Trying to keep my new Jaguar clean
Trying to keep my new Jaguar clean

A struggle to clean my car after reading about my campaigns as the temperature barely rises above freezing and another with the children to eat a more varied diet before I fit a dishwasher and then settle down to writing in front of a log fire. Reagan’s sickly show biz inauguration and the Indian spy scandal makes the headlines but I am drawn to the ongoing suffering after the Bhopal tragedy with some 12 added each month to now total more than 2,000

A sound night’s sleep and my wakening at 8.00am seemed too early. I dosed with my cup of tea until a fine breakfast of fried bread, egg, bacon and mushrooms. Up with The Sunday Times, but not finished until 10.15am. Jane Bird had written a good piece on the Hobby Micro sector and the fears from MSX, but again, no attribution. A quick shave and, in old clothes, out to the doves. Their water frozen again, but soon thawed and they ate a goodly measure of mixed seed. The breeze seemed to be more from the south east today and off of the sewage farm, but still a cold day – hardly rising above freezing. Then to the ducks (3 eggs) who only ate a little on their normal mad rush to the water. The river is mostly clear of ice and the freezing of a few days ago did not take hold. Still snow everywhere and during my next task – the cleaning of my car – the hose was frozen fast and I had to get another to use that had been lately kept inside.

The car was absolutely caked in salt and grime from the two trips by the motorway network to Birmingham this last week. It had already taken a hold and blocked the chrome grill, which shows what damage we suffer in England to have our roads safe. By lunch I had shampooed the car and rigged the other hose to wash it down. My Christmas present of an attachment bit for the hose was well used, with a fine new brush and a high pressure water gun, which I used to good effect on the underside and wheel arches to remove the corrosive salt. In to a lunch of chicken, sausages, baked potatoes and brussel sprouts. A fight with the children to make them eat the larger part of it before getting their favourite sweet and Daniel was nearly sick eating one brussel sprout and crying, but made it. We have previously been altogether too tolerant of their bad eating habits, but no longer. Out after to rinse and leather the car, wiping the inside recesses of the doors, bonnet and boot lids. Then to clean the whole chrome trimmings, when I found the pit marks from the salt and the finish will not be the same again. As dusk beckoned, over to feed and put away the ducks, although I could only retrieve the larger part of them due to the fishermen ending their match and throwing their bait to them. This afternoon I also helped Daniel and Paul carry over the stereo radio/cassette record player from the old house to his bedroom so that he can now put it to better use. At last, I carry in a fair load of logs and come in to light the fire. Tea of cockles, brown bread and butter, followed by an artic roll of ice cream in a sponge cake covering. This evening some television, a hair wash and bath, and then writing in front of the fire. Diana has been busy today and the three children, me and the house are a pretty handful until we extend and fit a dishwasher and other aids. News tonight of fresh moves by the TUC to try to bring both sides together in the miners’ strike as Kinnock further condemns the actions of the Labour left wingers in getting the House’s sitting adjourned last week. I think he is trying to head off similar moves in the coming week. In the USA, President Reagan continues his show-biz inauguration and will have another, even bigger one, tomorrow! In India a growing spy scandal has seen 11 people arrested and now a French Diplomat expelled. In Bhopal, scene of the 2000 dead in the chemical disaster; people are still dying from the after effects, with a further 12 this month from blood and organ poisoning. Weather forecasts tonight of warmer weather spreading tomorrow, following an amount of snow and rain. I phoned Nigel tonight and told him of my decision to stay overnight at St Ermine’s Hotel on Tuesday night.