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A poor night considering my Council candidature and anticipating a key stock market date today with Sterling down 5c in the dollar and then off to Bedford with Diana and home to pay The Hewitt’s wages and carry on working on transcribing the last history tapes. The news is of a massive Tory revolt and defeat in The House of Commons over Richard Shepherd’s Private members’ Whistle-blowing Bill and of the Sunday Times being able to publish more of the Spycatchers book.
Had a poor night, trying unsuccessfully to get to sleep, until I eventually dropped off in the early hours. My mind was full of the Alliance Party tribulations and of a key day in the stock markets tomorrow. Then awoken by Diana and Della with my morning tea, but slow to rise. Eventually showered, dressed and ready for breakfast, but only Daniella remained at the table to eat with me. A large mail to read along with my morning paper. Daniella ‘helped’ me open the letters before going off with Diana to Bedford shopping and then being taken to St Neots Library story time later. I worked at my papers, scanned my teletext, and paid the Hewlett’s wages for the week.
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Poor start to the day with the children complaining about not feeling well as I then reviewed my intended candidature for the Huntingdonshire District Council elections and with it my choice of standing for the SDP/Liberal Alliance rather than as an Independent as their national negotiations have proved disastrous so far. Also reviewing my taxation affairs with my accountant as 1,000 angry health workers demonstrated in Scotland and nurses were striking there. The Un Security Council votes 14 to 0 to insist that Israel repatriates Palestinians illegally expelled from their country.
Slept well enough, but was tired this morning. Late to breakfast again and there then started rather a poor day. Daniel was still unwell and complaining of a sore throat and we also had to hunt high and low for his nasal spray to prevent his catarrh getting worse. Debbie was also still upset about the Kimbolton Prep School lunches and also, with Della, said she had a sore throat as well! I took the kids to the bus stop myself and noticed that we had started a fashion of the children wearing blue coats, as Jason Chambers was thus clad as well! I dropped in on the newsagents and bought an Independent and Exchange and Mart, then came home to read them. No Corniche convertibles in the E&M unfortunately. Both editions in the FT and Independent confirmed my worse beliefs on the Alliance merger debacle and, after spending the morning reading this and a mountain of mail, I decided that I could not stand as a candidate for a party with undecided name, which had confused policies! I therefore composed a letter to the joint SDP/Liberal Chairman for St Neots, outlined my feelings and resigned the candidacy. I suggested standing as an Independent and then considering affiliation when I knew what they had in mind!
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Up in time to see Daniel and Debbie off to school and then, after checking the stock markets to watch the shares fall, started phoning around boat yards to investigate our requirements which was positive and then got Diana to collect a Classic Car magazine to look at cars before transcribing more tapes again. The SDP/Liberal merger negotiations stall and Tory back-benchers rebel over the planned child benefit freeze, John Biffen leads a revolt in support of a reform of the Official Secrets Act and more stories emerge of patients let down over lack of NHS funding. Israel is illegally Deporting Palestinians and Customs Officers seized more cocaine last year than in the five previous years put together
I had a wakeful night at times, cold, even after my electric blanket had done its work and woken by the strong winds that whistled through the gaps in the French windows. Got soundly off in the early hours, but then Di woke me with my early tea. Funny thing, I felt sick at that point but, apart from being tired, I soon felt well enough. Struggled down in my dressing gown and pyjamas for a small bowl of wheat flakes and milk and then saw the oldest children off to Kimbolton School. Got showered and dressed in slow time and then found the morning paper and post and read them both until about 10.00am. Then from the occasional chair to my desk, where I used the Prestel set to scan the stock exchange. The markets were down overnight and were down here at first too, though they recovered most of the loss eventually. I then phoned a few boatyards about the type of boat we are ideally seeking. I found them all at the Boat Show and telephoned Richard Allen of Buckden Marina at their stand there. I explained our requirements, but he interrupted me and said that they are planning to produce 32 and 35ft river boats and I will go and see them next week.
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Little Daniella joined me for a chat over breakfast before I read all about available Rolls Royces in RREC literature but still found time to transcribe my 4th interview tape before making lunch for Daniel and the girls being with me this afternoon as I worked. A poorly attended St Neots and District Liberal/SDP Alliance Committee Meeting this evening and back home to my journal and the news. Thatcher is backing down over some nurses allowance cuts, after facing critical parliamentary questions about the health service with lack of heart specialists, liver transplant teams out of cash to continue but is now planning cuts to regional and industry support grants as the exchanges continue to be volatile.
Was slow to wake this morning and then sat quite a while before I was ready to get up. I shampooed my hair in addition to all else and came down to breakfast just as all else were leaving. Little Daniella seemed to be at a loose end as Di ran up to do her makeup and so I got her to sit next to me and chat as I ate my first meal of the day. Diana weighed herself this morning and was up at about 10st 10lbs, which is well over her weight limit. This morning I started to try and read the newspaper, but the mail arrived and in it was tons of information on Rolls Royces from the Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club, which I have joined. This kept me busy for the start of the morning and then much of the rest was taken up with making calls and clearing my desk.