Bank Holiday Monday – Some early sailing on a breezy morning and then around the market trader’s pitches before meeting up back on Lady Martina at Waits Quay for lunch and over to L. H. Jones for some supplies and a new sleeping bag for Daniel before cruising back upstream to moor at Huntingdon Riverside Park for the night. Thatcher now meets Palestinian civilians in Israel and is calling for compromise talks as an all-party delegation meets Gorbachev, more than £60m Band Aid total is to be raised by Sports Aid and Gower helps England to win the second test against Pakistan to even the series so far
I woke up and put the boat heating on at 5am, but Di would not get up and make the drinks when the kettle boiled and so we both went back to sleep until 7.00am. Di brought me my morning tea then and I lay in more as a protest, reading the last two day’s papers until I had finished them. A toast and cereal breakfast and then I went out to sail again in the Blue Peter. Steven was going to go with me, but he and Dan overslept and did not wake up until past nine, when Di took them both some hot chocolate drink. The breeze had got up again and it made very good sailing – I went up and down the river, but with the sail reefed to avoid the risk of overturning. Back to The Lady and, all others being gone, I went on to the St Ives Bank Holiday Market. First found Daniel and Steve staring in wonderment at the market trader’s pitches, selling first wonder carpet cleaner and then jewelry.
We went to the Guides Hut for our morning drinks and snacks (the boys it seems got up too late for breakfast), but no sign of the girls at this rendezvous and so we found them back at The Lady in Waits Quay. All together to the St Ivo Centre on foot, Della gambling and running about and enjoying the walk. The family went swimming and I went to the antique fair next door. A long time to look round and I saw and bought two child’s folding chairs. One was particularly good and seems identical to another we have at home and so they form a pair. The other is a fine ebonised mahogany example, but is unfortunately well taken with woodworm and will be some trouble to restore. I met the others outside and we walked back to Waits Quay to get and eat a takeaway snack lunch from the burger place in the main street. Away with all the wrappers, then more films for the video camera before it was time to leave. We steamed across to L H Jones Boatyard and filled up with water. We also bought two tanks of calor gas, some 2-stroke for Aquabean and some chandlery and ice cream. I ordered a replacement ventilator cap for The Lady, which they hope to get this week. Then the cruise upstream. Through two locks in fine weather, with Aquabean struggling to keep up with The Lady. At least the flow had moderated since we came down. At last we moored at Huntingdon Riverside Park and had a tea of sausages. I tried to sail Blue Peter, but there was no wind by now (!) but at least it is set up for the morning. A rigmarole getting the girls to bed before I could write my journal and hear the TV news. The main item is a last ditch attempt by Rupert Murdoch to settle his News International dispute with the print unions over Wapping. The compensation payments, tied to length of service, have been trebled and will be put to the union’s members. Thatcher meets Palestinian civilians in Israel at the British Consulate and is calling for compromise from the two sides in the Middle East dispute. An all-party British delegation met Mr Gorbachev today, as the first such official talks since he came to power. The Sport Aid effort hopes now to raise more than the £60M raised by the Band Aid appeal. In a turnaround of fortunes, England won the second one-day test against Pakistan, with Gower being man of the match for scoring a fluent 81. After today’s fine and sunny weather, tomorrow is forecast fine with a few scattered showers. The barometer fell a little, but has steadied at 1024mbSt Ives bank Holiday Market