Working with Mr Larkin on the finishing touches to my river frontage and taking Debbie for her Ely Cathedral Service today as Iranian relations with Britain deteriorate, a bevy of tragedies hit the country and the polls still have Thatcher winning the election comfortably
Awoke early again after a more reasonable bedtime. The wind was up this morning, but it started dry and fine. A slow routine, but made it to the breakfast table with the family. Decided to go out in my working clothes first thing and, after feeding the doves, Mr Larkin arrived early and I tackled him about the pipe lengths and problems of them passing adequately through the sheeting. We worked on it together and he put on a couple of split pipe lengths as collars, which seemed to work. Carried on moving mud for most of the morning, as Larkin finished dredging our boat harbour entrance and trimming the sheet piling to the right length.
Then the rain came down and it coincided with me having lunch. In to find the dish-washing repair man had arrived and he nearly made me late, but fixed the machine anyway, which was good news. I then wolfed down a salad lunch, left for me and the children by Di, and then took Debbie down to the church for her coach outing to Ely Cathedral. Di had taken Della to the party of her little friend, which was a poor affair. This afternoon – more work – and this evening too. Unfortunately, a succession of very heavy showers proved our piping to be inefficient and I had to phone Mr Larkin this evening to tell him we had more work to do – just when he thought the job was done! Ended the day a bit discouraged, although the land is slowly taking shape. News today was of the continued tit-for-tat in Irano-British relations. Mutual expulsions of diplomats, some 5 in number, at least means that the two offenders are now beyond repercussion. Dover customs officers have ceased to handle freight traffic, even though their union had been planning a 2-day strike from Monday next. A day of tragedies. First, 31 are hurt in a train crash at Blackpool North, then 3 die in a fire at a Devon printing plant, that took 60 firemen to control. The opinion polls in tomorrow’s Sunday papers show the Conservatives still well ahead. Dr Owen attacks Labour as ‘unfit to govern’, whilst Roy Hattersley tries to get SDP voters to change to Labour. Thatcher speaks out about freedom of choice and defends her use of private medicine again.