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A fine English family breakfast and an even better Roast Beef lunch on a wet and windy day when we were all recovering from a disturbed night but then a walk across to see the newly-dredged spoil and to find large lumps of coal opposite from my frontage that used to be a loading/unloading wharf in times past. News of my father suffering from an enlarged prostate as well as his kidney stones, our first gold medal in a poor World Athletics Championships, The National Coial Board and its miners’ union are on collision course over new working conditions and The SDP and Liberal leaders make a show of unity after their first informal meeting today
Tried to go to bed early last night, but was too disturbed to sleep and then woke early again this morning. I rolled over to see Di at both ends of the night, too, and so she slept as little as I. I got up to make the drinks and brought up a pot of tea for me and a pot of coffee for Di, so that she could have two mugs of coffee – the amount that she needs to get going in the morning. Soon it was time to get showered and shaved & dressed for breakfast. Di cooked a nice fried breakfast and Debbie fetched the boys from the boat and they ate the same fare. They had not slept much last night and so we were all a little groggy.
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Former best friend of Daniel, David Tomblin, arrived for the weekend on a mild but windy day, brought by his greying father John from Borehamwood who seems to be struggling upon his return to teaching as Debbie hosts her friend Amy for some swimming and we attend the Samuel Jones car boot sale and find a friend of Di struggling to make ends meet after the redundancy of her husband. Three men are charged with the attempted murder of The Northern Ireland Secretary, eight are killed in the latest tragic M6 tragic pile-u, The Iran/Iraq war escalates in the Gulf and the death toll from the 20 Israeli air strikes into The Lebanon this year kill civilians as well as fighters
Slept in until called at 8.00am after our late night and then sat in bed a while and came down to have breakfast in my dressing gown. Then had a scramble to get showered and dressed before the arrival of John Tomblin, who was bringing his son, David, to stay with Daniel for the weekend. The Tomblins used to be neighbours and close friends of ours, but moved away to Borehamwood a few years ago. John was regional organiser for Oxfam and went back to teaching after he had actually moved to be closer to his Oxfam job. Nowadays he is going grey in hair and beard and seems to be struggling with the new pressures and demands of secondary education. He is re-studying chemistry with the Open University. David and Daniel were once best friends and had plenty to say to one another.
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Staying at home to complete the editing of my financial summaries as Di makes a long visit to Bedford and then to collect Nigel and Lynn from Hail Weston House in my immaculate Daimler and an enjoyable night dining and dancing at the Kimbolton Ball . The Barcelona Air traffic controller strike continues, more Iranian oil tankers are hit by Iraq in the Gulf and Israel resume strikes on Palestinian Refugee Camps, killing 25.
A little earlier to bed last night as Diana stayed up with me. But then woke up around midnight and rolled over to visit Di, who complained this morning that ‘a brute had raped her in the middle of the night’. Up as normal this morning and tried to persuade Di to have only a short trip to Bedford, but she wanted to stay for a long shop and lunch as well. I stayed at home, therefore, and spent the day in my office. Read the last two day’s FT’s before settling at my desk, completing the print out of my income summary and then updated the income version. The TV athletics made a big distraction, but I got the job finished and results printed out in due course.
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Some attention to my Daimler myself after much neglect on a breezy day, not trusting it to others, as Daniel has several of his friends visiting and wanting lunch and then they invite two local girls to join them and Debbie resumed her horse-riding for the first time in five weeks. The Gulf tanker carnage has necessitated the UN Secretary General to intervene to seek peace as Japan withdraws its tankers, Lloyds have paid out over £1Bn already. The Burundi President has been deposed, Hungerford Mass Murderer Michael Ryan is cremated and the public use of semi-automatic weapons dies with him due to a new ban
Late with the TV athletics highlights again last night and so laid in this morning until 7.15am and had no chance to fish. In fact, there was a strong breeze and so would not have been able to fish very long anyway. Did the ducks and doves and then checked on the Daimler. The battery had charged up well enough, but was looking very dirty. Pete was cutting the lawns and Daniel’s friends were beginning to arrive, also I wanted a good job done and so I decided to vacuum and wash the car myself for once. First the cleaning of the inside and boot with the hoover, then the washing of the outside with a sponge and bucket of slightly foamy water. There were numerous dead insects ‘welded’ to the front, as we had collected them during our trip to the East Midlands on the way to Caithness.