Friday May 9, 1980

_. Up at 9. Dad drove me at 9:50 to see Dr Purdy. He prodded around under my shirt and gave me a note to take back to the office on Monday.

Later spent a few hours giving Dad some assistance in the garden.

Phoned Ally at the AHA and then set about compiling a massive epistle to her [well over 10 pages], much to Mummy's amazement, who sat gasping in wonderment at my literary capabilities. She was in fact viewing me through he her new £56 spectacles. Peter would call them 'spregs'.

John phoned from Lochans with JPH. He's found a job working evenings as a paint sprayer at a Scottish crash helmet factory [Kangol]. At least he can spend his days getting on with the renovations at Corner House Cottage. Little JPH was amusing, and explained he'd been helping his Dad plastering.

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Thursday May 8, 1980

_. Cold, cloudy day.

Sarah phoned on a matter of business. The YP want to interview any peer of the realm who lives a normal life in a semi-detached house in Yorkshire. The YP are doing a piece comparing the life-style of a wealthy landowning Tory peer and his lefty working class counterpart in the Lords. The Labour peeress Baroness Bacon lives in humble circumstances.

Spoke to  Glynnie. His opening words were 'we have had a spot of bother with Billy'. ___________. Obviously, I promised never to tell a living soul of this.

From 12 until 4 Mum and I endured the very dull, boring drawn out 'spectacle' of President Tito's funeral on TV. The poor Yugoslavs did their best, but have absolutely no idea how to arrange a state funeral. The old dictator's coffin was thrown around like a sack of coal. The funeral was attended by many world leaders and crowned heads of Europe. Her Majesty was represented by the Duke of Edinburgh, who flew out with Mrs Thatcher and James Callaghan. It must be said that old Tito was crafty old fox for standing between east and west and managing to appease both sides.

Ally came at 7:30. Lynn and Dave arrived in D's new company car.________.

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Wednesday May 7, 1980

_. An industrious day in bed writing letters to Ally, Dave L and Auntie Delia - it's Delia's birthday today.

My letter to David was a lengthy reply to the masterpiece he sent me way back in March in his famous 'olde worlde' hand.

I didn't wake up until 10. Sat with boiled eggs and toast reading the hideous Daily Mail, which can be digested in total in three minutes. Why Mama insists upon this shocking paper I will never know.

This afternoon I finished reading the laborious tale of Lillie Langtry's romance with Edward VII. From start to finish I had no interest in the book and but for the fact that I am a captive audience [after all I am bed bound] I would have discarded it days ago.

I phoned Sarah at 2:30 and told her she wouldn't be seeing me again until Monday. 'Keep in touch' were her parting words.

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