Saturday July 31, 1976

Climb out of bed at 1pm and after eggs and bacon for breakfast Lynn and I go into Otley on a shopping expedition. I take Peter's present with me so that I can go straight on to Bramhope afterwards. Have a laugh with Lynn who is debating what to buy Peter for his 21st. I leave her still thinking about this having bought a few bottles to take with me. Arrived at Bramhope at 4.30.

Lynne is there with her friend Jean unpacking crates of Schofield's sandwiches and other delicacies. Chris and Andy are just leaving ____________. He's like a big girl at times. Or even a little girl. Peter is thrilled with his 'Silver Convention' LP and we played it about 75 million times while going through the holiday photos together. The girls take about three hours to ready themselves and to kill time Peter I go for a quick drink to the Fox & Hounds (Bramhope). Chris and Denise come back at 8 or so. Jean is in hysterics. She plays a ridiculous game touching my bum, knees and elbows. Just a general grope really. Go to the Dyneley Arms where everybody meets. Sing 'Happy Birthday' and 'Twenty One Today' for the host and at about 9.30 or 10 we go back to the house and party. Don't really see Lynne all night, and when I do (see her) she's off hand. I drift round having social intercourse with everyone and distinctly recall devouring a vase of carnations (with Dave L) from the dining room table much to the horror of Mrs Maria Rhodes.

All the usuals attended - far too numerous even to mention. Carole didn't come and people kept telling me she's gone to London for the weekend. I don't believe it. She'll be out with Chris, Pete and Denise tomorrow night. CB was pissed up. We kissed and it was stimulating and pleasurable and entirely relieving. Does this mean I should do away with Roger and take CB for myself? Or does it mean all girls excite me other than ______? Watch this space.

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Monday June 14, 1976

David L 21. Go into the office at 9.30am. Mr Lawson came of age today. Poor David appears to be in a bad way actually. What with the duodenal ulcer and the failure to get a teaching position I cannot imagine him having a wild, revelrous (sic) birthday at all. To be compelled to passing a sober 21st birthday doesn't bear thinking on. MM and Marita are of course going down (to Worcester) at the weekend and I did intend to join them until I discovered that it clashed with the YP Father's Day trip to Blackpool & my name has been on the list for some considerable time. David can easily take offence that I fear he will cut off diplomatic relations when he learns I won't be able to make it to Worcester - my last chance to visit before he finishes for good at the beginning of next month.

Go to Rawdon at 8pm at get a lift to the Dyneley with Marita - it's Lynne's 19th birthday celebrations. Denise, Chris, Pete, Lynne (looking ravishing) arrive at the Dyneley and after one drink we go to the Scott's Arms (at Sicklinghall) again. Lynne and I went with Marita. Fail to get into the right spirit and behave in a sombre fashion all night - even at Denise's where we go afterwards for coffee. I tell Lynne I'll ring her in the week when I'm more wealthy. She tells me about her situation when her Mum & Dad move to Thornton-le-Dale. She'll stay with an aunt in Leeds until Christmas and then consider her position more carefully.

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Friday June 11, 1976

Booze-up day again. Eileen and I make our usual venture across to the Central at 1 o'clock and pass a pleasant hour over a lager or two. We bring a few cans back at 2 for Sarah to have a few drinks as well. One can exploded showering the whole interior of the Yorkshire Post building with a splattering of Heineken.

Meanwhile, that night: Go to the Dyneley (Arms) at 8.30 with Chris, Denise and Carole. (Denise is, of course, staying with Miss Phillips). Meet Pete M and Anne, Raymond Bond and Anne's sister, Carol - and of course the lovely Lynne, who is dressed completely in black. We sit together (Lynne and I that is) all night and are not particularly put off by Carole staring at us throughout. Everyone seems to be getting round to my idea of thinking that poor Carole is slightly 'loony'. Her eyes are certrainly strange and certainly her whole appearance is one of a madwoman. I never feel quite safe now when I see her and always my eyes fall upon her revolting wrists and I think to myself: "God! Is that mess all my fault?"

Move on to the Harrogate Arms near Harlow Carr Gardens until closing. John and Maria came. (They joined us at the Dyneley at 10pm. Lynne brings me home at midnight and stays for over an hour).

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Saturday April 19, 1975

Rainy morning and I'm disappointed because yesterday seemed so promising. Conned into thinking Spring had really arrived.

The girls are at work and so too is Papa and Mama is at the hairdressers. John and I are playing records all morning until Mama comes in with chicken and chips for Sue, John and myself. I've done nothing but eat like a pig all day and it feels horrid. Too much food - it lies so heavily in the pit of ones tummy. What a weird word "tummy" is. So upper class.

Feel sorry for John who is a bit sick about Naomi and her daft proposition. I tell him of David's idea to go the Edwardian Club tonight and I think he'll come. The proudness of we Rhodeses will prevent him from going out with Naomi again I think. Once he thinks he's been used it's curtains for the young lady, and rightly so.

Christine rings at about 3. The bird is crazy. After last night's incident with Gary she says very little other than that she was crying just because she was drunk. I don't believe her. That lad has her under his thumb, and I loathe seeing them together.

John, in his mourning, goes off with Chris and the mob to the Dyneley Arms. David and I go to the Hare (me in John's suit) in expectation of arranging a party to go to the Edwardian. Only Martin (of Carol Smith fame) and Christine Dibb turn up, then Lynn and Dave of course. After two or three drinks we move on to the Black Bull in Otley - the best pub around. At chucking out time it's back to Pine Tops for coffee. Bed at 1.30.

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Saturday March 8, 1975

Lesley Whittle is dead. This puts the toll reaped by the Black Panther up to four. Three sub-postmasters and one innocent young girl. Anyway, I'm not going to dwell on that.

Wake up at 8 and find a beautiful morning awaiting my inspection. Have a cup of tea with Helen and Jane and then have a lift home in style with Miss Jane Lockyer at the wheel. Make a steaming hot pot of tea and take it up to Mama and Papa with the miserable looking morning papers. We sit for half an hour discussing the Black Panther and criminology in general. This conversation really saved the day, because sleep, rigormortis and lock-jaw would have set in had no one made the effort to talk to me. By 10am the brightness of the morning and the pleasant thought of food fives me that 'get up and go!'feeling. Oh for the Joys of Spring! (Sickly, isn't it?)

Mum takes on the mood of an ogre before lunch because Dad renders the car inoperable with repairs when it happens to be his weekend off. The poor girl hasn't been out for weeks and it looks like being another quiet weekend for her. Tomorrow is Mother's Day, so I hope she cheers herself up a bit.

Chris, Dave and Peter M go to the Dyneley - and Lynn and the birthday boy and me go to the Hare & Hounds, where MM and Marita are therein accompanied by Chris and Dave L. MM and Marita aren't too talkative and they leave after a few minutes. Dave, Pete and Chris (Christine having finished with him this afternoon) all go to the Dyneley, and Helen, Christine Dibb, Dave B and me go straight to Wheels,a discotheque in Seacroft. The others from the Dyneley follow on and a great time in enjoyed by all. Helen Lockyer is a darling - just my type really. She's Aries too - April 8 - which makes us very compatible. Dave L got on extremeley well with Christine Dibb and the birthday boy and me attempt to get drunk. Had a few dances. Home at 2am.

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Sunday January 12, 1975

1st after Epiphany. In bed until lunch. No after effects from the night before and quite look forward to tonight's escapade with rellish. See Ingrid Bergman in 'Joan of Arc', a corny film. The very mention of the Maid of Lorraine puts the fear of God in me. Reminds me of having to read 'St Joan' by Bernard Shaw at school. No pleasant task by any means.

Out with Chris, Christine and Maura to the Hare & Hounds. John comes along too and does seem to be getting Christine down. He insists on plagueing her to despair, but Maura says she loves it and being pulled to pieces gives her a special pleasure. Kinky, that's what I say.

Move on to the Dyneley. Getting there is like scaling the north face of Everest (if it's got one), and if Edmund Hillary can pick up a knighthood for his endeavours I see no reason why Chris and I can't have the same. The girls don't like the place at all. Sit near the juke box listening to such hits as 'Discotheque and the Sexolets', a revolting thing really, but it keeps us smiling. Back to Westfield for fish and chips in the back of the Ratcliffemobile. After ten minutes the windows were all steamed up, and mushy peas lay thickly over the entire interior, like sediment at the bottom of a forgotten fish tank. Back home for coffee and off to bed with Baroness Orczy and 'I Will Repay'.

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