Tuesday 4 November 1980
Len had eye black again today. We went to town and I went to the library to see if I could see how an old type sailing ship
looked as I should like to make a sea scene. I painted after lunch and Len went to see Mr Ball. Hope he is OK as it is 5.20 and he is not home yet and it is pouring with rain. I did washing this morning and khaki blanket. Head bad later. Election of the American
President Carter v Reagan. Emm phoned, will come Thursday. I phoned Jaqui asked them to dinner on Sunday. It will make a break for her as being Remembrance Day she will be with the Brownies that day with a lot on her mind. They enjoyed it with Barrie and Margaret,
lovely places to visit there and Lincoln is so beautiful. Strange to see my father's name mentioned. Dawkins and Usher so prominent.
Next day:
Reagan elected President of USA. A landslide victory. Feel sorry for Carter who I believe to be a sincere, God-fearing man. Bitter windy day. For the first time I completed the Chessman Puzzle. Have to remove the piece with Chessman out and get
the King through that end.
Princess Anne is expecting next May, her Peter is nearly 3. Robbie was to interview a chap who had written a book on Mugging but he has been denied the chance to
talk about it. Guy Fawkes was quiet this year. Only 4 accidents.
Me: Here is Mum's usual mixture of family news, casually intermingled with world events. I can't remember if she ever painted the
old fashioned sailing ship. She was a prolific painter, mostly in oils. She far preferred painting people to scenery - invariably when she painted us, we all looked a great deal younger than we actually were. She has drawn a diagram of the Chessman Puzzle
to help her explanation of how to solve it. Previous diary entries show she did a lot of practising before she cracked it! The Robbie she mentions was a presenter on BBC Radio Kent - she and my Dad listened to his programme every evening without fail,
much as Mr B and I tune into the Paul Miller show on Radio Sussex every night to take part in the General Knowledge quiz called "The Bag".
I love to read how Mum was thinking of me and the busy weekend
ahead when she picked up that phone to invite us all to dinner...