Off to Peacock’s Auctions in Bedford after checking the doves and swimming pool and then back to Lady Martina to find its wood damp after the rain and Debbie has Briana to swim but Daniel was not in the mood to join them. Some letter writing and to hear news of more South African shootings and protests as over a thousand union officials are imprisoned, the policeman who shot infant John Shorthouse is cleared and 50 women police officers walk out at Risley Remand Centre
Sound asleep again when brought my morning tea, but soon up and washed/dressed ready for breakfast. I wore my new jacket and trousers this morning, ready to go out with Di to Bedford, in preference to dressing rough for another day’s work on The Lady. Breakfast of wheat flakes (which even Daniel preferred to Co-op own-brand corn flakes) and then out to feed the doves. All’s well with them at the moment, but two pairs are incubating pairs of eggs that should produce chicks just when we are due off on the boat in a couple of weeks. I also checked the swimming pool, where the additions of yesterday had managed to restore the chlorine level again, after the high use and hot weather of late. A little time with my paperwork in the office, particularly looking at today’s post and papers, then loaded up and ready to leave for our expedition.
The journey and then coffee and biscuits together, before I set off for Peacocks and Di and Della for the shops. I found nothing that I could not live without in the antique auction today, but there were a few collector’s items in the general auction viewing for tomorrow and I put in commission bids accordingly. The normal lunch rendezvous at Debenhams (who disappointed us by their disorganisation again), then homeward bound in time to pay Joan and Pete for their week’s work. I had also stopped in Bedford to get some more wood-restoring items from Gibbs and Dandy Gales, but they also did not keep copper sheeting for repairs to The Lady’s roof runners. I had been listening to the Test Match on Radio 3 and Mike Gatting, the new England Captain, had built a good innings. So, on arrival home, I watched the downfall of the last wicket on TV to leave him with an undefeated 180-odd and an England first innings total of 390. It had been raining at last this morning, after several weeks without and, although I covered The Lady in anticipation, the breeze had blown them clear and allowed the woodwork to get damp. The gardener had not spotted this and rectified it, which upset me. To my office this afternoon, paying a variety of bills and taking a call from Elm Leisure and reassuring them that a cheque was in the post. Debbie brought Briana home to swim, but Daniel seemed tired and irritable and decided against joining them. Tea of grilled trout and about half of the two small fish went to the girls, who have taken to fish really well. After a while checking the pool and feeding the ducks and doves again, I spent the evening writing to Alf Butterfield and Daniel’s chemistry teacher, Mr Watson; ending late, with the letters typed and ready to go. No time for my journal and I had to write it up in the morning. News is of the clearance of the policemen who shot and killed John Shorthouse, the 6 year old boy, during a house search. He was declared not guilty on manslaughter charges, but must have been very careless to cause such an accident. South Africa’s black miners are now on strike to protest against the detention, without trial, of over a thousand of their officials and a speech by the S African envoy at the US celebration of July 4th led to protests by US and UK officials. The South African blacks continue to call for sanctions, as they have nothing to lose. 50 women prison officers have walked out of Risley Remand Centre in Warrington, in a dispute over manning levels and even the Governess’s declaration of an emergency has failed to bring them back. A villager in Selokajang, East Java, was fined 4000 bricks for committing adultery and his bicycle was confiscated, so he would not repeat the offence in other villages!