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A day shared between working with my gardener on my new Hayling View project, buying more plants at Eaton Socon, juggling investment funds and then starting on my BMMG work before Debbie alone shares a meal of prawns with me and we hear news of Virgin’s Atlantic Challenger foundering and South African President Botha disappointing expectations of real reform
Awake to morning tea and the paper, but today there was too much news to read before breakfast and I returned to finish it off. Only ready by 9.30am and then out to the birds, but the wind was nearly too much for the doves. I had to shelter the bird table from the wind with my body to prevent the seed being blown away. To the ducks, but only 5 eggs, which was a disappointment. I chat to the gardener and tell him about the moles, but there is no sign of them today. We agree to get the anti-mole smoke pellets and try to scare them away as before. He tries to cut the lawns with a closer trim, but there are far too many bumps and gaps and so we will keep it long this season until it thickens up and evens out. To the office then and I watch the test match on the TV whilst I open todays mail and read the computer papers. Several securities certificates to file away safely, and a few calls to make as well. No sign of Bill Clark by lunch time and he was due to see me today about the sale of his plot. I hope he is well. After lunch I drive to St Neots and take a look around Shaw’s auction rooms. A long wait until my lots and so onward to Eaton Socon and the riverside garden centre. No anti-mole supplies, unfortunately, as there has been a rush on them. A good look round and the shrub varieties are getting more familiar. I have decided to get some standard roses, Boston Ivy for the dovecote wall, buddleia to attract the butterflies, and another leylandii to complete the hedge.
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Starting the day surveying my Hayling View gardens and then a meeting with my accountants before on to Shaw’s auctions and then continuing my financial planning on-line before resuming my steamer chair renovation with Debbie as the surviving Japanese stewardess relates its doomed last moment, the British train strike creates disruption and more violence and deaths in South Africa today ahead of the President’s speech tomorrow
A good night’s sleep, but awake groggily again and I put it down to a head cold that takes a while to clear each morning. I read the FT quickly and Daniella is brought to join me and points at the pictures squealing, which is rather fun, but quite off putting. To breakfast, where each of us (except Diana) has a boiled duck egg and bread & butter fingers to dip in. It is the first time for Della and she really enjoys it and may not take to ordinary bread hereafter. The kids occupy the upstairs bathroom after and so I take a shower downstairs and shampoo my hair under it at the same time. Dressed and then outside to feed the doves and look round the gardens. To my horror I see another mole has been pushing the corners of the turves up, which is a blow. When the turves are new they can just crawl underneath, eating the worms as they go, and do not have to throw up great mounds of earth. On to the ducks and the 13th one arrives quacking loudly rather late and I do not feed her so that I can get her in tonight.
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Morning working on my affairs before Charles, Chrisula arrive with baby Catherine for a visit and session watching family videos as four survivors are found from the Japanese 747 crash and a National Rail Strike is on the cards
Another good night and then awake to my paper and morning tea a little later than usual. I have just about recovered from our recent exertions, but start the day slowly reading the paper. Down to a breakfast of one slice of toast and some fruit juice as a good start to the first day of my diet. Out to the birds and I first feed the doves, who are shy and wary of me after a couple of weeks break, but eventually come down to feed. Since losing the two chicks they have shown no inclination to breed and may either be rather demoralised or waiting for a better surfeit of good supplies. Then the ducks and another 6 eggs. I feed all of the ducks that were housed last night (11) and the one with the broken leg. Then the 13th duck arrives quacking hungrily and I think it must be incubating some eggs somewhere. To the office where I reconcile my bank account and read some more of the backlog of computer journals. By 11.00am and the expected arrival of our guests, I made my way back – Diana’s parents, brother Charlie, wife Chrisula and baby Catherine soon come and we sat, chatted and then went on a tour of the garden before watching some of our recent videos of Daniella, as our visitors were in a ‘baby’ mood.
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A morning implementing key property and investment decisions and afternoon on the garden as over 500 people die in a Japanese 747 crash, a major speech is awaited from South African president Botha this week on his intentions and Clive Sinclair’s wacky C5 project crashes and burns
Awake groggy again after the holiday and wind-battering and read a book on Huntingdonshire Legends before up late for breakfast and even later to dress. Out after and to the office, where I telephoned Stokes to give the go ahead on letting the building contract, returned a call to Roger Brittain to arrange a meeting on Wednesday to agree my tax return and took a couple of other calls and started my reading for the day. Out then to see Pete the Gardener and then took him and our old mower out to Great Barford and the agricultural machinery dealership of Rogers Engineers. After being kept waiting rather a long time we put in our old machine and bought a new Hayter Harrier 2 mower for £349. It is much larger than our other and had a heavy iron roller that will help flatten our turves. Only being offered £40 for our Mountfield, we decided to get it fixed and to keep it as a spare.