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A cool miserable day of weather that did not dampen Debbie’s school swimming party but Daniel and Steve Hicks felt it too cold for swimming in our own pool, it having cooled after yesterday’s power cut. Steve had a bad fall cycling and his young and attractive Mum had to collect him and I had to press Daniel to finish the antifouling on his old boat Aquabean so that we could roll it back on to its trailer and on the slipway. The planned USA/USSR nuclear arms deal will remove 72 Pershing warheads, US Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, George Shultz will testify that he was against the arms-for-hostage deals and knew nothing of the Iran arms deals and Contra funding and British shipbuilders building the largest floating crane-ship in the world have to find another customer for it after their customer had gone bankrupt.
Slept well enough on a cool, near chilly, night. Up early after my morning tea, showered and dressed and first to the breakfast table. Melon and then cereal to eat, apple juice to drink, and then out to feed the doves on another grey and cool morning. A relaxing first half of the day, reading the morning paper and post, then watching the first day of the test match on TV and going through the local papers for Little Paxton items at the same time. Daniel had the company of his friend Jason and Debbie was at school for a day that included a swimming pool party. The miserable weather did not seem to dampen their fun at that event. Lunch with the others and back to my TV set and papers.
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Watching and filming The Lady being loaded aboard a trailer at Buckden Marina to be transported to Brooms at Brundall and then helping Daniel fit a new stereo to his boat ready for our Norfolk holiday and reviewing the stock market with my broker as the children swam in the pool and arranged my speaking date for the St Neots LHS. The USSR are supporting the Zero Option for medium range Nuclear Disarmament in Europe and Asia, a political cartoonist has been shot in the head in Chelsea and High Court injunctions are lifted against three newspapers though there is an appeal.
A rather restless night, thinking about the boat transport planned for the morning. Awake to my morning tea, showered and down early for breakfast. A boiled duck egg today for each of us, except Diana. Soon after breakfast, Daniel & I took the Range Rover over to Buckden Marina and loaded the last few things onto The Lady whilst we waited for the crane driver and low loader transport to arrive. Not long to wait and by 8.30am the operation was underway. I filmed the lift and load, which was quite spectacular. First The Lady was brought alongside and a square cradle and two straps lifted around the hull. Slowly up, round and then on to the trailer, as side supporting jacks were positioned and the boat secured down with straps. The tender was put up on the aft cabin roof and tied securely down as well and off they went.
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Finding more leaks in The Lady’s roof and tending to a family of hedgehogs and then cruising off downstream on The Lady to Buckden Marina only to find we arrived too late for craning out this afternoon and now it will be done in the morning. Iran rejects the UN resolution and all eyes are on the fete of the US-flagged oil tankers threatened by Iran in the Straits of Hormuz. The Bradwell nuclear reactor has to undergo further safety work after an inspection as it is vulnerable to earthquakes and English schools have deteriorated due to poor buildings and shortage of specialist teachers
A bit earlier when called with my tea this morning, but I had still gone to bed at midnight after watching TV. Dressed after showering and shaving in good time for breakfast and got the children to tidy their bedrooms, before eating, for the first time in a long while. After breakfast I retired to my office to read the paper on another dreary and drizzly day. Out later to check The Lady and was happy to see that there were no leaks over Di’s bunk where I had sealed it yesterday. Troubled, however, to see a leek above my bunk and another in the children’s cabin.
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A finance and tax planning meeting this morning and then time sealing The Lady’s roof leak and loading aboard spares, fishing tackle and all else ready for its journey to Norfolk. UN Security Council members to call for a ceasefire in the Iran/Iraq war, the Finchley miners successfully picket a number of Yorkshire pits, despite the NUM and The Guardian and Observer sought a lifting of the MI5 book injunctions in the High Court today.
A fair night during which I had some trouble keeping myself at the correct temperature. I think it actually got warmer as the night progressed. Tea in bed and sat too long again, but got up when Di came up to get weighed. She was only 10st 2/3lbs on the scales, bereft of all clothes to get the best reading and she looked quite fetching in that double condition. Only the difference to 10st to go in order to win a new wardrobe. Hair washed, shaved and showered before dressing for breakfast. Arrived last at the table, but supervised a reasonable meal.