Daniel and Steve helped me with the floor-boarding this morning and so I tried to help them commission 'Aquabean' this afternoon whilst they painted it. We could not fix the outboard motor currently and so I did some garage door repairs instead as they cruised the dinghy around. I took Di and the boys to see 'Spies Like Us’ in Bedford tonight and heard news that opposition is growing against the Government’s Sunday Trading Bill and US strikes against Libya from UK bases are delayed for EU talks
Shaved and showered in our new en-suite toilet in luxury and then down to a nice fried breakfast. Then Daniel helped me to screw down the last section of floor boarding on the west landing and Steve joined in when he arrived. We cleared up and then, in late morning, went out to the riverside gardens. Fed the hungry doves and ducks (8 duck eggs and the pole-cote pair still incubating) and then I helped the boys look at the Evinrude GHP from Aquabean. The starting mechanism has been defective and now we find that the replacement rope is unsuitable. Gave up on it and took the boys to Buckden Marina, but they didn’t have the right rope either.
Back home to nice lunch of roast pork, which we all ate and then cheesecake or apple pie to follow. With the Rose Anjou wine that accompanied it, I felt quite sleepy after and so watched some sport on the TV until afternoon tea. Di took the girls for a walk this afternoon and Daniel and Steve alternately painted Aquabean and took the dinghy for a cruise round. They have now painted the upper structure black and gold and await an engine repair to go and try it out. The day was milder than of late, with that cold wind noticeable by its absence and, for the morning anyway, warm sunshine to try and warm up the cold air and ground. In late afternoon I tackled the up-and-over doors of the two garages and secured the door frame of the inner, which had come adrift and adjusted and greased the mechanisms of both. Then the ducks and doves, before a poor tea of toast. This evening I took Di and the boys to Bedford cinema to see ‘Spies Like Us’, a secret service comedy, which we all found funny and enjoyed. By this time the rain was falling again. Home quite early and that is why we chose Sunday to go there. News today was of the continued speculation about the US intentions towards Libya and of the attitude of Britain, in particular amongst European governments, to strikes from US bases in the UK. Meanwhile, the diplomatic pressure mounts for economic sanctions, which the EEC has already ruled out and their Foreign Ministers meet tomorrow to agree a common stance. On the last Sunday before the House of Commons debate on the Sunday Trading Bill, opposition is mounting to the proposed relaxation of the law and 60+ Tories, 15 Unionists, Labour and some Alliance will be voting against. The Pope has visited a synagogue, the first by a Pontiff, and condemned anti-semitism in what is judged a grand symbolic gesture.