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Better news as a call from Mum found her in a better state and one from Jim Cole of the NYA revealed that my offer of £52,500 was accepted for our new boat. I spent all day preparing and personalising my Christmas Cards and then dealing with some Paxton Ward issues as Diana delivered them.
Home Secretary Douglas Hurd acted to quell the Tory rebellion over Hong Kong emigration and the sad news of the death of Dr Andre Sakharov a well-respected Soviet moral giant of a man and scourge of the establishment has died of a ‘heart attack’ which I prayed was the truth
I slept much better last night and found that I was earlier than the rest of the family this morning to breakfast. I had a call from Mum this morning to say that she was all right after I had picked up the phone and we made up a little and I told about our trip to Norfolk tomorrow. I also had a call from Jim Cole of the Norfolk Yacht Agency at Brundall to say that my offer of £52,500 had been accepted for the boat and that tomorrow was okay for a trial run.
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Snow had been falling in Northern England and been moving southwards, but I enjoyed a sound sleep at home as the rain poured down lay in as Debbie was at home ill all day, being sick, and only Della was going to school. Then the day sorting out my Christmas Card list when I heard the good news that the Norfolk boat that interests me has a lower air draft than thought making it an ideal next choice for us.
A couple of frustrated calls from Mum over administration delays but I attended a very smoky Liberal Democrats meeting this evening which went on for far too long. The Ambulance talks break down so that the dispute will carry on over Christmas. The cruelty of the first forced repatriation of the Vietnamese boat people still rankles but new Tory MPs are upset by the 140,000 Hong Kong people being given right of emigration to the UK
We were later to bed, but I had a good night’s sleep as the rain poured down, many inches of it. We had a lay in this morning as only Della was going to school. A day of work at home, reading mail, answering correspondence and getting my Christmas Card list sorted out. By the end of the day, I had produced about 20 of them, printing them on my laser printer. I had great news this morning from the Norfolk Yacht Agency who revealed that the new boat has only a 7’10” air draft (bridge clearance) which would allow it to cruise all over the Great Ouse and under its fixed bridges as well as the important ones in Norfolk.
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Our visit to Mum in Stanton today coincided with the visits of the district nurse and home help, Doris, so Daniel and I just had 15mins to see her before I had to take him on to his UEA university visit which gave him a good impression.
I drove on to Heronshaw at Horning to check on my new place and then to Brundall to view our possible next boat if its bridge clearance would suit it to the Great Ouse. Home in the rain and dark, with snow and sleet forecast, to find Debbie with the ‘flu as I started my Christmas Card campaign.
An IRA attack on a NI checkpoint kills two soldiers and maimed another and the Vietnamese boat people campaign against being repatriated from Hong Kong. Opinion polls show Labour well in the lead over the Tories
This was a long day, which I started in the normal way but, after breakfast, we loaded up the Range Rover with some things and set off eastwards. We arrived Mum’s house in Stanton for a visit but found the district nurse just giving mum her first bath since coming home. Then home help, Doris, arrived and. by the time I’d finished making the drinks. Daniel and I only had quarter of an hour before it was time to leave. The rest of the journey then to Norwich, where I dropped Daniel off his interview with the University of East Anglia. A large but mature campus but he feels that it looks a good place to work and study.
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After an incomplete night’s sleep, and a simple breakfast, I joined Diana for some Christmas shopping in Cambridge when we met Di’s parents for coffee as well. Lunch at the Greek bistro restaurant, which we enjoyed and then home quite weary to watch some televised rugby and the local news.
A backbench Tory revolt has made Cambridge county council and ruled out the Tory plan to discontinue the school meals service and the national government is under attack for failing to offer safety for Vietnamese refugees
I still did not get a complete night sleep, but it was better than of late. I had breakfast of a single croissant and then, once the children had gone to school, Diana took me off to Cambridge for some Christmas shopping. The A45 roadworks delayed us again and then we had to queue to get into the round church car park. At least Di’s parents were late to arrive to and so we sat with them chatting and drinking coffee until 11 AM. The presents we then bought included a large bottle of dear SMO perfume for Diana, a new Archimedes microcomputer (£1000 worth) for Daniel and prayer books and other books for my God children Kate and Ashley Smith.
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