To Cambridge as usual but also to get some more Daimler repairs before collecting Daniel for a family lunch and then taking him after to look for boat parts at Harry Kitchener and then LH Jones and Ely Boat Chandlery before home to assemble more Quadro as the IRA’s bomb attacks are escalating, The British Army are attacked by a car bomb in Germany and the US accuse The Soviet Union of using laser weapons in Afghanistan. Back home controversy over the government ‘pulling’ a Health Education Council press conference on inequality for the rich and poor over treatment and the BAC Chairman threatens to pull out of the Four-Nation European Air Bus project unless grant aid comparable with partners is available
Slept well and was sound asleep when woken with my morning tea. Sat in front of the French windows drinking it and then sat a little longer listening to the radio, until I was rather late for breakfast. By the time I had gone down, the others had finished their meal and I ate alone. Read the paper after, for a while, and then got the Daimler out, ready for our trip to Cambridge. We missed the road works on the A45, as they had yet to start and went on to the Cherry Hinton Road to get Diana’s kettle fixed and then put the Daimler into Marshalls for another repair. Took the walk into Cambridge, which Di found a bit difficult and tiring and then met her parents for coffee at Eaden Lilley. Her father, Charles, was more friendly than usual and stayed and chatted a while. This morning, I spent time in Heffers book shop, buying Daniel a text book on ‘A’ level maths and then in the public library. In neither case did I find any books on building conservatories or fish ponds.
Met Diana back at The Early Learning Centre (a toy shop that lets children play on toys out on display) and we then walked back to the Cherry Hinton Road to collect the Daimler and found that the replacement of the faulty oil pressure sensor unit had been effected satisfactorily. Home as quickly as we could, but were delayed badly by the A45 resurfacing works. We missed Daniel in St Neots and eventually collected him from home, to join us for a Little Chef lunch. This afternoon, I took him to Harry Kitchener’s for some boat parts for his cruiser and, disappointed with their service, we drove on to L H Jones in St Ives and then the Ely Boat Chandlers for the parts we needed. More Quadro assembly for the kids tonight and then TV with Daniel until his bed time. The news today is of escalating series of bomb attacks by the IRA. In Germany, the Rheindahlen British Army Base was attacked with a 200lb car bomb, near to the officer’s mess, and it was a miracle that nobody was killed. German officers and their wives were injured, as they had borrowed the buildings for a celebration party. Earlier, a particularly fiendish incident took place in Ulster, as a man was shot, his car filled with explosives, and the device detonated, killing two policeman when they came to attend. This human ‘bait’ was a prison instructor. The American Defence Secretary, Casper Weinberger, has claimed that the Soviet Union have used laser weapons in Afghanistan, temporarily blinding the opposing troops. His aim was to get an increased budged for next year’s defence spending. The Health Education Council has cancelled a press conference, minutes before it was due to commence, on the inequalities of health between the affluent and the well-off. The opposition political parties are accusing the government of trying to suppress information that shows their policies in a bad light. British Aerospace Chairman, Sir Austin Pearce, has given the government an ultimatum that, unless they can improve the launch aid for the new European Air Bus model, BAE will not go ahead with the British contribution to the 4 nation European effort. They have been offered £400m, rather than the £750m needed.