Grand National Day – Visit to Ekins auction in St Ives to find plenty to interest us but Diana started the day unwell and Daniel loses his bank book and we all get delayed for lunch but my horse West Tip wins the Grand National and Debbie and I enjoy a fine tea of grilled trout before I take Diana to Cambridge for the cinema tonight. More atrocities with Ulster police homes being bombed.
A poor night. First Diana went off to the box room to sleep because of her cough and then some rowdies woke me up at 1.00am on their way back to Little Paxton. Everybody up early this morning so that we could go to St Ives, but there was no sign of the builders or plumber and we eventually left at 10.00am. A steady drive there and we all looked round the Ekins (Prudential) auctions. The general auction taking place today was a bit thin on the ground and we arrived late for the start of it anyway. The antique auction viewing was most impressive, with splendid side tables and cabinets, as well as first class wardrobes and other pieces. A large set of Mary Chawner silver in fiddle is also for sale on Tuesday and I will try to contact Nigel accordingly.
I also fancied an old Edison Bell record player, with sets of cylindrical wax discs and joined in its admiration led by a middle-aged lady who remembered its use by her grandfather. A magic lantern and slides was also of interest. Also a damaged Georgian, brass-bound, mahogany writing case, with secret compartments caught my eye and I will make a day of it on Tuesday. Daniel managed to lose his Abbey National pass book and so I do not know what he shall do until Monday. Back to the car with the family, where Di changed Della in the freezing cold. Late for lunch at the Little Chef and a fair wait as well meant that she was too agitated to enjoy it. Trouble with the restaurant generally and so left without a sweet. This afternoon I mixed floorboard duty with the Grand National. We all put in some money (me £1, Di 50p, Daniel 10p, Debbie 1p) and chose a horse each and the person whose horse came highest up the field won the lot. My horse, ‘West Tip’, actually won the race and so the rest of the family were disappointed. I suggested to Deb & Dan that they could wash my car to get some money instead, but this did not work out. Meanwhile I had the rotten job of tightening down all of the screws by hand and scraping the plaster and debris off of the completed half of the floor. This I did with all in dust before tea. A brace of grilled trout and Debbie ate as much as I in the end and it will not be long before she has a dish of her own. A bath before going out to Cambridge and with Diana to the cinema for the first time in a long, long while. As the market square cinema was full for ‘Into Africa,’ we walked to the other cinema and saw a hilarious John Cleese comedy called ‘Clockwise.’ News of more atrocities with the Unionists bombing of Ulster Constable’s homes leading the field. The anti-American terrorism is also top of the international stakes.