We suffer a month of weather contrasts as I complete my work decorating the Hayling View and landscaping its riverside gardens and then turn to inside projects and family and local history research. The children are fine and progressing, apart from colds, but Diana taking things badly at homeas we argue. My mother is struggling with a broken wrist after several falls but joy as we purchase of a new Daimler and then a Range Rover. Thatcher’s government is ever more extreme with BBC bashing, public sector privatisations and redundancies despite the huge unemployment, inflation and welfare issues and, above all, still holding out alone in the world against South African sanctions even though atrocities regularly take place there. The Reagan/Gorbechev talks falter after a hopeful start and action against Syrian lacks agreement even after they are revealed as being behind the El Al airliner bombing. India is blighted with assassination attempts but HM The Queen completes her historic visit to China with Prince Phillip’s ‘slitty eyes’ gaffe forgotten or, at least, overlooked
The first half of the month continued dry, and unusually so, but later it just rained more and more to make up for it. At least by then I had completed the decoration of all of the house paintwork, had the garden wall rebuilt and drive tarmacked, had the riverside land cleared and levelled. The JCB had been in, uplifting trees and bushes, breaking up paths, burying concrete and levelling area for our new games lawn. More progress then, cutting up logs and concreting the Hayling View slipway winch into position on a another cold and blustery day by wheel-barrowing stiff concrete mix from the lorry. The Lady’s winter cover was water-proofed and we had some last cruises and worked more on her for the last time this year. Our season ended with a GOBA dinner amongst much older guests at The George in Huntingdon but at least the Wells lifeboat mechanic’s talk was interesting.
We were still watching Hotel Boats cruise The Great Ouse from our new balcony vantage points. Pete and I have also completed most of the outdoor chores and so I have turned to my winter paperwork and researches, making a good start on local history and family history as my latest projects. I notice London is frightfully busy, still enjoying a tourist boom and the roads are jam packed. A month of travel in the Home Counties is in prospect, adding to my history projects as the days become impossibly short. I made some discoveries concerning the manorial history for Hail Weston and Little Paxton in the library and local record office and this excited Nigel who rushed off to Buckden Towers and returned with news of the Abbot and monks of Buckden Abbey listening to his offer to buy their Manor of Hail Weston! He has also been discussing with me the possible sale of his business and he also harbours worries about Kimbolton School finances but neighbours and friends Eddie and Stella looked to have quite failing health.. More excitement, as I travelled to Cambridge for the grand launch of the Jaguar XJ40, at which I ordered the top-of-the-range Daimler as their second deal and we enjoyed some copious hospitality. We also collect our new Range Rover from Marshalls and then borrow a trailer to collect an abandoned boat off of the A45 verge to take to Steve’s place. Successful day researching the history of Little Paxton in the St Ives Norris Museum and Library and then news of progress on my family history research in Bermondsey. We make a killing with the TSB issue and my diet is starting to yield results but the family are snuffling with colds, but quite all right. Debbie is improving her horse-riding at the stables, after a setback; trotting and cantering without hanging on and she starts Brownies and starts to lose her milk teeth and has gaps to prove it; this whilst I read to her often in front of a log fire. Daniel’s schoolwork is improving due to my extra time encouraging him and Della is fine. The month closes with them all enjoying school half-term with a weekend at a London hotel.. The rest of the family are in poorer shape. After the visit of my parents, Fred and Grace Broad, Mum then breaks her wrist back at home and seems to be falling all of the time. We do manage visits to both of my parents when Mum is in Bury hospital recovering and Dad is at home so that the children get to see all of their grandparents. They also see Charlie and his family for tea one day. I hear that Alf’s shoulder is taking time to heal after his cancer removal but Di’s folks seem to be OK. Diana ends up too ill to look after the family after we have a big row until I agreed to go to the Little Paxton School Association Barn dance and so I was left looking after Della and getting the children and off to school then as well. She soon recovers after receiving her birthday bouquet but then complained about me ‘making her ill’ over the whole barn dance row and threatens to leave me, which she easily could. I managed a cinema trip with Diana to see ‘Mona Lisa’ in Bedford and then agreed to a trip to London in our new Range Rover to arrive through Swiss Cottage at the Ladbroke Olive Hotel. Then a taxi to the West End to shop at Hamley’s after which I treated the family to lunch at Wendy’s Hamburger Restaurant. This before I shop in Tottenham Court Road with Daniel and then relax back at the hotel. In the UK, the joblessness remains and social problems are at a high, but the Tory Government is quite unconcerned and should be less popular than they are. Only the combination of the majority seeing to only their own needs and the misinformation of a right-wing popular press, keeps reality at bay. The election is forecast for the Spring, but Thatcher’s expedient mind could call it at any time or, if the cause becomes lost, delay it until 1988, when she would have had a record continuous stint at Downing Street. Thus, Tory politics becomes a matter of even greater extremes. The Labour Party conference compromises on a slow nuclear disarmament and the seamen’s ferry strike is growing. Thatcher ideology prevails as the British Gas flotation is organised but Labour pledge to re-nationalise it. The installation of Tory BBC Chairman is Thatcher’s work after the Corporation was softened up with criticism such that the BBC backed down over a programme exposing ‘Thatcher’s Militant Tendency’ and even then Norman Tebbit still tries bashing the BBC. This as 45,000 across Scotland link arms to oppose nuclear weapons and then intruders threating the highly-guarded Tory conference again as a testament to Thatcher’s unpopularity. More prison trouble occurs due to overcrowding, the re-enacted Jarrow Crusade uses the old banner now that the jobless total is up to 22% and I witness my old contact Kenneth Baker trying to plot a moderate course on Education at the Conservative Party Conference and plans to appease the teachers whilst ‘boot-boy’ Norman Tebbit tried to wind everybody up. I had to switch off as John Major took the Tory Conference stand with Edwina Currie which was sickly! A strike at Lucas threatens Austin Rover production as Sterling falls again but there is no recognition from Chancellor Lawson of the UK economic crisis as UK inflation is now on the way up again a trade deficit causes a further run on the pound again! Hazeltine and Howe arguing for expansion and job creation at The Tory Conference in vein. The impact of the City’s Big Bang change to eligibility rules was dampened by computer systems overload and will yet to have its bad effect. UK Government makes changes to benefit eligibility designed to discourage claimants and there were deaths of three women in a Newcastle bus crash just after the service was deregulated. Tam Dalyell is ordered to leave the House of Commons after accusing Thatcher of lying over the Westland Affair whilst she nurses her sprained ankle and hurting hand but fails to step aside and then makes her combative and defiant Conference speech, as the NCB announces plans to close two Welsh pits with the loss of 1,500 jobs as are cuts to support grants for British Rail (in contrast to the policies of other European governments). A 200 mile fishery exclusion zone is declared around The Falklands Islands and £206m is raised to start work on a Channel Tunnel as the Channel Island Ferry strike tightens. Mortgage rates start to rise again and the UK is preoccupied with the level of pension and benefit increases. The Labour and Liberal/SDP alliance parties settle their policies and appointments. The Labour Party are against errant local councillors as Kinnock has more supporter elected to the Labour Shadow Cabinet. Another shooting takes place in Ulster as a man is shot dead by a gunman on a motorcycle.. The first new Independent newspaper edition is published and a serious London train crash takes place. The government causes an inhumane chaos at Heathrow prior to the midnight imposition of visitor visas for Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis without upgrades to the reception facilities that were known to be needed and called for beforehand. India’s President, Rajiv Ghandhi, condemns the governments moves as ‘racist due to this and a reflection of Britain’s attitude to South Africa’ and student demonstrators prevent Enoch Powell speaking at Bristol University. Then the disgrace of Tory Chairman Jeffrey Archer after a good old-fashioned Tory sex scandal. Liberal UK leader, David Steel, who is now visiting, condemns the South African regime as being morally bankrupt as they now attack the democratic opposition in their latest repressive moves. Black South Africans mourn the 177 dead from the toxic fumes of the recent gold mine fire. The US Senate votes by 78-21 to overturn Reagan’s rejection of South African sanctions despite threats of grain reprisals and the South African Dutch Reformed Church is debating Apartheid as their government resumes eviction plans for the black townships causing another outcry. There is political turmoil in Mozambique after the death of the Mozambique President in a plane ‘accident’ was suspiciously helpful to South Africa. General Motors are pulling out of the country and the Red Cross give up on South Africa where they cannot work there anymore and 300 black police riot in South Africa during a pay strike. The Reagan/Gorbachev summit proceeds as the Russians hint firstly at a medium-range missile deal. This was then firstly overshadowed by the South African sanctions vote and a nuclear accident as a Russian nuclear sub is forced to surface after a fire. There is then news of the demise of the Russian Nuclear Submarine and the heroic efforts of the crew to stop the reactor exploding. The US/USSR arms talks in Reykjavik talks break up within an ace of agreement due to their hastily arranged timescale and lack of preparation and now the Russians are dismissing the prospect of an arms deal without Star Wars being included Russia announces their latest diplomatic sanctions against the US and the execution takes place of ‘spy’ Adolf Tolkachev. Kasparov has narrowly beaten Karpov to retain the world chess championship. Britain calls for united action on Syria but the French are on verge of big arms deal there. Libyan Airlines flights to the UK are banned over fears of arms being brought in. Jordanian Nezar Hindawi is convicted of the El Al airliner bombing and his links with the Syrian Embassy have led to mutual cessation of diplomatic relations with Syria . The Indian President Ghandi and his Chief of Police escape gun attacks two days running and assassin Karamijit Singh is arrested after Ghandi also narrowly survived an assassination attempt. San Salvador is devastated and thousands are trapped by a major earthquake with above 900 dead and 10,000 injured and one third of the capital’s people homeless! Mother Theresa escapes a plane crash in Tanzania as 6 others are killed. HM The Queen completes her historic visit to China with Prince Phillip’s ‘slitty eyes’ gaffe forgotten or, at least, .Barcelona are awarded the 1992 Olympic Games. Sad news as British TV producer Alan Stewart is killed by a land mine after interviewing rebel leader, John Garang. Terry Waite may yet get Western hostages released in the Lebanon