Both Diana and I were ill in bed for most of today but Norma called by and helped look after the girls and took my mail to the post office and Daniel was at home and helped later. This as the body of murdered 6 year old Collette Gallacher was found in Northamptonshire, there is all-party condemnation in The House of Lords, South Africa announces the lifting of Emergency regulations and the rebels they back in Angola, UNITA have captured and force-marched foreigners to their camp and their boxer is knocked out by Frank Bruno at Wembley
A poor night, as I tossed first one way and then the other, trying to keep off of my back and avoid coughing. Di was ill in the spare bedroom and I was feverish again, shivering as I cuddled up to a hot water bottle. Woke late and, at 8.00am, got Daniel up to get ready for his bus. Unhappily, he was too late to catch it and had to spend the day at home. We managed to get Debbie along to her friends and thus to school. I took the cordless phone along to Di and we called her Mother, who came over to help for the day. Also Joan took my specimen down to the Doctors for analysis, for which I was grateful.
Di stayed ill in bed all day and out of contact. Daniel combined odd jobs with boredom and then I got a Notice of Distraint from a Bailiff. It seems that Mr Peter King has been getting rate demands and did not pass them on for payment, but I called the Council and sent a cheque later today. Di’s Mum took our post down to St Neots and affixed postage stamps, so that my labour of yesterday would not be lost. Later in the afternoon Di was a bit better and able to get up and prepare sausages for tea. As soon as the meal was over, Dan did the washing up and Di put the baby to bed. There was a nice moment before when Di and I sat in bed with Della between us doing some drawing. Dan played cards with me again this evening and then, after finishing the papers, I went downstairs to stretch my legs and update my journal for the last two days. Main news today is of the discovery of 6 year old Collette Gallacher, who had been murdered in Northamptonshire. She was found in an attic 200 yards from her home and a man is under police guard in hospital as a result. The Unionists analyse and defend the effects of yesterday’s strike and some admit that the unruly behaviour and violence was counter-productive. There was all-party condemnation in the House of Commons. Ted Heath has launched another attack on the government’s policy of selling off parts of British Leyland to US interests and also called for a national strategy and consent to tackle unemployment. The government faces two more By-elections, as one Conservative MP dies of cancer and another is giving up the House of Commons in favour of a TV journalistic career. South Africa’s President, PW Botha, announces the end of emergency regulations to the approval of the US and Britain, but coincidentally the ANC manages to explode a bomb in Police Headquarters. South African backed rebels in Angola, UNITA, have captured a large number of foreign nationals and are force-marching them to their camp HQ. In Wales a hydroelectric power station water pipe collapsed and several houses were swept away in the resulting torrent. The Queen and Prince Philip are now in Australia and popular acclaim was slightly marred again as Aborigine activists sprayed the streets with water from high rise fire hoses. In the first England vs W Indies, one-day test, the crowds turned out to watch the home team score freely in a rain-reduced match, but England were fighting right to the end, needing 35 in the last four overs as I write. A pity that there is no live sport televised tonight, with this exciting cricket, several football cup matches, and the Bruno title eliminator, all off the screens, which is sad. I turn to Radio 2 and hear the test commentary in Trinidad and England win the match by getting a leg-bye off the last ball. The coverage then passes to Wembley Stadium for commentary on the Bruno fight and Frank Bruno achieves a spectacular victory by knocking out his South African opponent in only 10 secs of the first round.