An uncomfortable night aboard the lady moored up at the Waites Quay but a convenient spot from which to buy some local papers, set off in the dinghy to LH Jones for some fuel and other items and then walked to the St Ivo centre for swimming after lunch at the Welcome Café. Surprised to find Huntingdon District Council colleagues at the pool but it was their recreation committee meeting day. 150 Devon patients have been overdosed with radio therapy in error, more fighting in the Gulf and setbacks for Red Adair dealing with the Piper Alpha aftermath, and the deregulated building societies and now lending money for all purposes, fuelling spending boom. Mr Brannigan of Samuel Jones has left the company, just as I got to know him.
Woke up a few times last night, as I still do not find these bunks very comfortable. At 7.00am I switched on the radio and started to read a book on Bowls, until Di eventually got up and made the morning drinks. Washed and dressed with Di and then, after breakfast, walked along St Ives High Street and bought today’s FT and a bunch of local newspapers for the local stories. Learnt that Branigan of Samuel Jones has got the push (just after I got to know him!). Longsands School is going to be closed until the Autumn, with the asbestos dust problem, and St Neots Football Club, having been deprived of the Samuel Jones ground, are now folding after a long history. Some old warhorse is criticising me for my aircraft noise comments. We then went shopping together, before Daniel and I set off in the dinghy to go to L H Jones for some fuel and bits and pieces.
The rest of the morning watching England wickets fall in the 4th Test and seeing the new England Captain, Cowdrey (son of Colin), bowled out for a duck. A rendezvous at the old Welcome Cafe for lunch with the family and then a walk to the St Ivo centre to go swimming. We unfortunately managed to choose the one day in three months that the District Council Recreation Committee for St Ivo was meeting. I met Bertie James, local Councillor, in the High Street on the way there; Leisure & Amenity Chairman, Mrs Day, was in the pool and swam up to me for a chat, and another Councillor came up for a chat in the refreshment area. I was just a visitor! Back to the boat, more cricket on the TV, then we set off, stopping at L H Jones for water on the way. We cruised on up to Huntingdon by teatime and I did some fishing this evening, as the rain fell once more. Above 20 tiny Bleak was all I had to show for it. The main news stories include the scandal of 150 patients in Devon being given a 25% overdose of radio therapy, due to a technician’s miscalculation and machine being wrongly calibrated. The excess is not drastic, but an enquiry has been set up to look into the lack of safeguards. More fighting in the Gulf on the eve of the arrival of UN officials to supervise the ceasefire. Iraq takes a couple of villages from Iran in a jostling of position prior to hostilities being ceased. It seems that Iran had lost mountains of armour due to the total lack of ammunition in the face of international isolation. A car bomb kills 7 in the Syrian sector of the Lebanon. Two steps forward and one step back for Red Adair, as another fire is discovered under debris on the Piper Alpha oil platform. Negotiations on injury/death compensation is moving ahead more quickly than expected, as both sides express the wish to avoid lengthy litigation and the spectre of the ‘ambulance chasing’ US compensation lawyers. The Building Society figures show activity at record levels, with mortgages and investors deposits at all-time highs. Now the building societies are offering loans for all purposes, following changes in rules and further fuelling the consumer spending boom. Leon Brittan is confirmed as the new European Commissioner to replace Lord Cockfield. Stanley Clinton-Davis, the Labour Commissioner, has also been removed by Mrs Thatcher. US Presidential Candidate, Michael Dukakis, has won all the Democratic party support he needed to maximise his chances of election. The weather forecast is for more rain, wind and uncertainty.