23June1995

London: 23rd June 1995
My dear folks,

There's been a little local excitement, as you know. Major pulled a fast one. Either he's not as stupid as generally thought or he has a clever friend. Although we'd had hints of something in the air (it ain't every day that camera teams are summoned to Downing Street) it hit the newsroom like a bombshell at 17.00 (Thursday). The effect of such an announcement is a bit like sticking a blade of grass down an ants' nest. There's a frantic scurrying around of people in all directions, a hurly-burly helter-skeltering of bodies to phones, faxes & editing machines; a desperate summoning of tapes from the picture library; a yelling of vital messages across the newsroom. Frustrations abound & four-letter words rend the air. It's like a war-zone. Makes me think of the stock exchange where such scenes are endemic.

I was grateful, as so often, to be doing my own thing, being immersed in a tricky Kashmir package at the time. But I was turfed out of my editing suite to make way for the heavies. The end result was that I got home rather late. Maureen cooked us a super supper & the pair of us watched a series of news bulletins & analyses as we tried to absorb the possibilities & implications. The last time I can remember such a cosmic outburst was the day Thatcher resigned. I shall never forget it. In fact, I have the telex cuttings framed on my wall. At the time, the BBC news chiefs were all in a meeting of the uninterruptible kind. So when I marched in on them with nary a bow or scrape, there was instant silence. I marched up to the boss's desk & presented him with my scrap of paper. "Maggie's resigned," he said, "get to it." They all rushed out as if their houses were burning down. It was my big moment.

12.00 ! Hurd is stepping down at Foreign Secretary. We live in interesting times.

1900. Thank you Mama for the faxed articles on St David's College and the radio service. I read them with interest. Fatty's fed, Maureen's cooking supper & I'm sipping a beer. I cycled into town after lunch with a shopping list. I locked the bike to a pole outside M&S & began a leisurely exploration of the mens’ wear depts of M&S, Selfridges, Debenhams & D.H.Evans. I needed shirts. My supply is wearing thin. Two hours later, I had secured 4, all of which I like a lot. It sure took a lot of searching to find what I wanted. The ones with the right colours lacked either collars or sleeves or cost megabucks. Mother to came to mind. How often she would return home after a shopping expedition to announce that she'd walked miles but found nothing suitable. These statements astounded me, especially in my youth, given the evidence of my eyes, department stores spilling over with ladies' clothing.

Anyhow, I proceeded to Tottenham Court Road where I looked for better speakers for my computer. The ones which came supplied with it are tinny & collapse in a resonating hiss under any deep base sounds. A little exploration brought me to a shop selling what I wanted but it took all of half an hour to hook them up to two of the demonstration computers for me to hear them for myself. I wanted to be sure that I was getting value for money. There are three, packaged in a single low case which sits under the computer monitor. Beethoven's piano concertos tinkle out as I write. The sound quality is greatly improved and a real joy.

Lastly I took myself to Dillons book store, close by, to look for three books for Cathy. Cath, let me tell you that the fax number you gave me for the book company in Cornwall failed to respond. Neither could I trace any other fax or phone number for the outfit concerned. But Dillons had two of the three you sought (and mentioned that the fourth one still only to be found in hard-back would also be published in soft-back soon). I shall post them over shortly. You will gather that the back is very much improved. I really put some effort in the pedals, rejoicing in the peculiar freedom that the cyclist enjoys.

Maureen also went to town where she bought a rail ticket to enable her to join friends in the country soon & lunched with a friend. She also bought Jones a book on making jam (this in response to your fig jam query Jones) although the book has very little to say about figs other than that a single variety makes good jam and requires both pectin & acid in the making.