More work on The Lady as Diana comforts Linda, still torn with her dilemma, and the children have friends around to play and swim in the pool. The Thatcher government reaps their rewards over being obstructive to action on South Africa, ‘Boy’ George is held over heroin charges and bomb attacks kill victims in France, Germany and Ulster
Slept well and was fully rested by the time that my morning tea arrived. Showered and dressed for more work on The Lady and, after feeding the ever hungry doves, I made a start. I smoothed down yesterday’s varnishing with a damp sanding sponge and then, turning the boat round so that side dried in the sun, I scraped down the problem parts of the starboard side. Morning coffee after the first coat of varnish and then to my office to return yesterday’s calls from Vinters and Whitmarsh Sterland and settle a few queries on my land purchase and tax affairs.
Out again and this time I start working on the extension to a channel, glued on last night. It is a task of planning, measuring and then planing several angles, before finally using the router again to make the channel itself. Then it is lunchtime, but Diana is late back from Cambridge. She had gone again on the invitation of her mother to see a wooden rocking horse, but also took Linda who, early in pregnancy, is still very uncomfortable and depressed by her plight. Back to it afterwards, brushing hardening fluid into the starboard cracks and then applying a second coat of varnish for today to the port side. Then a cup of tea taken in the lounge monitoring teletext; some more work on The Lady, then tea. Debbie had Helen round this afternoon and they swam together in the pool and had tea with us together after. This evening, I tidied up my workshop, which was in a terrible mess and the French youths were back, sitting on the path outside and nattering 19 to the dozen! They come over at one point to ask for some writing paper, which is a strange request. Daniel has his friends Gary and Jason round to swim this evening and then invites Heather and Clare to play pool and make things more interesting. A fine day, with lots of clouds, but no rain. News today is of a poor start to Sir Geoffrey Howe’s mission to South Africa. He gets a frosty reception from Zambia and, whilst travelling, he hears of decisions from Nigeria and Ghana to boycott the Commonwealth Games in Scotland later this month. They are protesting at Britain’s lack of action against South Africa and also at the acceptance of Zola Budd into the British team for the games. At least the South African government have lifted a ban on union meetings, after being challenged in the courts. In a House of Commons exchange, Dennis Healey denied persuading black leaders not to see Geoffrey Howe. In a rising personal crisis, ‘Boy’ George is kept from police under 24-hour medical supervision and the others arrested yesterday appear in court on Heroin charges. In Europe bombings, a policeman is killed in an attack on police offices in Chatelet and, in Germany, a top research executive with Siemens and nuclear power expert was killed by remote detonation. A bomb kills two more soldiers in Ulster at Crossmaglen.