Keeping a close eye on Daniella, who has had some antibiotics prescribed after a poor night but soon recovers during the day, as we tour St Neots banks and building societies, Clover Office Supplies and have coffee at The Rendezvous. Colin Howard returns Mrs Shepherd’s original photographs, as do I, and I brief Joan on the alarms and give her a key for our time away. The Government struggle to handle the financial crisis and resist pulling the BP flotation whilst US President Ronald and Nancy Reagan struggle with political and personal problems.
An unsettled night, as poor Della kept waking up and crying. Her problem remains that whenever she tries to cough, it hurts her sore throat and she is not one to suffer in silence. Debbie and Daniel went off to their last school day before the half-term holiday. I made it down late to breakfast again and satisfied myself with a bowl of wheat flakes and milk, without any sugar. Della comes back to the table to eat a slice of Marmite on toast and drink her apple juice with me afterwards. A little time reading the paper to keep her company and then I went back to my office to continue organising things for our holiday. Almost immediately it was time to take Della to St Neots Doctor’s Surgery and we did it together. She was quite good. Dr Wright examined her chest and pronounced it clear, then looked at her ears and found one eardrum a little inflamed. He prescribed a course of antibiotics, in view of the air travel involved in our holiday. Della had perked up and so we walked round to Boots the chemist to get her medicine and then did a few chores.
Di waited there and then collected some cleaning, whilst I toured Barclays Bank, Abbey National & Gateway building societies, withdrawing money, balancing accounts and preparing things for our week’s absence. Morning drinks in the Rendezvous, which I found a bit stale and smoky and got them to start the extractor fans, as I had my own chest and that of Daniella to worry about. Afterwards, whilst Di went to Waitrose supermarket, I walked Della back to the car and then dropped in at Clover Office Supplies to get some wanted stationery. Home after and I looked after Della whilst Di made the lunch. Then Di went off to collect a few more items from town, whilst I made some last minute arrangements. I briefed Joan on the arrangement for securing the house. She was given a door key and shown how to arm and disarm the alarm system, for which a new and temporary code has been programmed for our period of absence. Tonight, Colin Howard returned the original photographs, left with him for copying, and I drove round to Mrs Shepherd’s to return them and chat a little while, as I was sure she had been worried at the delay. Then our last minute preparations and packing. The news tonight is the jailing of McNamee for 25 years for the Hyde Park bombing, when 4 men were killed and many horses maimed and injured. Security forces believe that devices of his design have killed between 60 and 90 people, as he was a graduate electronics engineer and expert in bomb mechanisms. The Chancellor of the Exchequer made a statement to the Commons today, but would not comment on the approach by under-righters to request calling off the BP issue. He will decide the issues fate by Thursday, but it seems clear that their representation will be turned down. Overnight, the far eastern shore markets improved and then the London Stock Exchange and Wall Street follow suit, but the markets are still very nervous and more falls are expected this week. The Government have announced that family allowances will be frozen at their present levels. This is inevitably greeted with anger from the opposition parties, but Tory backbenchers also loudly protest their disquiet with the idea. There seems a glimmer of hope in the prospect for an East/West Summit, after more foreign minister talks commence. Poor US President Reagan is not only besieged by arms and economics problems, but his wife, Nancy, has had a mastectomy and has lost her mother as well – who has just died.