Sunday May 8, 1983

 Rogation Sunday

Mother's Day in USA and Canada

A long lie in. A slight hangover but this is only to be expected. Up at noon for toast and tea. We disposed of the washing up from last night and ate the leftovers at lunch. A bowl of ratatouille with cauliflower cheese and mushrooms all covered in the steak and pepper gravy. Delicious. We watched a Bob Hope film and a few of his stupid cracks raised a smile from Ally. At 5 we watched a programme on the royal family narrated by Ronald Allison. He interviewed the Duke of Gloucester whom I haven't heard speak before. The poor man looks very much like the Buccleuch family, but sounds sane anyway.

Bessie phoned at 3:30. Frank is on a 17-mile sponsored walk at Newbury raising money for eye operations in India. Trevor Lynn, Gill's brother, and Teri , are to be married by Mr Lynn at Kings Worthy. Andrew is still courting Lorraine. Ally, wearing striped dungarees and one of my shirts, dosen't say anything about her possible condition. No need to create panic at this stage.

(to be continued)

Saturday May 7, 1983

 I was awake early and could not go back to sleep. I was reading Alexandre Dumas before 8am. At nine I climbed out and left Ally a note and went out to buy bread rolls and a newspaper. A dark, wet and grotty day. It pelted with rain this afternoon and is about as much like a May day as Michael Foot is like the leader of a political party. We worked in the kitchen preparing dinner from 9:30. Furious activity cooking and cleaning. _____________. The food emerged splendidly and the only mishap was when I accidentally kicked a two litre bottle of lemonade down the cellar steps. The incident resembled the sinking of the Titanic. Ally looked sexy and slinky in her long purple frock, three years old but good. We sat with elderberry wine waiting for the dinner guests, and toast Ally's tummy.

MM drove Marita and Dave L here for 8:30. We dined at 9, and amazingly we were still sitting at the table at 1am. We dined on tomato and orange soup, seafood pancakes, and silverside beef cooked in wine with black peppercorns, &c. Profiteroles with chocolate rum sauce, cheeses, coffee, two bottles of white wine, one bottle of red, and two carafes of home made red. Sumptuous, impressive and a delight. Dave had eaten a salad before he came not expecting such a repast, but managed to keep up with us all the same. Discussed religion, reincarnation, ghosts, and Princess Anne, and in HRH's defence I say her unpopularity is media manufactured, &c. Marita, who is into ghosts in a big way, told us she has a photograph of her great-grandmother which is haunted and speaks to her. The face, Victorian, changes with various moods. She can tell how great-grandma is feeling by looking at the framed photo each morning. MM cannot take it seriously and thinks it's a joke. I can believe anything. 

David is godfather tomorrow to Helen Orchard, daughter of Mick, and he laughs because he is a non-believer, and yet people clamour to ask him to stand as godfather to their children. We looked at photo albums and they left at 2am. A very enjoyable night.

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Friday May 6, 1983

 A wet start, muggy later, and sunshine at the end. Ally once again had her eggs in bed and I read aloud excerpts of news from the Daily Telegraph. A suit of armour worn by Henri II, King of France, has sold for £1,750,000. The local elections have proved nothing and yet they continue to say that the PM will go to the country in June. The big noises are gathering at Chequers on Sunday supposedly to discuss the details. I wouldn't advise an election before October, or next year.

Ally slept until 11 and I made pancakes for the seafood pancakes for tomorrow's dinner party. We later went to town to buy the food and I was very worried about Ally who looked deathly pale, so much so that I thought she might faint. We went into the cool of the fish market to buy prawns and the smell brought her round. The suspense continues. We spent a fortune on food and I carried it all back on a hot bus at 3:30. I phoned MM to make sure they are coming. He was just washing emulsion paint out of his hair and was in a state of confusion. They are bringing Dave L with them so that the lad can indulge in alcoholic beverages. We dined at 5:30 and Ally threw a ratatouille together (for tomorrow) and the delicious smell drove me wild. Drooling at the mouth. As I write Ally has gathered all the house plants together to water and the kitchen resembles the Guatemalan jungle.

We have been talking about christian names again. Foolish of us at this early stage but it cannot be helped. Ally likes Samuel. Of course I have a cousin, Samuel, in close confinement in a Carlisle institution.

We watched TV and went off to bed after part 4 of a slow thriller which has dragged on for three episodes too many. Watched 'Death of An Expert Witness'. I phoned Peter who was watching TV in solitary. Christopher's hernia operation went off well and the boy was up and playing on the ward this evening though bruised and with stitches. The hernia was bigger than expected.

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Thursday May 5, 1983

 Ally phoned Patricia and had breakfast in bed.  We went down to the school to vote in the local elections. The Conservative lady got my cross. Hand in hand we went to post our quarterly rates bill (£19.87) and then decided to go to Guiseley to see Lynn and Dave and the Baker sisters. Over to Thorpefields for 1pm and spent five hours with Lynn and the delightful girls. Frances, David's double, was a little shy at first (she had just got out of bed) but chatted away in a broad Yorkshire accent. Katie smiles beautifully and doesn't seem to object to Frances who jostles her with great vigour. She (Katie) drank from a bottle for the first time, and didn't enthuse about the experience. We left at 6 and at the end of Thorpe Lane instead of turning towards Bradford we went to Menston for a T-bone steak at the Fox, a Beefeater restaurant. Ally had a well-done steak just to be on the safe side because rare meat can damage a foetus - if any. Prawn cocktails, steaks, ice-cream, cheese, &c. All for £15. However, I dislodged a filling. The waitress was so revoltingly humble I was almost sick. We got a bus from there and was home for 9:30. Watched the beginning of News at 10 but nodded off. To bed with water. Restless sleep.

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