Thatcherism coming under greater scrutiny and challenge
Thatcherism coming under greater scrutiny and challenge

The rising floodwater floating the edging planks for my Games lawn today being not as high as in 1974 but more persistent. The family to The Happy Eater whereby chance we met both Amy and Catherine with their grandparents and Helen and her family. Now Thatcherism is challenged by further strikes on the ferries, in the coal industry and still within nursing. More Israeli atrocities towards Palestinians in the Occupied territories and the Prince of Wales is heckled by Aboriginals in Australia

A good night and then awake to my morning tea. The curtains revealed even higher floodwater than yesterday and over the games lawn at that. I noticed that the edging planks had started floating, which was a bit of a blow. Took my time getting up and ate alone again before going out to feed the doves. The floodwater is not as high as 1974, but it has stayed up much longer and yesterday’s rain will ensure that it goes on still. It was a bright and sunny morning and I decided to wash the Range Rover. The full routine, including a polish and vacuum and the rain just about held up long enough for me to finish. Changed and then Daniel arriving from his morning’s school, I took the whole family to the Happy Eater. Quite a reunion took place there. We found Amy, Catherine and her grandparents there when we arrived and then Diana’s friend Helen and family turned up!

We drove into St Neots when we left the restaurant and bought a few things. Then home, where I rested in front of the TV and watched some rugby league, whilst also reading. Before tea, I took Debbie for a walk along the Hayling Way to see the flood water at the weir and lock. It is highly coloured and backed up through St Neots to Tempsford and beyond, but at least tonight the games lawn had surfaced once more. This evening I went to my office intending to carry on with my word processing, but I only managed to back up the diskettes before I got distracted by another search for registration numbers. It seems to be an impossible job to choose them with our initials and requirements. Up reading and writing my journal until 10.30pm, which was quite an early retirement by recent standards. The news today is of the SDP Conference on merger as it opened with speeches on both sides. Dr David Owen rallied his supporters, Shirley Williams spoke for the majority and the rancour continued. Two young boys were killed in their Luton home and their mother was subjected to repeated head injuries. A man is now sought and was found late tonight. He is the woman’s former lover. Industrial unrest now on the ferries, the coal industry and the nursing profession, which all represents a resurgence of more industrial unrest than for some time. It will be a critical test of Thatcherism. More Palestinians were shot today by Israeli troops in the occupied territories and the TV cameras captured further atrocities of beatings and kickings. The Prince of Wales encountered Aboriginals heckling during his speech in Australia, which was unfortunate. They shouted ‘boring’. The night is due to be dry and frosty, which is a change, but tomorrow night is forecast to be very wet and windy, with storms on the way.