News on a cool and showery day of the fulfilment of my retirement from Micro-industry affairs as Gerald Frankel of Imtec takes over as BMMG Chairman as I drop off Debbie to school and the rest of the family to Bedford before friends and neighbours view our swimming pool construction. The aftermath of the USAF Libyan air raid competes with their bad news of the latest Titan missile explosion on the launch pad and news from Ulster of the latest Unionist riots
My normal morning routine and Jordan wheat flakes again for breakfast. Not much in the morning post, except the minutes from recent BMMG meetings. Gerald Frankel is elected Chairman and the first Council meeting was held at his company’s premises, Imtec. I read the morning paper as well and it was full of the details of terrorist reprisals, which was quite depressing. Debbie to school and then the rest of us to Bedford. Coffee together, with Daniel having hot chocolate and Della orange squash and then Daniel and I off to Peacocks to see the lots for tomorrow’s auction. Nothing of interest to Daniel or I and so we walked back to the town centre and bought some slippers and a few other things. Lunch together at Debenhams and then the drive home, stopping at Eaton Socon for some beef and St Neots for some other shopping.
Afternoon tea and then out with Daniel to fit a new tarpaulin on his boat. A nice tea of grilled trout, which Debbie shared with me. She had Emma round after school to play and when her mother, Linda, picked her up, she looked at our swimming pool construction with neighbours Chris and Marilyn. The coping stones of Italian Marbleite have now been pointed and the tiler has just about finished the white walls and is doing the blue pool floor. We hope that the pool toilet and changing room floors will be tiled with the same materials. After tea, I tackled the security wiring for the inner garage and am only left with completing the terminal block when next I try. In, tired and rather cold and then some time updating my journal and watching the TV news, before Di brought me a bedtime Bournvita and we turned in. News today of the arrest of the suspect thought responsible for the attempted airliner bombing, after he gave himself up at a London hotel. It is thought that he is part of an Arab terrorist gang capable of further attacks. In the US, a TITAN missile exploded on take-off after being tested in the wake of the shuttle accident. The Americans have, therefore, had a double blow in their space launcher effort. One of the three murdered in yesterday’s hostage killings has now been identified as an American and so the Briton may still be alive. In Tripoli, 20 victims of the US air raid were buried today amongst an outpouring of intense revolutionary spirit. The Libyans hailed this large public demonstration as showing unity, in contradiction of US intelligence disinformation about unrest. The US Washington Post claimed today that the US Air Force were aiming to kill Gaddafi in his Bedoni tent and former President Jimmy Carter said that killing and injuring Gaddafi’s children would be counter-productive. Britons are trying to leave Libya and West Beirut, but are in difficulty and fear of their lives. South African President Botha has announced the scrapping of the Pass Laws, which have been the prime means of repressing blacks. A sceptical opposition will wait and see, but it does seem the most promising sign of willingness to embark on further racial reform. UK inflation is down to 4.2% and bank rates were reduced by ½% today. More rioting by Ulster Unionists in Belfast last night in response to the first Unionist death by impact of a rubber bullet. Today has been showery and the temperature will drop to near zero tonight, but tomorrow will be drier, warmer and brighter.