A day of fine and cool weather visiting antiques shops and auctions between eventually-successful efforts to secure parts and get The Lady’s boat heating working before a family swim in the pool, by now heated to 78degF as an Ulster IRA bomb blast kills three, NHS medics get a 6% pay rise, South African police tear gas a white opposition meeting and three Liverpool militants are expelled by the Labour Party
Awake rested and enjoyed my morning tea. Down to the pool area and noted that the boiler had got the temperature back up to 74degF. A breakfast of croissants, rather too many for our better health. A dry day as I went out to feed the doves, but the river was still high with the flood. I went off to St Neots to look in at the auction, buy some office stationery and do some building society funds transfers. A chair that Di had spotted in the auction was too attacked by worm and wear, but I spotted another in Priory Antiques and bought it later for £45.
They had already got me in mind, as a folding chair collector, and were going to try to phone me later. Off to Buckden Marina to see if they had my boat heater part, but it was not in today’s post and, after I insisted on the boatyard manager phoning the commissionaire, it transpired that it had not yet been posted. After further progressing, it transpired that L H Jones of St Ives was a regional service centre for Volvo/Audi and I nipped over there to get a glow plug. Then the task of trying to get the Buckden engineer to fit it and I went away to lunch with Di and her mother to give them the chance. Still not done when we returned this afternoon, with the car loaded with goods for our holiday. Then, when he did, we needed another part – a control box – and so off to St Ives again, whilst Diana got Debbie for her horse riding lesson. At last we got the boat heaters working and all we need is the river navigation opening again, as the locks are closed because of the flood. Then to meet up with the family for tea at the Little Chef before a long swim with the children in the pool – temperature 78degF. Marilyn has agreed to look after our birds for the next few days. News tonight is split between four main stories; three people (an army major and two policemen) were killed by an IRA bomb blast in Northern Ireland; nurses and doctors have been awarded a 6% pay rise, but its backdating has infuriated the health service by knocking 25% off of the Pay Review Body recommendation; police in South Africa have lobbed tear gas into a hall, packed with rival white political supporters, in the first incident where tear gas has been used against an all-white gathering; and the number of Militant expulsions from the Labour Party has risen to three at the NEC hearings on the Liverpool Party. After today’s finer, if cool weather, it is forecast to remain reasonable over the weekend for our boat trip.