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Another late start on a cooler, rainy day and to receive many phone calls to progress affairs of which one could end my swimming pool dispute before we receive a visit from Di’s mother who intends to down-size their house and then a better sessions with Dan and Debs after an afternoon completing my Paxton Hall book section. The Soviet reforms make the headlines with Jewish demonstrators being tolerated, but back home Special Branch are now hassling the ITN news office, Thatcher unfairly distributes the new working Peers appointments to exclude the SDP and Liberals and the Stock Exchange starts to do well and then more insider trading revelations limit this advance
To bed very late, watching sport on the television and a couple of breaks in my night’s sleep. Still deep in the land of ‘Nod’ when woken with my morning tea and sat in bed for a while, feeling rather groggy. It transpired that Diana had laid in too long and we were all rather late. Still, the rest of the family made it to the breakfast table ready for the start to the day, but I was only dressed in my pyjamas! Showered and shaved afterwards and then straight down to my work in the office. I had set myself the task of completing the chapter on Paxton Hall and the Reynolds today. Had phone calls today from NEDO, that wanted to know where the BMMG were (!); Marshalls about the Daimler approaching readiness; Vinters about my proposed litigation and Salvadori from Elm Leisure, offering a belated olive branch over the pool boiler row. He has contacted me only just in time, as my litigation brief is already with Vinters. Di and Della had their morning drinks with me in my office and then Di’s mother arrived for lunch. She is full of yet more plans to move to a ‘cheaper’ house, but I am sure they will pay far more in removal expenses, legal and estate agents costs – let alone furnishings – than they can possibly hope to save in lower rates bills.
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Watching England win their latest cricket series on tour on a cool, dry but fine day here, we agree to take on some French exchange students and my mother hears from Mr Bracegirdle about her operation. Debbie does well at her horse-riding but I struggle with both her and Daniel to make progress with their school work tonight as the BT engineers vote to return to work, Cynthia Payne is cleared of controlling a brothel and the British Airways sell-off is hopelessly under-priced and costs the country £300m!
Not too bad a night and deep asleep when woken with my morning drink. Turned on the radio to try to get details of the second leg of the cricket finals and found out that England had only scored 189 in their innings. Showered, shaved and dressed in my comfortable house clothes and then breakfast with the family as usual. In to the lounge after and most of the morning watching the televised Australian innings. In spite of a good opening partnership, they fell behind the run rate by dint of economical English bowling and eventually lost wickets and the match. The England cricket team thus have won the Ashes, the Perth Challenge (including Pakistan) and thus challenge series (including W. Indies). They now leave for home after a gruelling tour in good heart.
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A late start to the day after a poor night but then ahead of time for our visit to Cambridge for coffee, research and browsing of information sources, a Copper Kettle lunch and then the afternoon photocopying the Little Paxton Scrapbook and an evening at Kimbolton School reviewing Daniel’s ‘progress’ but also getting reassurance from the headmaster, Donaldson about Debbie. The USSR pardons 140 dissidents and will review the imprisonment of as many more, Kenneth Baker faces a series of half day strikes over teachers contracts, all eyes are on Israel over the Lebanese hostage demands, The US are holding Iran Arms deal hearings and Harold McMillan is buried in Westminster Abbey today
A rather restless night, awake on at least two occasions before morning came. Went back to sleep after my morning tea and then Di was upset that I was not ready when she came to make the bed. Got showered and dressed in a lightening 15 minutes and surprised her by being ready for breakfast before the others. Was further prepared after by getting the Range Rover out and, in the end, it was Di that was behind time! All off by car to Cambridge, but first I used the time to talk to Pete for a change, asking him to clean the ducks out and paint the outside of ‘Bill’s Shed’. Traffic and congestion on the Cambridge road and so we turned off to pass through Great and Little Gransden and enjoyed the countryside. A quiet day in Cambridge today for some reason, and we had no trouble in parking at the central Lion Yard car park. Early to Eaden Lilley for coffee and were actually there before Diana’s mum and dad arrived. I got Charles to take away some old English/Latin scripts to translate for me, as his ‘prep’! Then to Vinters to collect my deeds and leave a litigation brief over the swimming pool boiler problems. Also a walk round Fishers Hall book sale and the normal book shop, but nothing at all on Huntingdonshire. Then the long walk to the Cambridge University Library, where I saw the William Frend letters from the Reynolds and read certain of them in the little time I had. Lunch at the Copper Kettle and then home via Marshalls, where we saw our new Daimler up on the ramp, being inspected – we should have it in a day or two.
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Striding to meet with Mr Jeeves, headmaster of Little Paxton CP School on a mild and breezy day to review Debbie’s Kimbolton assessment and then home to receive my new photocopier and my architect and satisfied on all counts before the rest of the day on paperwork. Working with Daniel and Debbie on their homework as the fate of the hostages in the Lebanon hangs in the balance and15 plus people are killed in a car bomb and 7 armed men escape from a French bank siege through tunnels. Back home, the AIDS infection grows amongst mainly homosexuals, and the government reacts to food surpluses by relaxing development controls on agricultural land
A sound night’s sleep and struggled up this morning to wash my hair, as well as showering and dressing for a morning’s activity. Breakfast of wheat flakes, then relaxed for a short while, before striding off to Little Paxton C.P. School to see the Headmaster, Mr Jeeves. I raised with him the problems that we met at Kimbolton and he will contact them to make sure they have a copy of Debbie’s report. He will also speak to her teacher about the questions that she could not do – he did, however, confirm that their letter had been very supportive and so we shall see. Back home to the office and at last the photocopier had arrived from Canon. I unpacked it and was just about to try it out, when David Stokes arrived for an appointment (my architect). We spoke for an hour or so and agreed a course of action that should represent a compromise between the additional funds that Aldridge & Cooper (the builders) are claiming and the items for which I am prepared to pay. Once he had gone, I started clearing away the excess paperwork and then tried out the copier, that worked fine.