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A slow start after an unsettled night and then to work at my desk this morning before taking Di to see Della’s Christmas play at Little Paxton school this afternoon. To Southoe this evening for some visits and then to Huntingdon for a committee meeting this evening. The government forcefully repatriated the first 62 Vietnamese boat people from Hong Kong, war widows eventually get a further £40 a week and the flu epidemic is causing fatalities.
Another unsettled night, missing hours of sleep due to not getting comfortable. I laid in a bit this morning and had to join the family for breakfast in my pyjamas. This morning, Di went shopping and went to do our chores and I worked at my desk. I sorted out more papers, then some photo calls were made, and I decided to copy my SLD Focus files and send diskettes to other computerised SLD activists. I just about completed five copies by lunchtime. I had a salad and then I took Di to Little Paxton School to see Della’s Christmas play. Della performed her part quite well, the sound backing and costumes were very good, but the singing and activity left a little bit to be desired. They are more perfectionist at Kimbolton. I filmed the entire presentation, which took two small video cartridges and, when we played them back this evening, the films seem to come out all right.
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A restful family morning tending the ducks and doves, feeding the Koi and then phoning mum to ensure she was okay before visiting dad’s grave in the cemetery to check his flowers. Home for a nice lunch of roast lamb and then to play with the Commodore computer the children this afternoon until back to work this evening catching up with filing and my financial affairs.
The new Czechoslovakian government consisting of a majority of non-Communist’s has been sworn in as Alexander Dubcek stands in the wings. Mikhail Gorbachev has said that his Russian Communist Party must reform or lose power and in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, 60,000 people have been on the streets calling for reform
Another restless night but I got to sleep once the room temperatures had been correctly adjusted. Then I was awoken at 1.50am by some youths running home. This morning, I laid in a while but then so did most of the family. Fried breakfast was at 9am and, by the time I tended the doves and ducks and fed the Koi, it was 10am. I worked at my desk for most of the day. This morning, I phoned Mum, brought in the Christmas tree and then went up to the cemetery to check the flowers on Dad’s grave. They had kept well and Joan and Pete have added a couple of chrysanthemums. I just took off some paper and cellophane from those flowers that were getting too much condensation.
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After a morning working hard in my office on all manner of council and private business, and lunch with the family, and collecting Debbie from horse riding on a very foggy day and took her with me to Stanton to visit Mum where they played a good game of Scrabble as I tended to a few things to help.
Doris, her home help, popped in and we agreed that mum would now be all right. Thatcher was outvoted 11 to 1 on the Social Charter and during a special conference on Monetary Union at the EEC summit, and the others are going ahead regardless
After a fair night’s sleep before and after which I spoke to Mum on the telephone. Today, I was due to visit her but she was doing much better this morning and so I got on with some paperwork. My word processor was busy all morning on all manner of council and private business. I had lunch with the family but I reduced the amount on my plate. Di seems to feed me up in the mistaken belief that it makes her own indiscretions less noticeable. I took off after this, collecting Debbie from the riding school route and was a little late getting to Mum’s house Stanton at 2:30pm.
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I stayed at home on a reasonably mild day today rather than going to buy a Christmas tree with Diana in Bedford so as to be available to reassure and help Mum by telephone on her first day at home but she was eventually settled down by her home help Doris and the district nurse organiser visiting and by Marie bringing a meal from next door.
Some time catching up on council casework and voluntary endeavours before putting up the Christmas lights later. Daniel is pleased at the end of school term coming but the girls both have colds. Thatcher is isolated in Europe over monetary union and the social charter but the peaceful democratic revolutions in East Germany and Czechoslovakia continue apace.
I slept well enough and was up on time. Diana went to Bedford this morning, shopping, and was due to buy a Christmas tree. I decided not to go out as I had a mountain of work to do and I wanted to be available if Mum phoned. It was as well that I did as she called in a right state upset about being in a mess, missing things and, in all probability, grieving and lonely on her first morning waking up alone. I settled her down and then Doris, the home help, arrived there and reassured her. She had a visit from the district nurse organiser and had a meal brought in by Marie next door. I called again twice later, and she was all right.
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