A poor and disrupted start to the day feeling a little poorly before I perked up after a ham salad lunch with Di’s mum, Norma, and then I heard about a possible new Rolls Royce and of the delivery plans for my Reliant van tomorrow. Then to take Debbie for a good horse-riding session as she masters the troublesome Dylan. The industrial strife continues with Dover hot over ferry cancellations as 500 lorries queue, the workers reject a deal at Fords and ken Baker abolishes the ILEA, enraging teachers and Londoners alike, which is just political prejudice as are the plans for privatising electricity supply
A day that grew better as it wore on. Rather slow to wake and get ready this morning. My jaw was rather sore after yesterday and a headache and shivery sensation persisted after breakfast. In fact, I had only eaten water melon for this meal and that was probably a mistake. I read today’s paper whilst the children got ready for school and then, Debbie having taken the wrong shoes and my requirement for an Exchange and Mart from the paper shop, I got the Range Rover out and did both errands. Once back I scanned the E&M for possible Corniche convertibles and registration numbers, but found little that was suitable. Then the mail arrived with no R-REC advertiser yet, after two weeks, which was a disappointment. As I felt under the weather, I had lit the log fire and then made myself a coffee and ate three plain biscuits and took two headache tablets. I improved slowly this morning and had achieved little on my history before lunch. Di's Mum came for a ham salad lunch, which we all enjoyed and then I made more progress sorting my disk files this afternoon. Had two calls today. One was for a RR Corniche that was Exeter blue with magnolia trim, but was £46K and 1982. It had only done 18000 miles, but had absolutely no documents or history, being a repossessed hire purchase car. The other call confirmed the Reliant’s intended arrival at 11.00am tomorrow.
An early tea and then took Debbie to her horse riding. It was a better performance on Dylan and she earnt a mint surprise. Tonight I finished off the edit of both St James’s Cottage and Gordon Villas, which was better, but it is still taking a long time. The news today was of mounting UK industrial strife. After the National Union of Seamen called off the strike at executive level, the seamen themselves decided to carry on anyway and the ferries are still idle. It is a good way of avoiding the unions assets of £5 million being sequestrated, as the industrial pressure remains. Worst hit is Dover, where only two French ferries are sailing and 8 UK ones moved out to the continent. More than 500 vehicles, lorries and others are piled up at the end of the M20, forming an impromptu car park. At Ford Motors, the 3 year deal, agreed by the executive of their union with the management, was overturned by a 3 to 2 majority against by the workforce, who do not like the concessions and new working practices. Now all depends on more peace talks tomorrow. Kenneth Baker, the Education Secretary, has announced the abolition of ILEA (the Inner London Education Authority) and now Londoners are outraged. Teachers and parents, in concert with the Labour politicians, could give this decision a rough passage and a teachers strike is planned. Further protests by the nurses followed on today from yesterday’s ‘day of action’, but Mrs Thatcher publicly criticised them and praised those RCN staff that kept on working. Trouble for the government in its plans to privatise the electricity industry. The Chairman, Lord Marshall, requested an early meeting at Downing Street today to express concern at the separation of the generation and transmission of electricity, because it threatens security of supply. US President Reagan has lost his Congress vote to approve more funds for arming the Contras in Nicaragua. England lost their 1-day test match to the Australians, which is a fitting thing to celebrate on their 200th anniversary.