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A bad night and poor start to the day suffering as I had caught the family cough but I took some aspirin and carried on working on the Range Rover tow bar this morning and then my Reliant wheels this afternoon. This evening editing my Ray House notes ready to see Mrs Beeson before late to my journal and the Tv news. Another aviation ‘near miss’ between passenger aircraft over Essex, another civilian killing by the RUC at a checkpoint and the Israelis kill three more Arabs as part of further atrocities. Brazil seeks international help to cope with their flooding disaster with 540 dead and 10,000 homeless
Had an appalling poor night, having a bad sore throat coming on. At last I had caught the illness that had been keeping my family coughing for weeks. Got my morning tea a little early as a consequence and then got up, showered and dressed and was early for breakfast. A nice fried meal once again for a Sunday. I took some aspirin and decided to go out and do some work anyway. First, I reassembled the Range Rover tow bar after painting it yesterday. Then, I took time to sort out all my spanners into metric, A/F and British, until it was time for coffee. Later I took off the Renault’s rear wheels, then the brake hubs, and finally brushed off the chassis underneath.
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Woken up early by Di on a mild but dull day and to the financial papers to read of worsening economic news and then to take her shopping in St Neots and to launch Daniel’s Little Lady at the slipway there before lunch at the Little Chef. I received my Reliant parts and so spent the afternoon working on this and the Range Rover. Horrific floods in Rio de Janeiro killing over 500 souls
Went to bed very late last night and was awoken quite early by an irate Di, who was disappointed we would not be going to St Ives today. I had said that we’d been out yesterday and so she was insisting I did my history project this morning. A little late to my breakfast of boiled egg and then to my office to read the Financial Times and Investors Chronicle. They still worry about worse economic news to come, being influenced by the prospect of higher interest rates and the coming crunch in the City. Di wanted to go shopping and so we went to St Neots together, Daniel and I hitched up the Little Lady on the trailer and launched it by St Neots Rowing Club, whilst Di went to the Gateway supermarket.
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To Bedford today for a family photographic session and then some shopping for car servicing pools and equipment before lunch with some of Debbie’s friends. Di and the girls off to St Neots indoor pool as Daniel came back with me to work and anti-fouled the hull of his cruiser as I carried on painting the Reliant. More history research calls about Wray House and late up writing this journal. More trouble in Ulster, Edwina Currie, Junior Health Minister gets bags of flour and rotten tomatoes when visiting Glasgow University as students protest over the NHS
Awoke quite early this morning and went down in search of my drink. Stayed there to have my breakfast in pyjamas and then had to rush to get ready. The children being on their school half term holiday, we had decided to all go into Bedford together for a family photograph session. Got out OK in the end and made good time to park in the Lurke Street car park and arrived at the photographers when they opened at 9.00am. Some nice poses and we shall soon see the results. Elsewhere in Debenhams after for our morning drinks and then we each went our separate ways to do some shopping. I made for Halfords and bought a whole lot of car servicing tools and equipment and we all met back at the car park. The drive via local villages to collect two of Debbie's friends and then off together to the Happy Eater for an early lunch.
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More work on my Reliant after meeting Connie Morris in St Neots buying the paint and then jacking it up to remove the wheels for restoration before on to the riding stables with Debbie who rode Flint who was quite a handful. The children broke up for their half term holiday today. The Ford workers have accepted the latest pay offer and now Land Rover have last-ditch talks to avoid a strike. The Midland Bank has lost half a billion pounds affecting the stock exchange and more trouble in the Middle East as a US Lt Colonel is kidnapped and Neil Kinnock sees injured Palestinian youths in the refugee camps there
Slept well last night and woke slowly. Rather late down to breakfast, collecting my newspaper on the way. Read it afterwards and went through my mail. Only thing of interest was my Reliant Club member’s card and last newsletter. A sad tale within it of somebody’s two Reliant vans being destroyed in a fire, but more encouraging news of a range of spares that could be available. Later this morning I drove into St Neots to get some more paint from the motor shop, and Exchange and Mart, and some petrol for the car. I met one of my old ladies, Mrs Connie Morris, from North Lodge, in town and chatted to her for a while. Home and then sprayed my Reliant mudguard again, before and after lunch. Then I jacked up the back of the van and put the ramps underneath, then jacked up the front and got Daniel to help me remove the front wheel. Black hammerite smooth paint was used to paint this wheel and fittings, after thoroughly sanding them all down.