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Terrible gale and storm today kills four people and 30,000 chickens whilst Daniel has his friends around for the day, Diana takes the girls to cousin Catherine’s birthday and I work further on my alarm system. Pictures show Britannia evacuating hundreds of Britons from South Yemen where 9,000 locals die in the civil war, Thatcher’s sillyroad option for Channel Tunnel is rejected and Leon Brittan’s career is dead in the water
A fair lay in and good night’s sleep. Awake to my morning tea and then down to a fine fried breakfast, which is always a pleasure on Sundays. Showered, dressed and then down to the sitting room to relax for a while. I empty the ash try for the new fireplace for the first time (or rather, give it to Daniel, who does it for me) and then settle to write yesterday’s journal and then to read the Observer from cover to cover. Diana leaves with the girls for niece Catherine’s first birthday. Daniel has Steve round this morning and uses the chance to try out the Evinrude on the dinghy. I start my alarm system again, getting up the floorboards upstairs and running a new wire for my telephone communicator. The job almost finished by lunch and so I go down to prepare the meal.
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Some early fun with Diana on a milder day before the builders arrived and needed checking up on and then off to Peacocks in Bedford to successfully bid for a few items and then return to collect Daniel for lunch at The Happy Eater. An afternoon working on my alarm boxes and strobes as news emerged of The Royal Yacht Britannia aiding other vessels evacuating civilians from the beaches of Aden, a teachers strike is scheduled for the 6th February and US President Reagan is diagnosed with more lumps and bumps
Late awake tumbling with Diana, but a good and satisfying sleep afterwards. Awake quite early, as Daniel had to go to school this morning, and then a toast and cereal breakfast as the others were finishing. Showered and dressed in time for the builders and Mr Evans arrived with Mr Cheeseborough to erect a block wall downstairs. This forms the new changing room and I carefully measured to make sure there was going to be due room for my broom cupboard and security safes. This morning, I went up to Debbie’s room and tried out the new self-activating bell module that had arrived today from C-TEC. By the end of the morning, I had managed to connect it up and leave the NI-CAD battery charging from the alarm system.
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Morning trip to Bedford and the Peacocks Auction rooms viewing, some shopping and then this afternoon checking Daniel’s homework, reading more Country Companion to Debbie and listening to the amazing Westland helicopter AGM where the directors fail to get their majority needed to hold off the European bid and bad news as a ransom of £2m is paid for the release of an Arab diplomat in London
After early to bed and a little difficulty in getting to sleep, a good night and fully awake early to my morning tea. Down to breakfast and then for inverse relief and a shower to freshen up. I dressed in sports jacket and trousers and decided to go with Diana to Bedford. A cold and misty morning, forecast to get windy and rainy over the next day or two. We found MFI closed on the way and so drove on to park in the Peacocks auction room’s car park. As we walked around the halls viewing the lots for tomorrow’s general auction, we identified three items of interest and put in a written bid. A round wine table (inlaid with veneer), a folding tray/table for practical garden use, and a bed/settee for the playroom. Our bids are quite generous and we have high hopes of securing all three.
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Another morning meeting with my builder and architect and some decisions made before I check my gardener’s progress and then take Daniel to task and make him repeat his homework as Debbie goes to ballet, Lord Hanson emerges as the mysterious bidder for 15% of Westland and James Prior retires from parliament
A tired start to the day, after much exertion and late bedtime. Down to breakfast, but all of my favourite bread was gone and so I have processed and slice bread with the others. I had a deterioration in my throat infection today and could hardly talk, but it has not been painful. To shower, shave and dress and then David Stokes and Brian Cheeseborough arrived to discuss my building project. We agree to brick up the old front door, to fit a window over and so solve the problem of lack of room in the hall. Also we decide against my idea of a porch, we could always add it later and it might not look very suitable. With the other door removed, there is not so much of a need for accentuating the main door. When they had gone I went out to feed the doves and took a look at the garden’s progress.