Divisive day with Diana hosting friends and me, feeling out of it, rowing off to go fishing to get back late for tea but then thoughts centred on the news that Bill’s wife Vi had recently died of her mental illness. The Kensington shop explosion was caused by a bomb which killed the anti-Ayatolla owner’s son, a former US postal worker shoots and kills 15 colleagues after being sacked in Oklahoma John Fleming, implicated in the Brinks Mat Gold robbery, is extradited to face prosecution and the worst plague of locusts for 25 years devastates African crops
A rather restless night and Di had a nightmare that was that I had sold our house and moved the family into a council house and could not understand why she did not like it! The house was still there for all of us as we had morning tea and then breakfast. Showered and shaved afterwards and then went out to feed the doves and get Daniel started on cleaning the cars. This is his household chore, but he seldom does it at all and even less often does it well. The gardener mowed the lawns today, as he is going away this weekend, and I prepared and then planted the four box plants, watering them well in. I also removed the old gate from the picket fence and joined the rest of the fence in its place. By this time it was lunch of ham salad rolls and ice cream to follow and then Diana got the house ready for the ladies and children she had invited round. They all arrived at 2.00pm, and went swimming in the pool. Claire and Heather joined in and so there were 15 altogether in the pool.
I went down to the riverside gardens and started moving paving stones from the old path to the new position, but, by now the weather was warm and sunny and no drink having arrived, went in to get the afternoon tea. Made a pot and poured out mugs of tea for the ladies, but they declined it, wanting coffee, which I thought was a little impolite. Feeling rather left out of the social occasion and alone, having nobody for company, I got ready Blue Peter and took the dinghy downstream to do some fishing. I could not somehow continue with chores when all else were having their company and leisure. Had good fishing; a few chub, perch, a lot of dace and one gudgeon, but lost a largish fish without landing it. Stayed there and missed tea, but, once home, made real honeycomb sandwiches, buttered fruit buns and a fresh pear after. Di was a bit upset that I missed tea, but hadn’t missed me earlier. Daniel finished the cars tonight, at long last, and Di retired to her room with a TV to do her ironing. I saw an old neighbour this morning, who told me Bill Clarke was down when we were on holiday and a pity it was that we missed him. His wife, Vi, died last Christmas evidently of her mental wasting disease, which came as a relief in the end. His sight has continued to get worse, though he was still able to hang a door at his house. A long while locking up tonight. Builder John was round today doing some of the left over jobs and had all of the balconies open. My conveyancer from Vinters phoned today, all of a panic, for the completion money for plot 11 and I told him it was posted to him from Cambridge yesterday. News today was of the publication of the report into the conduct of Greater Manchester Deputy Chief Constable, John Stalker, and it criticises the use of police vehicles and the choice of him in having relationships with Taylor, himself knowing other criminals. Now the local Police Authority must decide his future when they meet on Friday. It now seems certain that it was a bomb, not a gas explosion, which wrecked a Kensington shop. The owner is a prominent anti Ayatollah Khomeini activist and he lost his son in the explosion. In America, a part-time postal worker went on the rampage, killing 15 people and wounding 7 more, before killing himself, in the Edmond, Oklahoma Post Office. He had been threatened with the sack, was a veteran of the Vietnam War, and locked the doors before starting the slaughter. John Fleming, wanted for the Brinks Mat gold robbery, was deported from Costa Rica, via the USA, back to London for questioning. The worst plague of locusts in Africa for 25 years is adding to the food shortage and, with forecast rains, it could become the worst plague this century. 24 Royal Marines set a new world record in ‘stack parachuting,’ after a near disaster when they got into a tangle. Now they are aiming for 25. After today’s weather being dry and sunny, it will be a cool night and then cloud will form tomorrow, with rain later.