- Details
To Bedford on a nice and warm day after a false start, buying a BBQ but not finding anything of interest at Peacock’s Antique Auctions and then via Harry Kitchener for a new water pump and plumbing parts to The Lady at Buckden marina to install and commission it satisfactorily and then home to hear news of terrorist bombing incidents against Interpol and West America as Thatcher ignores opposition to her unemployment mortgage aid cuts and Francis Pym announces his retirement from it all. Interest rates are down to 3% and Argentina’s war-mongering Generals are given long prison sentences for now
A strained night, as Di and I differed over the room temperature required, then up to my breakfast with the others before dressing. Boiled duck egg today, which the elder children also enjoyed. Dressed afterwards to go out to Bedford with Di and we set off early, dropping Debbie at school on the way. Unfortunately, our efforts were lost, as we had forgotten to open the inner garage for the expected arrival of the landscapers and we had to return from halfway there to remedy it. To our chagrin, when we returned, they had not arrived in force this morning and only turned up in the afternoon, so that Di questioned them about messing us about. Still, at least they cleared out the pool area and filled the flower beds with topsoil, as well as doing the rest of the paving.
- Details
Day working on Lady Martina’s heating and plumbing at Buckden Marina with limited success before and after a lunch with a delayed and upset Diana as more redundancies follow and unemployment soars to over three and a third million and their benefits are cut for good measure! Formula 1 racing driver, Elio de Angelis, has died and Mario Andretti has a near escape after crashes in practice
A day of working on The Lady, punctuated by a variety of other chores. Started the day as usual after a sound night that was ended by Diana rising early and then tended the ducks and doves. The oldest chicks had kept their rings on satisfactorily and so I had just ringed them in time. The next brood are still well, but too young for ringing. Then I got The Lady ready and set off for Offord. She ran well and I quite enjoyed the trip, looking at the moored boats and the landscape. Our old Utopia II seems to have been replaced by its owners with a Freeman. I could not have the doors and hatches open, however, because the wind was still strong.
- Details
Closure is announced of Smith’s Dock in Teeside after building over 900 vessels from 1910 onwards as part of the demise of the UK shipbuilding industry and loss of 3,500 jobs whilst nuclear power station leaks also hit the headlines and we have our normal trip to Cambridge and lunch there
A sound sleep after a late night and awoke rather late and was not dressed in time for breakfast. Dressed immediately afterwards, thought, and got down to some paperwork in my office. I got the papers together and reconciled my bank accounts, whilst I used the computer to print out the other day’s work. It took a while and used all of my blank paper in the process. I also worked out my building society cheque account balance, with Di getting more impatient by the minute. Just time to feed the doves and then out to the car and off to Cambridge. Coffee together and then I spent the morning in Heffers bookshop, whilst Di went shopping. Lunch of roast beef at the Copper Kettle, then home via St Neots, where I did a few errands.
- Details
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.