A sunny and warm day after a frosty start that found Diana too ill to look after the family until I agreed to go to the Little Paxton School Association Barn dance and so I was looking after Della and getting the children and off to school as well as I fulfilled an appointment with my architect until Di’s mother Norma arrived later. Once Diana had recovered and we had a bread and jam tea I was able to carry on laying out the new lawn boundaries with Daniel. A serious London train crash but no recognition from Chancellor Lawson of the Uk economic crisis and now the Russians are dismissing the prospect of an arms deal without Star Wars being included
A continued disagreement with Diana late last night over the plans she had made for us to go to the Little Paxton School Association barn dance. I refused to go, after many attempts to talk her out of it and she stomped off to the box room again in a huff. A rather restless night as a result and was awoken by Di this morning, who told me she was feeling sick and ill and that I had to get the children off to school. A quick wash and shave,, to save time and then Daniel and Deborah helped me to prepare a breakfast of toast. Then I got Della up and dressed, after a fashion, before realising it was time to get Debbie out to school. Only just managed to catch Pat Law, so that she could take Debbie along with her friend Amie.
Struggled to keep Della happy when my architect, David Stokes, arrived for a 10 o’clock appointment, whilst I was taking her to feed the doves and ducks. A long meeting and, after first informing him of the main house defect, we went through a list of contested supplements and I agreed to very few of them. I was so adamant that David was reluctant to raise the question of his fees, as I expected. More trials with Della, until her grandma arrived at 11.45am and, as she took over to prepare lunch, I drove off to buy some bread and rolls. After, it was time to collect Daniel from Kimbolton at 1.45pm, but the school had not arranged his St Neots community work and so I took him to town to buy a lot of fireworks from Claytons and a present for Diana’s birthday tomorrow and cards as well. Home again and, as Di said she was ill because I would not go to the barn dance, I had to agree to go (!). I got tea of bread & jam and then Di got up and so I could finish measuring out the new lawn boundaries in the riverside garden with Daniel. We expect our Rover next Tuesday. The news today is of a train crash in London, where an underground train hits a British Rail one, injuring 15 people and trapping one in the wreckage for a while. At the Mansion House, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson, is blissfully unconcerned with the economic problems and mentions no new policies for action on interest rates. The unemployment total has risen in October, but the majority of the increase was due to school leavers and the end of seasonal employment. The underlying trend on long-term unemployment is down, which is a blessing, but much of this is due to special schemes and interrogation of long-term claimants. Manufacturing jobs are well down. Two more section murders in Northern Ireland, as an 82 year old parent and 31 year old son are murdered in cold blood by extremist Protestants. More terrorism and reprisals in Israel and so nothing changes. The Russians now dismiss any idea of an interim East/West settlement on medium range missiles, without an overall deal on ABM’s and Star Wars. Today was frosty to begin with, but then fine, sunny and warm, as this blessed weather continues.