Successful outing on a hot day to St Ives in our new car with air conditioning to buy some prints of my Harradens and then off to Jordon’s Mill in Biggleswade via the back roads and to hear all about their recovery from the recent fire and the use of their water wheel as further nose cracks develop in Jumbo-747’s and Thatcher is losing the South African sanctions arguments as the conflict there deepens into more violence
Another late night, after working late in the lounge, and deep asleep when called this morning. Eventually up for breakfast, but it was already quite warm by this time. Despite forecasts of duller and fresher weather, it rose to the high 80degFs later on and remained hot. I started the day by going to my office, sorting recent mail, and reconciling my bank and building society accounts. I started Diana off with £400 for a month’s housekeeping money and swapped over her cheque books. She is not happy with this development, but it will lead to better budgeting in the longer term. The doves and then off with Diana and Della in ‘daddy’s car’ to St Ives for the antique & collectors auction. I only wanted Lot 66A – the three copies of Harraden’s of St Neots – and after coffee with the girls, I paid some money into the Gateway, before stopping off at the auction room to bid successfully at £30.
I met an acquaintance afterwards, the man I often see around St Ives and another enthusiast on local history, and he had kindly given way in the bidding when he realised I was interested. It seems that he has a copy of Gorham’s book that he picked up a few days ago! Rendezvoused with Di in the car and relieved to have the air conditioning, without which the car would be uncomfortable in this weather and the sports jacket impracticable. A pleasant drive to Biggleswade along a B road, whose origins appear to have been to serve agriculture and the town’s two markets. Far better to approach Biggleswade through this route, than the motorway and the ‘Bailey’ bridge. We drove on to Jordan’s and bought our wholefood cereals from the mill shop and a bag each of duck and dove food from the warehouse. They have now fully recovered from the recent fire, but, despite having new mill machinery, still use the old water wheel to power the mill. To the town centre for lunch at Tooks and then a little window shopping before driving home to Little Paxton via St Neots. Very warm by this time and I had just unloaded the car and changed, when my Mum & Dad arrived to spend a pleasant afternoon and evening’s visit. Tea in the shade of the back garden, discussing Freda and Stacey and then I managed to tempt Dad into the pool with the children when they came home from school. Tea of mixed meat salad, strawberries and cream after, then I took my Dad for a walk to see the new dove chicks and the state of my boat. Once they had left, I spent the rest of the evening watering the garden, feeding the ducks and putting everything to rest. I spoke to Daniel’s Head of Mathematics on the phone tonight about getting him put up to study at a higher level and also about attempting technical drawing. I also returned Duncan’s calls at last and rejected the ‘angled’ gate and fixings as inappropriate. I am now being chased by both parties for the final pool and landscaping payments. News today is of further cracks in the nose sections of Jumbo 747 jets and the US Aviation Authority has ordered checks on all US, 160, jets. A row in the Commons today as Thatcher defiantly accuses other politicians of previously rejecting sanctions, but she is not very convincing. There has been a bomb in Johannesburg that has injured many whites and the black South African ‘TUC’ has called for a strike in protest at the detention of union leaders.