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Working in with the builders to maintain progress on a milder day before driving off to Bedford to see Debbie’s swimming display as controversy follows the awarding of damages to both the raped and rapist in high court decisions
Slept well, but still tired in the morning and wanted to go back to sleep. Up eventually and the last one to breakfast. One slice of toast & marmalade, as Daniel had two, plus a large bowl of corn flakes! It seems I am an old man of spreading proportions and he is a ‘growing lad’. Showered, shaved, but not ready by the time the decorator arrived. I left him to roll certain of the floor mats up and the rest stayed down for the day. When ready, the rest of the builders arrived and wanted to take the kitchen-to-hall door off its hinges. There being no carpenter (and my being concerned that there was not secured outside doors to the utility room and hall), I decided to help them and we put an old door in the frame of the utility room with nails and battens and then I spent a couple of hours making a beautiful job of fitting the new door to the hall myself. I also added a couple of security bolts for good measure. The washing machine gave up last night and would not empty satisfactorily, as the pump is either faulty or blocked.
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A quieter recover fay liaising with the builders this morning and then driving to Cambridge for some shopping and lunch at The Copper Kettle before coming home with a Christmas Tree and decorating it in our new lounge. This as the OPEC cartel’s decision to mirror North Sea Oil prices hits Sterling and the Westland helicopter company goes into administration but Thatcher refuses to lower interest rates and even threatens the Old Age Fuel Relief despite concerns for their safety. Concerns with regard to human rights in The Soviet Union and South Africa
Sound asleep until my morning drink and then groggy after last night’s excesses. Slowly to the bath and to get ready, but far too slow and the builders and decorators were with us before I was ready again. Breakfast and then to watch the plumber connect up a new radiator in the link building. Cheeseborough arrived and told me of his plans. His carpenter is still off sick with his bad back and so we will have to make do without him. Cheeseborough will fit some temporary doors to each end of the link downstairs, Evans will assist with putting in the door casing to the kitchen door and plastering around it after. The builder, John, will make good the floor and we still intend to be ready for the vinyl on Thursday/Friday. This agreed, I quickly fed the doves and then took off with Diana for a day’s shopping in Cambridge. We drove first to St Neots and, with Di waiting with Della in the car, I popped along to Brittains to take in Daniel’s curtain for alteration, to St Neots Carpet Co. to confirm the vinyl for Thursday/Friday and put off the carpet for the baby’s bedroom until later, and then to the Gateway Building Society to withdraw £100 in cash for our shopping needs.
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Important and active day of monitoring the building work in the morning and then travelling to The House of Commons for PITCOM Council and Member’s Meetings before a following reception and dinner at The Royal Horseguards Hotel and much interesting conversation with Michael Marshall MP and Wilf Robinson of Ferranti whose thoughts were very illuminating. This as the former President of Argentina, General Jorge Videla and four other former military rulers were convicted of responsibility for human rights violations and responsibility of ‘The Disappeared Ones’
I slept well and was awake early for my morning tea. A finer day, after the recent rain, but becoming chillier. Rather slow to wash, shave and dress and the decorator and plumber arrived before I was ready. I finished off preparing the house for them and then went out to the doves and ducks to feed them both. Again no eggs. Then to my office and some time updating my financial and investment records and reconciling my bank and building society balances. Fortunately my previous plans meant that both accounts were in funds. Then to make out and place my order for security alarm equipment and accessories – it came to £600-odd, which is a lot, but will give Daniel and I a fair project over Christmas to install. Diana returned from the shops for a meat roll lunch and then I did a bit more office work and liaised with the plumber. Today the plumber fitted thermostatic valves to all of the radiators in the older half of the house and also the hot water tank. Tomorrow he must add the two new radiators and then connect up the boiler. The decorator was working in the link building and passageways, filling and painting the woodwork to be ready for the wallpapers to arrive on Wednesday. Outside, the carpenter being still off with his bad back, Mr Cheeseborough and another builder floored the two main balconies and thus sealed in the roof of the link building. The contractors who put on the roofing and tiles will soon be in contact to finish them off. By mid-afternoon it was time for me to do a few chores before leaving for London.
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A relaxed start to the day catching up on reading and love-making before up and out to do some garden and security planning before hosting a fine Sunday lunch and trying out our new dishwasher as The Labour Party works on reforming its Liverpool Militant Tendency and bombs and mines kill South African and Ulster policemen and people
A lay in this morning after a succession of late nights and caught Diana before she could leave the bed to make the morning drinks. She was staying there hoping I would make them, but was only made love to for her pains, which was not in her mind at all! Time to catch up on yesterday’s journal and then to read a boating magazine before my customary fried breakfast. I lit the log fire to keep the lounge warm for the day. A long time in the old lounge and in front of my fire reading today’s Sunday Times. I enjoyed it, but wonder whether I ought not to cancel it in favour of the Observer. Since becoming part of that Australian Maxwell’s publishing empire it has become more right wing in political posture and sensationalist in character. Diana was not too happy at my occupation of the bed and so at 10.30am I washed, dressed and showered and went out to feed the doves. They ate two whole handfuls of mixed grain this morning, which is the most they have had so far. The river had receded a little, but was still high and the weather, though still dry, gradually turned cooler as the day wore on. Daniel and his friends Steve and Gary were working on his boat, Aquabean, and bailed it out, fitted a bilge pump and rearranged the winter cover during the day. I helped them a little, but spend most of the time trying to work out the existing pipes on the link building floor and then fitting a chub security bolt to the underside of one of the balcony doors whilst I could.