Monday July 2, 1973

Got up very thirsty at 7.0. My throat feels as though it's been cut! Leave for school on the 9 o'clock bus. Forget Denny's material for Italy. Arrive 9.30. What an exceedingly boring day it was which followed. Played "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band" by Beatles (1967) - all day! Christine was nearly driven to insanity.

Go to Rawdon library at 2.15. Get a biography of the Duke of Edinburgh by his cousin Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia - it's supposed to be a family portrait - but one comes across the same old material in all his biographies. Indeed, Booth gives more details of HRH's private life than does his own cousin, Her Majesty the Queen of Yugoslavia.

See Bill Dixon, Brian Jilkes and Andy Dale at Micklefield. Have a laugh. Back at Benton at 3.30. Christine has made butties for the cricket tournament - I have a salmon sandwich.

Talk with Mary, the good-old cleaner - what a girl she is! Christine and I spend half an hour with her.

Home at 5.30. Go to the Fleece at 8. June and Susan arrive. Sit with an old man who buys us drinks and shows us old photos of his school class. Move on to the beer garden at the Brown Cow. Sit under a shaky looking umberella - June and Susan argue about their sister and her bad-tempered hubby, John. Walk around Horsforth, arriving at the main road at 11.30 - missed the last bus. Ring Mama who subsequently rings Dad at work and he picks John and I up in the police car at 12.20. Home by 12.30.

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Friday June 29, 1973

Sue and Toffer back from France. Get up at 8 o'clock. School at 10 o'clock. Have a really hysterical day. Dave tearing up his Cumming and Stanlake reference books. MM is disgusted at his behaviour.

Go see Mrs Lane about all my text books and something about open day on July 7. Grief! Back to the workhouse tonight! See Groves about my police grant thing - he reads me the comments he's made about my character - cannot be disappointed really.

Come home and Mum tells me that Bill has got me the painting job - I am ecstatic. Decide immediately that the Chuck Wagon and I are over. Lynn and Christine D promise to take-over on our return from Italy.

Go to the CW at 7.30. Warn Sue of what is happening - she does not really object - but was banking on me staying until September. Finish at about 1. Arrive home in time to see John arriving home from the Intercon. I cannot believe my eyes. Willie's car is smashed in at the front. They've had a bump but I am assured that it wasn't Willie's fault. Stagger to bed.

Here's what Groves said about me: 'Michael spent the first five years of his secondary school career in a secondary modern school and there can be little doubt that 'failure' in the eleven-plus selection procedure deprived him of confidence and inhibited him intellectually. Certainly he is not in the first rank in terms of ability but he has gained in confidence and he has found that he can succeed in Ordinary and Advanced Level work and his past performance probably does him much less than justice as a guide to his future potential. He has already gained C.S.E. Grade 1 passes in History and Religious Education. He has passed the G.C.E. Ordinary Level in Art, Grade 2, and English, Grade 6, and this summer he sat examinations in Advanced Level History and Ordinary Level Economics. His written expression is seen to be improving and has reached an adequate standard and his oral performance is becoming more articulate as he overcomes his shyness. Michael is a rather quiet young man of pleasant disposition and even temperament. He has shown a commendable determination and strength of purpose in overcoming early setbacks to get this far along his chosen path and I have no doubt that these same qualities will serve him well in the future. I am glad to support this application.'

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Thursday June 28, 1973

Sleep until nearly 12 o'clock. Mother still ill with the infernal cold. Sue also has it now, and I feel slightly nasal.

Go to school in the afternoon. Mr Ayling has been pulling Dave through to bits over his attitude to the 'A' level. The trouble with Ayling is that he puts economics above all other things in life. Oh, he's such a pompous snob!

Walk to the bus stop with Dave and Christine - who almost wets herself laughing. Home by 4.50.

Read the memoirs of Mabell, Countess of Airlie, granny of the Hon Angus Ogilvy, which I collected from Rawdon library this afternoon.. It throws a very interesting light on the aura of austerity surrounding the court of George V and Queen Mary. And in fact Queen Mary was not the prim figure she is often portrayed as by biographers. Also have a book about Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria's youngest child - haven't touched that one yet.

Come to bed and read until midnight. Poor June is being dragged off to Appletreewick with Christine and John until Sunday night. We will not see each other until Monday night. I'll write her a letter tomorrow.

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Wednesday June 27, 1973

Mum still ill with cold -Susan is also "under the weather". Get up at 9 and go to Benton on the 9.30 bus. Very quiet at school. Christine, MM, and Dave turn up after lunch. Quite nervous at the thought of going to Christine Hobson's for tea - I loathe having to meet complete strangers whose sole intention is to 'eye you up' and see whether you come up to the standard required for the courtship of their female relation.

Sit and "flirt" with Fat Irene until 4.05. Get the 4.15 55 bus. Arrive at Christine H's at 4.30. Little Karen is playing in the sandpit on the drive. June comes to the door and is surprised to see me so early. Sit with a cup of tea until 5.40. June is very nervous. Play with baby Karen building lego models - such a sweet, good natured child. John H arrives at 5.30. Over dinner John discusses holidays - he thinks Italy is somewhat 'dirtier' than Spain and France. His generalisation astounds me. Clearly he's a geographer of note. Sit with them until 7.30. Karen asks me: "Are you Auntie June's friend?"

Having no money we walk round Guiseley - a beautiful evening. We walk until 11. I take her back home.

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Tuesday June 26, 1973

Aaaarrghh!! I can't stand it! TENNIS is back at Wimbledon! Another fortnight of boredom, misery and petty nonsensical sport. A good cartoon in the Daily Mail this morning. A baby is throwing a screaming tantrum on the beach, mother turns to father and says: "I'm sure he'll be a tennis star when he grows up, because he's such a horrible little boy."

The weather is really terrible once again. But humid and uncomfortably warm. Stay in bed until 10.30. Mother is still unwell. Clear up the breakfast things and so the housework for her. Have a bath at 11.45 and make a bit of lunch - Mother waits to have hers with Father. She gets up at 1.30. I walk down the lane and catch a bus to Rawdon at 2.30. Drop in at school. Christine is bored to death. I go to the library and come back to school at 4 and see Groves about a special police grant. He's very helpful. Sit with Christine, Andy Graham and Irene until 4.30. See Mrs Capstan-Fullstrength. Walk down for the bus home in pouring rain - Christine has her raincoat on her head. Get the 4.45 55 bus. Home for dinner. And yes, tennis on the tv. Come upstairs in disgust. I'm too bored for words. Never did I think I would be wishing Sue and Toffer a hasty return - but I need the money and the work will occupy my time. Roll on Friday.
But at the same time I miss the idea of going out on Friday and Saturday evenings - hate to think that everyone is enjoying life whilst I slave over a hot sink. See tv and read until bed.


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Monday June 25, 1973

'O' level Biology exam. Get up at 7.35. Raining and thundering. Absolutely hateful. Mother goes back to bed with a really terrible cold. I make myself a cup of tea and sit listening to Tony Blackburn until 10. He sings 'Happy Birthday to you' to Lord Mountbatten of Burma who is 73 today. I didn't think they liked royalty on Radio 1.

Mother is full of cold, the weather is rotten, and I've run out of monetary capital and all financial aid. What a state we are all in! Dad drives me to school in thunder and lightning. Begin Biology at 1.50. A ridiculous examination. Failed again. Finish at 3.50. Louise is at school for the last time! I will never see her again after today. I wave her off in her car at 4.15 - very poignant moment. Benton Park will never be the same without her. Come home on the 4.20 55 bus. June rings at 7. Evidently Janet poisoned her old woman on her very first day as a home help. June began work today and experienced a 90 year-old, one-armed imbecile! But she says he was sweet. She can't afford to go out on Tuesday evening -we're going out on Wednesday instead. Life is hell without her at school but we seem to enjoy our evenings out all the more due to our longer partings. One can easily get bored of someone when one is with her every hour of the day.

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Thursday June 21, 1973

'O' level Economics exam. Got up at 8.10 and left on the 8.30 bus - arrive at 9 at Benton. Louise and I go to Biology. A rotten exam - finish it at 11.30. Go down to Rawdon with Louise afterwards.

Sit with Dave, Christine and Martin V-B looking at the slides we took a couple of weeks ago. MM makes us all very nervous by trying to do last minute revising for Economics. At 1.30 Christine shows me how to calculate elasticity of demand - which, luckily, appeared on section A of the exam paper. Section A was dreadful. Section B fairly straight forward. August 27 here we come! Once again it's in the lap of the Gods. It's all over!They're finished with at last! No more exams until at least November.

Collapse in relief in the common room afterwards, Have a very funny do with Christine. But feel mad that June did not come to school as she promised. Dave and I fight with Malcolm Thomas and struggle down for the 55 bus at 4.55. Wait until 5.15. John gets on the bus at Henshaw Lane.

Have tea at 6. Read Albert and Victoria until 7.30. June rings me from her sister's in Guiseley - speak with little Karen on the phone. June's coming tomorrow afternoon. Feeling very tired. Read until I have a bath. Bed at 11 o'clock.


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Monday June 18, 1973

The 158th anniversary of the defeat of the French armies at the Battle of Waterloo. Get up at 8am. Have a bowl of cereals. Mum goes to work at 8.30. Lynn and Sue follow on to school. I do the cleaning up.

The weather is really too beautiful for description. June wasn't bursting out all over last night, but I sure was! Yesterday's visit by Auntie Mabel and clan was very enjoyable. Won't be seeing them until July 7 when Brian marries Valerie Jean Hutchinson, of Bramley.

Have a bath and wash my hair at 10. Mum comes home at 12.40. Have a bit of lunch and Mum prepares dinner for tonight. She intends sitting out while the sun is nice. I listen to the Johnnie Walker Show on Radio 1 and then get ready to go to Rawdon with some library books which are a week overdue. Caught the 2 o'clock bus. I missed seeing June by 5 minutes. See Janet Roots who says they were thrown out of the Woolpack at lunchtime. Very hot afternoon. Go on to the library and come home at 3.30.

Read until 5.30. Early dinner. See 'Coronation Street'. Lynn comments that a women on a tv commercial is 'ugly'. I think the opposite as say no woman under the age of 25 can possibly be ugly. A woman doesn't begin to look ugly until she is a 58 year old, toothless, hunchbacked,
straggly-haired old dear, standing 4ft in height, with a 49ins bust hanging about her waist. She only laughs at this.

Read until 10.30. Bed at 11.30.

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Friday June 15, 1973

'A' Level History Paper II. Another hot day. June is busting out all over! Get up at 7 o'clock AM. Have only a grapefruit and go to Benton Park on the 8 o'clock 55 - arriving 8.25. Sit revising Bismarck until 9.10. Carol and Sheila arrive - both looking very pale. Enter exam at 9.25. Napoleon III did crop up - but in a round-about sort of way. Write more than yesterday, but yesterday was definately a better paper. Anyway, it's in the lap of the God's now, as it were.

See June, who I fear I have neglected this past week. We're going to the Emmotts on Sunday for the first time in weeks. She's really fantastic. She and Christine go in to Yeadon at 2.30 to see about jobs as 'home helps' in the summer recess. I laugh at the thought of it. June and Christine as char women cleaning around for 6 weeks looking like Hilda Ogdens - some folk will do owt for brass!

Go to CW - play 20 questions and charades - hysterical!

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Thursday June 14, 1973

Dave Lawson's 18th birthday. 'A' Level History Paper 1. Beautiful weather. Get up at 7. Nervousness now quite gone. Go on the 8 o'clock 55 bus after everyone at home wished me luck. Arrive 8.30. Talk to Mary about her troubles. Carol arrives at 9 with Sheila - both frightened to death! Michael Attenborough arrives at 9.20. Go to The Room. Papers given out at 9.25. Mrs Lane arrives looking terrified. Exams starts 9.30. By the expression on Mrs Lane's face she thinks the paper is marvellous. I think it's not as bad as I imagined it would be. Do the hardest question on the paper - according to Mrs Lane, but I like it: 'Peel - for and against'. Do all four questions. Finish at 12.30. Mrs Lane says that with the questions we should have all passed the British paper. The European paper tomorrow will be far worse.

See June. Come home on the 1.30 bus. Have lunch. Show Mum the exam paper. Revise until 3.30. Remember it's Dave's birthday - go ring him up and wish him congratulations. Carry on revising until 11.25. European history is much more of an arduous subject when it comes round to revising. Go to bed at 12. Not nervous in the least.

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Monday June 11, 1973

Get up at 8 o'clock. Revise at home until 11. Go up to Benton Park on the 11 o'clock 55 bus. Do an Economics test from 11.45 until 12.30. I got top marks - 14 out of 28 - 50 per cent. It was an objective test and I guessed the majority of the questions. Come home on the 2 o'clock 55 after ringing Dave from Rawdon with Christine. June was not at school. Come home and revise until tea. Watch 'Coronation Street' and then revise until 11. Bed at 11.30.

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Thursday June 7, 1973

Revise all day. Do Economics lesson. Come home after standing with June at the bus top until 5.30. Groves, passing by, laughs at us holding hands. Revise until 8.30. Listen to records with John. Watch 'Jason King'. Come to bed at 12.30.

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Wednesday June 6, 1973

Go to school at 9.30. Revise until 11.45. It's beautiful 'exam weather' - always a scorcher at 'O' and 'A' level times. Do Economics. Buy Thirkettle for 50p. Revise Ireland until 4.05. Dave brings me home, and Dad signs his passport forms. Revise until 9. Go to fish and chip shop. Watch 'Special Branch'. Go to bed 11.30.

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Monday June 4, 1973

Holiday in the Irish Republic. Chris 18. Get up at 8. Go to Benton at 9. Christine tells me how Philip hit Dale in the Stone Trough on Tuesday last week. She's worried that Dale will take it out on her. He ignores Christine when he finally arrives at 10 o'clock.

Louise and Ray have finished and she is now going out with an Italian living in Yeadon with the unlikely name of Robert! Roberto would be more in keeping with custom wouldn't it!

June prefers to sit with Michael Stott instead of me at lunchtime. Christine and I rescue the stool from the tree. I then put it back. Decide to go home this afternoon and get the 2.30 bus - the sun is extremely hot. Arrive home at nearly 3. Mum and Dad are sitting in the sun.

I have scrambled eggs on toast and revise all evening. Bed at 11.30.

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Friday May 25, 1973

Do Economics homework until nearly 4.0 this morning then go to bed until 8. Go on the 8.30 bus to Benton. Christine very tired. June, bless her, stays in bed until 11, having no lessons until 11.45. We do Economics. Christine and I are too tired - can hardly read our finance books. Surely, the most boring book ever written. Mr Ayling was in good humour. We laugh about last night - mine and Christine's jig caused a sensation.

June arrives for lunch. We stay at school at lunchtime and sit out in the red-hot sun. June does English in the afternoon. Dave, Christine and Holmes played chess. I revised with Carol Bailey. At 4 we pinch Tiff's shoe - and chase about until 5.30. Christine and I have such a good laugh. Go home after seeing June off. Not going out again until after the 'A' levels - or at least we aren't going to make a serious move to go out.

Go to the CW. Sue and Toffer in very jovial mood. Come home at 1 o'clock in the morning.

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Wednesday May 23, 1973

Get up at nearly 8 o'clock. Have a grapefruit. Mouth still very painful. Go to the dentist at 9 and sit reading Lord Liverpool in the waiting room until 9.30 when the receptionist comes in and says my appointment is at 4.30. Rush out back to school. The test begins at 9.45. A scorcher! Just my type. "How far was the Tory government 1822-30 Liberal?" Mrs Lane liked it, but she went into a cold sweat when I happened to mention that the 'A' levels are only three weeks away.

Do Economics. Ayling goes into raptures about the attitude of mind which we (the lower 6th) are taking re the 'O' levels. Ayling is however a terrible snob and he gets up my nose.

Revise in the afternoon lessons. Go to the bus stop with June. Uncle Harry arrives at 4.30. Believe it or not, he is not drunk today. He stays with us for tea (crab salad). Later, Mum, Dad and Uncle Harry go see Mum's cousin Dorothy in Burley-in-Wharfedale, where she's landlady of the White Horse pub. They come home at 1.0 - drinking after hours! Come to bed at 2 after quarrelling with Uncle H about Granddad. Mum gets really furious. But we are all friends by the time he sets off for home.

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Tuesday May 22, 1973

Revise all day. The 'Liberal Tory' administration, 1822-1827. Hardly a thing to go into raptures over. Anyway, I have to save everything I know about Lord Liverpool until tomorrow morning.

Go down to work at 7.30. Sue still knitting for baby. No one comes in until about 11.15 - a party of six! Sue was really furious. Toffer brought me home at 1. Had a cup of Horlicks and came to bed.

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Thursday May 3, 1973

June sends me a letter. She has tonsilitis but will be coming to school today. What a relief!

Go on the 8.30 bus. June arrives at 9.30. She sits with Linda who prceeds to tell June about my so-called "affair" with Christine. June pretends to be put out. Linda can be a bitch at times.

We go down to Rigg's at 12.15. She forgets the shopping list about eight times. Christine and Dave are astounded. She tells me, as we walk down, that our meeting at the Emmotts tonight will have to be cancelled because she has an exam tomorrow morning. I quite understand, and I tell her that I cannot go out on Sunday either because I am working. She laughs. Oh Lord, we can't go out until at least Wednesday of next week, and even then she is doing more exams and she may have to revise then as well. At least she is back.

Walk down to the bus stop at 4.30. Paul Cheetham and Sheilagh Thingy-in-the-lower-sixth are standing there. My bus comes. We kiss goodbye. Come home and have tea. Quiet evening in watching the television and reading.

--==--

Wednesday May 2, 1973

Get the 8.30 bus. Revise in the library until Mrs Lane arrived at 9.45. We start immediately with the two essays. I tackled the British one first which was: "Discuss the view that Appeasement was a policy which was bound to fail". Very good. I quoted both Randolph Churchill and Lord Avon. The European question was: "The decline of democracy in Germany was inevitable by 1930. Discuss." Finished both by 11.15.

June still away. Last night I wrote her a letter which I posted today. She should get it by tomorrow. Anyway, she's got to be back by Thursday. Sue has asked me to work tonight because Moody Martin has exams all week and he wants to revise.

Go down to the bus stop with Dave again. Home by 4.40. Go to work at 7.30. Sue also asks me to work all day on Sunday! This means I'll be working: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Think of the money? Go home at 12.30. Immediately to bed and sleep.. Please June, please come tomorrow.


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Tuesday May 1, 1973

Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones is 9 today. June still not at school. Get up at 7.40. Weather beautiful again (or perhaps I should say, beautiful as Sunday). The Glorious 1st of May! (or is that June?) Oh June, why aren't you at school? Life is hell without you.

Read Eden until 10. Then do "Balance of Payments" with Christine. Two and a half hours! What a mess we get into! She re-writes her essay 6 times. Get into a mess with the maths. Run down for the lunches alone. Have soup, crisps and sandwiches with Louise, who goes home at 1.30. Things aren't the same since she finished with Chris.

Read through Eden again until 2.30. Tomorrow is Mrs Lane's timed question and so in the afternoon I devour several important paragraphs of Randolph Churchill's "The Rise and Fall of Anthony Eden". Have a laugh with Christine. Walk to bus stop with Dave at 4.05. Awful without June. Miss the 55 and get the 35 with Dave. Get off at Yeadon. Dave goes to Ray and Marian's. I go to the record shop until the next 55 bus comes at 4.50. Come home and have tea.

Read Queen Victoria until 7.15. Go to CW. Sue and Toffer went to see some pubs yesterday but the state of them quite put them off. They are staying at the Chuck Wagon after all. Not a very busy evening. Toffer brings me home at 12 o'clock. We sit for ten minutes in the car talking about buying pubs. Come in and have some eggs. Go to bed and sleep immediately.

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