Sunday February 10, 1974

Queen Victoria married Albert, 1840. Up with the larks at 12 noon. Poor Dad went to work at 10am where he will remain until 10pm. The current miners crisis renders it impossible for the police force to have days off or any free time at all. But still, working a 12 hour shift will bring in a bit more money.

Have bacon for breakfast, then listen to the radio as usual. Lynn and Sue are now successfully recovered from the joint attack which they both underwent earlier this week. This evening Sue is bringing her latest, Peter Nason, around for a record playing session. My sisters have had more boyfriends than even a computer could record. However, I see no reason why they shouldn't enjoy themselves in any way they see fit. Nothing eventful or anything, except for 'Monty Python' that is, which had me in stitches. Ironically, now that the tv is back to normal hours, Mum and Dad spent all evening stood before the new washing machine, watching the clothes spinning round! It's a funny world isn't it?


'Tiger Feet' by Mud.

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Saturday February 9, 1974

Mum woke me at 7am after only 4 hours sleep. Completely dead. Feel as though I've died in the night and the angels have forgotten to come and fetch me. Still, it was well worth it, and I arrived home at 2.30 this morning after a ten minute car ride over the moors with Ray.

Stagger down the lane at 8 after waking Sue. Get the train as usual. Carol, Kathleen, Sarah and me are the only bods working this morning - and strangely enough Carol is very nice with me. It appears to me that Janice and Carol must have had a conference to decide upon a policy of 'Let's be nice to Michael for a change'. It certainly does make a change anyway.

At 12.15 I walk into Leeds with Kathleen and Carol - arrive too late to catch my train, which is pulling out of the station as I arrive. My arrival home is therefore delayed until nearly 2 o'clock. Have chicken for lunch.

At about 8 John and I go to the Emmotts, but I feel too tired to drink more than a pint. Hear from Chris that Andy was awfully sick this morning. Laura, Pete, John and Chris decide to go to a better pub, and I say I'm going home. They all look shocked. At 9.30 Pete goes down for Andy, and we change places, as Andy arrives, I go. Home for 10 o'clock. Mum and Dad are out at Esholt, and Sue is babysitting. I sit with Lynn and Christine Dibb in front of the tv which was working all the way through until 1am!! See a horrific film - 'The Norliss Tapes', which even scared me! Films rarely drive me to the paroxysms of fear, but this one did. Bed at 1.

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Friday February 8, 1974

Quite a satisfactory day with very little hinderance from the girls. Frankly, Janice was being most civil with me for a change. Kathleen seemed a little bogged down with work, but I suppose the head of a department does tend to take on more responsibilities.

Have a funny afternoon. Laugh ourselves silly when we hear that the miners are still going on strike although they have no Government to argue with. The General Election isn't going to have the effect which Mr Heath thought would come about. Undoubtedly, the country falls into a worse state every day. Everyone in the Emmotts tonight agreed that the Conservatives should be re-elected, but most thought that Uncle Ted should go.

John and I get the 7.30 55 - meeting Andy on the way. Dear Christine White joins us - followed by Laura (ugh) and Paul. Chris doesn't come until after 9 o'clock. The Emmotts is packed by 9.30 and when MM and Marita come we are packed in like sardines. Helen and Keith pile in and I give her my stool, spending the remaining 45 minutes crouched on the floor near Chris and Ray. _____MM and Marita leave us and we decide where to go for the remainder of the evening. Keith mentions the 'Speak Easy' again, which was suggested last Saturday. We decide therefore to go to the 'Speak Easy' at Keighley. John and Andy go with Keith in his car. Helen and Christine go with Ray, and me and Chris go with Laura and Paul. All the way over the moors, arriving at the place at about 11. I always thought Denny was a good dancer, but Helen is also gifted here. If she wasn't going out with Keith I could quite fancy her.

The 'Speak Easy' is a brilliant spot - inexpensive and quite classy with it as well. Much better than the so-called 'Cat's Whiskers', which may as well have been named 'The Dead Bears Bum' for all I care. Dance through until 2. But John and I are mad about the drink arrangements. Everyone seemed to be buying drinks for each other and leaving dear brother and me out. Bugger them. The past months have shown that John is the only real friend I've got - the others tend to 'take the piss' out of me.

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Thursday February 7, 1974

The one day rail strike delayed my arrival at the YP until 9.35. Travelled to Leeds on a bus where I saw the second most beautiful lady in Horsforth - namely Sue Bottomley. What a darling she is! The epitome of sophistication. Such beauties were never meant for the horrid industrial 20th century. The splendours of Regency England would have been more suitable for the divine Miss Susan Bottomley.

My half-day again. Leave the YP with Sarah and get a bus outside a mill on Wellington Street. Home for 1pm after dropping off my library books at Rawdon. Have an invigorating walk up the lane in brilliant sunshine only to find myself locked out of the house. Realising that Lynn is still in bed with a chill, I shout through the letter-box, but she arrives in the kitchen laughing saying Mum has the only key. Anyway, I soon remedy the handicap by climbing into the house via the kitchen window - Lynn found the whole incident very funny. Lynn goes back upstairs and I sit with her listening to the radio until nearly 2.

The 1.30 news shook me. Mr Heath announced this morning that a general election will be held on February 28, and the Queen has dissolved Parliament by telegram from New Zealand in the early hours of this morning. It seems as though all the speculation is correct after all. My only fear is that Mr Heath will be succeeded by that two-faced little pip-squeak Wilson. I pray to God that we will be spared from the vile insinuations of the fiend, who has already proved to us that he is incapable of being a good Prime Minister. A Labour government would be the final blow to an already weak nation.

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Wednesday February 6, 1974

Queen Anne born, 1665. Death of Charles II, 1685. Death of George VI, 1952.

Although no snow fell overnight, last night's quota is still very evident. The whole lane looks like a picture from a traditional Christmas card. Leave for work at 8. Slide down the lane, up to my ankles in crisp snow.

Speculation about a possible General Election is the main topic of both YP and EP today. I don't know what to think. One thing's for sure, the so-called national strike will be halted if the marxist TUC leaders think that 'Darling Harold' (Wilson) will win the election. All my sympathy goes to Mr Heath. After all, he did his best. It would certainly be a joyous day to have the old boy once again at the helm, as it were, but the possibilities do seem remote. After all, no matter how good a government has been they are seldom returned for a second time. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

Lynn is currently shut away in her room with a chill or something. She looks terribly pale. However, in general, the health of the family is quite remarkable. I am the only one who has ever really missed a lot of time from school - but that was many years ago. John is certainly the healthy one of the clan. To be honest, I cannot remember a day when he's missed time from school, and in 2 years the boy's never missed one day of work.

Sit in bed browsing through old Agatha Christie novels which are still good the second time around.

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Tuesday February 5, 1974

Winter is here at last. Exceedingly cold day and very few dare venture out of the YP into the Leeds streets this lunchtime. From about 7 this evening it proceeded to snow until after 9. All the lane was covered in at least 3 inches.

Mum and Dad bought a new washing machine today - fully automatic. She keeps repeating that it's the first new washer she's had since married. Unbelieveable really.

After tea I write to CB using an official YP envelope - it's not really stealing - just one of the perks of the job. It's been a very quiet period for letters recently and I will have to remedy the lack of mail by creating my own stimuluses. If I write to everyone I know, someone, somewhere MUST answer.

I inform Dad the flag outside his office must be hoist for all to see tomorrow. The 6th being the 22nd anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne - a 'Union Jack' day not widely observed. It must be a dreadful day for the poor Queen, who cannot have wanted the burden of the crown so unexpectedly, or early. The Royal Family generally do nothing on February 6, and by all accounts the Queen Mother locks herself away in a room at Royal Lodge, Windsor.

The coal miners have cut off all negotiations with Mr Heath, and the whole nation seems to be in a state of collapse. MPs are now staying that Parliament will be dissolved within a few days, and that a general election will be held on February 28 or March 7. Poor Mr Heath is hanging on by his teeth to his dwindling sanity and support.

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Monday February 4, 1974

Climb out of bed at 7.30. Hear on the news that 11 people were killed by a bomb in Leeds early this morning. The dead were travelling on a coach from Manchester to Catterick. The victims are obviously army personnel and families.

Spend the afternoon tracing the address of a Leeds woman who collects everything she can lay her hands on about the Queen - eventually make a discovery. Quite an interesting read in the meantime reading through old royal headlines. The announcement of Her Majesty's birth took approximately eight lines of an inside page of the YP when she came into the world in 1926 - they cannot have known then that the baby would one day be the mother of Princess Anne!

The Court Circular in The Times refers to to the Queen's daughter as "The Princess Anne, Mrs Mark Phillips" - a romantic, but hideous notion.

On my arrival home I see that I have had no luck with my exams again - failure. Don't particularly worry about not attaining immortal fame as a historian. If being good at history turns you into an AJP Taylor I'd rather not bother! MM rings at 6.30. Chris passed! (According to Christine B anyway). He ring me (Chris) from London and I tell him that he's passed. He is very sceptical about it all. He cannot really trust messages from MM and Christine.

See 'Colditz' in the evening. Bed at 11. Having having a shower first. PS - the miners voted 81 per cent in favour of a strike. The TUC leaders met Mr Heath and Mr Whitelaw at 10, Downing Street this evening. The Government can't make the miners change their minds, and poor little Willie Whitelaw couldn't even appease his grandmother.

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