A full day of work for me managing investments for the family with a log fire in my office for warmth during this cold and unseasonable month whilst Diana took the girls shopping as 13 blacks die in Soweto at the hands of security forces, a squadron of US F111 aircraft arrive in the UK and an aircraft carrier off of the Libya coast herald an attack soon and Shorts Factory workers walk out over the removal of Protestant symbols from this Belfast factory. Labour release plans for an Environment Ministry.
All slept well and awoke rather late to our morning drinks. Showered and shaved before breakfast and then out to see how the dove chick had progressed. It had died and I threw it into the river, which was a shame. Daniel’s old friend, Jonathan Bloom, phoned and they arranged for him to come over for the day, and Di took the girls shopping again. I did more work on updating my investment and income summaries and then drove into St Neots myself to pick up a lot of forms from the Post Office. The old cattle market has now been demolished and the two new supermarkets are at the skeletal stage of steel erection. It seems to herald, overall, a new era of development for the old market town and, like the loss of the old bridge, I fear that it will lead to a further loss of character.
Again, the liaisons between property developers and councillor tradesmen seems to take priority. Home via a rather poor display of lots at Shaw’s auction and in time for lunch. After, I light the log fire in my office and then worked all afternoon and evening completing applications for N. Savings Certificates for the children’s trusts and typing out action lists and letters. I had the portable colour TV for company and watched the European Athletic Championships on it and saw Britain win the 100 metres and Daley Thompson struggling against the Germans in the decathlon. A cool day and showery again and the ground is quite soaked that I still fear a flood. News today, apart from the games, was of the worst day yet for South African violence, as 13 blacks die in Soweto from government security force gunfire. A squadron of US F111 aircraft arrive in the UK to fuel still further rumours of another planned attack on Libya. An aircraft carrier is also diverted to off the Libyan coast. In the Cameroon, the relief operation is underway, painfully slowly in view of the remoteness of the disaster area and the roads awash in the rainy season. The Belfast Shorts Factory was hit by 15% of its extreme Protestant workforce walking out in protest at the ban on emblems and insignia. The Labour Party has released plans for a Ministry for Environmental Protection, to bring in safeguards for the countryside and renewing the inner cities, and the SDP have announced their plans for union reform. After the continued wet and windy weather, the outlook is much the same