Hiring a digger to level the new games lawn and start digging ditches and laying drainage pipes along its length and then spending the day in the driving seat as first Pete and then Daniel help me manhandle the rolls of pipe as Debbie received an accolade at her new school and Di succeeds at slimming and buys some news clothes. The United Nations are intervening in the Iran/Iraq hostilities. The Hungerford Inquest hears how Michael Ryan acted like a robot in killing people, the Herald of Free Enterprise victims are meeting in common cause and another coup takes place in Figi
A poor night. I was hot again from working in the garden yesterday and late to bed watching a gripping drama about Nelson & Winnie Mandela. Awoke slowly this morning and the family had just about finished their meal when I eventually managed to get down, washed and dressed. Then, shot out in the Range Rover to Tebbuts, as I had decided to buy some drainage 4” piping for the games lawn. It is flexible and in reels and I managed to get two coils in the car and arranged for a further 7 to be delivered later today. Home by 9.00am, so that Di could use the car and then tried digging the trenches for the pipe. Rough going because of submerged rocks and bricks and so checked with St Neots Tool Hire to see if they had a trench digger. They had not, but I decided to hire a mini-digger at £65/day. Used the next hour or two to mark out the extent of the games lawn. It will be 47ft by 91ft. Then had an early lunch and was able to get straight into the driving seat when the digger arrived at 11.30am. It has a bulldozer blade on the front and a trench digger on the back and I spent the first 4 hours dozing the land as flat as I could.
My pegs are 6ft apart and I just about managed to manoeuvre the machine between them. Pete helped with the rake and rotavator and then wheel-barrowed piles of spoil that were too inaccessible to move when disturbed. Then I started digging the trenches for the pipes, but, despite delaying tea, I only did two and started a third by dusk. Pete went home at 5.30pm, but I got Daniel to help me instead, as I needed someone to handle the pipes, whilst I dug. At dusk, I came in to have a much earned meal and then a warm bath afterwards to sooth my aches. The digger gives a rough ride and a bumpy seat, devoid of padding! Debbie had meanwhile been getting on cheerfully with her homework, whilst Daniel said he hadn’t got any, until pressed. Debs got a red star at school today (an accolade). Di went to Bedford after weighing in at just 10 stone this morning and bought a range of new dresses, skirts and tops, size 14. News tonight of the United Nations moves in the Gulf War. Iran is sending conflicting messages, wanting to punish Iraq in their public comments, but sounding more conciliatory in private discussions. The UN Security Council has been meeting in New York today, with Britain and the US trying to persuade the others, including Russia, to pursue an arms embargo on Iran. The Iranian ship alleged by the US to have been laying mines, has been wired with explosives and will be sunk. A Hungerford inquest jury heard today how Michael Ryan behaved like an automaton during the shooting, walking calmly through a housing estate, killing everyone he met. 50 families from the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster are meeting in Birmingham tomorrow, to make common cause for improved compensations. Another coup has taken place in Fiji, which is a disgrace. More fine anticyclonic weather forecast for the weekend and I must keep the digger for longer.