Demonstration in front of Magyar Televízió Hungarian TV headquarters in 1989
Demonstration in front of Magyar Televízió Hungarian TV headquarters in 1989

An early morning planning in vain to get Debbie early to her horse riding in damp and cold weather and then more success exchanging my Rolls-Royce wheel for a trial run. We visited dad in Addenbrookes again this afternoon who looked a little tired.

This evening to the the KSSC AGM/parents evening where I was elected as a committee member when we had really attended on the chance of seeing our children’s teachers.

The Congress of the Hungarian Party votes to give up communism and Gorbachev is in East Germany urging reform.

I retired to bed at 11pm last night, but I was surprisingly restless during the night until we laid in a little until 7am. Then Di jumped up in a panic, so as to get Debbie to her horse riding early. In the event, the fellow rider did not wait for her and so it was all in vain anyway. This morning, I worked on the Rolls-Royce; put the repaired tyre back on the car and the refurbished wheel back into the carrier.

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I then took it for a drive to Buckden roundabout back to give it a run but also to fill up with petrol so that the cold and damp weather would not lead to rust and condensation in the tank. After lunch, all of us (except Debbie) set off for Addenbrookes to see my Dad. He had been moved into another room and was looking a bit tired when we saw him. However, he had just had his ear dressed and was dozing off when we arrived.

This evening, Di and I went to the KSSC AGM/parents evening. The main aim was that we could meet Daniel’s chemistry and housemaster’s and Debbie’s form and music teachers. The main happening however was the election of the committee members. I had been approached by the Bursar to stand but the arrangements for nomination had fallen through there were four candidates for four places. However, with me, that made five and so new ballot forms were needed and proceedings delayed. Then I was elected with three of the others because, I think, the fourth was not there in person to be introduced.

We stayed on until 10 PM chatting to Mr Stratford about writing history books (he’s doing one on Kimbolton), Mr Brophy on computer labs (they are just equipping one), and then Terry Hayward, the bursar. He must defend his Buckden HDC seat next May and I have seeded in his mind the idea of standing as an Independent, rather than a Conservative, in which case we might not oppose him.

The big news is from Eastern Europe. The Congress of the Hungarian Party votes to give up communism, would you believe, and Gorbachev is in East Germany urging reform. They have plenty of economic problems to deal with.