Settling down the family this morning with Di worrying about Debbie going to Kimbolton School and ensuring that Debbie ate her food properly in preparation for it and then Della for her lunch as well. More work sorting and printing my book content and then off with Debbie for her horse-riding lesson. The news about approving Wellcome’s AZT for anti Aids treatment, the inquest of David Penhaligon revealing that he was not wearing his seat belt and gilts soar due to delays in interest rate decreases before the budget
A little late to bed, sitting up with Diana to talk over again her fears about Debbie going to Kimbolton Preparatory School. I feel they are quite groundless. A cold night and were both glad of our electric blanket to keep us warm. Awoke to see snow falling and the flurries continued in the morning. Swapped seats with a protesting Daniel at breakfast, and ensured Debbie ate her food properly and then, after reading the morning paper and a large mail, caught up with yesterday’s journal, before getting down to work on my history after morning coffee.
I used the morning to complete the mounting of my Little Paxton photographs in the scrap book. Finished this before a lunch of pie and broccoli, which we also managed to get Daniella to eat as well. I also sought out the negatives for the photographs of interest and referenced them for future use. This afternoon, I managed to find my ‘missing’ section on Ray House, which was at the end of a computer file and had not previously been printed out. Printed it out and then made up my folders to be complete. An early tea with Debbie and then off to horse riding. Deb had Barbie again and was very good for most of the lesson, but then seemed to lose concentration and made a bit of a mess of things at the end. Still cold today, but not nearly as cold as yesterday. I was up the ladder this afternoon at the dovecote. The white youngster has still survived and now a small white chick is also being raised by the old firm. After horse riding, it was a quick change and then I drove to see Mrs Hazelton, the old Matron from wartime Paxton Park Hospital, in Eaton Socon and obtained a good interview about the Park and its staff. The news today was from America, where the following spectacle took place. President Reagan admits making mistakes over his handling of US foreign policy, conceding that his Middle East policy had deteriorated into the approval of swapping arms for hostages with Iran. The US respond to the Russian proposals for the removal of medium range nuclear weapons from Europe, with a similar counter-proposal of their own and agreement seems possible. Norman Fowler, the UK Health Minister, has granted licences for the Wellcome’s drug AZT, in what is seen as a ‘courageous’ decision. It has been shown to reduce AIDS fatalities, but has severe side effects (nausea, dizziness, headaches etc) and is restricted in the US to those sufferers with lung pneumonia. The inquest into the death of David Penhaligon, the much respected Cornish Liberal MP, has concluded ‘accidental death’, but deduced that he was not wearing his car seat belt at the time of the accident. Prices of government stocks soared in the financial markets today, as interest rate decreases are being delayed until the budget of Nigel Lawson and oil company shares also rose, as crude oil prices edged upwards.