Sunday March 2, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

3rd Sunday in Lent

Early start. Samuel seeking his cousins ended up in bed with Gill, who was half dead. Graham, bright and breezy, went out in search of the Sunday Times. I concocted a breakfast for everyone. A 'full-English'. A mammoth task. We all ate in the kitchen. Philip Middlebrough phoned and we arranged to meet them at the Royalty on the Chevin, where a family room is set aside for the poor souls with a plethora of offspring. A brisk, bright and sunny day. We went up to the Chevin for 12. Hustle and bustle but extremely pleasant. All the children piled into a large plastic Wendy House and we big ones hit the drink. I drank pints of Guinness. Afterwards to Philip and Carol's, a shoe-box in a Menston backwater. Tom, the elder son, drags a duvet around as a comforter. Oh dear. Home for 5pm. Liz phoned in sick and so I phoned Maureen who came in with Margaret at 8. We sat downstairs until 9:30 talking about F & B, Andrew & Lorraine, &c. Graham went out and bought us a Chinese-takeaway. We watched a play - "Hotel Du Lac". We wet ourselves laughing  at the quip Graham made to Philip last night: "Hello Philip - still as boring as ever." Aaarrgghhhh.

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Saturday March 1, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

St David's Day

Sunshine. Graham and Gill got here at 12:30, and after all the children had thoroughly inspected each other, Graham and I came down to the tap room to watch the rugby from Twickenham. England v. Eire. Graham is a fan, of course. He hit the Diet Pils with a vengeance and suffered thereafter. He had all the symptoms: 1). Senseless grin, (2) Purple eyes, (3) Legs akimbo, (4) looseness of both vowels and bowels, &c. He drifted hither and thither with his light-blue pullover draped over his shoulders.

Later the children all went to bed. The Dixons together and Samuel in ours. We dined on lasagne, and then went down to meet Philip and Carol (Middlebrough). A fairly quiet night with interruptions from the children who cried at intervals. ____________. Graham was the first to retire. V. pissed.

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