A good day for the plasterer, plumber and decorator building and for me catching up on work in my news office and then being pleased with Daniel’s progress with his Physics studies as MP’s criticise the care regime that led to the tragic death of Jasmine Beckford. In South Africa, 50,000 mourners were joined by Western Ambassadors and back home, 750 Westland Helicopter workers are made redundant
A very much better night’s sleep and rather reluctantly awake to my morning tea. Up, washed, dressed and to prepare the link building for the builders tomorrow, until breakfast called. This morning the plasterer was back and the plumber and decorator were here as well. I settled to some office work, sorting out my papers some more, reconciling my bank and building society statements and generally tackling a backlog of paperwork. Now that my office is reinstalled in a warm room, not plagued with damp and cold, I am quite content to do the work again. Diana went out with Della to Bedford this morning, catching up with her Christmas shopping, and I felt a bit deserted. I used the time also to plan the next four days, now that I am due to be in Leeds for a BMMG meeting at Systime on Thursday and in Surrey for Jarogate’s factory opening on Friday. Di back for a late lunch, but we were not able to use the kitchen due to a builder grouting the new tiles at one end and the decorator working at the other. The doves fed well today, but struggled to keep on their feet in the strong and gusty wind, but the weather is still very mild for the time of year. The gardener fed the ducks this morning, as I forgot to get them in last night and they always pester him when that happens.
More paperwork this afternoon until 3.15pm, when I went into St Neots to complete some financial transactions between bank and building society and also post some letters. Home by dark and, after checking on the builder’s progress, out to the ducks and doves and to see the way that Pete is managing to clear the new riverside plot and open up the river view from our house. I will have to get in contact with Bill before Christmas, as it has been bad that I have not sent him the history cassette. Tonight I cleared up the link building, hoovered and then tested Daniel on his physics revision. He did very well and is taking a real interest in the subject. All in all he is showing a lot more application and responsibility in his school work and I hope his results and reports show it. Today the plasterers applied the surface layer to the utility room and the builders tiled the corner and the plumber ran the pipes to install the boiler tomorrow. Upstairs the link building is now completely rendered with only the skin to go on and, with the kitchen now tiled, attention is now fully on the Bloomsbury pattern in the shower room. Much less dust tonight with the wet plaster and the hoovers now working effectively. Our air fresheners also seem to help. News tonight of the probability of changes to the child care laws after a report criticises all parties for the death of Jasmine Beckford. The Commons debate today saw a large number of MP's horrified by the ‘predictability and probability’ of the girl’s death, given the lack of coordination. 50,000 mourners were at a mass South African funeral today, accompanied by diplomats from all western nations and the wife of Nelson Mandela, who risked a banning order to be there. Helen Suzman, the veteran Progressive Party MP, came forward to speak out against the emergency regulations. The ANC flags were in evidence. The EEC Heads of Government meeting ended today without any progress on removing the national barriers within the community. More verbal battles over the C of E report on inner cities, with a counter attack by its supporters over the disgraceful attempts by government ministers to ‘rubbish & smear’ the report before reading it. Westland Helicopters is making 750 employees redundant (1 in 10 of the workforce) because of lack of orders.