Sunday September 6, 1981

 _. 12th Sunday after Trinity

Up at 9:30. Ally brought tea and toast to bed. Afterwards I painted the hooks holding the picture frames on the bedroom wall. They were annoying me.

I sat reading Charles II [Antonia Fraser]. Ally cooked a massive lunch, brisket, cauliflower cheese, &c. Afterwards, before 4:30, we went to bed, in the glow of a pink lamp. Tony Blackburn on the radio, very annoying, and afterwards we watched, whilst still abed, a film about the widow of an assassinated U.S president marrying a Greek shipping billionaire and living happily ever after. Of course it couldn't ever happen in real life. Watched part one of a Churchill drama with Robert Hardy playing Winston and Sian Phillips as Clemmie. Quite good.

Mum phoned to ask how the wedding went. Auntie Delia phoned. I'll give you the details tomorrow.

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Saturday September 5, 1981

 _. Extremely hot. Ally went off to Catherine's at 10:30 and I made my way to St Cuthbert's Church at Heaton, at 11:30, and sat alone in the church. 

It was my first experience of a Roman Catholic wedding and Mass. Bridesmaid Ally looked like a peach, and I got a smile from her as she passed down the aisle following Miss Brook. Hard to believe she had been up most of the night supping with her in-laws. Roman Catholicism is so unwholesome. It looks fine in Turin or Castel Gandolfo, but seems a little out of place in Bradford. 

We prayed for Pope John Paul. I do not object to that - he's a likeable old stick. The Irish priest went on and on, but at about 1pm Ally [clutching her bouquet] and I were taken away in something like a Peugeot to Steeton and the Currergate Hotel. Hot there and no good really because Ally was on the top table and I was with a party of comedians. Occasionally I caught Ally's eye and we beamed. I was partnered with a Miss Binns, in a pretty blue frock, who, because of the heat, became faint, and escaped to the garden, leaving her turkey sitting on the table. Sweat poured off me. A vast 'wedding breakfast' consisted of asparagus soup, a fish in mushroom sauce, then roast turkey followed by a fruit salad.

The Curregate Hotel.

We had drinks in the garden afterwards and declined an invitation to an after party in Riddlesden, and came home at 6:30. Sue and Pete were there waiting for us. Sue is bigger, of course, but well. Peter was great fun. We went to the Reservoir pub on Daisy Hill, and then to fish and chip shop [for the Nasons, not for us], and then to Mucky Willies. Sue wants to call the baby Benjamin, but Peter doesn't approve. She is also fond of the name Paul, or Katie or Clare for a girl. We were home by 10pm. In two hours we had only managed 2 drinks.

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Friday September 4, 1981

Mum and Dad.

 _. Ally is just taking a photo of me as I write this, flat on the floor, fountain pen in hand. The film in the camera, she says, needs 'using up'. 

A peaceful day at the YP thanks to the absence of 'Mrs Slocombe', who has gone on a European tour with her boyfriend, the 58 year-old ex-president Jimmy Carter look-alike, Mike. Kathleen working 5pm-12. 

Home at 6. Mum and Dad came here at 8 and stayed until after 3am. A very successful meeting. Dad went over the road to the Corner shop and came back with a bottle of gin and orange juice. I carried up chilled bottles of lager from the cellar. Don Cortez wine, and some of Dad's home-made wine completed the damp repast. We had prawns to start, then lamb chops [for which I have a passion], and a big salad. Cheesecake afterwards. Mum hit the piano and played Debussy's Clair de Lune, and Ally amused us with a quaint old piece. We sank some booze. Mum told us tales from north of the border _______.JPH keeps breaking Alec Clanachan's windows, just for fun, and Maria isn't eating. John says 'she's smoking instead'. Maria's friend from the village, Denise, is now living in their caravan at Lochans. Dad fell asleep after 12 and the three of us sat until 3 nibbling at the cheese. After they left Ally went off to bed and I did the washing up until 5am.

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Thursday September 3, 1981

 _. Mum Phoned: Susan, she says, has been to hospital and has undergone a 'scan' which revealed she isn't as advanced as she thought, and baby Nason is no longer due on December 28, probably four weeks later. We haven't seen Mum and Dad for a couple of weeks. They're coming to dinner tomorrow.

Meanwhile, this evening we paid a visit to Morrison's. No matter how sparing we try to be we always put £10 worth of shopping into our basket.

Had fish and chips at Mother Hubbard's, the standard of which has greatly improved since our last visit to that Harry Ramsdens-look-alike. On then to the home of Catherine Brook, shortly to be Alderson. We took our wedding present [Habitat tins], meeting David [Alderson] on the way who was having a spot of bother with his wheel trims. We spent a couple of hours at the Brook residence and detected no signs of panic or chaos. They looked at our wedding pics and Mrs B's verdict was that Ally looks like a fashion model. At 10 Catherine and David took us to view the Alderson marital pile, a semi. I prefer little Club Street any day. Their neighbours are either Greek Cypriots or Chinese.

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