More house decorating today and then clearing up afterwards ready for the builder to start making garden walls tomorrow before quality time with the kids, helping Daniel with his homework, reading to Debbie and noting Della also having a friend round to play today. Ulster police in trouble over fatal ‘rubber bullet’ killing, TSB state sell-off hopelessly oversubscribed and more trouble in South Africa as Winnie Mandela addresses the grieving Kinross mine mourners with claims of poor mine safety for blacks
Slept well, even though it was quite warm in my bedroom. Up on time to my morning tea, then showered and shaved before my breakfast of wheat flakes. A different brand to Jordans and it seems that this type is becoming quite popular. Weighed 13st 11 lbs on the scales this morning, which is 4lbs less than when I started slimming. Already my trousers fit much more comfortably. There was a misty rain in the air this morning and none of the fog that was forecast. Went out to feed the doves and then went straight into the decorating again.
Applied a little primer, then lots of white undercoat to the downstairs windows and doors. By this time it was lunch of last Sunday’s left over cold beef and salad. Some of our expensive plums to follow. The afternoon applying the final coat of white gloss and, after tea of chicken casserole, time to put a coat of Sadolin onto the door sills. Mr Cheeseborough came round today and asked if it was all right to start work on the garden wall tomorrow – a day early for a change! As darkness fell, I cleared up the outer garage, putting all of my materials in the inner garage and throwing away all of the empty paint tins and rubbish. Pete, the gardener, today chopped down most of the remaining trees in the new riverside lawn area and opened up the view considerably. We now have a large pile of wood and vegetation and will have a big size Guy Fawkes party as a result. Found time this evening to check Daniel’s school work and read an edition of Country Companion to Debbie. Della had return visits with ‘Cary’ (short for Caroline) today, as her latest friend and is enjoying talking and playing with others even more than usual. The news today is of a verdict of not guilty for a policeman who killed a rioter with a plastic bullet, after he had run to attack two other policemen from behind with a stick. Since the introduction of these 4 inch solid rounds of ammunition, 13 people have been killed in Northern Ireland. The solicitor accused of shooting his girlfriend and son is still at large, despite appeals for him to come forward. As many as 3 million people have applied for Trustee Savings Bank shares, all intent on a quick profit from this give-away of Trustee assets. Last month’s balance of payments was a worst ever deficit of £1 ½ billion for August. At the Liberal Conference, David Steel, the leader, is coping with the aftermath of the decision yesterday, but big Cyril Smith gets the audience cheering and clapping again, with a typical rendition, now he is back in the public eye. The baby boy, Gem Pattison, who received the youngest ever combined heat and lung transplant is now of pink complexion (instead of blue) and is now out of intensive care and doing well. At a funeral service for the dead South African miners from Kinross, a large demonstration took place with Mrs Winnie Mandela addressing the crowd. Black miners leaders accuse the government of refusing to allow a British mine safety expert in the mine for fear of what he may find.