An earful of grievances about our new lifestyle from Diana after our morning romp before she went shopping with the girls and I carried on with my chores until all together for a poor lunch at The Happy Eater and then a session in our swimming pool later as Bishop Tutu rebuffs Sir Geoffrey Howe with more deaths in South Africa indicating the futility of his approach without policy change
Awake early and well rested after an earlier night. I awoke Diana for a romp and then sat and wrote up yesterday’s journal until breakfast. Di then made us late by giving me a dialogue on her discontent – she is missing our Sunday outings of last year, our trips to the cinema and is finding the chores of the large house a bit demanding. Down to breakfast of nice warm croissants, with apple juice to drinks. I fed the doves and let the ducks out and, when Di took the girls shopping and Daniel went to school, I sat down to my papers and spent the morning typing correspondence and watching the cricket on TV at the same time. It was a wet start to a damp day and the gardens are getting a much needed drink of fresh rain, after weeks of heat and drought.
Letters to our Wick hotel, correcting our room reservation, to Peter Smith of Kode, heading off any further contact, and others, including payment of more bills. The girls back and us together off to St Neots to catch the 12.30pm post with the letters and pick Daniel up from the town centre. Off to the Happy Eater, where we enjoyed the meal, even though it was very stuffy, my cup was dirty and all of the soups lumpy. Home and, it still raining off and on, I watched the TV tennis and cricket for a while, before resuming my work in the office until, by teatime, I had caught up on most of the urgent correspondence. Tea of prawns and Daniel’s friends Gary and Steve were round to join us, after a session swimming in the pool. A quiet evening, without much doing and the rain still showering. Debbie and Della stayed up late, before clearing up and going to bed. News today is of Bishop Tutu refusing to meet Sir Geoffrey Howe next week, saying that the visit was pointless, as the ground had already been covered by the Eminent People’s Mission. In South Africa a further nine people have been killed, including 5 local government officials from the black township. Martina Navratilova won the Wimbledon’s women’s title for the fifth year running and India were out for exactly the same score as England for their first innings – 390 apiece.