A pleasant trip to Cambridge in the Jaguar and lunch at The Copper Kettle before home to raise Aquabean on to the slipway trolley now the river is high as more diplomatic and trade sanctions are implement against Libya by European nations with the USA detonating another huge nuclear bomb in Nevada despite the Russian test ban offer. Queen Elizabeth hosts King Juan Carlos of Spain to overcome friction over Gibraltar and recalling that they both have in common the fact that they are both great grandchildren of Queen Victoria
A sound night’s sleep and wearily to sit up for my morning tea. A few aches and pains from yesterday’s exertions. A bit late for breakfast of more wheat flakes, but time after to read the daily paper before our trip to Cambridge. As we were ready to leave, the Gas Board arrived to service the boiler, which delayed us somewhat. Through heavy rain and hail on the way to Cambridge, but arrived at the Round Church car park in the dry. Coffee at Eaden Lilleys and then some shopping at Robert Sayle, asking for a coat rack and washing baskets to be delivered.
I took a walk, whilst Di shopped further and we rendezvoused at the Lion Yard and went on to the Copper Kettle for a nice lunch. Back to the car via Heffers bookshop and the drive home. It was the first time we had used the Jaguar for some time and the contrast with the Escort Estate was quite something – our pleasure increased by the clean it had got on Sunday. Once home, I went out with Daniel to repair a launching trolley and bring Aquabean up the main slipway. We moored it, as the river is so high and look forward to it being out of the water for repair as the river goes down. Then to my workshop foundations and to join 3”x3” timbers to make a total of 6x9ft lengths. I creosoted them after tea, before coming in at dark to change and catch up on today’s events and national & international news. Today the news is of Britain expelling 21 students from Libya, and West Germany has asked for the complement at their Bann offices to be reduced by 26. Brussels has announced, on behalf of the EEC, that cheap butter will no longer be sold to Libya. These are measures as a result of the EEC Foreign Minister’s meetings. In Libya, these are seen as further British support of the Americans. Some rows in the Commons over the use by the F11s of anti-personnel cluster bombs and Thatcher revealed that Britain had no say on the weapons or targets. A 31 year old Jordanian, Nezar Hindawi, has been held in custody at Lambeth after his arrest following the Heathrow bomb attempt. Interestingly, his brother, Mansour Hazi, has been held in West Berlin in connection with the German disco bombing, in spite of the US claim that Libyans were responsible. A banquet today given by the Queen in honour of the King and Queen of Spain, who are making a State visit today. It seems that both Queen Elizabeth and King Jovan Carlos are great grandchildren of Queen Victoria and they are reconciled after Charles and Diana started their honeymoon in Gibraltar. In the European Court of Justice, a British woman has won an appeal over the British government’s refusal to give married women the care allowance for looking after a disabled relative. Four children, a man and wife were found dead in their home in Cornwall and it seems that it is another suicide and family murder. The Americans have detonated a huge nuclear bomb in a test in Nevada, in defiance of the Russian test bans offer. More rain forecast again for tomorrow.