Edward Chaplin many years later
Edward Chaplin many years later

I opted not to join Di for the trip to Bedford today but was monitoring the dredging and organising plans for my new conservatory. News of the assault and abduction of British Diplomat Edward Chaplin, apparently following arrest of an Iranian diplomat for shop-lifting two weeks ago. Election rows continue with Thatcher accused of trying to sabotage East/West arms talks as Gorbachev calls for conventional disarmament as well and the Tories pledging to sell off more council houses. The Herald of Free Enterprise disaster is still dominated by the complaints from Townsend Thorensen that the proceedings have been ‘unfair and intimidating’

Slept well and awoke to my morning tea. My foot felt a lot better this morning after yesterday afternoon’s rest and I was limping a lot less today. Showered and dressed in good time for breakfast and ate wheat flakes and a slice of toast, as I was hungry. Daniel to school and then I decided not to go with the girls to Bedford, which disappointed Di, who missed the free lunch! I stayed at home and caught up with the task of sticking in my backlog of Little Paxton press cuttings. I also got a call from the Biggleswade conservatory company, Frost and Co, and their Mr Ivor Gibson called over later in the morning to see me and measure up the site. Mr Larkin also came to see how the dredger was progressing and had not heard from Robin about coming with the digger. I asked him to make contact and liaise accordingly. The dredger has progressed to Eddie & Stella’s plot and has dredged a good 5ft (and more in the middle). Quite a sight, swinging out the bucket and allowing it to fall into the water just by the bank. I made my own lunch of salad and then fruit to follow and then, hearing of a forecast of rain for later, I went out in the sunshine and took the fenders, lifebuoy and red ensign off The Lady.

Then cleared out the pool with the vacuum and back flushed a very dirty sand filter to clean it. By this time, the girls had returned and I looked after Debbie and Della whilst Di made some drinks. I then swam with them in the pool (80degF in and 70degF out), but Daniel would not join us when he came home. Time for tea and to then go through Daniel’s schoolwork, which is passable. This evening I went out to unload a few more things from The Lady, washed and scrubbed our cruising fenders, and went out in the dinghy to plumb the depth of the river with an oar. Our boat deck and moorings are only up to 2ft deep and so Mr Larkin has got quite a bit of dredging to do. In to lock up and put Debbie to bed after a nightmare, then my journal and the TV news. After a day of Iran/UK diplomatic exchanges, the British Diplomat, Edward Chaplin, has been released. He had been assaulted and abducted by ‘revolutionary guards’. It seems that there was a link between this and the arrest of an Iranian Diplomat for shoplifting in London two weeks ago. President Reagan is sending more warships to the Gulf to protect merchant vessels, some of them Kuwaiti, but flying the US flag of convenience. In the UK election campaign, Labour’s Dennis Healey has accused Mrs Thatcher of trying to sabotage the chances of an East/West agreement of nuclear disarmament and of increasing nuclear armaments. The Alliance attacked both Labour (via David Owen) and Conservatives (via David Steel). The Tories concentrated on their plans for housing and the further ‘privatisation’ of council housing. The enquiry into the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster is still dominated by the complaints of Townsend Thorensen that the proceedings have been unfair and intimidating. They have been asked to withdraw or justify these comments and the hearing has been adjourned. At the end of the Warsaw Pact Summit in East Berlin, Gorbachev has called for negotiations on the reduction of conventional forces with the West.