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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.
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Some early direction of Pete, my gardener, on Hayling View path design and then a milder but showery day working on smoke detectors and alarms as Norma did jigsaws with Debbie before I took her for her first riding lesson in Offord. Britain and the US are suffering the consequences of the raid on Libya with murderous reprisals and a European Parliament resolution condemning it as a flagrant violation of International Law
A restless night, as I was both a little too warm and rather unsettled by Della and her bad cough. In the end, Di tended her and I slept better. Showered, shaved, and dressed for breakfast and then out smartly to catch the gardener by surprise just after 8.00am. He was not used to this and I caught him sitting and drinking tea. I got him to help me survey the site of the workshop, and then carry numerous paving stones to mark out the line of the new footpath. I took my time, but poor Pete’s lung troubles, exacerbated by his continued smoking in the face of all advice, left him quite breathless all the same. Still, we got the work back on an even keel (as it was in danger of losing direction) and Pete can now carry on at his own pace, without aid.
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A trip to Jordan’s Mill shop in Biggleswade to try sample foods without preservatives or colourings for the children to try and two sacks of food for the ducks before a day working on security measures and alarms with Daniel and Gary involved in boating incidents. This as widespread condemnation of the Libyans raids uniting opposition parties and even dividing senior Tory figures but Mrs Guinness is recovering after her rescue from kidnapping
Another good night’s sleep, but Diana was up and resting elsewhere for some reason. On time to a breakfast of toast and fruit juice and an hour’s work on my alarms until I took Di and Della to Biggleswade. We get a range of sample foods from Jordan’s Mill shop without preservatives or colourings for the children to try. Two sacks of duck food from the mill itself and then into the town centre for some morning coffee and shopping.
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Libyan Attack – The Tory Government lose the Sunday trading vote in the Commons and authorise USAF attacks today on Libya from British bases contrary to UN procedures, International Law and European allies understandings and 160 demonstrators were arrested in Whitehall so my tenant, USA Staff Sergeant, Ronald King, already behind with his rent was given immediate notice to quit 39 Gordon Road before my trip to Cambridge today to buy a new ‘de-luxe’ push chair for an ungrateful Della
Awake to my morning tea and from the strains of the radio/alarm clock I heard of two remarkable events that took place last night. First, the Tory government were roundly defeated in the Commons over the Sunday Trading Bill and, against most expectations, lost the vote by 14 and have quickly abandoned the Bill. This is a most humiliating defeat for the government, with a Commons majority of 140 and a three-line whip in place. There will now be a backlash, with shops prosecuted for being open in anticipation of a change, which will not now occur. 68 Tories voted against the government and joined united opposition parties to secure the defeat. Even more startling was the overnight attack by America on 5 targets in Libya. The planes from the US aircraft carriers were joined by jets, launched and refueled by US bases in Britain. This latter fact has made the UK second only in the firing line to the US for terrorist targets of the future. France and Spain both refused overflying rights to the attack force, but Thatcher authorised and approved of the US action.