A nice breakfast cooked by Di his morning after an unsettled night and then I worked outside first thing this morning on the boats and animals and inside on my paperwork and Christmas Cards before we joined Di’s family at Bar Hill for her Uncle John’s 70th birthday lunch buffet. Some time perusing Democrat diskettes from Roman and then some sports and nature programmes on television.
Tragic news of the death of six fishermen on fishing boat Destiny off Gourock in the Firth of Clyde in foul weather when trying to catch prawns prior to Christmas
I was awake long before Di this morning who had resorted to the spare bedroom during the night suffering from a coughing attack. I took her morning coffee after doing the outstanding washing up as the kettle boiled. She did not thank me for it saying that she would prefer to have had the lay in! Deborah had been up even earlier than me and so I gave her a drink, went and showered, shaved and dressed, then sat in my office and read until breakfast time. Diana cooked a nice fried breakfast for us. Daniel had to be pressed to go out and washed the Range Rover afterwards.
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It was a very windy morning and I was not too keen to go out either, but I had a couple of jobs to do to the boat and animals. By 11am, I had worked a little in my office, clearing outstanding mail, filing and then returning some Christmas Card greetings. Funny that, however many cards you send, you always get some from people that you have forgotten! By 11:30am, we had locked up and alarmed the house and had started off for Bar Hill for lunch buffet to celebrate John Jackson’s 70th birthday. As well as her uncle, there were many of Diana’s other close relatives there who I find a bit affected and boring, but I tolerate them and nobody would know! Back in mid-afternoon and then I entered a rather lazy period. Some of the time I was decoding a batch of Democrat focus diskettes sent by Roman Zneck of Cambridge in response to those that I’d send him, but most of the time I was relaxing and watching sport and nature programmes on the television. Later, I caught up on today’s Journal before bed.
The gales have led to the deaths of a boat crew of fishermen – the six are missing and feared trapped in their boat – the Destiny*. Many coastal areas were flooded around the south and west. A family amongst those repatriated to Vietnam last Tuesday night had accused the authorities of violence and threats.
* This was the deaths of six friends Brian Garrity, of Kintyre Avenue; his brother Edward, of Berwick Crescent; Gordon Spence, 26, of Wilson Avenue; Jim Tutty, 28, of Pentland Avenue; Stuart Lindsay, 39, of Blackwood Avenue and skipper William Irvine, 38, from Gourock who perished when their fishing boat Destiny sank in ferocious weather in the Firth of Clyde. Eventually police divers followed an oil spill and discovered the boat in 120 feet deep water less than a quarter of a mile from the safety of Gourock pier.