A good month enjoying our completed house, swimming pool, games lawn, and with the children all developing well as they complete the school year before I take Daniel to Scotland to see my forest and then the whole family take a long and enjoyable cruise on The Lady around the Fens in mixed weather. The news is of continued British economic depression with record unemployment under a government more concerned about inflation and so cancelling even more projects but also with the growing constitutional crisis as Thatcher holds out against all other nations and her cabinet, ignored the advice of HM the Queen and damn near splits up The Commonwealth over her obduracy concerning South Africa and then even tries to get Coal and Steel hatchet man Ian MacGregor wreak his havoc on the NHS. Terrible news as young estate agent Suzy Lamplugh goes missing with no news of her for days. US President Reagan seems to be doing an arms deal with Gorbachev
And so ends the month of July, which started with a heatwave and ended with a cycle of meteorological depressions with wet and windy weather. The final work is finished and bills paid for on the swimming pool and the house and we have been enjoying both to the utmost. We were very lucky to get the weather to baptise the pool and we had most of our friends and neighbours to try it out and we joined them in it almost every day. I am in good health and so is my direct family, with just a little deafness in Daniel but nothing to worry about. Relatives are also in good health, with the sole exception of Diana’s grandmother, who seems to be suffering from an ulcerated stomach, but she is at the grand old age of 86. Dan’s exam results at school were a bit better at the end of his school year, but he still has a way to go; but Debbie continues to do well at school, even though she remains rather temperamental. Della has come on apace and is now speaking freely and behaving as a full member of the family, even though she only celebrated her 2nd birthday this month. They were enjoying the air-conditioning in our new car for outings and we were also playing tennis on our new games lawn as well as using the pool. We sold the remaining holdings of shares in Kode at £2-odd each to find that they have now risen to £2.80 odd, but we are still better off out of it as we have acquired them when Comart was sold and that was two years ago this month. My consultancy retention fees have also now come to an end and my latest retirement is now complete. The latter half of the month has seen us enjoying our longest ever holiday on The Lady
and we have both enjoyed it immensely and it has also cemented our family together whilst we have been on our own as we had that really good holiday on our restored boat, ‘The Lady, stopping first at Godmanchester then Huntingdon, cruising through Houghton and Hemmingford to arrive at The Waits in St Ives lunch at Holywell and then through Brownshill and Hermitage to Twenty Pence Bridge to moor for the next night. A further day’s cruising along The Old West River to Ely for the day and then, with The Lady dressed overall for the Royal Wedding, up The River Cam to The Bridge at Clayhythe through rain and showers to stop, catch fish and dine at the inn. A further day’s cruising through Baits Bite lock then stopping short of the narrow Jesus Green lock opposite the playground for the girls to play where we then to spot our old boat Utopia II as we brave a very congested Cambridge during the holiday season. A Copper kettle for lunch and then to the Cinema with Daniel until it was time to cruise through Bottisham to Upware where we met the Chambers aboard their own boat, the Lady staying waterproof after a very rainy night. We then cruised down the Cam to Ely, cruising over to Babylon Marina for fuel and water to hear of their poor season and then the cruise to a Littleport riverside pub to find The Littleport Show in full swing with the heavy horses a big and unexpected attraction. This, before the cruise up the River Wissey to Hilgay where we enjoyed a nice walk to the children’s playground and then upstream on the River Wissey on a fine and windy day to moor with the mud weight on a lake at Wissington for some sailing on our Blue Peter before mooring at the head of navigation at Stoke Ferry for refreshment and a chat with the day boat operator. This, before cruising back to Hilgay for the night and then mooring near Denver Sluice at The Jenyns Arms. Abandoning the cruise up The River Lark from Prickwillow in very windy weather and then returning to Ely for a walk to the city centre and lunch before rowing to get more fuel. 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. Through The Lower Great Ouse locks after a very wet night and then back to Waites Quay for swimming at the St Ivo pool before dinner at The Dolphin after some fishing and dinghy trips. I have also taken both children (on different occasions) to the cinema and taught Daniel to fish and he has enjoyed his friends Steve and Gary to mess around with on Aquabean after which they then swam and watched videos with Clare and Heather. Later in the month, Daniel and I got ready and left for Scotland, staying at Castle Donnington overnight and then flying to Wick to see progress on planting up my Thormaid plantation at Broubster. After this, we had the evening at the Ladbroke Mercury hotel where Daniel visited the local fair and I took a walk. Debbie’s friend, Tessa Jordon’s, family mill in Biggeswade has recovered from their fire and using the water wheel again and I was taking Debbie for her riding lessons Despite all this, I was getting an earful of grievances about our new lifestyle from Diana but she still hosts a party for Della and friends and we were both grateful for the news that her close friend Linda had decided against the abortion and so perhaps her lot in life is not as bad as her friends. We manage to get Daniel to babysit for Della so that I could get Diana out to the cinema for the first time and Elsewhere the country and the world are far from happy places to be in: The British economy shows no sign of improvement, with record numbers of both short and long term unemployed. Inflation is down to 2 ½ % by freak conditions of interest rates and fuel prices, but this is of little consolation. Indeed with crude oil prices of under $10.00 per barrel, the UK oil-based economy is reaping the whirlwind having sown the seeds earlier of industrial decline and dependence upon commodities. Thatcher has made Britain a political outcast in the Commonwealth by her obduracy and lack of compassion for the blacks in South Africa and this attitude has brought her into conflict with the Queen and threatened the very Commonwealth itself. Worse still, a surprising number of voters still support her, which I find even more shocking given the news of more South African shootings and protests as over a thousand union officials are imprisoned. I feel, however, that this will be her downfall, as many of her Cabinet colleagues are known to hold contrary views. Geoffrey Howe calls off his South African visit as Botha refuses to see him as the boycotts of the Commonwealth Games grow as the opening ceremony approached. Now, the cabinet is wanting sanctions to save the Commonwealth but Thatcher overruling them despite the South African regime making children apply to go to school and excluding ‘agitators’. Sonny Ramphal, the Commonwealth Secretary General appeals to Thatcher as she also receives advice from the Queen as the Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth itself is at risk. Due to her obduracy, 11 Commonwealth countries have pulled out of the forthcoming Games with more expected to follow A constitutional crisis is growing as Her Majesty the Queen finds Thatcher quite unwilling to listen to advice and now even Sir Geoffrey Howe publicly speaks out. Reports are emerging of conflict between The Palace and Downing Street now that a third of the Games competitors are out with the boycott Thatcher’s audience with HM The Queen was fraught as the Commonwealth mayhem comes on the eve of Prince Andrew’s wedding This, as her quite unnecessary massaging of unemployment figures causes outrage in The Commons. The recipe for responding to the Tottenham riots is yet more oppression, despite the Haringey report on the Tottenham riots that criticises police actions. Thatcher seems to be more preoccupied with reducing inflation beyond its current 2.5%. Maxwell now closes his Bath printing works, and British Rail’s Advanced Passenger Train is scrapped and the new Hawk fighter crashes, killing the test pilot in a poor month for British industry. The policeman who shot infant John Shorthouse is cleared and 50 women police officers walk out of the Risley Remand Centre in response to poor conditions and safety and Ian McGregor, the British Steel and Coal hatchet man, of all people, is being suggested to head the NHS. At least Nigel Mansell wins the French Grand prix and the Church of England has deferred a divisive debate on the appointment of women priests. ‘Boy’ George is held over heroin charges and bomb attacks kill victims in France, Germany and Ulster and the marching and conflict season is underway in Ulster again but a compromise is reached over the Orangemen’s marches. Prince Andrew marrying Sarah Fergusson and HM The Queen dubbing them The Duke and Duchess of York. News of a nasty rail crash on a level crossing with seven dead and gold medals for Britain which sees Steve Cram wins the 1500 metres in the depleted Commonweath Games. News also of the fate of American hostages in the Lebanon and of Sir Geoffrey getting nowhere in talks with South Africa’s Pik Botha and the Scottish Council withdrawing Thatcher’s invitation to the Games. This, as a Lebanese car bomb kills many and injures many more, Russia starts withdrawing from Afghanistan and Sir Geoffrey, visiting Soweto, has a fruitless meeting with President Botha and will return to even greater calls for joining the sanctioning nations. BA Weybridge closes down with the loss of 2,000 jobs and Boy George is fined for drug abuse. Terrible news as young estate agent Suzy Lamplugh goes missing with no news of her for days. In a historic event, deep sea cameras photograph The Titanic wreck. As the month closes, Thatcher still holds out against a cabinet majority for South African sanctions. US President Reagan seems to be doing an arms deal with Gorbachev and the US is now willing to comply with International sanctions against South Africa, totally isolating Thatcher. There is more unrest from the Sikhs in India and further nose cracks have been developing in Boing 747’s. Hoping that August will be as nice as July and that there is a less stormy political climate as well.