This mad day started with a heart-to-heart talk with Diana brought to a head by her very tight chest with her bronchitis as we took the Range Rover for service. She is very unhappy with our marriage and public lifestyle tied down looking after me but is even less happy when I am away!
Then Mum arrived at the front door having persuaded some friends, an ambulance driver and her an intensive-care nurse, to bring her over from Stanton to visit Dad's grave. I drove Di hurriedly into St Neots to get some ingredients for a sandwich and cake lunch! I then had a visit from two young boys from Mr Burgess's class at Little Paxton School who wanted advice with their litter project and then I rushed in to get quickly washed, shaved and changed ready to dash off to Southoe for a Parish Meeting.
The DTI has come in for criticism for its handling of the House of Fraser takeover by the Fayed brothers in 1985, Nato chiefs have agreed to start making armed force reductions because of detente and Gorbachev has agreed to hold a nationwide referendum on The Soviet Union becoming a market economy
Had a little trouble getting comfortable last night. Diana has a very tight chest with her bronchitis which is upsetting her and I could not get my temperature right after my time in the open air. I sat in bed for a while but then got up as I had a lot of gardening to do today. First, after breakfast I stayed in my office until Di was ready, and then we had to take the Range Rover to Sawtry to have a major service and overhaul. It was nearly 10.00am before we got there after Diana had been delayed. On the way back, I tackled Di about her latest depression and weight problems, and she ended in tears rather than really open out to me about what the real problems are. She says that she does not like being married to me or the rather too-public life that we lead, that she does not like me being at home under her feet, that she cannot do anything that she wants to do and is tied down looking after me all the time. I pointed out that she should therefore be happier when I make my trips away, but she seemed to have even more problems then. She then said that she does not know what the problem is, and I gave up.
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Once home, I got her some coffee and a biscuit and then said I would try to get my own refreshments and meals during the day so that she could get on with her projects such as decorating the house. I was then out cleaning the pool filters prior to mowing the lawns (with Diana recovering by doing some ironing as therapy) when, of all people, my Mum arrived at the front door having persuaded some friends to bring her over from Stanton to visit Dad's grave! I had to receive them in, put my pond filter back together, and break the news to Di all in short order. We served them some coffee and biscuits, chatted to them for a while, and then they went off to the cemetery whilst I drove Di hurriedly into St Neots to get some ingredients for a sandwich and cake lunch. On their return, we served the food by the river so that they could enjoy the sunny day as a compensation for driving Mum all the way over here. Clive and his wife are a nice couple. He is an ambulance driver and her an intensive-care nurse. We welcomed his idea to present a cup to the Ambulance Preservation Society (which he organises) in memory of Dad to be awarded each year to the best-preserved historic ambulance. They stayed and met Daniel and Della, but I had to carry on mowing the lawns to get them done regardless of their visit. I also had a visit from two young boys from Mr Burgess's class at Little Paxton School who wanted advice with their litter project. Luckily, I had Hilary Knightley in the back garden bringing her children for their regular Wednesday swimming session and I marched them round there and she told them all about litter and what they could do. I said that if they did a good litter-clearing project, they could come and swim in my pool afterwards as a reward. I worked on in the garden through what is normally tea-time, mowing and edging each of the lawns in turn using the three lawn mowers and two types of edging shears. At about 7.25pm, I rushed in to get quickly washed, shaved and changed ready to dash off to Southoe for a Parish Meeting, when I found that there was no car for me to use. With the Range Rover being serviced, Daniel out in the Escort and Diana taking the Rolls Royce to Ernulf for Della's swimming lesson, I had to call a Taxi urgently. I was still at Southoe Village hall at about 7.42pm which was not bad considering I was still gardening at 7.23pm! A rather dull meeting and then home to water my deserted conservatory plants and feed the fish before catching up on these last three days' journal. The Department of Trade and Industry has come in for criticism for its handling of the House of Fraser takeover by the Fayed brothers in 1985. The House of Commons all-party Trade and Industry Select Committee are very scathing about their efficiency and concern. A bad day for its Minister, Nicholas Ridley, as another big city row followed the release today of a Monopolies Commission report one day early that had some market makers gaining and some losing money. HMSO had put the report on sale a day early before shareholders and the City had been told that Woolworth's parent, Kingfisher, was not going to be allowed to take over the Dixons group. Nato chiefs have agreed to start making armed force reductions because of detente and Gorbachev has agreed to hold a nationwide referendum on whether the country should switch from a centrally-planned to a market economy. This will be the biggest test yet of his public support which has been waning domestically.