Sunday December 12, 1976

3rd in Advent. Do bugger all day. Oh look! It's the third Sunday in Advent! How exciting! How thrilling! How fantastic! Piss off, the lot of you.

Reflections:

What has befallen Miss CB? What has befallen Miss Akroyd?, and Miss Fountain for that matter? Have I lost my sex appeal or something?

Poem:

Dr Kissinger, we sure will miss yer,
It'll hurt to see you go

Mr Carter must be a farter,
and when I see him I'll let him know.

Bum Bum.

Another poem.

President Ford I'll be so bored,
when you're gone and far away,
I'll cry and cry - Oh God, I'll die,
on Carter's inauguration day.

MLR, 1976 [c]

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Wednesday November 3, 1976

Up at 7.30. I actually heard the alarm ringing at 7 o'clock today but chose to ignore it. Over breakfast Lynn informs me that the nauseating Jimmy Carter has won the American presidential elections. This is a terrible start to the day. His smile is almost abnormal and I for one can't see him doing any good at all. Poor old President Ford will go down in history as the only president of the USA never to have been elected into office.

To work with Jim [Rawnsley] who is still agitated about the health of the pound and his mind thinks of little else. Carol Johnson comes into the office at 9 o'clock saying [Gerald] Ford is the winner. For a couple of hours we do not know exactly who, or what, has become U.S president.

Go to 'lunch' at the Central with Judith. She drinks pernod and eats cheese and onion crisps. Stuart was never mentioned. I was robbed by the thieving old bitch behind the bar but we didn't let that get in our way. She laughs at the photo of a weeping President Ford on page one of this morning's YP. Work until 5pm. Home at 6. Lynne arrives simultaneously and we have tea. Mum goes on about me not informing her when Miss Mather comes to tea, but surely we have no need to stand on formality in this house? At seven o'clock we go to the Commercial for one drink before she departs to a friend's house in Harrogate & a birthday party. I return home and watch a stinking James Bond film with Lynn and Dave and afterwards look on in horror at a gloating Jimmy Carter on the 9 o'clock news [or was it News at 10?] Bed at midnight. Mum and Dad have been at Molly and Jim's with John, Maria and JPH. I have a growing suspicion that baby Rhodes is destined for great things.

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Tuesday November 2, 1976

Busy evening. to the library at 7 o'clock to get 'Edward VIII' by Lady Donaldson, the only complete biography in existence of the Duke of Windsor, I think. Whilst I'm in the library Mama goes to John & Maria's to collect some washing [Maria's machine having become incapacitated over the weekend.] I'm collected at 7.45 and on arriving home I'm informed that Tony's been on the phone. I ring and he comes up at 8 with his washing too [not for Mum though]. We go down to Ilkley and he bungs his dirty undies and things into the laundrette and we go across to the Crescent pub for a pint or two. Tragedy strikes however, because Tony's washing comes out of the machine in a far worse state than it was before it went in. A little man with a floor cloth tells us that his wife, Freda, thinks that the machine used by Tony is knackered and out of order. A fine thing to tell us after the deed has been done. But in good spirits we go to the Hare & Hounds where we find Judith, Kathryn, Richard Wellock and Pauline [you know who she is. We call her Winifred/Mildred who Tony quite fancies]. Tony seems attracted to Judith. Is she the follow-up of Miss Akroyd?

Back at 11 o'clock and we watch 'Kojak' on the BBC. He goes half an hour later and I'm up until 1am watching the start of the U.S presidential election thing. Come on Ford - you can do it!

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Saturday August 10, 1974

Mum gets John and I up at 7.30. To the YP for 9. Pleasant morning at work. I file a lot on President Ford and poor old Nixon.

Darling Denny rings me at about 10.30 enquiring about tonight's arrangemnts for the Scarborough trip. I ask her what she feels like this morning, being drunk last night, and she informs me that Peter Mather look he back to his place until nearly 5am. We laugh. Finish work by 11.30 and come straight home. Lunch with __ and laugh at the holiday photographs which the girls took in Spain. Poor Susan spent £5 having 40 of them developed.

See in the Airedale & Wharfedale Observer that Barbara Woodhead married last weekend. God Bless her. My favourite girlfriend is off the market, and I do suppose that type of female has now gone into complete extinction.

John and I go to the White Swan in Yeadon at 6.15, where Denny, Chris and Pete soon follow. Sit until almost 7 without seeing anyone we know. All the crowd are dressed in casual jeans and things and we feel rather stupid, Chris, Denny, John and Pete and I that is , being garbed in our Buckingham Palace garden party type outfits. On coach at 7.10 and leave for Scarbrough, which seems too far away to go just for an evening. On our arrival everyone goes to the pub except Denny and I who go find a fish and chip shop in the backstreets.At 10.20, having had nothing to drink at all, we go to the Penthouse Disco, which is the roughest place I've ever been to and even Denny says she will never criticise Wikis again. However, they play some fantastic music and we manage to enjoy ourselves without consuming any vast quantity of ale or spirits at all (see next page). Denny and I go for a walk on the beach at about 1.30am and we are forced to return quite early due to the drizzle which soaks us thoroughly. The walk certainly brought Denny from her semi-coma, and we were quite cheerful when we arrived back a the Penthouse. The others joined us at 2am in a shop doorway here we sheltered from the rain. Phyllis Whitethighs (our new name for Christine W) was an absolute bore all evening and shouldn't have bothered coming in that kind of mood. Coach at 2.30am - home by 5am. Terrible cramp in my stomach and no sleep until 7am.

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Friday August 9, 1974

Rains like hell all day. Get soaked to the skin whilst walking up Hawksworth Lane.

Gerald Ford became president of the United States at noon today. Can't say I know anything about the bloke really but I suppose he'll do a good job till election time in '76.

Dave L collects John and I at 8.0 and we go to the Hare. Everyone comes too and we remain until 10.30 when we all - except Chris - go back to Dave B's for a so-called party. Peter Mather and I go to Harry Ramsden's first where I see Ronnie, who is having a night free from the clutches of Lynn. Back to Dave's in a torrential downpour for 11. See Christopher Lee in "Dracula - Prince of Darkness" - a load of old rubbish which wastes the best part of two hours. After seeing tv we play tapes, and Denny gets stoned on a full bottle of Dave L's port. "Al Capone" a reggae record will forever be imprinted upon my mind. Don't drink much really and actually tip one whisky down the sink because it makes my stomach feel suicidal. Peter takes Denny home (or so I'm told) and Andy and Linda go too. John, Dave L, Dave B and I sit listening to rubbish like Diana Ross till after 3. Home in torrential rain - again and to bed immediately. Feel uncertain about Scarborough tomorrow.

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