Saturday March 3, 1984

Our pine bed: Longleat

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

Ally cleaned the car and Samuel slept in his pram outside. Bessie phoned to talk about Lanzarote. Frank saw (Uncle) John in the Bank of Bilbao. He was signing a cheque, but F didn't like to say anything.

Our pine bed arrived. Our bedroom is now transformed into Longleat. Very grand. Downstairs for lunchtime. Audrey and Margaret were working. Michael and Harold Brown came. Harold is such an old (undecipherable). He spoke of days in the 1920s when he and his brother Arthur would get up on a Saturday and tell their mother they were going out for a mornings drive and then off they would go to Lincolnshire until the following Thursday and then return home to find the Yorkshire puddings still in the oven. Michael told us he had been out for a pint with a certain bishop last week who told him that the Runcies lead separate lives. Mrs Runcie never sleeps at Lambeth Palace.

John, Janette, Sue and Peter came at 7 and John erected the splendid bed. They came downstairs afterwards and watched me work. Ally was down too, and Samuel slept without any trouble.

News: Maria has sold the Corner House Cottage and is moving to Ridgeway (Guiseley) and looking for a house in Otley. It pleases me that my Rhodes niece and nephew will not be Scots. Sue and Pete have sold West End Terrace but the house they desire on Moorland Crescent hasn't gone through yet and so they probably won't take up residence there until the baby comes on May 26. A jolly night after closing. All on liqueurs. A Bols evening, in fact. Peter was very drunk. Upstairs for fish and chips and fond farewells at 2:30am. Quite knackered.

Takings: (B) £184.76, (L) £206.23

-=-

Sunshine and Springtime. I am writing this through the leaves of a large spider plant which sits in the middle of the table. It's like keeping a diary in the jungle.