Emperor Hirohito of japan seems close to death
Emperor Hirohito of japan seems close to death

After a sound night’s sleep and a little sunshine, the light rain fell and, after waiting for news of my computer, I left for Cambridge; buying a fiddle leaf fig plant and coconut seedling from a garden centre and collecting my computer from the Apple centre. After some time with colleagues overcoming a software problem, I came home for a late tea. The UN Security Council debate hears a Libyan complaint about the US shooting down two of their planes, mortgage rates rise to 13 ½% and Emperor Hirohito seems close to death.

Another sound night’s sleep and lay in this morning. We had a little sunshine at first but then the weather became misty and a light rain fell. I spent this morning in my office, waiting for my computer to be fixed and sorting out my files in the fire-file to create more space. I then had lunch and, this afternoon, I made off for Cambridge. My first stop was the garden centre south of the city where I bought a fine fiddle leaf fig plant and a coconut seedling. Then, on to the city to collect my computer from the Apple centre and then to struggle with Brian Will and Jeannie Rezelle to overcome the software problem that had been holding up my use of the machine. We won in the end (we think) and I brought the machine home with 4 MB but with no accelerator card.

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I got home in time for a late tea and had a couple of hours in my conservatory. I also got the straw from David Woodbridge today. The news today is still all about the American shooting down of two Libyan aeroplanes. A row flares on the United Nations Security Council debate with the argument continuing on whether Libyan planes were armed. The Russians say that the incident has ‘poisoned the atmosphere’ for the forthcoming chemical weapons talks. The Libyans claim that their two planes run a routine reconnaissance flight when attacked by 14 US fighters. The rates of interest for mortgage lending gone up again this time by three quarters of a cent to make the rate 13 ½%. This is why the prices of houses are now stagnating and may soon start to fall as borrowers cannot make the repayments. Emperor Hirohito of Japan, near death for some months now, seems to be taking a turn for the worse. Collin, the publisher, has been taken over by Murdoch’s News International and certain of the authors are up in arms