To St James’s Church for the family service after breakfast and then to move the Summer House with the aid of Daniel’s friends and thus enjoy a riverside BBQ after which they washed the cars and I enlarged the patio on a hot and muggy evening. The Tories are forecast to do well in their key marginals with the opposition split between Labour and The Alliance whilst, in the Isle of Man ‘Mad Sunday’ race on the TT course, one woman died and four people were injured when thousands of enthusiasts had their chance of riding round the 37 ¾ mile race course.
Another fine day to wake to. Sat with my morning tea until reminded by Di that I had to get this morning’s friend breakfast. Got showered and dressed in corduroy trousers and best shirt and thus had to don an apron to do the chore. Cooked a nice meal – fried eggs, bacon, mushrooms, bread and tomato for me, eggs, bacon & bread for Daniel, egg and bacon for Debbie and just egg for Della. Di only eats two slices of toast. Out after to the birds and fed the doves on a very warm sunny morning. The ducks were already out, as I had forgotten to put them away yesterday. Mr Larkin had brought his boat up from Hartford yesterday and Daniel moved his today, to be out of the way for tomorrow’s dredging. Daniel’s friend, Steve, was round for the day and was soon joined briefly by Jason Chambers. We had decided to go to the first family service at Little Paxton St James’s church this morning and our family all walked along in the sunshine for an 11.00am start.
Steve stayed at the house in Daniel’s boat and decided not to join us. A nice service. Debbie enjoyed it and Della was quite good. A good mixture of stories, hymns and lessons that only took a half hour. After, I showed them round the churchyard to see the historical tombstones, before we walked home again. Debbie saw Mrs Rocket and asked to go on a children’s outing to Ely Cathedral next Saturday and seems quite keen to go. Home and I chatted with Daniel and his friends by the river until a lunch of roast pork was ready. After lunch, I helped the boys put up my summer house on the earth mound, which was quite an undertaking. Off they went with the reward money to the fair again and I sat and watched the Monaco Grand Prix motor race. Our hero, Nigel Mansell, was leading easily when his turbocharger broke and he had to retire, which was a great disappointment. I then prepared the barbeque and cooked sausages and hamburgers for our tea by the river. We were able to do this as the patio was clear for the first time. This evening the boys washed our cars, whilst I enlarged the patio, put steps up to the summer house, and made the beginnings of a rockery beside the doors, which was nice. Late in, as it only gets dark around 10.00pm and it took me some time to put things away and lock & alarm the house. My bedtime Bournvita from Di, who immediately went to bed and I stayed up until late, catching up on these last two days’ diary. The evening was quite hot and muggy and more sun is forecast for tomorrow. In the election campaign, the opposition parties are attacking Mrs Thatcher and her style of leadership and government – she is accused of being uncaring, bullying and dominating. At an Alliance strategy meeting today, their leaders decided against any change of plans, but decided to raise the passion level due to the lack of poll progress. In a preview of tomorrow’s poll of key Tory marginals, it is the Tory candidates that are doing well, with the opposing electors split between Labour and the Alliance. One of the members of a new and offensive pop group, the ‘Beasty Boys’, has been charged with wounding members of his audience with broken glass. Tear gas was also set off in the crowd. The dare devil West German pilot now faces trial in the USSR. In the Isle of Man ‘Mad Sunday’ race on the TT course, one woman died and four people were injured when thousands of enthusiasts had their chance of riding round the 37 ¾ mile race course.