Wednesday December 28, 1983

Lord Holderness.

 Stayed in bed until 11. The phone was ringing downstairs. Could it be L. Gledhill to despatch me to a distant tavern at the back of beyond? I let the bloody thing ring. I held my place in bed and slept on. Ally brought me bananas on toast and tea. I was reading Penny Junor's Margaret Thatcher until 1am this morning. What a tremendous year she's had. The first Tory PM since Salisbury to be elected to serve a second term. Miss Junor says that when at Oxford the then Margaret Roberts fell for the second son of an earl who became a luminary in the Conservative party, but doesn't name him. Who could it have been? I say it's Lord Holderness, who, as Richard Wood, was MP for Bridlington. He was at Oxford at the same time as Mrs T. It will all come out in the wash, won't it?

Princess Caroline of Monaco marries an Italian youth tomorrow in a civil ceremony. Let's hope that this one will last. In other news the Pope has visited prison and forgiven the Turk who tried to kill him in May '81. Fool. It's now a green light to terrorists everywhere. Yuri Andropov hasn't been seen in public since June and speculation about the Russian leader's health continues. Most members of the politburo are geriatric. 

Victoria the Great, starring Dame Anna Neagle, was on Channel 4. Lynn and Dave came here for ten minutes at 5 after shopping. Dave ruffled Ally and annoyed her telling her not to sit around waiting for the baby but to be active and go about her usual chores. Cheeky bugger. That is exactly what she is doing. The Bakers friendship with Dave and Elaine Allinson has ended, for ever it seems. Very sad.  ______.

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