An eventful day of sunshine and warmth after a rather unsettled night. First a trip up Ely Hill to the swimming pool after breakfast and then to The Boathouse café by the Cutter Inn for lunch before the cruise over to Ely Marina to see Mr Lovey about work to and transport of The Lady to Norfolk. The cruise back past Upware to see the wooden boats gathered and The Lady’s sister ship, ‘Patience’ the 35ft prototype needing attention. Then the cruise back and along to ‘The Twenty-Pence Inn’ with The Lady’s sliding roof back on a fine and sunny day and to moor and enjoy the Brass Band playing before putting the crew to bed and taking Di to the pub for a bar meal. The election is now in full swing, with Labour closing on the Tories who are defensive on education, law-and-order and Thatcher abandoning the Country’s youth . Racial clashes in Sri Lanka and India but all is calm and sunny on the Lady
A rather unsettled night. The Lady was loosely moored, so was its dinghy and the banging was accompanied by the lapping of the water against the hull, as a stiff breeze blew. Still, no rain last night for the first time this trip and it did not get too cold and so no cause for complaint. Di got up first this morning and made the drinks and put on the heating and we were soon warm. Eventually, all ready for our usual breakfast. The children are allowed one of the miniature ‘variety’ cereal packets each, then fill up with cornflakes and Rice Crispies. I just have two slices of toast and marmalade. Once we were all washed, cleared up and ready, we set off up Ely Hill towards our planned activity centre – Ely swimming pool. At 10.00am, we each paid our 40p, changed and got in. It was a bit cool, but we all enjoyed it for 45 mins or so. After, we walked back into the shopping centre and had some morning drinks at a cafe. As they did not serve food, by midday, we walked on to the riverside and had lunch at The Boathouse cafe by the Cutter Inn.
Nice, but rather slow, though Di always welcomes a departure from having to cook and wash up. Then to The Lady and across to Ely Marina to see Mr Lovey for some fuel and water. I also spoke to him about the use of the gantry for getting The Lady out this summer. It is the best hoist on the river and will cost some £1.25 + VAT per foot of boat. They also do antifouling etc and I could get my hull work done there and save the cost of one slippage. Another boat owner came up, with a craft similar to The Lady and admired our varnish work, intending that his should eventually look as nice. Once our chats were over and the tanks filled, we set off for a long cruise. Debbie sat on my lap collecting boat names, types and numbers, as I cruised first to Popes Corner, then turned up the Cam to Upware to see the rally of the wooden boat club. ********** A fair selection of wooden boats gathered there, but we pulled into Upware Marina and moored besides Patience to meet its owners. Patience is The Lady (formerly Merdeka’s) sister ship. They were both built in c1968/9, Patience as the 35ft prototype and The Lady as the 33ft prototype for the Discovery class of Banham’s Motor Cruisers. Poor Patience is in a poor state of varnishing, but the owners were working on her and hoping to restore her. They were motivated by the state of The Lady, as we exchanged looks around one another’s boats. Soon time to set off for the cruise back down the Cam to Popes Corner, then along the Old West to the Twenty Pence Inn. A nice sunny afternoon and evening, even if there was a cool breeze blowing. We had The Lady’s sliding roof back and watched the countryside. A fair mooring there and after we had arrived, a Brass Band set itself up for entertainment in the riverside garden and serenaded us as the girls played on the swings and in the sand pit. Debbie made a little friend, Emily, and played until dusk and well past her bedtime. Soon a fair audience built up to hear the music and look at the boats. Eventually, a hungry Diana managed to rope Della in to go to bed and read her a story from her new Postman Pat story book. Debbie played a little longer and the boys sat in their boat, after having tea. A nice meal for Di and I at the bar of the Twenty Pence Inn, then back to put the older children to bed and watch the TV news. In the election campaign, the Alliance leaders are changing tactics from always appearing together. Labour are improving their position in the polls in fits and starts and the Tories are still on the defensive on their education policy. They have to deny that their plans would involve paying for education of children, but admit that selection would play a significant role. In a phone-in radio programme, Thatcher is under pressure on this issue and also on law and order, as a Birmingham Asian phoned in to say that the streets are not safe after dark. Neil Kinnock, playing for the young vote, accuses the Thatcher government of abandoning the country’s youth. In an Ulster incident, an RUC constable was injured seriously by a crowd, after they claimed he repeatedly loaded a pistol and shot into a shop. More unrest in Jafra, north Sri Lanka, as the Tamils clash with the southern Sri Lankans. Clashes also in India between Moslems and Hindus. Rescue workers have given up looking for further survivors in the devastated town of Saragossa, Texas. After the finer weather of today, there will be rain further west, but cloud at first here tomorrow should give way to sunshine in the morning.
* passage redacted until 2047