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To London in heavy traffic and in forecast Hurricane-like gales, reviewing Rolls Royce Corniche Convertibles and selecting a 1972 black model from Croydon and then home to collect he children and to fit some accessories to the Range Rover. The westerly gales continue after they blow a girl under a lorry, two more die as trees fall on cars as the House of Commons votes to televise Parliament, a day of protest is planned by the TUC, NUT and RCN for March 5th and he car industry strikes spread to Ford Europe and Vauxhalls at Elsmere Port
Today we had planned a trip to London to view a number of Corniche convertibles and so we got up early and made ready as soon as we could. We left at 8.00am, dropped the children off at the old A1 school bus stop, and settled Della down with a range of toys, books and amusements for the trek ahead. I collected the post before leaving and was pleased to see a response from the Raleigh and Early Reliant Owners Club, who sent certain information on the pre-war vans. I let Diana do the driving, as I first read and then navigated into London. The weather forecasts were warning of hurricane-like gales today, but our biggest problem was the traffic. London is so busy these days. Each time we go we say that it can never get worse, but it does. So many cars and also so much disregard of parking restrictions, makes through progress difficult. We found our first dealer in North London, but he took us off round the houses to see a 1973 blue car in a garage. Since 1979 it had not really been looked after and so we moved on to the Regent Park area to see a white 1980 model. This had already been sold, which was annoying, as at 50,000 miles and £42,500, I might have been interested. Next, the struggle across town to the Chelsea Workshop to see a 1972 black model with 90,000 on the clock. It had been thoroughly refurbished about 18 months ago, with a respray and new hood and it looked nice.
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Editing my History of Little Paxton and arranging to see Rolls Royce’s in London, as the Fords strike is solid today, the RCN debates offering formal support to striking nurses, the ferrymen are still out as there are warnings of large gales tomorrow. We hear of the pro-Nazi war time activities of Austrian President, Kurt Waldheim, and Russian announces a date for withdrawing from Afghanistan
Slept well last night and was awake quite early. Made it to the breakfast table with the others and enjoyed my wheat flakes in company for a change. I went out early to take the battery charger off of the Reliant, tidy away my tools from the garages and have a chat with Pete, who is keeping himself busy in the aftermath of the floods. Once inside, I made a series of phone calls to Rolls Royce dealers and arranged 3/4 cars to see in London tomorrow, with a vehicle inspection booked for the better of the ones that we see. By this time I was hungry for lunch and Di came back late from collecting Daniella from playschool. We had to look after Amy again today, as the poor thing still has this debilitating virus and a mother working during the day. This afternoon and evening I got down to my history editing and I finished off the items for Daisy’s Cottage and then made a good start on Rose Lawn. Broke off only for tea and to go out and feed the ducks and doves.
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Some work on the Reliant on a cold, frosty but bright morning and then a trip to the newsagent with Dan and his mates in the back! More Palestinians killed and beaten by Israel today as the Seamens’ Strike crumbles and is broken, NACODS are still working to rule to keep certain pits closed and may walk out completely tomorrow when the Fords strike also starts. Torrential rain and mudslides affect Brazil and mountain avalanches kill two women in Northumbria as our weather turns wet and windy tonight
Slept well and awoke to my morning tea. One result of my fast watch, is that it gets me out of bed, showered and dressed in time for breakfast. Found Gary at breakfast with the family and ate a nice fried dish of bread, eggs, bacon etc, which was fair enough. I went out to the Reliant, put the battery back in, after cleaning and greasing the terminals, and then started it up. It had been a hard cold frost and the engine was quite solid until I rocked the van forward in top gear to free it up. The engine still leaks oil and I kept tightening the nuts between the block and sump, but eventually found out that one was missing and another inaccessible at the front end, which will entail removing a few things to get at them. Time then to go to the local newsagent for my Sunday Times and so I loaded Daniel and his friends Gary and Steve into the back of the Reliant and set off. After one petrol blockage, we made it there and back.
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A funny start to the day as Dells locks Di into the shower room and she is left knocking to be left out! Off to Godmanchester to meet the Mayor, Clerk and other officials for a playing field site visit where I find certain of them to be very uncooperative about saving it but they will put my offer to the Council at their next meeting. The ferry workers are set to return to work but the sacking of their Belfast colleagues is an issue, the Pit Deputies are now starting an overtime ban as the NCB undermine their role and implement flexible working without notice. South African police fire teargas into a church funeral of a 19-year-old shot dead after he accused torture but Comic relief raises £10m
Slept all right and was then awoken by a loud knocking noise. Went downstairs to find that Della had locked Di in the shower room! She is old enough with the humour to do it, but Di gave her a smack for her pains to prevent it happening again. Returned to bed to drink my cup of tea, then showered, shaved and washed my hair in time for breakfast. A routine meal of wheat flakes and milk, but these days I take care in eating them in view of my dentist’s warning about hard wheat grist and the molar cusp that I had previously broken. Read the paper and morning mail and then fed the doves outside. The day had started cold and frosty and then the sun came out and it cheered up a bit. Soon I had to get ready for our trip to Godmanchester and I dressed up for the occasion. We stopped off at Buckden Marina on the way, but they had made little progress on The Lady and had it moored miles away on pontoons. At the Godmanchester recreation ground I met the Town Council, Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Town Clerk etc etc. The recreation sub-committee were surprisingly adamant about their plan to scrap the old riverside playground and develop the new one and quite sharp on the subject of trying to save it. There must be some personality or political reason that makes them so dogmatic about it. However, my offer of money to restore the old equipment in situ was welcomed by most of them and the Council decided to consider the offer formally at their next meeting.