Thursday January 11, 1973

Got up at 6.30 - nervous and tired. Arrived at Guiseley train station at 6.50. The Leeds train arrived 9 minutes later. On arrival at Leeds my Darlington ticket cost £1.75 - remarkably cheap for British Rail. Caught the train at 7.48 and arrived at 9.31am. Found my way easily to the college - which seemed very impressive in its Victorian splendour. At college I was immediately pushed into a room where several girls and a boy were writing an essay under exam. conditions. I did the same. It was a comprehension on Tolstoy's teachings. After three paragraphs I finished and joined the others for a good laugh (to hide the nervousness). My interview with the History man went down quite well for both os us - and I left after 20 minutes feeling rather pleased. I was somewhat less confident when I was interviewed by the deputy principal (who incidentally was the double of the Duchess of Windsor). By 12 it was all over and I was invited to lunch by two of the interviewees - both public schoolgirls. One of them had a nice car. We were all friends by the end of the lunch and we parted at 1.30 not knowing if any of us would meet again. But we promised to "meet in September" - a rather optimistic view. I made my way back to the station and departed for York at 2.50. At York I changed trains and went to Leeds. Home at 6.30. Mum tells me of the new holiday arrangements. We are now going to the Adriatic for 15 days. "Stuff the cost" attitude by Mum has worried Dad slightly - but one can always rely on Mum to manage affairs of monetary principle. We start hols on July 13, the very day that Dave I leave Benton Park. Looking forward to school tomorrow. It will be a change to have a laugh, in fact all we ever do in that place is get from one laugh to another without giving ourselves hernias, etc. --