Saturday September 10, 1977

A quiet time at home playing records like Jimmy Savile throughout the day and watching TV by night.

I attempted to phone Christine Byram to inform her that Tony, Martyn and I are going to her party tomorrow, but got no answer.

The lads came round after lunch and we lounged around watching a Jules Verne-type epic on BBC2. I told them quite adamantly that I wasn't going out tonight, and they went away in a state of shock. They went to Il Trovatore last night and met Chris and Pete M.

John came up to assist Dad with some joinery work, but I didn't move from the chair. The clock went to eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve and then one without me moving a single muscle. Finally went to bed at 1.20am.

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Sunday February 23, 1975

2nd in Lent. Up at 11.00am. See in the Sunday papers that the revolting Communist rag The Morning Star is in possession of certain papers, government papers too, relating to the personal share holdings of the Queen and other members of the Royal Family. The poor Queen will be distraught with grief. This country makes me sick. The shear lack of decency and manners shown by the Press emphasises too much the need for censorship, and interrogation and torture of all newspaper editors, and the need for certain people, who shall be nameless, to go down to the headquarters of certain annonymous socialist newspapers and reduce them to nothing more than rubble and ashes. May the Morning Star and all who serve in her be eternally damned. Amen.

Chicken for lunch, and then in keeping with the traditional Sunday afternoon we all go and sit listening to the Jimmy Savile programme on the radio. Don't really know what's going on tonight. John of course is going off to the Hare with Naomi, and Chris has mentioned the pictures, but I'm on the verge of bankruptcy at this moment in time, but I'd rather not discuss anything involving financial topics.

Before tea I cut John's hair. Yes, he finally decided to hand it all over to the National Trust, and I am sure that the national will be eternally grateful. John and Naomi go out, but I stay in with Mum. Sue is at Peter's and Lynn and Dave are at the pictures. Come to bed at about 12.30 after seeing a Bridget Bardot film. John created a sensation with his hair in the pub, and says the general opinion of the gang was a favourable one.

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Thursday January 24, 1974

I have finally rid myself of the old bag - namely Miss W. Things should now begin to brighten up. Anne and I discussed the changes we'd like to see at the YP whilst going for the train. Sarah, Carol, Kathleen etc, had gone with Miss W to the party in Mr Linacre's private suite -

Feel very tired on the train and sleep until we reach Guiseley station. At home, Mother entertains me with her home-made tea cakes. Nothing quite equals the smell of warm, newly baked loaves of bread.

See Prince Philip opening the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch on behalf of the Queen on tv. The poor duke looked quite ill bare-headed in the hot New Zealand sun. He read the Queen's message in a hoarse voice, and by the look of things he won't be with us for his 53rd birthday.

See Jimmy Savile on Top of the Pops. 'Tiger Feet' by Mud pushed the New Seekers from the number one spot on Tuesday. It's truly an amazing little disc. Everyone enjoys it.

Still reading Sir Thomas More. Have a bath. Generally a momentous day on all accounts. Let's hope Kathleen doesn't change from her lovable self. A quick surge of power can often ruin a sane being.

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Sunday January 6, 1974

Epiphany. Mother wakes me at 11.45. Have bacon for breakfast and then stagger upstairs and have a hot shower with Jimmy Savile providing the backing music. Sundays are so much better than they used to be.

See an old film on the BBC in the afternoon. Petula Clarke was only 15 years-old! That shows how dated it was. See another good film in the evening 'How to Murder Your Wife' with Terry-Thomas and Jack Lemmon. V. Amusing.

A completely relaxed day. Chris rang me at 7 to bid me farewell for a week and Denny rang at 7.30 to see if we were going to the Emmotts.

Bed at 11 after the tv had closed down early. Lay talking about old times with John until 2.30am.

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Sunday December 9, 1973

2nd in Advent. A completely restful day. Listen to Jimmy Savile all afternoon. Dad gives John and me dirty looks through the window - but how can he expect us to leap up and spend all day pulling up the dead foliage in his herbacious border? The sabbath is for rest, and we certainly obeyed that command.

No one rang in the evening and Lynn, Sue and I watched a Stewart Grainger and Jean Simmonds film 'Footsteps in the Fog' - quite thrilling. John went out with Christine W, and Mum and Dad went to Esholt where they saw Chris, Andy and Laura with the Cartwright Set. Mother thinks_____________. I'd better not tell him. He'd never come again. Bed after 'Up Sunday' at 12.

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Sunday December 2, 1973

Advent Sunday. Awake at 12.0 and have breakfast. John was home for 11.45 - Mum didn't mind when I told her of the hour at which I had arrived home. Have a bath at 1.0 and listen to Jimmy Savile. The snow still lies, like a shroud, over the ground, and the sun cannot move it. A typical winters day. I hope we will have a white Christmas - like the one in 1970.

See the Royal Command Performance on tv. The Queen looked super. She was dressed in a aquamarine shimmering evening dress. As usual, the same old cracks about royalty were made. Not even the corgis escaped.

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