A warm and sunny Sunday during which Daniel and his friends Paul and Gary took a river cruise and I worked on The Lady and watching the World Cup football before the swimming pool was a magnet again with our girls joined by neighbour Clare and her friend which pleased the boys when they came back to join in. Local cats were harassing the local ducks, Sir Geoffrey Howe is expecting hostility for his forthcoming South African visit and Richard Branson gets his Atlantic crossing record at last
A long lay in and turned 8.30am before I sat down to a full fried breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and tomato. Debbie enjoyed some bacon as well, but it was rather fat and she wouldn’t eat any of ‘the white bits’. Us all in our pyjamas as the temperature was warm and rising again. By 8.45am, Daniel’s friends had started arriving. They had been given instructions yesterday to bring a packed lunch and they took both Daniel’s and Paul’s boats for a day trip up river. After they had gone, and we were dressed, I went down to The Lady to undercoat the forw’d cabin rail supports. By the time I had finished, it had risen to 80degF and I sat in the shade of the back garden to read the Sunday paper, with my cup of coffee and biscuits.
Did not stir until lunch. With Daniel gone, the rest of us ate a nice roast chicken, which made a change and then meringue and ice cream after. The boys arrived back whilst I was still eating and I sent them away with a flea in their ear and told them that they could not go swimming until after 4.00pm and that they should not presume too much on my good nature and hospitality. Swam with the girls after lunch (though Debbie had gone to a birthday party) and then neighbours daughter, Clare and her friend came to swim. This was an unexpected pleasure for the boys and then they behaved quite well after my lecture this morning. Di invited the boys to tea, which I did not agree with and so watched the best part of ‘Chariots of Fire’ and ate later on my own, when it was a bit quieter. By the time I had finished tending the water hoses, it was time for the World Cup final on TV (which Argentina won 3-2 vs W Germany) and so could only get out at 8.45pm to continue on The Lady, but I did manage to paint the roof of the front cabin by dusk. A long time clearing up outside and so late in to TV and my journal. A couple of cat incidents today. This morning, a black cat ran across our riverside gardens, with one of Marilyn’s ducklings in its mouth and tonight, three black cats were cornering a wounded ornamental duck on the towpath, before I intervened. The weather was fine and hot today, with the thunderstorms at bay and maximum temperatures of 85degF I reckon. News today in South Africa is of mounting hostility to the planned visit of Sir Geoffrey Howe. The Zulu leader, Chief Buthelezi, speaks out of the slide to civil war in the country, if the violence doesn’t cease. Richard Branson won his transatlantic sea crossing record today by a margin of a couple of hours, after a catalogue of disasters were overcome.