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Friday February 4, 1983

 We were up at a better time today and went out after breakfast to buy tickets for the homeward journey. £6.50 each from London Victoria to Bradford. I'm sure that 10 years ago it wasn't much under a fiver. We walked hand in hand around the streets. I tried to occupy her and prevent her looking in shoe shops but was unsuccessful. She espied a pair of red ones at a ridiculous price and had to have them. 

We sat inspecting three or four pubs until 2:30. These new fangled space invader machines destroy all the character and atmosphere. In the Bakers Arms it was like sitting through a NATO training exercise in Scandinavia. 

We retired to Chillandham Cross at 3 and prepared dinner. Roast beef, potatoes, sprouts, parsnips, Yorkshire puddings, &c. Poor Andrew has lived on soup for the past three days. Whilst I peeled the spuds Ally sat buried beneath the Hampshire Chronicle and exclaimed that Alan Ayckbourn's play 'Taking Steps' is on at the Theatre Royal, Winchester. Without further ado I phoned and booked a couple of tickets for tonight at £3.30 each. After dinner we drove in to town and the theatre. The play was excellent. By no means hilarious, but amusing. Ally didn't like the ending which came upon us rather suddenly. I had been sitting on top of a steaming radiator in the theatre. We made a quick escape, in pouring rain, to the Cart and Horses at Kings Worthy. Back at Chillandham Cross for 11 we watched a bit of TV with Andrew, who is a bit of a character. He frequently disappears to his room at intervals and strange banging noises always coincide with his absences. Ally convinces herself it's a dart board, but I think it might be something else.

-=-

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Saturday May 19, 1984

A warm, gentle day. Ally and I took off to town with Samuel at 1pm. We didn't take the pram and I carried baby for two hours, by the end...