Touring our old haunts in Brighton Lanes and surveying the surviving Palace Pier and rue the wreckage of the defunct West Pier before lunch in The Druid’s Head and then the journey back to Paxton to find the swimming pool now blue again and all else well apart from Daniel and his friend Gary struggling back late on his boat. The Tories doing slightly better, the odds are shortening on an early election as a trade war with Japan is threatening, six lorries of aid get through to the Palestinian refugee camps and two funerals of IRA victims take place today
Laid in until 8.30 this morning, after a good night’s sleep in the luxury of our Grand Hotel king size bed. Di made the drinks with the room supplies and we both had a bath and completed our ablutions in a leisurely manner, before taking our breakfast late at 9.45am. A nice sunny and still day and, once back in our room, we opened the balcony doors and viewed and photographed Brighton from this vantage point, which was very pleasant. I sought the head doorman’s help in finding my Daimler in the local car park. It had been in the staff section under the eye of the kiosk and I tipped the attendant for his trouble. This seems to be the way of looking after the expensive cars – all unofficial, but very effective and suiting every one. Loaded up the car, checked out of the hotel, and drove a while around central Brighton to take in the scenery. Then parked the Daimler off the Old Steine and we walked round the Lanes until finding coffee served outside in Brighton Square. Enjoyed the refreshment and walked on, joining the esplanade and then going to the end of Palace Pier. The old pier is suffering the ravages of time and the elements.
It is good to see some of the central sections being strengthened, but so much of the old cast iron work has decayed, that I wonder whether they will restore and protect it properly. We were upset to see the West Pier still closed yesterday and the structure beyond hope. A brave effort may still be made to save it and we saw the signs of the restoration society, but I fear it is doomed. I took a plate of cockles under west pier and we then walked back to the Lanes and ate our lunch at the old Sussex University student’s haunt (from my time at Brighton) – The Druid’s Head. In a poor state of internal furnishing and decoration, yet it offered a perfect lunch of honest, good, and generous English cooking. A large prawn cocktail and delicious roast port dish for me, tomato soup and shepherd’s pie for Di, and drinks both – all for less than £10, which is good value indeed. Walked back to the Daimler, enjoying again the finest day of this Spring. A good fast drive home, travelling from Brighton to Cambridge in 1hr 50 minutes. I heard the first 30 mins of the Arsenal vs Liverpool league cup final on the radio and then watched the second half on the TV at Di’s parent’s house when we arrived. The Gunners won 1-0, which pleased me. Home to Little Paxton and to see the boats in good shape and the swimming pool cleared to a lovely blue colour. Enjoyed the last hour or two of sunlight feeding the ducks, then showed Marilyn the cars. The news today is of opinion polls putting the Tories well ahead after the Moscow visit. Even so, the Labour Party has launched a spring offensive, with a poster campaign and other promotions. The odds on a spring/early summer election are shortening and the opposition parties are taking no chances. A Trade Minister, Mr Howard, is travelling to Tokyo to emphasise Britain’s seriousness over the trade confrontation with Japan. In Northern Ireland, a prison warder has been taken hostage in a ‘Loyalist’ prisoner’s revolt, but the authorities are taking it gently. Two funerals of the IRA terrorist’s victims today. The ‘Herald’ will be righted next Tuesday, if conditions allow, now that supports, wires, barges and floating cranes are now in position. After the violence at Pope Paul’s mass, he has appealed for peace and reconciliation in Chile, but the atmosphere in the country is reported as volatile. In Beirut, six lorries loaded with food and blankets filed safely into the Palestinian refugee camps after the intervention of Syria in the situation. Prior to this, mothers of starving families of the camps had been shot whenever they ventured out to try to get food. A nice end to a nice day. Di got the girls off to bed and I sent Daniel off early. We had picked him up from Gary Skinner’s on the way back from Cambridge and their time together had fulfilled my worst fears. They had attempted a trip from St Ives to St Neots in not-enough-time and, with outboard failing and inflatable boat leaking, they were two hours late back for their lunch (!). Some rest after writing my journal and reading a bit more about conservatories.