Creation of The Hayling View riverside mansion
Creation of The Hayling View riverside mansion

Year of enjoying my ‘retirement’ from the computer industry developing my Hayling View into a wonderful riverside mansion and helping to nurture our children who are growing up in this troubled world and our parents who are suffering in their later years of it. The Band-Aid Ethiopian appeal was a positive highlight in a year when the USSR and USA struggled to agree nuclear arms control and the oppressive regime in South Africa is weakening but yet to be reformed. In 1986, we look forward to more cruising on The Lady and socialising at The Hayling View

And so ends December and with it 1985. We have now occupied and finished 80% of ‘The Hayling View’ in its new form and are enjoying the new facilities and furnishings. There are teething problems – both of equipment and use – but it is a magnificent home. In particular, the heating controls have still to be de-bugged and we are still a little unsure about our rules on smoking and pointed heels, especially as visitors are rather overawed by the changes and it’s difficult to get a congenial atmosphere. My alarm system is going in with great complexity and a fair amount of effort, but it is a great hobby of mine for now. Diana is less sure of it and sees it as 10 different ways of frightening us to death by possible false alarms! Still, the exit/entry and fire circuits are complete and personal attack buttons come next. Outside, Bill’s old plot is now largely cleared, keeping Pete in some work for the winter and I need to decide on the workshop location exactly and plans for the excavated earth, because the swimming pool contractors are due to start at the end of the month. The builders will return next week to knock a few more walls down, turn the staircase round, and make the upper bathroom en-suite to our future bedroom.

The family are reasonably fine; my sore back is healed and exercises forgotten for the moment, but Di still suffers with her contact lenses and eyesight, now that she has lost weight, and we must get her along to opticians/doctors soon. The girls have minor coughs and colds and are OK, but need a bit more attention when we can wrench ourselves away from house improvements. Daniel had an encouraging end of term report, which showed that he is trying harder and has the ability to do well. Maths and physics seem to be his strong points. Meanwhile, he is socially well adjusted and is always hosting his friends on enjoyable playing sessions, even if he is a bit short and casual with us all at times. My parents are struggling on. Mum still takes her immobility and painful hip hard, but they are pledged to make the best of it for the New Year, after two injections. My sister and family are in flux and moving house, for what reason I am not sure, and I have lost some patience with them over it. Di’s people are all well and remarkably fit. My industry work is all but finished. Just an occasional engagement and committee and the journalists rarely contact me anymore. I have also stopped going to the trade shows and so am probably not part of the community any more. Britain continues its economic course under Margaret Thatcher’s government. Two nations divided between North/South; poor/prosperous, industrial/service sectors, with no hope of reducing unemployment. Internationally, conflict continues over Ireland, Middle East, Africa and Central Europe and there are always wars – even if the style of the 1980s is of a guerrilla and terrorist variety, taking hostages and trying to persuade authorities by violent means, rather than the regimented approach of earlier this century. Europe grows, with the addition to the EEC of Spain and Portugal tomorrow, but it is still far from the union of its founding members, with the so called ‘common’ market fragmented and ridden with trade barriers. The two most significant events of 1985 were probably firstly the Bandaid Ethiopian famine appeal, which showed that people can be mobilised to the common social good if motivated and organised, in spite of the self-centred philosophy of right wing politicians. It also showed the power in the 1980s of television bringing the full horror of famine to the West.  Secondly, the US/USSR dialogue and its personalised good will of the Reagan/Gorbachev summit (probably should be called the Gorbachev/Reagan summit) where, by fireside meetings, the East/West leaders showed that there was an alternative to what Lord Carrington called ‘megaphone diplomacy, ie shouting at one another. Whether this will be built on remains to be seen. On the positive side, the leaders will address one another’s nations by television shortly (another indication by inference of the power of this media) but on the negative side, they are increasingly falling out over test-ban policy, with the Americans this time cast in the role of the war-mongers and villains now that the Russians have finished their last test series. Surely they are right about keeping nuclear weapons out of space, but their remonstrations seem to be falling on deaf ears. Thus we seem certain to be stuck with these nuclear cruise missiles at Molesworth near to where we live, which is a worry. And so to look forward to 1986, where I resolve to complete the improvements to the Hayling View house and gardens, spend more time on leisure and hobby pursuits, perhaps even resuming fishing, radio control etc, have more trips out with Diana and social occasions in order to relax away from the children and meet and make more friends, but also to spend time with each of the children as they struggle to obtain maturity and balance in this troubled age whilst growing up. Of course to visit and receive relatives and friends to our house and gardens and spend a fair amount of time on The Lady. As far as public service is concerned, the computer industry will learn to live without me and, unless there is an approach from the SDP for office, I am not actively looking for a career in politics at this stage.