Better day after a restless night worrying about us trashing the verge with our swimming pool excavations and then working with Daniel on my word-processing microcomputer, liaising with Elm Leisure over the pool and juggling finances before some family meals, as Government ‘Industrial Policy’ is castigated in The House with sale of our truck industry to the US, privatisation of the water industry and now a nuclear radioactivity spillages at Sellafield and Sizewell are confirmed
A poor night worrying over the mess of the swimming pool excavation and arrangements for the restoration of the verge. Eventually awoken from a sound and belatedly deep sleep and had a headache that lasted much of the day. Down after a look at the paper to breakfast and pleased to get boiled egg for breakfast. Smartly washed and dressed and then to the office to start work. I commenced with an update of my investment summary and to sort out the results of all my gilt transactions.
I had received my ‘change’ from payment of the £1/2 million CGT payment in the form of a £36K cheque, which I gave to Diana to pay into the building society. A cold morning and so I lit the log fire in my office and settled down to work. Di brought in Della for morning coffee and then I went out to see Pete, who wanted to know what to do with all the clay, gravel and soil deposited from the excavations. I told him to put the clay sods into the base of the areas we had to fill and he set about doing it. Daniel was up by this time and dressed and came down to help to avoid his boredom. I showed him how to operate my word processing microcomputer, whilst I supervised and read out the numbers. Phone calls today to Elm Leisure’s Mr Ed Monks, where I insisted they restore the verge with turves rather than seed; and then Tann Safes to find out that my items will not now be delivered until Friday – yet more delay. By lunchtime, Diana insists that I take her to the Little Chef, having lost 3lbs last week as witnessed by her slimming clinic today. Back to work for the afternoon, reconciling bank and building society accounts, until I saw that funds needed swapping round within my Abbey National accounts and so drove into town to do it. By now the snow was falling, but the excavation was complete as it became dark. My worry is that they will not be able to repair the verge tomorrow as a result of the snow. Tea of rolls and donuts with Daniel, as Di and Debbie go to her swimming lesson, and then across to Roger Goring at No.37 at 6.00pm to discuss the repair of our adjoining fences and his potential move. It seems he is reconciled with Muriel and will be selling the house so that they can go back together. More work tonight on my family history before clearing my office as the fire burnt itself out. Then TV news and boxing before my journal and to bed. Main news today is the Tories Industrial Policy. During the debate today on British Leyland there is much Tory criticism of the Government and many abstentions as the House is alarmed by this casual consideration of the sale of our motor and truck industry to the US. More tricky moments in the Select Committee examination of the Westland affair and the plans were published today for the privatisation of the water authorities. At the nuclear reprocessing plant, Sellafield, there was a second contamination leak of radioactivity today for the second time in the recent past. Also outside the Sizewell nuclear power plant, the grass seems to have been contaminated by isotope sulphur 35. Radioactive steam was released into the air a couple of weeks ago.