chores as well. Home to help her also prepare a salad and roll lunch, now that we are planning to slim together. This afternoon I got out the ladders and cleared out all of our property’s guttering and downpipes, which was quite a job. The pool men were here today to plaster the pool bottom ready for tiling and Di had Pat and her girls round for the afternoon and she was ready in good time. I fed the doves, after a real burger tea, put away the ducks and then a heavy shower of rain tested out my guttering and the pool men’s cement. Both seemed to survive the test. Then I put my Jaguar away, read a Country Companion (The Harbour) to Deborah and lectured Daniel on his return about letting me down. I had asked him to be back well before dark, but he called late and Di had to disturb her arrangements and go over and collect him from his day with Jonathan Bloom. I sent him to bed without TV and stereo, whilst I watched TV with Diana. The main news today was of a bomb exploding in a TWA jet, flying over Europe. Two children were blown out of the plane, two others were also killed. The rest of the crew and passengers survived, due to their luck of the plane being at low altitude at the time. There are no claims of responsibility, nor were there any warnings. Police searching for Sarah Harper, the missing 10 year old girl, now face the probability of her murder or abduction, after a fruitless week’s search. Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, has spoken out in support of international economic sanctions against his country in defiance of the white governments laws against publicising this view. In last weekend’s Ulster violence, it has become apparent that policemen’s homes were particularly singled out for attack. British Leyland has cut its year-on-year operating loss to £40M from £60M and has hailed this as progress. US intervention on the oil markets has brought the crude price back above $10/barrel. Both of Britain’s largest teacher’s unions have now voted to boycott the introduction of the new GCSE exams, due to lack of consultation, time and resources. A Spanish warship and helicopters entered Gibraltar’s territorial waters, but the Spanish government shrugs off British protests. After today’s fine weather turning to this evening’s heavy showers, tomorrow is forecast cold, showery, but at least still