Wednesday April 9, 1980

_. Phoned Dave L. He is up for Jacq & Paul's party on Saturday. He is returning to the swing of things since defecting to the south. Marita phoned from Scarborough to apologise for missing my Silver Jubilee party. She excused herself by saying she and MM had to be on guard at the shop in case rioting mods and rockers decided to put the windows in, or go on a looting spree at the Bank Holiday. If anyone can bring that litter-strewn resort back under the rule of law it's Marita.

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Tuesday April 8, 1980

_. To the YP. Leeds still dead because most of the populace are away for Easter. Newspapers are a bloody nuisance at Bank Holiday times. At 1pm I met Ally at the Central for drinkies, and took with me a batch of photographs which arrived this morning from Shropshire. [Oh yes, I always get my snaps developed in Shropshire]. Ally looked a little dot clad in my cobalt blue woolly sweater. We discussed the events of Saturday night, Sunday morning. Ally moaned about her hair. The perm hasn't taken properly. Like Lynn she is quite neurotic where hair is involved. She went off at 2:20 to buy a new dress and I returned to the YP. She came back for me at 4:45. She is so much happier now her finances are in a healthier state. We got to Guiseley in 15 minutes.

John is home from Stranraer and he and Maria were at Pine Tops, with bottles, babies, linen and food stuffs. 'Hello kid' was his welcome to me. Hard to believe we haven't seen him since Christmas.

Ally went off to the Belfry at 6:30. We arranged to go out with John and Maria on Thursday.

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Monday April 7, 1980

_. Bank Holiday in England, Ireland & Wales

Warm day. I spent what seemed like hours in Guiseley waiting for a bus. The roads were deserted. The journey to Leeds gave me the feeling of how things will be the seconds after a nuclear attack.

It was a pointless day at the YP. For a couple of hours we played cards and drank tea reminiscent of British Leyland workers. At 3 I made my escape and secured safe passage to Guiseley by omnibus.

Poor Ally is working day and night at the Belfry, Bolton Junction, for a sizeable fortune, I believe. The usual Bank Holiday trash on the TV. Old films and panel games. Sue and Pete went out with Chippy and Deborah, and I sat with Mum and Dad in a lifeless sitting room, Fred Astaire prancing around on the box. I find tap dancing very irritating. At 10:30 we settled down to 'Some Like It Hot' starring Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon. Still hilarious after 20 years.

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Sunday April 6, 1980

_. Easter Day

This is supposed to be a continuation of the previous entry. For most of the night I was out of it, on another planet. It's all very vague. The shaving foam orgy must have brought me round. We spent some time down in the cellar, me wearing Susan's underskirt. Dave L had a whale of a time. My last sighting of him was as he drove down Club Street smeared in toothpaste. He had passed the last few hours in a mound of soil from a broken plant pot under the piano.

Ally left at 10 to go to the Belfry. How she did that I will never know. We survivors cleared the debris. I sat under the dining table drinking gin and lime. Johnny joined me, with a glass of water, just because he wanted to 'drink me under the table'. Some folk danced around the rotating washing pole thing in the garden, in maypole style.

From Bradford we drove to Guiseley depositing the lads at various spots en route to Pine Tops. I stood around for a while, looking pained, and eventually gave in and went to bed. Maria and the children arrived and the noise was too hideous for one so delicate. Baby Catherine slept for a couple of hours in Mum's bed, and looked like a little peach.

Ally finished her shift and came over at 3. We went over to Ilkley, roof down, and had ice creams and bottles of pop on the moor. She did an evening shift from 6:30.

I helped JPH eat his Easter eggs.

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