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Complicated family day with Debbie home from school but able to look after Della and go horse-riding later as the weather turns wet again but I find Colin Howard in at last to arrange copying some of my loaned pictures and then manage to piece together the Little Paxton maps showing the post-war development and then enjoy our new sound system after getting Daniels help. Sad news that Fiji has now become a republic and no longer in The Commonwealth, more executives implicated in The Guinness scandal and both the US and UK stock exchanges slide which endangers the BP flotation.
Slept well enough and was awake with Diana for the lead up to my morning tea. Got up thus early and wondered about before starting to read the rest of yesterday’s Financial Times that I had missed. Breakfast of wheat flakes, then straight to the morning papers, as Daniel went off to school. Poor Debbie suffered from spots and puffy eyes this morning and so we felt it best to keep her at home. At 9.00am my phone alarm went off and I pressed the button on my automatic phone machine to dial Colin Howard Photography. To my surprise, I found him at home and arranged for him to collect my latest and largest batch of photos for copying. He now works selling kitchens and also aerial photography, apart from his hobby of general photographic work. I finished off reading my paper this morning and then spent much of the rest of the session preparing the photos for him to collect. I photocopied and referenced them for ease of handling and so that I could still refer to them whilst he had them in his hands.
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Meeting up with Frost about commissioning us a conservatory and an enjoyable visit to Jordon’s Mill in Biggleswade to see a fine example he had built for his in-laws and then back to meet a Little Paxton History student as we find that Debbie has suspected German Measles. Indian Troops fight a bloody end game against the Tamil rebels, serious concerns plague air traffic control and Thatcher infuriates the other Commonwealth Heads over South Africa as Bad US trade figures hit Wall Street today
A better night’s sleep, though I was still far too late going to bed. Awake with my sore throat and did not relish another day’s talking. Got showered and dressed in my sports jacket and trousers, but only came to the breakfast table well after the others had left. Read the FT for a while afterwards, but had to contend with a marauding Della, who seemed intent on my company. Had to feed the ducks and doves, as Pete was working elsewhere this morning and then it was time for us to go to Tempsford for a meeting with our favoured conservatory manufacturers. We found Frost & Co with some difficulty, but had a good morning looking at completed units and discussing technical design aspects. At Tempsford they had a simple demonstrator, but we drove to the Jordan’s Mill in Biggleswade, where Frost have built a nice example.
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Some good introductions and discussions with old Little Paxton residents which brighten up an otherwise rather fragmented day as the Guinness controversy now involves charges for Gerald Ronson as well as Ernest Saunders, an Iranian missile hits an Iraqi school, killing 32 children and injuring nearly 200 more and the Commonwealth conference begins with South Africa the main topic of discussion and Thatcher isolated
A very poor night, troubled with a sore throat and reaction to last night’s cigarette smoke, and mind active on the history of Paxton Park. Only a few hours sleep in the end, as soon morning came. At least I was awake when Diana’s alarm went off and took advantage of finding her in bed, as she usually is fast away! Also managed to get down to breakfast with the others and even checked on Daniel’s room and got him to tidy it before the meal. Straight to my office, after reading the post, and spent until coffee break and a long time reading the Financial Times. Then I got out all of my diskettes and history folders and started trying to find out where I had left things last winter. By midday, I had not got very far and it was time to get myself a salad lunch.
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Re-directing gardener Pete to wash our car as the lawns were only just reappearing from the flood water, working on my Little Paxton scrap-book and meeting a Paxton Park Hospital help and then researching conservatories and choosing Frosts of Tempsford. Northern Ireland Secretary, Tom King, resists measures for fairer Ulster justice, space engineer Alan Bond is frustrated at lack of UK funding for space and his HOTOL engine and is supported by ex IT Minister Sir Geoffrey Pattie in Sri Lanka, fighting escalates in the streets and from house to house
A reasonable night and was still quite tired when I woke up this morning. I sat in bed a while and missed my chance to get washed and dressed in time for breakfast. I pressed on regardless, as I needed to get out to brief Pete on what to do in the garden today. I caught him and got him to wash the Range Rover, as the lawns are far too wet to walk over. The water levels are down to just cover sections of our lawns, but it will be tomorrow before it is anything like normal. I came into the house again for breakfast, after the others had finished and thus ate alone. This morning I read the newspapers until mid-morning coffee and then finished the job of sticking recent press cuttings and photographs into my Little Paxton scrap book.