The morning updating my manuscript with the content from my interviews yesterday and then over to Southoe to interview Mr Ramply and return his original Little Paxton Scrapbook together with a newly bound copy and then home to hear of Daniel’s best-ever school assessments. The Church of England votes to enable women to become priests and the SDP/Liberal Alliance candidate Rosie Barnes wins the Greenwich By-Election
Slept very soundly and had left the electric blanket on so that the bed was quite hot when I awoke. Put the light on and sat up in bed for a while, reading the Hunts Post, until the morning drink arrived. Washed and dressed and down in good time for breakfast of wheat flakes. Out to the doves first thing and the young one had worked its way down to the platform beneath the wall dovecote. I got out the ladder and popped it back into the nest box. Spent this morning in the office updating my manuscript with the new information gleaned from yesterday’s meeting with Mrs Davis and friend, then got on with the reconciliation of my bank accounts and payment of outstanding bills.
Lunch of salad, with another of my pickled cucumbers, but today we had some tomato soup to precede the salad. Time then to visit Mr Ramply of Southoe, who I find to be named George rather than Jack as I thought. I returned the scrap book and presented him with my catalogue and description of it, mounted and protected by a cut-out cardboard cover. A good session, he had remembered even more about the old cottages and their inhabitants and I was able to ask better informed questions. Two hours more recorded onto my tapes and the end of the road for these particular discussions. Home to a tea of boiled egg and toast and then to supervise the children’s school work. Daniel has had his best ever school assessments and a 1A in physics. He has also prepared a good essay. Debbie was rather tired. The news tonight is of the report into the US ‘Irangate’ crisis, revealing that the President was inefficient, unprofessional, but not himself guilty of misleading the public. Even so, a very embarrassing report for the President and chief of staff, Regan, is condemned in what was only a preliminary report. At the Church of England Synod, the item for debate was the controversial subject of the ordination of women. They voted in favour of initiating legislation to enable women to become Church of England priests. At the trial of the Tottenham youths, over the murder of PC Blakelock, a young policeman criticised his superiors for indecision. A meeting of the BBC Board of Governors took place today, with a succession of candidates arriving at 2 hour intervals and then a 3 hour discussion at the end of it. The deputy DG, Michael Checkland (an accountant) was chosen for the job. The government has announced the premature end of domestic rates in Scotland for 1990, instead of phasing the changes in over three years. Three police in Manchester have been accused of perjury and assault, after a trial of a demonstrator, arrested during Leon Britton’s visit, ended in the charges being dropped. The Alliance achieve a famous victory at the Greenwich by-election, beating the Labour candidate by 5/6000 votes, with the Tories a very poor third.