Grumbling at the morning drinks and breakfast buffet after which Di went shopping and I researched Rolls Royce and then visited two dealers where I loved the look of a 1920s 20 HP open tourer b ut settled on more modern Corniche models as a more practical desire. More shopping in the first day of Harrods’s sale but no agreement on cutlery and so the long drive home to collect the girls from Bar Hill on an increasingly stormy day which sinks small fishing boats off of Blackpool. More reports about the plight of the National Health Service with delayed operations, the Gaza Strip row continues with Gerald Kaufman having to intervene to prevent Israeli forces from detaining an ITV camera team whilst Thatcher is being condemned during her visit to Kenya for supporting South African apartheid.
Slept well in our hotel bed. It was wide and king size, so that I could stretch out easily. Di was the first to wake early this morning, so that she would not miss any time. I lay longer and was only truly awake when the morning drinks had been ordered and I had to get up to let the waiter in. We dressed and took our breakfast in the restaurant on the first floor of this, the Selfridge Hotel. It was the increasingly usual routine of being served drinks (coffee or tea) at the table and then serving yourself from a large server, displaying all the things you might want. Most people are keen on this idea, as you can take away croissants or quantity of food, risking not the embarrassment or restriction of having to voice ones desires. Diana is of this view, but I am not. I know what I want, have no problem in ordering it, and hate having to jump up and down, which I find anything but relaxing.
The matter was made worse this morning by a shortage of fried eggs, making the need to queue and jostle with fellow breakfasters. A result is also that you inevitably feel obliged to take too much ‘for good value’, which is not good for moderation and the figure. This morning Di went shopping on her own for an hour and a half, whilst I stayed in the hotel room and read a morning paper. I also did some telephoning and managed to contact a Rolls Royce Enthusiasts club, who will be sending me membership details. Once Di had returned, we finished packing, checked out, collected the car and drove off to another Rolls Royce dealer in Hammersmith. Glad we did, as this one, Frank Dale, stocked and sold older models, as well as the smart expensive ones. We have just about settled on the right idea – an older Rolls Royce Corniche Convertible – but I was very taken by some of the classic models. In particular a 1920s (1927 actually) 20 HP open tourer, looked fascinating and its number plate - DB 8288 - would be something if I took delivery of it on the 8th of next month! Di was unimpressed, as she wants the comforts of power steering, air conditioning and automatic gear change, but is now very happy with the idea of the Corniche convertible. We then stopped off at Harrods and found it was the 1st day of their sale and how busy it was. We miraculously found a car parking space and had a while to go round the store. I bought a few books on riding, shooting etc, but we looked unsuccessfully for any of our Doulton Lambethware in the sale. We spent some time on the cutlery, but could not agree – I wanted silver plated for feel and style and Di stainless steel for ease of use in the dishwasher! Then the long drive home, only just beating the traffic in the wind and rain, as the evening exodus from London started to get underway. The weather had turned really stormy, but we made it to Bar Hill by 5.15pm, which was near to our expectation and collected the girls from Di’s parents. They had been reasonably well behaved, but boisterous, and we felt we had not arrived too soon. I treated them to a stop at the Happy Eater on the way home, which saved Diana a chore and we found our house in good order, if cold, when we eventually arrived back. This evening I read a book about buying horses, updated my journal and read as much of today’s paper as possible. The main news today is of the plight of the National Health Service. Another court case has been waged by parents anxious to secure an operation for their youngster’s hold-in-the-heart case. The problem is a situation where potential operations have been put off five times, due to lack of specialist nursing staff and mercy. The courts have decided to intervene, but the parents main point was to obtain publicity. Better nursing pay, conditions, and training is the only answer. In another health concern, 9 new cases of Meningitis have been found in the West Country and Wales. There now seems to be an increased number of cases in clusters, which is a very worrying trend. The Gaza Strip and Palestinian row continued today, as Gerald Kaufman, the UK Labour opposition party’s Foreign Secretary Shadow, had to intervene and prevent Israeli forces from detaining a British ITV film camera team for filming incidents of Israeli troop excesses. The United Nations has condemned the Israelis for expelling Palestinian citizens from Gaza, contrary to International Law. The UK and USA, normally the Israel State’s staunchest allies, lead the condemnation. Back home, a youth has shot a headmaster in the head in a Northamptonshire school, after an incident some time ago when a boy was expelled. Over in Africa, Thatcher is visiting Kenya, where her hosts disagree with her policy of resisting sanctions against South Africa. This is the most moderate state, due to their dependence on South Africa and use as the air-travel staging point. The several gales today led to small fishing boats being overturned off Blackpool and one man is feared lost. There has been confirmation and films of the Soviet relief of Khost in Afghanistan, but so far only one convoy has made the trip.