Walking up the hill to Ely Cathedral after a fruitless morning fishing and then to cruise on to Twenty-Pence Inn after getting fuel and water at Ely Marina and there to dress up and have a fine evening meal as young estate agent Suzy Lamplugh goes missing and deep sea cameras photograph The Titanic wreck
Slept well – both of us – and mastered the children reasonably well in our, by now, customary morning routine. We sent Daniel to take the girls to the mini playground to the rear of the chandlers, whilst I fished and Di did the ‘boatwork’ (ie boat housework) No luck ever in fishing at Ely – the water seems so wide, deep, murky and featureless. We all took a walk up the hill to Ely Cathedral and, although Ely museum was closed, we went inside Ely Cathedral again and had another good chance to look at this old church of a millennium of Bishops of Ely.
Di took the children up to the stained glass exhibition again and I wheeled Della around, who seemed quite fascinated by the lighted windows, the sounds and the space. After being so good, she then had a tantrum and it took a half hour to calm her down, by which time we were ready for lunch. Another nice meal at Bennet’s restaurant, probably the last this year, which is a pity, as we enjoy this old fashioned formula of good simple food and service. Swimming after and also a chance to look at a second hand book shop, The Octagon, and buy a few books. The walk back as the weather continued more settled and showery and then we took off in The Lady after pausing for more supplies of water and diesel fuel at the Ely Marina. A long, uneventful trip up the Lower Ouse, and across half of the Old West to Twenty-Pence Inn. Arrived a little late, but still got in a little fishing before dressing up with Diana for a nice meal at the Inn. Grilled Halibut for me and beef-in-wine for Di and sweets after. News today was of reaction to Sir Geoffrey Howe returning without concessions from the South African government. There is more speculation about the inevitability of sanctions and widespread comment from Western governments about the timescales for them to be introduced. Howe himself says they are ‘likely’. A young girl estate agent, Susannah Lamplugh, is missing and believed abducted after making an appointment with a male stranger to see a house. More pictures of the ‘Titanic’ wreck were released by the US Navy today, after the end of an exercise to try out a new deep sea automatic camera. The announcement today that Robert Kilroy Silk, Labour MP for a Liverpool Ward, is resigning this Autumn after what he describes as ‘three years of misery from pressure by Militant supporters’. More Ulster violence and the death of a Protestant businessman. The Commonwealth Games continues with today’s visit by the Prince and Princess of Wales. The weather forecast is for the damp night becoming clearer and then more rain from late morning onward and so we must set off early tomorrow.