The US steps up its ground troops in The Gulf by 100000 men to make a total of 300000
The US steps up its ground troops in The Gulf by 100000 men to make a total of 300000

A day attending to my Council and Heronshaw chores and administration delays the start of my Heronshaw trip but I manage to take the Ercol refectory table and arrive tired in the evening.

Thatcher grudgingly acknowledges Ted Heath's successful humanitarian visit to Iraq, the Anglo-Irish talks founder as Dublin faces domestic issues, Asda Nasir’s Polly Peck goes into administration and the U.S. steps up its ground troops in The Gulf by 100,000 men to make a total of 300,000.

Another fresh morning but the sun was shining, and the garden was looking very nice as I went out to feed the doves. I have put a de-humidifier in the inner garage to protect my classic cars and emptying it daily gives me another chore as well as tending my filters and fish every morning. I was tied to my desk to begin with, answering important correspondence and preparing the Liberal Democrat motions and questions for the next HDC Council meeting. My plans to leave for Norfolk by lunchtime were thus delayed. I therefore had an opportunity to go out and deliver my correspondence and motions and also to take a lot of scrap down to the tip in St Neots.

I subsequently drove from Horning to Heronshaw after tea once it had become dusk and the roads were therefore not too congested as a result. I had managed to get the long Ercol refectory table into the Range Rover (which was quite an achievement), but I was less sure how I was going to get it out at the other end. I also took the seats for Daniel's speedboat for him to work on. I arrived quite late and simply unloaded my clothes and food, made myself a hot chocolate and went to bed very tired.

The news today is of the grudging acknowledgement by Thatcher in the House of Commons of Ted Heath's successful humanitarian visit to Iraq; but Douglas Hurd meets and de-briefs him upon his return. The Anglo-Irish talks founder after the Dublin government becomes pre-occupied with a domestic political crisis that could unseat Charles Haughey's government. Polly Peck, the former FT100 company of Turkish Cypriot, Asda Nasir, has finally foundered and gone into "administration" and all seems lost. The U.S. steps up its commitment to provide ground troops in The Gulf by 100,000 men to make a total of 300,000.