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After a leisurely start on a calmer day than forecast (as the storms hit the West and North )I used the ladders to clean out all of the Hayling View’s gutters from leaves and pigeon droppings before Chas and Chrisula visited to collect my spare video camera on loan before more interview tape transcribing. A giant 4.5million gallon fuel spill on a river, 16 miles long in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh has forced 1000 people to evacuate their homes and at least 19 people have been killed by Israeli warplanes, in the Lebanon.
Was rather late to bed again and then laid in a long while. We had to lock the girls out of our room for a while, as we needed the privacy. Then Di brought me some cereal and tea in bed, instead of a fried breakfast. This was much more sensible, as I am desperately trying to lose some weight. I read the last of yesterday’s Financial Times, then eventually got showered and dressed. I sat in my office for a little while reading The Observer, but it was soon 11.30am and so I had to let the ducks out and feed the doves. The day was bright, sunny and quite pleasant, with none of the gale force winds that we had been warned against. I think we must be out of the main weather system, as the news told us of gales in the North of England. As the weather was nice, I just had to do the gutters on the house. Each winter, after the leaves have left the nearby trees, I need to clean out the gutters and down pipes, as the leaves congeal with pigeon droppings to block them too much for the winter rains.
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I work in my office as Diana and the family take Daniel off to Kimbolton for the start of their school narrow-boating holiday and then I took the girls to the Southoe Little Chef for lunch before taking Debbie to ride Rumpold beautifully at Offord riding school. This evening to resume on my Little Paxton History transcriptions. The weather increasingly windy with a ‘severe weather warning’ for tomorrow. The Observer successfully won a court battle over government censorship and now The Sunday Times have to follow and the former Hong Kong head of the Stock Exchange is arrested for fraud
After a late night, slept in again. Diana was restless during the night and had been sleeping in the spare bedroom. Got up and, dressed in my pyjamas and dressing gown, waited in the kitchen and started to read today’s newspaper. Sat in the playroom with the girls for a while until breakfast was ready and then we had the normal fare with me hoping to be slimming slightly. Upstairs for my shower and shave and then I settled into my office to read the paper, as Di and Dan made the last minute arrangements to get Daniel packed for the start of his narrow-boating holiday today. I stayed home as the rest of the family drove off in the Range Rover to Kimbolton School, where the rest of the party joined Daniel in the school minibus and they all set off for Birmingham together.
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New Years Day – Starting the day alone in my office on frustrating administration before joining the family watching television in the lounge as Reagan and Gorbachev exchange pledges and hopes for their future negotiations in New Year’s Day resolutions which also aim to garner their citizens’ support. Another MI6 officer tries to publish memoirs and is gagged, a Welsh house fire hills a father and four children and many violent incidents mar New Year’s celebrations with the worst was in High Wycombe, where a mob of skinheads fought with a gang of youths, with many injuries and a shot being fired
I was up until 1.00am this morning, printing out my investment summary and writing up my journal, and so I slept until 8.30am this morning. I awoke to find Diana elsewhere, called Daniel, who was also asleep, and poured us both a mug of tea from the pot that was full and waiting. Daniel joined me in the playroom, as the girls played and Diana took a long shower. No sign of breakfast and so I showered, dressed and then waited patiently, as there were no newspapers today. After, I worked in my office collating the printout of my new financial summary and then filling envelopes with copies for my financial advisors and doing the same with a dozen or more cheques for our monthly bills. Apart from a couple of outings to feed the ducks and doves, I then worked all day tidying up my office, writing correspondence to attend to all outstanding affairs, and clearing the decks for a serious re-start to my Little Paxton history tomorrow.