George Bush does well against challenger Dukakis in the US presidential debates
George Bush does well against challenger Dukakis in the US presidential debates

Taking Di and Della to Cambridge after waiting in to meet and brief the builders but suffered delays in the Abbey National before our coffee rendezvous at Eadon Lilley. The afternoon with new St Neots Weekly News journalist, Tracey Reddit, helping her with my Little Paxton History feature article. Later, I made up my 1989 diary, putting in all of my known meeting commitments. Thatcher addresses the faithful at Brighton with much complacency even though inflation has risen to a three-year high of 5.9% which will now feed through into mortgage rate increases. George Bush does well against challenger Dukakis in the US presidential debates

A sound night after a slightly active start to it. Up quite early and wash my hair before breakfast. Sat in the lounge waiting for the builders to arrive and managed to read the morning mail and papers during this period. Then briefed the men on what I wanted done and set off with Diana and Della for the trip to Cambridge. Got there at the end of a foggy drive at 9:30am but had to suffer a frustrating wait of 20 minutes in the Abbey National and made the level of fuss consistent with this inconvenience. Coffee in Eden Lilley and then left the girls to go to the toy shops whilst I went around the stationers and computer shop to get supplies. I got some Filofax items including next year’s diary and also some more ribbons for my printer. We had lunch on the way back at the Little Chef and then I spent the afternoon with the new journalist from the weekly news, Tracey Reddit, who I helped with a Little Paxton feature article.

Today the builders blocked up the deeper fish pool and then started the excavations on the shallower one. The ground work is now beginning to take shape and the job might be finished this month but this rate. This evening, I made up my 1989 diary and put all of my meeting commitments within it which took quite a while. The news today was of Mrs Thatcher’s set speech to the Tory Faithful at the Brighton conference with the compulsory 10 minute ovation and song of Land of Hope and Glory at the end. Little new and much complacency. Outside, the inflation rate has risen again to the highest level for three years at 5.9%. Though this rise was recently so described by Chancellor Lawson as a temporary blip, the higher level is certain to continue through next month as the mortgage rate increases feed through. Across the pond, George Bush came through the last of the presidential candidate debates on TV last night without any damage from Dukakis. He now seems to be well ahead in the campaign.