- Details
Diana was late back from taking Debbie to the Kimbolton Carole Service today but I still manged to get Debbie more than half an hour of riding tin early afternoon ready for Di to take her to the dentist and then some work in my office in the company of a fine log fire. A Commons row over Thatcher’s treatment of the NHS today when she refuses to answer questions properly, more Arab/Israeli violence in the West Bank, North Sea oil, sterling, and the Stock Exchange all fall today
Slow to start and reluctant to wake up after my late night finishing off all those Christmas cards. I came down to breakfast in a dressing gown, as it was so hopeless and let Daniel do the same. Had a croissant, warm with butter and some marmalade, for breakfast, then got showered, shaved and dressed. I copied across some of my Christmas card addresses to notes and books, to save having to look up the postal codes in the future, then read this morning’s Financial Times. The market was up this morning, but not quite enough to enable me to take profits on Ladbrokes and Courtaulds shares. I fed the birds myself today, as Pete was working elsewhere. A call from Martin Hamblin of Marshalls, who said that £28 ½ K is the best they can do and so there is no scope for getting more for late payment. By 11.45am, I was dressed up warmly and waiting for Di to bring back Debbie from the Kimbolton Carol Service, where most of the Prep children and parents had attended. Pity the service ended late, as I had to race off with Debbie for her extra horse riding lesson at Offord.
- Details
A slow start on a cold morning, ordering the riverside lawn turf, writing all of my Christmas Cards and then attending the Little Paxton Brownies St James Church service as it now seems that my Daimler will be returned to Marshalls for £28,500. 1,000 doctors and professors signed a petition in the NHS dispute today and oil prices slip to about $17 a barrel on news of the worst trouble so far in the Gulf, as two Iraqi missile attacks on Norwegian tankers kill 21 crewmen
A slowish start on a cold morning, but I made the breakfast table in time to see the others leave. A slight frost had withered the ground and the outbuilding roofs, but soon dispersed as it was to become a milder day. Pete worked most of the day, giving the lawn bed a rake and levelling it as best as he could. I telephoned Shelford Turf Supplies and arranged for the turf to be delivered before ‘dinner time’ on Wednesday, which probably means by midday. Then I got out my photo archive and spent most of the day on it. In the morning, I labelled all of the latest photos, in the afternoon, I stuck them all in, reorganising the pages accordingly. Then, this evening, I wrote out all of my Christmas cards, sending them to those that had helped me in the history research and wishing them all thank you as well as a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.
- Details
With Diana and Daniel still suffering from colds, a brave start to the day down to the slipway to stop up a quay-heading gap as the river was very low today until Colin Howard arrived with my photograph copies and it was time to attend the Brownie’s Christingle Sevice at St Mary’s Church St Neots. Bombing threats in Dublin are causing tension, opposition Socialists are making strong gains in the Belgian elections, Bob Geldorf comes back from Africa reporting famines affecting five million people, after thousands of UK women were damaged by the Dalkon IUD shield, 2 ½ thousand million dollars into a compensation fund, the Pakistan cricket row rumbles on as another controversial umpire is appointed
Stayed up late last night waiting in vain for Diana to make the bedtime drinks, only to find later that she had slipped off to bed! This morning she had been brave and got up to make our morning drinks and look after us for the day. She has had a cold coming on – the third in the last few weeks – and is depressed and uncomfortable with it. I got shaved before breakfast, but had to wait to get showered and hair washed until afterwards. My breakfast was a nice fried one (more pressure on my diet!) I checked in both Observer and Sunday Times this morning, and the Daimler advertisement was in both. I then settled down to read both papers this morning, but only had one phone enquiry and that from a dealer ‘whose customer wanted that colour’. By midday, I had finished the papers and so went out to feed ducks and doves. A full company of anglers opposite this morning, fishing a match. The river was extremely low and so I went down the slipway in my wellington boots and plugged a hole in the metal sheeting that was not normally apparent.
- Details
Whilst still monitoring the financial news, also calling by the public library and driving the family to the Godmanchester Riverside playground to build a case for its retention before home to find sewage being discharged into the Great Ouse from my outlet and then this evening to the Kimbolton School concert with Debbie playing the recorder in the prep orchestra, meeting the recently bereaved John Braga. News today of Irish cooperation on bomb disposal and several risks being found at London underground stations after checks
Slept better last night and at last my ‘full’ feeling seems to be subsiding – though I know not what causes it. Got up and dressed this morning and was on time to breakfast for the first time in a while. I sat in the corner, swapping places with Deborah as she is always causing difficulties opposite Daniel. This morning I read the Investors Chronicle and Financial Times. Everyone is still very nervous about the markets, but the takeover activity in the oil industry has brightened things up a little. I went out later to feed the doves and had a coffee with Di when she came back from her chores. It was Debbie’s morning for music practice with the school orchestra. Though hers is the most junior role. Then I took them to St Neots, where I collected my shoes from the menders (nearly £10 for a new pair of soles and heels), bought an Exchange and Mart and checked that my name was on the copy of the new draft electoral list in the Public Library. Afterwards, I drove the family to Godmanchester and took a look at the playground problem, resolving to try to save the old one as being convenient to the boating visitors, including ourselves.