An early swim with Daniel, then a special Sunday lunch with silver and china in the dining room before a short afternoon cruise on The Lady before home for an evening film as 60 are feared dead as a Sudanese airliner is shot down by rebels, another London girl goes missing and the killer who faked his own death after killing his family gives himself up.
A fair lay in and then the Observer in bed with my morning tea, before down to a fried breakfast with the family. Few of us were dressed. Then I persuaded Daniel to go swimming and we had a splendid dime ducking each other and ended up quite shattered. Dressed and out to the doves and ducks, before coffee with Di in the back garden. Then I decided to make today’s lunch special and to return to our tradition of dining in the dining room with our best silver and china.
It took a long while to lay it all out and even longer to wash it up after, although Daniel did help, as we could not risk damaging it by using the dishwasher. A nice meal too – starting with soup, before the main course of pork, all washed down with Rose d’Anjou and kept warm in our heated serving trolley. Relaxed after in the lounge watching the end of the Grand Prix, with Mansell unfortunately breaking down in his Williams racing car and not getting any championship points. Then, with Di following up an earlier suggestion of mine, we agreed to take The Lady upstream for a cruise. Soon had it ready and caste off to find only a short wait at the lock. The local Scout Master was at the lock, collecting money and selling raffle tickets and we chatted a while, as I bought a couple, about the problems of their newspaper collection and how the pulp prices have been falling and storage problems mounting. A slow cruise through St Neots and up to the Rivermill at Eaton Socon, looking at the cruisers on the way and working out the exact positions from which my Harradens were painted. Ashore to the garden centre, where I bought 4 box plants and the family each an ice cream, but the café had closed before we could get a drink. A similar trip back, which we enjoyed, but which was troubled by the girls misbehaving, which Di could not easily cope with. Home and tea of cold pork sandwiches, before settling down to watch a TV film about a jewel thief with the children until far too late. Out in the dark to put the ducks away and spotted a hedgehog routing about and heard the crickets chirping a chorus to the darkness. Late writing my journal and, as ever, tired to bed. The day has been warm, if dull at times. News tonight is of a Sudanese airliner being shot down, with 60 people being feared dead, as Sudanese rebels fire a missile. Another girl is missing in London, in circumstances similar to that of the abduction by a ‘Mr Kipper’ of an estate agent girl. This time a girl is offered a job and has vanished. Also the man, who faked his own suicide and killed his wife and daughter, has now given himself up to police after a search had been intensified by the discovery of their bodies. The TCCB has announced the recall of Ian Botham and Alan Lamb for England’s third test vs New Zealand beginning next Thursday, in a welcome selection of a full strength side.