Friday January 24, 1975

All day at the YP. Not really eventful.

Minus Christine Mary Braithwaite and Christopher Holland Ratcliffe, who are either going to a party or something at Wakefield Theatre Club, or something equally nauseating. Spend most of the night with Christine Dibb, who is on her usual witty form. Misses White and Smith are also with us - the younger Miss Smith seems to be minus her lover and no doubt it's on the rocks - or at least we hope so.

John buggers off with Andy at 10.15 and leaves me alone with Laura, the two Christines and Carol. Leave the Hare with Laura at about 11 and she kicks Dibb and me out of the car at the bottom of the lane. I don't have a coat and nearly perish with the cold. Christine came in for coffee and we joined Lynn and Dave in front of the television. A bloody awful film dominates the screen so I retreat into my book 'Edward VII'.

Mummy and Daddy are home from a party at the Saxtons with tales of drunkenness and debauchery. The host, Geoff Saxton, diid his usual 'dead man lying on the floor' routine, and threw up later all over the kitchen, which can't have been a particularly pleasant sight.

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Saturday September 8, 1973

John and I go to Bradford in the morning and he buys the LP 'Never a Dull Moment' by Rod Stewart. The day is very hot and Bradford is sweltering. Rush home for lunch.

At 1.15 John and I walk down to Silverdale where Geoff Saxton gives us a lift to watch Leeds United play Birmingham. A 3-0 victory for the boys! We go immediately to Chris's and let ourselves in whilst he's at work. He is home by 6.15 and we have a meal together. Andy joins us at 8 and we all have very large Bacardis. When Marita arrives at 8.30 we are well on the way to getting drunk. Chris drinks his in the bath. John, Andy and me move on to the Fleece 8.45 where the rest of the gang awaits our triumphal arrival.

Later: the party at the Ratcliffe residence begins at 10.30. Andy and I are stoned already. We make a few practical jokes and Linda throws his clothes out of the bedroom window. Dave got drunk tonight for the first time in his life! He, along with Christine and Philip, played strip pontoon in the lounge. Philip had his trousers off before even his shirt. Why? Why? Wh? I ask myself.

At 3.30 Andy, Chris and me walked to Grandways for twenty cigarettes. We finished up dancing in the large concrete flower pots outside one of the shops. At 4.0 everyone went to bed leaving me with a Tamla Motown LP -what a terrible effect it had on me.

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Saturday May 5, 1973

John gets up at 6.00 and goes to Wembley with Geoff Saxton. Yes, the day has come. Leeds United are playing Sunderland in the FA Cup Final today. How can Leeds loose? Sunderland, a second division team, have only played at Wembley once before, way back in 1937. Watch the build up to the kick off from 10.30.

Mum and Dad go shopping a buy a few large cans of ale. Bill Stott rings up at 2.15 and asks if he can come round to see the final on our colour tv, which, incidentally, is one year old today. Mum is furious when Dad says yes to him. When he does come he turns up with his father-in-law - both nice blokes really. Kick off at 3. The Duke and Duchess of Kent in the royal box. At half-time Sunderland was winning 1-0. We all seemed to take it for granted that Leeds would snatch two goals in the second half. Full-time: Sunderland wins 1-0. We are all stunned. Poor John, going all that way to see his idols defeated! Geoff Saxton will no doubt commit suicide. Tragedy!

Go to the CW. Sue and Toffer didn't even watch the match. She said I was a baby for saying I "felt sick inside" when contemplating the defeat. Pauline came in at about 7.10. She says she was on Sunderland's side throughout. Later on in the evening she promised to 'rape' me when I had finished doing the washing up. Not a very hectic evening. Toffer brought me home, un-raped, at 1.15 after sitting with some beers for an hour. Working again tomorrow. Fool, Michael. You bloody fool!

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Saturday March 10, 1973

The Queen's youngest child, Prince Edward, is 9 years old today. A very beautiful, clear, crisp, bird-singing, lung clearing morning! Got up at 10.10. Dad went to work at 11. I decided to go with John to see Leeds United play Everton at Elland Road. John couldn't believe it. I've only been 3 times before with him.

I spent an hour in the garden pruning the roses and then had lunch at 12 which consisted of pancakes which I should have devoured last Tuesday, but Mum had forgotten it was Shrove Tuesday.

At 12.30 Mum and Susan went down the lane to meet Lynn from work and go straight to Bradford for a shopping spree. At 1.15 John I went down to Silverdale Rd to get a lift to Leeds from Geoff Saxton - and we sat with Kathryn and Margaret until he was ready to go at 1.50.
John and I went into the cheap stand at Leeds Utd paying 50p each - phew! I thoroughly enjoyed the match, Leeds winning 2-1. I stood next to a drunk who was shouting: "West Brom for Kings!" If would not have been so funny if Leeds had not been playing Everton! We were home at 5.40 just in time to see 'Dr Who'. Mum and the girls came in ten minutes later. There had been a bomb scare in Darley Street and they had been evacuated out of a shop. Mum came home with something for a change.

At 6.45 set off to work. It was not really busy until 9.30. What a rush! Pauline seems to have recovered from her mad passion for me which is a great relief. We sat with a couple of beers each until nearly 1.30. Toffer brought me home. Everyone asleep in bed. Good night all! Excuse the blob! (Splodge of ink between paragraphs above).

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