- Details
The new gardener Mr Tee starts and the electrician commissions my office downlights as Diana had Chrisula to visit with her three girls. Sally and Michael arrived to start on their FOCUS copy and they were here all afternoon. Rather tired, I worked on my investments and journal in the evening as Debbie had quite a bit of work to do after just starting in Kimbolton main school but Daniel seemed more preoccupied with his car again
I had started my sleep rather late last night and I was still very tired when I was woken with my morning drink. I was the last down to breakfast and was still in the midst of my chores when Mr Tee, our new gardener, called to start working at 8:30am. I showed him around the gardens and went over the tools and machines and then left him to get on with it as the electrician was next to arrive at 8:45am. He set to work in my office, commissioning the floor space heater and then continuing by installing the downlights in my office architrave which took him until lunch.
** "Read More" BELOW for the complete story **
- Details
It was quite chilly with a heavy dew this morning but became quite sunny and warm again as the day went on as we first went across the dyke in The Jolly for a fine English breakfast in The Swan and then a look around the shops before cruising along the Horning waterfront and looking at the riverside thatched bungalow designs.
The day working on my old thatched garage walls and replacing the rotten woodwork just stopping for a sandwich lunch looking over the dyke to see an old boy fishing and two cock coots fighting over a hen. Home to find Daniel had looked after his sisters well and then typing up this last couple of days’ journal entries before bed.
The Gulf situation seem to have started to deteriorate with Thatcher planning to send British armour to the area in what I take as her opening gambit for the forthcoming election campaign
I was keen to get on, but Diana persuaded me that we should take The Jolly across to the Swan for a nice English breakfast and so we had to take time out accordingly. The engine started all right in the boathouse, and we were soon over there moored up. The Swan was very quiet as well with only four or five rooms occupied and plenty of capacity to serve ‘walk-in’ breakfast to non-residents. In fact, we had four large rashers of bacon as well as the sausage, egg, mushrooms, fried bread and tomato all accompanied by toast and coffee. We took a little look around the shops, me buying a morning paper and Di some provisions and a half-dozen pansies to put in one of the Heronshaw tubs. We met Dolly Edwards, busy doing her own shopping, and again the shops were as quiet as the other places. We extended our return across the river by cruising along the Horning riverfront to look at the thatched bungalow designs and then hurried back, changed and got down to work.
** "Read More" BELOW for the complete story **
- Details
I was up early as usual doing my chores but Diana accompanied me for this latest trip to Norfolk and delayed me with refreshment and shopping stops so that we encountered more traffic than usual and was late to see our architects in Coltishall about the future of Heronshaw. We accepted their advice that Heronshaw needed to be demolished and rebuilt. We arrived at Ropes Hill Dyke during road maintenance work but managed to get parked up after which I worked on repairing the garage as Di shampooed the carpets. A fantastic seafood meal in the Wroxham Bridge Restaurant this evening, which left us full even after an evening walk. With everyone’s children having to go back to school, it is startling to witness just how quickly the ‘Capital of the Broads’ quietness down.
I arranged to take Diana with me on my latest trip to Norfolk, but I still got up at 7.00am and did my chores as usual. I gave the fish and doves plenty of food and the plants plenty of water as I was planning to be away overnight. I loaded up the Range Rover with a full range of tools as well as our personal things together with a host of furnishings that Diana turned out of the house for me to take to Heronshaw. Once Di had taken Della to school, we could set off but we had to soon return when she had found that she had forgotten her contact lens things. Being later than I usually go, the roads were full of cars and lorries and it was quite a slow journey and was made slower still by our stopping twice – once for ‘elevenses’ and again at the garage where Di loitered to buy some provisions and then presents for the children.
** "Read More" BELOW for the complete story **
- Details
With Daniel tired after a late night and Debbie happily off to school on the bus, I could just do my conservatory and garden chores, undertake telephone calls and do administration on my financial affairs and book sales. I arranged to host a dinner party fpr later in the month and then went to St. Neots in late afternoon to do some payments and transfers, post my letters and got some stamps and a few items of office equipment that I was needing.
This evening to Kimbolton School for a meeting of the Kimbolton School Society Committee, which went on quite late. President Samual Doe of Liberia was captured, injured and killed by torture after his visit to the West African Peacekeeping HQ was overwhelmed by rebels, Bush is home in the US with glowing reports of his meeting with Gorbachev and the number of refugees leaving Jordan now exceeds the flood coming in from Iraqi and Kuwait. Irishman Keenan, a former Lebanese hostage, has spoken of seeing British hostage, Terry Waite.
Daniel had stayed out late last night to watch his friends bowling etc. and was paying for his intemperance this morning; being very tired and crotchety when called for breakfast. The rest of us were up and about and Debbie was again got off to school without a fuss. I managed my conservatory and garden chores and Daniel had mowed the games lawn yesterday and so it was looking very nice for a change. I made a start updating this last couple of days’ journal and then made some telephone calls and undertook administration on my financial affairs and book sales. I dealt with the most urgent outstanding matters and also arranged a dinner party for later in the month, which is a small effort to return the very many social events that we get invited to and take advantage of.
** "Read More" BELOW for the complete story **