Hurricane Hugo near peak intensity east of the Windward Islands on September 15
Hurricane Hugo near peak intensity east of the Windward Islands on September 15

Up early for once on a dry and surprisingly warm day to read my last daily FT and then off to buy swimming pool accessories in Melrose and on to get some toner cartridges re-charged in Cambridge and to buy two folding bikes for the boat. Home via the Little Chef for lunch and then to collect Debbie from Kimbolton to be taught how to exercise Sundance on a lunging rein.

Then a quick shave, change and off to The HDC Environmental Services Committee meeting. Where I had two items of my own on the agenda and then late home to bed. Ferranti are struggling after an unwise US takeover, Ford also interested in a 15 % share in the UK luxury carmaker Jaguar and Hurricane Hugo has left 25 dead and 100,000 homeless in Puerto Rico

A very busy day for which I tried to get up a little early and managed to have breakfast with the others for once. We had the Financial Times newspaper daily for the last time today (as we had ordered The Independent from tomorrow except Saturdays) and so I scanned this edition. Once everybody were ready we then set off out – the children to school and Diana and I to Cambridge. We meant to start the morning in Cambridge, but we had to call at a swimming pool accessories place in Melrose.

I managed to buy a replacement skimmer basket and also a range of one-and-a-half inch ID pressure pipe and fittings, which will enable me to plumb the backwash outlets of my pool and pond sand filters permanently to save the trouble of using hoses and raising manhole covers et cetera. This took some time and it was 10.45am by the time we arrived at the Gwinear Road in Cambridge, the address of the toner cartridge place. My photocopier and laser printer are both driven by toner cartridges that are normally discarded after a single use. This company takes them apart and replenishes them with even more and better powder at half the cost of the replacement. All part of the current fad for recycling as we try to do our bit! The trouble was they were out when we called and so we went off for a coffee nearby and we then drawn to ‘Mikes Bikes’, a bicycle shop, where we ordered two folding bicycles fold up to be carried in small bags. These would be of good use on our boat. All this meant we were too late for our shopping trip, so we came straight home, stopping at the Little Chef for lunch on the way.

This afternoon, I got out the Rolls-Royce and remove the spare wheel for servicing. Then off to Kimbolton to collect Debbie and on to Offord for her horse riding and lesson. She was taught how to exercise Sundance on a lunging rein, using the rein and whip to get Sundance used to going around in circles. We were so short of time catching him, grooming him and clearing the tack that I rushed home at 6pm for tea. Then a quick shave, change and off to The Huntingdonshire Environmental Services Committee meeting. I had two items of my own on the agenda and much else to contribute to and so could not afford to be late. The meeting when on until 10:30pm (from 7pm) and so I was not home until 11pm. Then I ate some fruit, had a milky drink and only then was I ready for bed.

The news on the industrial front centres on Ferranti, where the extent of 40 unprofitable contracts is now put at £150 million, leaving what the chairman is described as ‘a hole in the balance sheet’. They are now easy prey to a predator and fraud and criminal investigations are to take place at their newly-acquired US subsidiary, ISC. The Ford motor company are also interested in a 15 % share in the UK luxury carmaker Jaguar whose sales have been hit in the US. Hurricane Hugo has left 25 dead and 100,000 homeless in Puerto Rico. Tuesday was dry and surprisingly warm