After a poor and expensive stay at The Swiss Cottage Holiday Inn, a trip to the London Water Centre on a much cooler day and then home to arrive after Daniel had left.
Ted Heath got to Iraq in the end and met Hussein and is hopeful of bringing out all 52 elderly and infirm Britons who are held there.
We were rudely awaken this morning at 7.30am by a hotel staff member knocking loudly on our door by mistake and this was annoying as it had taken so long for us to get to sleep in the first place. As we went down to breakfast, I complained to the front desk but whether they found the culprit or not I do not know. Our breakfast was passable. We were away from smokers this time, but the coffee was cold, and we had to get it replaced. We packed up afterwards and checked out of the hotel and I was shocked to find that our bill came to over £700! Diana had not checked on the room rates or anything and all of the meals were extra with not even breakfast included. It would not be so bad but the standards were not particularly good either. I shall not want to go back there again.
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We left Swiss Cottage and, against my better judgement, drove south and east across London to get to Dartford where the girls wanted to go to a special water centre. It was by recommendation of Daniel and, once we had made the journey, the family were pleased with the place and enjoyed it thoroughly. We stayed through lunch and left in mid-afternoon with the girls swimming and me sitting and reading the newspaper. The journey home was of some 70 miles or so but quite quick with the M11 and so we were home in time for tea. Daniel had been home this weekend, but we had missed him and he was already on his way back to Norwich by the time we had arrived. We had telephoned him a couple of times, however, before he went which is one of the advantages of having a car telephone.
This evening, after tea at home, I stayed in the lounge as the girls watched the TV and managed to beat the chess computer both times by using a combination of my wits and its advice facility; but this is still only with it playing at level zero skill! I swapped to my office then to make some telephone calls chasing up the forthcoming week's activity and then updated my journal for the last few days. It seems Ted Heath got to Iraq in the end and met Hussein and is hopeful of bringing out all 52 elderly and infirm Britons who are held there. If he does then it will be one in the eye for Thatcher. Today was much cooler and I was pleased to have my new coat.