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Nostalgic visit to The Which Computer Show at the NEC but avoided too much industry contact and was not very impressed with the products and exhibits as Leon Brittan fights poorly for his reputation in the House of Commons, Gorbachev extends the nuclear test pause and there is no reprieve for the Gartcosh Steel processing mill
Another in a series of unsettled nights, but awake to my morning tea as usual and then down to breakfast with the family. After, to wash my hair and shower, when I changed into my Huntsman suit and decided to go to the Which Computer Show in Birmingham as planned. My cough and cold had not developed too much since yesterday. To my office a while to organise my papers and diary before leaving and a power cut to my electronic diary awared me of the presence of the electrician. I discussed with him the remaining work that we needed doing and then left for Birmingham.
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A day with my friend Nigel Smith attending the St Ives Auction and then responding with my opinions about his restoration of Hail Weston House when we visited there later as Westland continues to dominate the news with admissions in the House that Leon Brittan had lied about not seeing the British Aerospace letter
Slowly awake and rather fed up with the early calls of the last four days. Down to breakfast with the family and then quickly showered and dressed so as to be ready to drive over to Nigel’s at Hail Weston. Our plans were to go to Ekins antique auction at St Ives, but first he showed me around Hail Weston House and what he had been doing. A very large building and he has done well to restore it and has most of it in order now. He is justly proud of the curtain poles and general furnishing and asked me about a range of items that he has removed during the refurbishment.
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Struggling with The Hayling View’s plumbing and heating teething problems but liking the new balcony rails fitted today and making my £1/2m CGT tax payment as Heseltine looks to be losing in his Westland battle, Western powers complain about Iranian searches of ships in the Gulf, and fortress-like Molesworth plans are released
A poor start to the night, as I could not get to sleep. In the end, I got up and turned off the power supply to both boiler pumps and this removed the unpleasant noise. I do hope that the electrician comes soon and completes his work. The plumber here at 8.00am this morning and too early for me, as I was still having a shower. He put in the new radiator pipes, but had to drain the east wing boiler in the process. Showered and dressed and then along to my office to see what they were doing. As I worked, the carpenter was joined by Mr Cheeseborough and they reversed the staircase. He broke the news to me that the hall to kitchen door will have to be moved to accommodate the end of the staircase – there is not enough room to have a turn in the staircase, either top or bottom. This will mean more dust and disruption in the kitchen and poor Di did not take the news very well.
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Morning trip to The London Boat Show at Earls Court with Daniel and then home to welcome Nigel and Lynne Smith to tea after his recent heart attack as The Westland Helicopter takeover fight continues and three intrepid British Explorers complete the journey to The North Pole on foot.
Diana woke us up early and, after several attempts, managed to get me and Daniel up. Then my normal Sunday fried breakfast and then washed and dressed, ready in good time to leave by car with Daniel for the London Boat Show at Earls Court. We left at 7.50am and were there by just after 9.00am, which was very good going. Unhappily, it did not admit visitors until 10.00! A pleasant couple of hours looking round. I made a beeline for the traditional dinghies, launches and sail boats and the main attraction for Daniel was the huge Princess ‘Gin Palaces’ and the speedboats, which are all fibreglass and tinted windscreens. Came away with plenty of brochures, charts of the Wash and East Coast and an excellent book on the traditional wooden boat builders of Britain.