To The Old Bailey and the office of Export IT on a hot and humid day for unsatisfactory AGM and Council meetings as their government funding was ended and then back to my cooler gardens to find Daniel had been promoted to the top Physics and Chemistry sets at school, Daniella wanting walks around my new garden paths and Debbie wanting to play. This as Gordievsky, a top KGB spymaster defects to the UK and 25 Soviet ‘diplomats’ are expelled after he exposed them and South Africa seems set to end the notorious ‘Pass laws’ but it is only Botha’s recommendation at the moment
A sound night’s sleep in spite of the closeness of the night and then awake to my tea and paper and time to enjoy them for once. Breakfast of toast and fruit juice before showering and only using the bathroom when the children were clear. Today I was on my way out as well and I made my way to St Neots station just in time for the 9.00am train. I had taken a large quantity of reading matter with me – with plenty of magazines from the summer break to catch up on. By the time of arrival at Kings Cross I had finished a fair amount of it and then, being early, I walked across to the Great Northern Hotel and read a great deal more in their lounge. No satisfactory service of coffee unfortunately, but at least I could discard the carrier bag by this stage, as I could get the remaining items in my brief case. On then by tube to St Pauls and the short walk to the Old Bailey and the offices of Export IT.
It was the AGM, but a poor attendance of members meant that a quorum was not present. A rambling and difficult discussion, a long wait to a nice buffet lunch, and then another rambling and poorly attended council meeting to follow. The problem is that the government are removing the funding support and the skeletal staff have got the almost impossible task of trying to get the institution to pay its way and be independent. By 4.00pm the meetings were over and then back by tube to Kings Cross and home by train. A very hot and humid day in London, which was my sacrifice in attending the meetings. Probably temperatures of 25degC or 80degF and this really told on the journey back and I was pleased to get my suit off and get into the garden. First to see Daniel, who was as pleased as I that he had made the top sets in physics and chemistry, which is a blessing. He was given his ‘O’ level text books early and will take ‘O’ and ‘A’ level examinations a year early as well. Off to the gardens with Della, who enjoys the paths and exploring stones, leaves and grass that she picks up. A short play with Debbie before bed and then a little time before dark to hunt moles and feed the birds. No less than 2/3 mole runs discovered this evening and dealt with, but I wonder how long this treatment will have to go on. In after dark at 8.00pm to supervise Daniel’s prep. I had already got him to cover all of his exercise and text books and then went over his class work today and got him to do some reading. Then to my journal and the TV news. Principal story tonight is of the defection of Gordievsky, a top spymaster of the KGB at the London Soviet Embassy. 25 expulsions of diplomats followed as they are exposed by the defection. It is thought that he has been a double agent since 1972. The USSR, of course, deny the accusations and reprisals may follow. MI5 have achieved a positive counter blow after many reverses and scandals recently. South Africa is set to scrap the pass laws, which are one of the nation’s foundations of apartheid and a key symbol. It also leads to control of the black population in their work, homes and lives. It is only a President’s Council recommendation at the moment. The violence goes on with a further seven killed in riots today. The rumbles over the Handsworth riots go on and the Cabinet today agrees only on a police enquiry rather than the judicial one that other parties are demanding. In fact Birmingham Council will be holding a Public Enquiry of their own and may invite Justice Gorman to chair it. The weather forecast is for the mini heat wave to end tonight, with much cooler temperatures, but we should get another dry day tomorrow