Getting Daniel some school things today
Getting Daniel some school things today

Visit to Cambridge for Daniel’s school stuff and some research by me on games lawns for Country Houses after which back to my office for some Computer Industry and Investment correspondence and then some barbecued hamburgers for all in the riverside garden as Thatcher holds out alone against South African sanctions and then surcharges Liverpool and Lambeth Councillors who resist her austerity and central control as a full scale riot follows in Handsworth

A good night’s sleep catching up on the last two days. Daniel slept in until 9.00am, which is very unusual for him. Awake to my morning drink and Financial Times but, no sooner had I started reading, then Deborah called us all down to breakfast. She likes to prepare the meal these days, but both the timing and the selection of food is a variable feast! A very mild and humid morning and so I sat in the lounge to read and managed to finish the Sunday papers and the FT, but did not learn a great deal. I also took much more pleasure from reading the opening chapters of my new book ‘Gardens for Small Country Houses’ and learned from it already. I could see that a games or tennis lawn was a regular feature and I am further resolved to have one. Washed, dressed and out to the birds and, for the first time, the new pigeon comes to the table. The mating cock indigo fantail is bullying all the others at the moment and getting very territorial. I hope he tries one more clutch of eggs with the Qualmond hen before winter. To the ducks and just 5 eggs today and I hope for more tomorrow. Then to the office briefly, where I work a little before finding that Daniella is restless and so a coffee on the front lawn and then ready to leave. Off by car to Cambridge so as to take Daniel around the shops for some things for school.

We find a nice briefcase – black with a side pocket – and then buy him a new mathematics set (set squares, compass and protractor), calculator batteries and some ink refills. Whilst there I looked carefully at the quality fountain pens sold by Heffers before choosing this one – a Montblanc. It is large enough for my huge hands, yet fine enough to improve the legibility of my handwriting – I hope! The shopping finished, I let Daniel look in the Cambridge consumer electronics shops whilst I went to the reference library. My purpose was to find out the dimensions of lawn needed for common outdoor games so as to plan my riverside garden. I found a good sporting rules encyclopaedia and wrote down the exact dimensions needed for tennis, croquet, bowls, boules, badminton and volleyball. From these I see that a lawn 100ft by 50ft would suffice for all except croquet which, surprisingly, is the most difficult needing length to width in the ratio 5:4. I shall settle for that size and try to squeeze a shorter length at 60ft width for croquet at one end. Back to the car a little late and then all home for afternoon tea on the lawn. Then to the office where I return a phone call on BMMG/LAN business and take a call from Peter Large at the Guardian newspaper. Also to type up and sign four urgent personal letters expediting my consultancy payment from Kode, my forestry report and accounts, my letters Patent for my grant of arms and my rent from No. 39. Finished just in time to cook a tea of barbequed hamburgers in the riverside garden. Daniel’s friends were in attendance after a spell cruising this afternoon. Then our No. 39 tenant arrives to pay the bill and Di informs Marilyn that we are prepared to buy her friend David’s plot when he is ready to sell. Only a couple of hours until dark and used them baiting for one more mole, putting away the birds, and finishing the job of scraping the varnish from my second steamer chair. I have now only to sandpaper it before embarking on the varnishing. In at 8.00pm, when it is now dark, and to update today’s journal before turning to my reading and the TV news. Main story tonight is of the limited US sanctions applied to South Africa, but also of UK statements that the British government will remain opposed. Bishop Tutu disclaims the measures as “insufficient” and Reagan is “racist” but there is no doubt that the President has approved these measures in order to try to forestall a Senate vote for even tougher measures tonight. EEC foreign ministers are meeting tomorrow and will have the report of the recent delegation, but the UK and German governments will probably veto concerted action. The Labour and SDP leaders advocate sanctions and leave the Tories isolated. Liverpool and Lambeth councillors, 49 of them in L’pool and 39 in L’beth, have been surcharged thousands of pounds each by the central government District Auditors and this will set off a constitutional crisis. A full scale riot in Handsworth, Sheffield tonight with 12 police and 6 firemen injured, as the crowd attack an attempt to put out a fire. Two journalists die during an attempt to cover an aborted coup in Thailand. The weather is forecast to remain dry, warm and with sunny periods, which is a blessing and should remain the same for a few days.