Tuesday January 14, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds, LS11 5NQ

Winds at 92MPH. Biting cold too. Dad left via Guiseley at 1pm. We had a good food lunchtime and took £22 which was quite staggering. LG appeared at 12:30 and I had been warned by Rob, who phoned me from the Butcher's, Pudsey. LG came upstairs to see Ally and was affable and inoffensive. He looked at the cellar without any adverse comment. Next time, maybe. He made a passing reference to the baby, and joked about our holiday suggesting it was the cause of the pregnancy. "William" was of course conceived here in late October. Our holidays for the whole of '86 have been approved by Ken Gilbertson, and we have 10 days booked provisionally from July 17. 

Tregonning Hill House.

The DT obits. reveal that Lydia Quiller Collick has died at Helston, aged 75. We stayed with the big Mrs Q-C for two idyllic summers in 1970-71 with Hilda and Tony. Tregonning Hill House will forever remind me of very hot, lazy days, the last days of my childhood. Later I phoned Tony to tell him the news.

Quiet night. Margaret worked. I sat upstairs (Ally was in bed at 9pm) and watched "I, Claudius" on BBC2. A repeat of the old series from '77 or '78. Excellent. I am always game for a Roman orgy. The (Westland) helicopter furore is now getting out of hand. They are now saying that Leon Brittan may have to go. Heseltine is positively potty. We debated this in the pub with much hilarity.

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