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Accompanying Debbie to Kimbolton for her Preparatory School Entrance examination and collecting her later to find her happy, chatty and comfortable with her day but she competes with 59 candidates for 40 places! 52 dead bodies are found and 80 people are still unaccounted for after the Herald of Free Enterprise capsize with no immediate explanation but with many harrowing stories of tragedy but also of bravery
A good night and was already awake when Di brought the morning tea. Della came in to my bed to keep me company and was a little charmer. A cold morning, as a start to a cold day and the curtains were billowing from the south east, as the wind strength rose. Rather a long while showering and so was the last down to breakfast. Decided that we would drive Daniel to Kimbolton first thing this morning, so that we could take Debbie at the same time for her Prep School examination. We managed to get the family ready and loaded up and set off a little later than Daniel would have liked. Still a bit early for Debbie, but were not the first to arrive on that score. Were taken into the Lewis Hall, which is a galleried theatre and we took our places, sitting with the other parents.
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The Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes at Zeebrugge, trapping countless passengers after water flooded in through open bows doors as Niel Kinnocj criticises the far-left influence in The Labour Party. I carry on schooling Debbie in preparation for her Kimbolton School entrance test tomorrow after more visits to Huntingdon archives and the St Neots Local History Society where I talk to others about Paxton Hall
A good night and awoke a little easier to my morning tea. Showered and shaved and dressed in good time to get down to breakfast and to supervise the children’s meal. I made Debbie have a few wheat flakes before her rice crispies, to ensure that she tolerates the choice. Took poor Daniel's seat again! Stuck this week’s Little Paxton newspaper cuttings into the scrap book and then it was time to take Di and Della out for our Friday trip. I had chosen Huntingdon and so we drove off along the Huntingdon road and were there quite early. I had left the money for the Hewletts - £34 cash for Joan and a cheque for £55 for Pete. Parked near the library and then took the girls to the Chelsea coffee house for a drink. I made off afterwards for the Record Office and there collected a photograph of the Dial and surrounding cottages. Also got photocopies of a Little Paxton school survey, pre-war, and the Queen Victoria Jubilee celebration programme, when the Jubilee tree was planted in Little Paxton. Time prevented further study, as I had to meet Di and Dells back at a hamburger restaurant for lunch.
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Starting the day training Debbie to eat properly ahead of her new school practise and then continuing with my history project, concentrating on the Ramply tapes before returning to Daniel and Debbie’s school work as our young white dove chick is lost to local cats, the ducks resume laying as Reagan suffers in the wake of his Arms deal confessions, Lester Piggott is charged with both Vat and tax fraud, the Danish ship full of explosives is still drifting off of the Cornish coast and they say 17 trawlers have now been sunk by submarine nest snagging off of the Irish coast
Slept well and was also reluctant to both wake and get up this morning. Nevertheless, up early, showered and dressed in time for breakfast and occupied Daniel's seat next to Debbie again to ensure she ate her meal properly. Insisted that she had some cornflakes, as well as her favourite rice crispies. Once the children were gone, I went out to the doves and found that the white youngster had gone. It was virtually fully grown and I am surprised, but it seems that a cat must have caught it last night. I saw it in mid-afternoon, but was away with Debbie's horse riding and then interviewing last night and so could not check at dusk. The plague of local cats is a nuisance and I will have to think of a way of discouraging them.
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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.