A late awakening to get the children to school and then us off to Cambridge to meet Di’s parents but I did not find any suitable history books there and so home via Jordan’s garden centre in Eaton Socon for a long-life Christmas Tree and to see Debbie after ballet and hear of Daniel’s success in his English and History exams. This evening making plans for a visit to my parents and hearing Thatcher and Reagan both trying to defend themselves against controversies of their own making with the former Morgan Grenfell Securities Director facing criminal summons for insider trading and the Prison and Teachers’ disputes continuing. A drive and walk around Little Paxton woods and Meagre Farm lands this evening but the Huntsman Thorn is long gone
Di overslept this morning and had forgotten to set the alarm and so we were all awoken with a jolt at 7.30am. No chance of the shower room before breakfast and so I went down to the meal in my pyjamas for once, eating cereal with Debbie and Della, as Daniel had already been rushed into having his breakfast by now. At least he got out on time for his school examinations today. I showered before our daily came at 9.00am. Then, out to the Range Rover and Diana drove to Cambridge whilst I read the Financial Times in the passenger seat. Rather late to Eaden Lilleys, but still in time to meet Di’s parents there. Charles went off to the bank, but Norma stayed and had another drink with us. Then I left the girls to go shopping and I went around Cambridge bookshops. Found no VCH’s of Huntingdonshire, but there was a 5-edition Cambridge, but not the one with Linton in it and so I did not buy it. Managed to find both a Rymans and Heffers stationers that stocked the folder refills for my study books and bought some large sheets and special indexes. Lunch with Di and Della at the Copper Kettle and then back to the car, via the shops again to get the rest of the things that I needed.
Opted against dropping in at Marshalls, as we were late and a bit fed up with the problems they are creating for us. Home in good time and went via Eaton Socon garden centre, Jordans, to select and buy a long-life Christmas tree and brought it home. A late afternoon and evening making up my folders and not doing too much on the history front. Phoned Mum & Dad to see how they were and arranged to go over on Sunday. Deb went to ballet tonight and Daniel seemed OK in his English and history today. The news today was of a House of Commons battle between government and opposition. Opposition politicians pressed Thatcher to explain inconsistencies in ensuring action against security breaks, and Thatcher refused to comment and her backbenchers mounted a counter-attack on Kinnocks contacts with the Australian defence lawyers. There were set backs in Australia and Dublin, as MI5/6 books were released for publication and the court cases are leading to even more publicity for the books. Reagan has approved of the creation of a special ‘Watergate-type’ prosecutor to look into the Iran arms and Nicaraguan financing deal and has also announced a new National Security Advisor, Mr Frank Carlucci, the 5th in the last few years. A riot has broken out at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland, after a prison officer was suspended for being asleep on the job and hundreds of prison officers walked out in protest. There is to be a last bid by the teacher’s employers to settle the teacher’s dispute by Christmas, and Baker may also be called in to meet with them and the six teachers unions. In France, an airport siege has been brought to an end, as a car carrying three armed bank robbers and three hostages was demobilised by having its tyres shot away by police. The stock exchange was stronger today, but was rocked later by the serving of a criminal summons on Geoffrey Collier, the former Director of Morgan Grenfell Securities, recently dismissed for insider-trading. This, and the probe into Guinness, has added a few more worries, but the Tories are still marginally in the lead on the opinion polls, with the Tory press protecting their position. A mild day and evening and this should extend to tomorrow as well. I took a drive and walk around Little Paxton this evening and saw that the Huntsman Thorn was long gone. Meagre Farm, the woods and farmhouse, still seem alive and kicking and I must try to acquire these woods and those at Little Paxton, if they ever become available, for the ground is heavy in that region and well suited to the retention of woodland.