A reasonable day reassuring Debbie about her schoolwork and then taking Diana and Della to Cambridge for a day’s outing with plenty of rest and refreshment breaks as I was still very week. This evening with Daniel and locking the house after a lot of building and swimming pool work had been accomplished. This as Leoni’s assaulter was given three life sentences, Ulster and Scottish unrest is in the news and the black boycott begins to bite in South Africa but Thatcher is in no mood to compromise over anything, even discussing arms reduction with Russia
Another good night and awoke, if not as well as yesterday, then certainly in very good order. Downstairs to find Di even before being called for breakfast. A glass of water, an antibiotic pill, and then sat at the bottom of the stairs, close to the fan heater, chatting to Debbie. I reassured her about school as she was worried again. I reminded her that Mrs McFarlane had told us that she was doing well and was well ahead of average, with no reason to worry. Then to sit in the playroom reading the FT, as she chatted and played – Kode are up to 132 again and still rising. Breakfast of toast and fruit juice, comme d’habitude, and then tarried to finish off the paper. Before getting washed, shaved and dressed for a trip to Cambridge with Diana.
We first had to unlock all manner of windows, cupboards and doors to let the workmen get on. The decorator, plumber and carpenter were all here today. Also the pool men, who finished off the first level of wall blocks, before doing the bulk of the turving. Off to Cambridge in the Jaguar, Di driving and me and Della in the back. Slow progress round the shops, punctuated for refreshments at Belinda’s, Wimpy, Copper Kettle and Little Chef during the day to aid my fight against tiredness during the convalescence. Purchases of ‘Easter egg’ cardboard containers for small family gifts, party things, books, magazines and nice fish dishes for the next few day’s meals. Home in early afternoon to find the house cleaned by Joan, and much work done by all else. I took a look round the grounds and saw the large blue-bar dove take to the pole-cote – until now it had lived in the wall-cote, but had been attracted down by the free hens. As dusk advanced, it was deeper and deeper in battle with the small fan-tailed blue-bar, until it had virtually excluded this other cock from the whole cote and bird table. In the end I had to catch the large one and put it in a cardboard box, as it had become far too aggressive and dominant. We still have another indigo cock free and so I will probably remove the trouble maker. This evening I spent a lot of time with Daniel reading HiFi magazines, then progressing his schoolwork. Some time locking up the house after the building work. News tonight of the sentencing of a rape criminal acquitted of Leoni’s assault. He got three life sentences for other admitted offences anyway. More trouble in Ulster, with Unionist Mayors abandoning their chains of office and three Councillors being arrested during public demonstrations. The 20 month long Scottish teacher’s strike is over, with accepted wage settlement of 15% over two years. South African police killed two school children in the Eastern Cape and injured dozens more outside a magistrate court and in the town shopping centre. The black shop boycott is beginning to bite and whites are having to do the menial jobs in East London. Thatcher was angrily questioned in the Commons about her refusal to discuss arms reductions with Russia. The West Indies are looking like victory in the second test vs England, after Botham fails to come off as a batsman. This will leave England 2-0 down with 3 to go. The weather a bit chilly today, but mild compared with the February freeze.