Organising the turf supplies for my new games lawn, booking repairs for The Lady at Buckden Marina and then reading nursery rhymes to Della after she became distressed shopping with Di as Daniel was struggling with his homework and finding time to give a ring to his girl, Louise. Tory MP Keith Best gets four months prison sentence for multiple share applications, Colonel Rabuka stops short of declaring a Republic in Fiji after consultations with former prime Ministers and the Queen, another tanker is hit by Iran in the Gulf and Yuri Romanenko has broken the space endurance record
Up a couple of times in the night, after drinking much liquid again yesterday, but was first pleased to celebrate the end of Di’s period with her in the traditional fashion. Sat in bed a long time this morning, reading some of yesterday’s paper, as my working time outside has made it difficult to keep up with my reading. Breakfast in my pyjamas & dressing gown again and so the normal boisterous comment from the children. Back to bed after breakfast, until I had completed the paper, which is unheard of in recent times. Then showered & washed my hair, shaved and dressed and started a full day of work in my office. My desk was in quite a mess and the mail pretty full and then, before I had started it all, morning coffee arrived and I sat and read the Which? consumer magazine, which spoke harshly of the performance of car servicing agents, but confirmed the wisdom of my choice of Panasonic for a video camera.
Out to feed the ducks and doves, because Pete was not gardening today, then in to phone several turf suppliers to discuss what types they could supply. I am choosing a hard wearing, but good quality species, at something like £1.00-£1.50 a sq yard. It will contain smooth stalked meadow grass for strength (no rye grass) then slender creeping red and chewing fescue for body and brown top as the quality bent. The choice is between conventional soil turfs, 1 ½” thick, 3ft x1ft, that would add substance and soil, but be an effort to lay and the new Rolawn seeded ½“ turf, supplied in 16”x81” sq yd sizes, especially cultivated and raised purely. By this time I could only make a start on my accounts, before Di came home with a wailing Daniella from the weekly grocery shopping trip. I looked after our baby girl and read her nursery rhymes (which she is now memorising and occasionally able to recite) whilst Di prepared a chicken salad lunch. More intensively working this afternoon, completing bank account and credit card reconciliations, as well as payment of the remaining bills. Phoned Buckden Marina about booking a range of repairs on The Lady and they will call me in late October to get the boat in for the work. Soon Debbie was home from school and Daniella was wailing again and so I read a ‘Munch Bunch’ story to her. Read my paper after tea and then the task of supervising Daniel’s homework. Another torrid session, as he was resisting my advice and an argument developed. Then his girlfriend, Louise, tried to call and Daniel was not able to see her until he did his homework. He has bought her a ring as a birthday present, but has not given himself the chance to give it to her yet. Then he was abrupt and rude when she telephoned and we got him to go round to Paul’s house afterwards, but she had left! The rest of the evening in my office, writing my journal, filing all of my papers and finishing other work off. This now means I can tackle my local history speech tomorrow and, hopefully, finish the preparation. Then Daniel’s friend, Paul, came round to see him later, but no chance to see the girl. There was some light rain today and it had a small effect of settling the lawn bed, but much more is needed to finish the job. Di’s tumble drier has broken down and she has taken the step of ordering another – a Creda Debonair. Pete did not come at all today and I tended the birds tonight. News today is of the exemplary 4 months sentence of former Tory MP, Keith Best, who illegally and fraudulently applied for multiple quantities of British Telecom shares. He was silly enough to be too blatant and then to be caught. The Labour Party delegates made much of this at their Brighton Conference, as they discussed share ownership and privatisation. In Fiji, Colonel Rabuka has drawn back from the declaration of a Republic, following meetings with the Governor General and two former Prime Ministers and also the intervention of the Queen. Fijian tribal loyalties and respect for the Queen and Judiciary would make the Colonel’s actions risk rebellion. Talks continue. The Greek tanker, Canana, is the latest target of Iranian Islamic revolutionary guards in a fast patrol boat, as they fire rocket propelled grenades. The aftermath of natural disasters continues in the flood hit Durban region of South Africa and in the mud slide affected area of South America. A prison officer has spent his third night in the custody of rioting prisoners at Peterhead Prison, Aberdeen, as a hostage. Yuri Romanenko, a Soviet astronaut, has broken the space endurance record, whilst the Americans sit hopelessly grounded by their space shuttle problems, until June next year at the earliest.