Insisted on briefing and manager my architect and pursuing the washing machine suppliers and tried to eat lunch with Diana and her mother but collapsed with another fever and was unable to speak for lung congestion, very hot with an excruciating headache, bathing my head in cold water and fearful for my life from pneumonia on the worse day of illness in my life. This as the government increases sentences for firearms offences and alarming news about the recent sinking of the Russian cruise liner (The Mikhail Lermontov) being due to pilot error
Awake a little earlier than usual, breakfast of porridge in bed, and then up to shave, shower and dress for my appointment. I had a little time before David Stokes was to arrive at 9.30am and so checked over the building and decorating work to date, read the mail, and sat at my desk to prepare for the meeting. Listed the salient points of the building work, as well as the outstanding tasks and then, when David arrived, put them to him. Emphasised that we needed the plumber to spend a few days fitting the sanitary ware, then the carpenter to do a few odd jobs, so that the tiling and the work could be finished. We discussed payments, but I insisted that I was not going to pay until two weeks’ time and completion of the work, as there had been to many days with the financial pressure off. I also asked him to look into the central heating design, in view of the Gas Board suggesting that the boiler was in the wrong place to work reliably. Was coughing well by this time, but decided to expedite a few things.
Resolved an invoicing query with Levy Safes, and then pursued the Electricity Board over our dishwasher repair. They are awaiting a part and so I insisted on talking to their supplier, Hoover, with details of their order. As they are made in Spain and there was no timescale for delivery, I successfully persuaded Eastern Electricity to exchange our machine for a new one, which they will exchange next Wednesday. Lunch with Di and her Mother (who was here for the day) but could hardly eat all of it as I was increasingly short of breath with my coughing. To bed after a last phone call. I received a telephone message from the British Export Office in Stuttgart and a sales enquiry for 2000 IBM-compatible micros with German keyboards. I felt it necessary to return the call and tell them to contact the BMMG, but I also offered to help if they get stuck. By this time quite ill and so put away my films in the fire-safe and collapsed into bed. The plumber and Mr Cheeseborough were here on cue this afternoon starting the plumbing and also the swimming pool contractors took delivery of two trucks of concrete into barrows and lined the pool very expertly. By the time I retired to bed, I was shivering, feverish and feeling very hot. As time went by, I coughed and spluttered more and more, losing my patience with those attending me through shortage of breath. My temperature rose to 103degF and, in the end, I just laid motionless, holding Diana’s hand and trying not to cough. Frightened to move for 1 ½ hrs and quite delirious and in mental turmoil as to what we should do. Spent the whole evening thus incapacitated, but by bedtime had nearly lost my fear for my life and talked and chatted with Di, whilst we watched the TV until late. At bedtime Di, who was also not well, could not sleep with me as I was too restless – hot and with an excruciating headache. I used a bowl of cold water and flannel to cool my head, but finally had to put on the light, visit the toilet and take two pain killing tablets. After much sweating, I managed to go off to sleep on what had been the worst day of my life for illness. News today was of government proposals to change the legal system in ways not to everybody’s liking. They intend to eliminate for some offences the use of a Jury and also to increase penalties for carrying firearms. Unfortunately, the penalty is now the same for carrying and using a gun, which will not encourage criminals to give up easily! An investigation has revealed that at the recent sinking of a Russian cruise liner (The Mikhail Lermontov) the New Zealand pilot was at the bridge and in charge, despite stories to the contrary at the time.