Writing to Debbie’s Maths teacher this morning, without any positive effect, calling my stockbroker to dump my BP shares holding and then constantly checking the financial news for the latest developments. Still finding time to transcribe the bulk of the Garthwaite interview before visiting Mt Hall, whose father was the former Head Gardener of Paxton Park this evening, and he furnished me with some great aerial photos of the place and an illustrated brochure of Paxton Park School in the 1920’s as I stayed until midnight and filled up two tapes of interview. Gorbachev raises last-minute demands to limit Reagan’s Star Wars project and Lester Piggott is jailed for three years for tax fraud
Diana’s new alarm clock woke us both up early and I wondered downstairs instead of waiting for my morning tea. I decided to write to Mr Jerrum, Debbie’s maths teacher, and voice our concern about her being in the second set, when a clear indication had been given to her to the contrary. I penned a letter on my notepaper before breakfast and asked her to give it to him first thing. Late, therefore, to breakfast, but soon showered and dressed for a morning in my office. Yesterday, Di took Della to Playschool and she was quite happy with it, even though her views on Tumble Tots are different. Phoned my stockbroker, as the markets tumbled, rallied, and tumbled further again. I decided that the BP new share issue is ‘dead in the water’ and so sold my 20,000 holding of BP shares to encash a past gain of about £1 a share.
I have similar losses on other shares, but these will be left for a ‘bed and breakfast’ operation when markets settle down, as the price will cancel out and urgency is not needed. Transcribed a good deal of my Garthwaite interview today, but it is tough going, keeping up with events. Kept watching the TV teletext for news and information, which was quite a distraction. Made my own salad lunch, then continued the toil all afternoon. Put everything away at 5.00pm, went out and fed the doves and put the ducks away for the first time since the latest floods began. The water is sinking away now, all roads are clear and dangers past, but the lawns are still flooded and will be damp and dishevelled when revealed. Di was in Bedford with Della this morning, shopping and organising things for the family’s US trip and my birthday. When Debbie returned from school today, it transpired that my letter had no effect and her second set place is confirmed, but at least she now has her views known and can be more easily transferred should her work be better than the others. After a simple salad tea, again, I checked Daniel’s schoolwork, before making ready for my meeting with Mr Hall, the man whose father used to be Head Gardener at the former Paxton Park. I rushed out to be there on time and started an enjoyable evening with Mr Hall that did not finish until after midnight again! Filled up two tapes (which now also have to be transcribed...) and was lent excellent old aerial photographs of Paxton Park School in the 1920s, an illustrated brochure of the same, and told of life at the Park and village since then. With these old people, such occasions are always so enjoyable and I do not have the heart to bring them to an end, indeed they hardly want to let you go! Home very late, but still had my bedtime drink of milky Bournvita and scanned the TV news on the teletext. Wall Street had calmed down, unchanged at the close, and London had finished above its best. The dollar had taken a hammering, though, and fear is the main sentiment still. A last minute hitch prevented the agreement of final arrangements for an East/West nuclear (medium range) summit; with Gorbachev evidently insisting on the US re-negotiation of the Star Wars project. Perhaps, with the stock exchange crash and forced policy changes in prospect for US tax increases and dollar devaluations, he senses a weakening of Reagan’s authority and better terms to be available later. Lester Piggott, flat-racing’s most famous and successful jockey, now turned trainer, is jailed for 3 years, convicted of multi-million £ tax frauds.