Console and settling down a restless Della this morning and then some catching up on reading material before dropping off at Eaton Socon for our ‘cine film to tape’ conversions on the way to Kimbolton School where Debbie was being tested and assessed for joining the school after her forthcoming entrance examination and then back with Gary who will stay with Daniel for the weekend. News is awaited about the fate of Terry Waite, Thatcher is moaning about her secret funding of security satellites being exposed and the US Senate is blocking Reagan’s accelerated ‘Star Wars’ program
Slept OK, but woke early and lay tired, but too much so to get up and go to the loo! Down stairs and sat with Daniella for a while, reading stories to settle her down. She seems to have been so edgy and difficult of late. Back up to shower & shave, then dress in smart sports jacket and trousers. By this time I was back for breakfast, the family had finished and so ate alone. Sat with the papers for a while in my office. Created a mountain of old editions, once I had read them, because I had been so behind. Soon time to feed the ducks and doves and then get the car out and lock the house, ready to go to Kimbolton. Stopped off at Little End Road, Eaton Socon, to the place where they copy the cine-film onto video tapes and there picked up our films, which cost over £50, but were worth it. Once in Kimbolton, we stopped at the tea rooms and had a coffee (with chocolate cake and orange for the girls) then went on into Kimbolton School. Parked the Range Rover outside the castle with Daniella in it and then went inside.
The idea was for Debbie to be interviewed by a panel of three teachers and then the Headmaster described the results with us. They thought she was nervous, ‘only’ had a reading age of one year in advance of her natural age and did not know 7 x 4, or what fractions were. It seems that the prep schools for youngsters ‘cram’ the young brains and go well ahead on these things. Still, we have a month till her entrance exam and I can teach her some mathematics. A Happy Eater lunch, then home to watch the rugby. England lost 19-nil to Ireland. Watched the films of the family weddings with Di and also updated my albums and put them all back in the fireproof safe. Dan has his friend Gary staying this weekend & is enjoying it. News today is of the anticipation of a story to break soon over Terry Waite. He may be released within the next 24 hours and we all hope so. Thatcher, addressing the Young Conservatives at their conference, has attacked left wingers for ‘despicable’ activities in forcing the release of security secrets. The British Airways flotation was 8 or 9 times oversubscribed. More films and materials have been returned to the BBC, but the Zircon episode and related material is still being retained. There will be a police enquiry into an incident last night, where a man, Dennis Bergin was shot dead, whilst they apprehended 5 other men in an operation. He was said to have had a sawn-off shotgun. The US Senate is resisting President Reagan’s attempts to introduce ‘Star Wars’ in an accelerated programme.