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Some time talking with Debbie about her bedtime problems where she cries before falling asleep and then a visit from Chas and Chris and trip on The Lady before swimming and a barbeque and then to watch some old Jackson family films. Animal rights activists have attacked Debenham’s fur department, more shootings in the Ardoyne district of Ulster and the MOD admits using human guinea pigs for nerve gas tests
Slow to awake on another fine morning. First Della came in with Di and my morning tea, then Debbie arrived for a chat. I had asked to see her to talk about the problem she has at bedtime. She keeps crying when ready to go to sleep, as if in fear of the night. We put it down to the hot and humid weather, in combination with her hay fever. We changed places at breakfast, so that I could sit between the girls and it did wonders for their behaviour and manners. Took this morning easily, reading my papers and watching the start of the club cricket final at Lords on TV. Also out to the ducks and doves to feed and tend them nicely. Sat waiting a long time for Chas and Chris to arrive and they got here at 12.30.
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To Bedford for a shopping trip with the family in the morning and then an afternoon on paperwork before an evening working on the swimming pool and river frontage as I hear of my Dad’s latest illness. The US public seems to adore Lt. Co. North in the Irangate hearings as a cult figure and seem to forget his efforts to compromise the democratic process
A good night, even though the hours of darkness are getting warmer again. We had our balcony doors open again and it made us quite comfortable. Up, shaved and dressed in my best jeans for a day of paperwork. Breakfast of boiled egg, then some honeycomb on a piece of toast, with apple juice to drink. Debbie to school, then Di to take Daniel and Daniella for a shopping trip to Bedford. She bought Dan and I some good clothes for our summer holiday and did well at the shops. Also bought a large bag of bird seed and some chlorine test tablets for me, but was unable to get any more post caps for our moorings.
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A full day of work on my riverside lawn above the boat harbour whilst Di did some boat cleaning and took Della to playschool before I took her swimming later with me. Two armed robbers were shot dead by police today, MP Ken Livingstone probes the government about the SAS ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy in Ulster and the ex-Philippine President Marcos had planned another coup to depose Cory Aquino
Awoke from a sound sleep to my morning tea. Sat a while, resting, drinking and listening to the radio, before I shook a leg and got up and showered & shaved. Dressed for breakfast in my jeans for work after. The family together eating cereal, but Daniel had to attend the meal in a dressing gown, being late up. Out after to work on the riverside lawn above the boat harbour. This started a complete day of endeavour, that eventually saw the bulk of the job finished by this evening. I was levelling the earth, digging and barrowing the excess from the higher sections and tipping, raking and heeling down the earth into the dips.
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More work on the riverside lawn on a cooler day until I took Debbie horse-riding and then I was swimming again with the children later as Di cleans The Lady with little Della ‘helping’. The NUM are fighting the imposition of a 6-day week, Vauxhall receive a huge vehicle order from Thorn-EMI and a ruling of the European Court in Strasbourg has led to Britain being found guilty of human rights abuses by not allowing parents to challenge Local Authority care orders for their children. Kinnock wins soft-left support in Labour shadow cabinet elections.
A nice cool night and so we slept soundly with the French windows closed and our other window ventilation was sufficient. Awoke to my morning tea and sat for a while, stiff after yesterday’s exertions. Up, showered, shaved and dressed and the first to start breakfast at 7.45am. Out straight after to the riverside lawn and worked until late morning on the section above the boat harbour, where the earth is more peaty and pliable from disposition. Tired myself out and then went in at midday to take Daniella for a pre-lunch swim in the pool. She only wears 5 of the polystyrene floats on her waist band now and will soon be swimming with no help at all.