Thursday February 6, 1986

 Chillandham Cross, Itchen Abbas SO21 1AS

Chillandham Cross.

Samuel had a bad night. Well, a broken night, and I was up with him every hour or so. Downstairs at 3am for orange juice. Ally got up with Samuel at 7am and she brought me my breakfast in bed at 9. Porridge and bacon sandwiches. I could hardly swallow it down worrying about I would have to pay for this lapse into old style luxury later. But to be honest I d not like eating in bed. The crumbs get everywhere. Snow had fallen in the night. Bitterly cold. The three of us walked down Chilland Lane and over the river to Easton and then back here over the fields. Samuel walked all the way toddling through the snow covered fields. After lunch we went into Winchester and to the library where I looked at Debrett's Handbook 1984 for a reference to Major Ron Ferguson. In what way is he descended from the Stuart Kings? No sign of him in the good book. Sod it. Later, on the BBC news, we saw Miss Ferguson with the Prince and Princess of Wales at Klosters further firing speculation that a royal engagement is imminent. Prince Andrew, de facto Duke of York, goes on NATO exercises this week and so he wasn't in the skiing party. A night around the fire. Read "I, Claudius" which I've wanted to read for years. Robert Graves snuffed it recently. "Blackadder" on the TV.

-=-