Watching exciting tennis on television and, as Debbie goes to church, I am then working outside painting and tending the livestock before dressing and making Sunday lunch special after which Dan played with friend Paul and girlfriend Claire as Desmond Tutu is enthroned in Cape Town and both he and Dr Robert Runcie defy censorship and make their opinions known
Slept soundly, after watching an exciting tennis match on the TV. Martina Navratilova was nearly beaten by an up and coming German girl, who had three match points, but could not win any of them. Awoke to find Di missing, but she brought me a tea eventually and I read a few computer papers. Same old story, as usual, with Alan Sugar of Amstrad boasting of his plans for a low cost IBM-compatible micro. Like others at Sinclair, Acorn and ACT before him, I predict he will also come to grief. Then another struggle to get showered and dressed, before a delicious fried breakfast. Out to the doves and ducks and got them out of the way so as to make an early start on the house decorating.
Got Daniel to hold the ladder, whilst I put on the second coat to the gable end, then mounted the guest balcony and started taking down the guttering. Brushed down the woodwork and then managed to get a coat of Sadolin Extra on, before going in to help Di with the lunch preparations. I got out the best china and silver and, as I was covered in dust and cobwebs from cleaning out the gutters, I put on my dress shirt and dinner suit again from last night. A fine lunch of steak and then the washing up with Daniel, sitting out in the garden afterwards with a pot of tea to recover. Daniel played with Paul today, then spent a lot of time at Claire’s house. Debbie was at church this morning and hung around Daniel for much of the day, but Di took her and Della over to her mother this afternoon to meet Charles, Chris and Katherine. I finished the guest balcony roof today, replacing the guttering at a better angle and blocking a variety of birds nesting holes. News today is of the enthronement of Desmond Tutu as Archbishop of Cape Town and leader of the South African Anglicans. He speaks out against the political oppression of the Nationalists. Dr Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury, also defies the regulations to quote Nelson Mandela. More of the terrorist atrocities of Turkey and Pakistan. Pakistan President Zia insists that the hijackers will be kept in Pakistan and tried there. At least four organisations have claimed responsibility for the synagogue killings and a row breaks out in the Israeli cabinet over ways of treating the Palestinians and future meetings are suspended. The two year old adopted son of a Bradford Asian couple was to be deported alone today, but its parents have defied the order and put the baby in hiding. Nigel Mansell was second to Nelson Piquet in the Maria Grand Prix, but now leads the driver’s championship by 5 points, with three races to go. The fine spell of weather over the last few days is forecast to become cloudy tomorrow, with showers in the afternoon.