Saturday August 10, 1974

Mum gets John and I up at 7.30. To the YP for 9. Pleasant morning at work. I file a lot on President Ford and poor old Nixon.

Darling Denny rings me at about 10.30 enquiring about tonight's arrangemnts for the Scarborough trip. I ask her what she feels like this morning, being drunk last night, and she informs me that Peter Mather look he back to his place until nearly 5am. We laugh. Finish work by 11.30 and come straight home. Lunch with __ and laugh at the holiday photographs which the girls took in Spain. Poor Susan spent £5 having 40 of them developed.

See in the Airedale & Wharfedale Observer that Barbara Woodhead married last weekend. God Bless her. My favourite girlfriend is off the market, and I do suppose that type of female has now gone into complete extinction.

John and I go to the White Swan in Yeadon at 6.15, where Denny, Chris and Pete soon follow. Sit until almost 7 without seeing anyone we know. All the crowd are dressed in casual jeans and things and we feel rather stupid, Chris, Denny, John and Pete and I that is , being garbed in our Buckingham Palace garden party type outfits. On coach at 7.10 and leave for Scarbrough, which seems too far away to go just for an evening. On our arrival everyone goes to the pub except Denny and I who go find a fish and chip shop in the backstreets.At 10.20, having had nothing to drink at all, we go to the Penthouse Disco, which is the roughest place I've ever been to and even Denny says she will never criticise Wikis again. However, they play some fantastic music and we manage to enjoy ourselves without consuming any vast quantity of ale or spirits at all (see next page). Denny and I go for a walk on the beach at about 1.30am and we are forced to return quite early due to the drizzle which soaks us thoroughly. The walk certainly brought Denny from her semi-coma, and we were quite cheerful when we arrived back a the Penthouse. The others joined us at 2am in a shop doorway here we sheltered from the rain. Phyllis Whitethighs (our new name for Christine W) was an absolute bore all evening and shouldn't have bothered coming in that kind of mood. Coach at 2.30am - home by 5am. Terrible cramp in my stomach and no sleep until 7am.

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Friday August 9, 1974

Rains like hell all day. Get soaked to the skin whilst walking up Hawksworth Lane.

Gerald Ford became president of the United States at noon today. Can't say I know anything about the bloke really but I suppose he'll do a good job till election time in '76.

Dave L collects John and I at 8.0 and we go to the Hare. Everyone comes too and we remain until 10.30 when we all - except Chris - go back to Dave B's for a so-called party. Peter Mather and I go to Harry Ramsden's first where I see Ronnie, who is having a night free from the clutches of Lynn. Back to Dave's in a torrential downpour for 11. See Christopher Lee in "Dracula - Prince of Darkness" - a load of old rubbish which wastes the best part of two hours. After seeing tv we play tapes, and Denny gets stoned on a full bottle of Dave L's port. "Al Capone" a reggae record will forever be imprinted upon my mind. Don't drink much really and actually tip one whisky down the sink because it makes my stomach feel suicidal. Peter takes Denny home (or so I'm told) and Andy and Linda go too. John, Dave L, Dave B and I sit listening to rubbish like Diana Ross till after 3. Home in torrential rain - again and to bed immediately. Feel uncertain about Scarborough tomorrow.

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Thursday August 8, 1974

Not very good at the YP. Hear from Mrs Beaumont that she is leaving on September 20. What a change that will be!

Feel sick all day after last night's boozy celebrations at Dave Baker's. Glad that he and Carol (Smith) are back together. Anne and Carol Shires, the girls from way out west, go back to New York today. John didn't even get their address - talk about cool!

Speculation all day abut Richard Nixon, the US president, who won't be with us, or perhaps I should say the Yanks, much longer.

Denny rings at 7 and is slightly peeved when I say I don't really want to go out tonight. You can't really blame me. Being an alcoholic at 19 is a bit much.

Sit now watching the tv waiting for news of the fate of President Nixon. Susan, Peter and myself are like vultures crouched around the telly.

Hear on News at 10 that Nixon is to broadcast to the American people at 2am (our time) and I decide to sit up in an armchair and hear what he has to say. Sit until 1.30 and then fall asleep until 2.35 - so that poor Nixon was talking to himself. Missed him altogether. Had Dad not come in for supper at 2 I would have slept in the chair all night. From the tv I gather that Nixon is to resign his office tomorrow.

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Wednesday August 7, 1974

Tremendous evening. Lynn joins John and myself, or perhaps I should say joins John, Peter Mather, Carol and Anne S, Dave (Bless Him)Baker, and voluptuous Carol Smith down at the Hare and Hounds.

Lynn drinks no alcohol whatsoever, and we move on to the Malt Shovel, then on to Dave's where we go through a bottle of Pernod and a massive bottle of whisky. I drink whisky from a pint glass, and I don't really mind admitting that more than the required limit passed through my person. Stay till about 1.30 - just Lynn, Carol S and Chris and myself then Dave brings us home. Coming through Yeadon at nearly 2am we were stopped by PC Copsey in his cop car who just asked Dave the preliminaries etc. Quite frightening really and it's the first time I've been in a car nabbed by the cops.

Back to Pine Tops where John and Peter M entertain their American friends for the last time. I become slowly more intoxicated until at 2 I stagger upstairs and sleep.


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Tuesday August 6, 1974

Hot day - which makes a change. This summer will go down in history as 'the summer that never was'. Hear from Lynn tonight that she is the proud possessor of five 'O' levels. That is one more than me. Feel really happy for her.

Denise rings me at work and asks if I'd like to go to Scamps, the disco at Bradford, tonight. I plead insanity and say I have no money, which is perfectly true. She doesn't really object and we promise to meet on Friday at lunchtime again.

Nice day at the YP but too warm for comfort. Home at 5.45. Ring Marita after tea who says she's completed her decorating now and for the duration of the conversation I had the feeling that she was concentrating seriously on something else. I ask: "Have you seen Michael today?" She answers: "Yes. He's here now." I make a speedy exit from the line. The poor sods are in love_________.I keep getting different reports from private sources about __ but knowing ___ like I do_________.

No real news to report this week other than the fact that horrid President Nixon finally admitted that he knew about 'Watergate' all along. Disgusting American politics is not a subject I wish to dwell on.

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Monday August 5, 1974

Funny day at the YP. 'Ann' the office girl sends me a note and I almost answer it in a very rude fashion but I hear from Carol Johnson, via her husband, that it is all a joke.

Sit watching tv until 8.30 when Marita rings. She is bored being on her own and I admit that I had forgotten all about her. I say I'll help decorate tomorrow straight from work. Makes a change anyway. She says she'll pick John and I up in half an hour's time to go for a drink. The three of us go to the Grey Horse on Town Street at Horsforth. Tremendous time had by all reminiscing over last years events. I argue with Marita about the night we went to the Cow and Calf and I put her off eating her hamburger by saying it was made from sheep dung collected whilst still warm from Ilkley Moor. We only have two drinks and rush back to Pine Tops in order to read last years diary and settle some arguments. Sit with the '73 journal and coffee until 12.30. Lovely evening. Marita goes home still unaware of the date when she finished, or I should say he (Chris) finished, with her. Sit in bed and at about 1 I discover that Chris and Marita finished on October 15. Most enjoyable night I've had for ages (not counting Saturday night of course).

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Sunday August 4, 1974

As I've already said, I woke up at about 10.30 or thereabouts on Auntie Eleanor's lounge floor - not two hundred yards from the house where I was born 19 years ago.

Auntie Eleanor and Uncle Jack seem very unsociable and not very talkative. They don't really speak to poor Neil who is going to Cyrpus or somewhere equally offensive until Christmas at least. Sue and Peter are still in love - after last night, though she still feels very sick. We leave the Myers home at 11.30 after bidding farewell to dear Jackie, my favourite cousin of all time.

Walk to Auntie Hilda's where we drink home brewed beer till after one without having any food at all. Sandwiches with the Gadsbys was quite a laugh, though Uncle Tony departed up a ladder to paint the bedroom windows with the aid of Steve, Karen's boyfriend. Leave for Bradford just after 2 and we are all back at Pine Tops by 4. Mama makes tea for us all - that is Denny, Sue, Peter, Ronnie, Lynn, John, Carol and myself - not forgetting the most important one of all - Uncle "I'm God's annointed" Tony.

To the Hare and Hounds with Denny at 7.30. Carol doesn't speak to John and I fear that Linda must have told her of John's liaison (set for next Wednesday) with his American friend, Carol Shires.


"Rock Your Baby" by George Macrae.

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