Bright and breezy day spent roofing our ‘Bill’s Shed’ and fitting rainwear and plumbing before finding dove chicks in both dovecotes as Thatcher rejects please from colleagues for a balanced cabinet and nuclear safety becomes the first priority
Woken early by Debbie coming to our room, complaining of another tummy ache. Di thinks it is not important, but I remember my childhood acute appendicitis, where I was rushed to hospital with a burst appendix and it was touch-and-go. My tummy aches were ignored then too. Down early to breakfast and quickly out to the workshop roof. A bright, though breezy, morning and I manage to complete the laying of the roofing felt by making up a hinged plank weight to hold the felt down whilst working single handed. Another messy job with the bonding tar and numerous clout nails – and I used a variety of ladders to cope with the steep pent of Bill’s shed.
The barge boards on by lunchtime and I enjoy the remains of the roast pork again. The Handyman shop phones to say they have the gutters and so I go over to collect them and a few other accessories. I also get a water butt from Jordan Addington’s, then come home to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening putting up the gutters on Bill’s shed. A long process, but I get it done and also plumb in the sink and discharge both outlets to a brick and rubble soakaway, which I dig and prepare specially for the purpose. In at dark to watch another TV programme on surrogacy and then the TV news. I also scale the ladder today and ring the two large dove chicks and then I find another couple of small squabs in the pole-cote. May has come at last. News today was still centred on the risks from nuclear leakages. More Soviet information from Chernobyl reveals that they narrowly escaped radioactive contamination of underground water supplies and a large clear up operation is now taking place. In the Commons, Environment Secretary, Kenneth Baker acknowledges concern on radioactive emissions and promises to look at public disclosure of all nuclear incidents. A debate was taking place on nuclear waste disposal and nobody wants a tip in their constituency. Thatcher is under increasing pressure from her Cabinet colleagues to ‘balance her team’ with a more representative selection of senior Tories, but is defiant as usual. Prison officers association leaders have agreed to recommend an end to the month-long manning dispute, as Home Secretary, Hurd, publishes a report, which he says is ‘a telling indictment’ of the prison service. Northern Ireland Secretary, Tom King, is in the US Senate to try to get support for IRA extradition, but his pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears. Prince Charles & Lady Diana finish their visit of Japan and all claim their visit as a success. We put off going to Cambridge today and will now do so tomorrow instead.