Wednesday August 30, 1978

I have been watching a TV programme about Vietnam and I must say that it seems to be a very boring place these days. Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City, as it now is, was once Asias answer to Weston~super~Mare, with strip~tease joints on every street corner and with all night hot and cold running tarts. Sadly, it now resembles a Suffolk village hamlet with nothing but rice and with Methodist ministers everywhere. President Carter really should do something about it. Perhaps I should drop him a line?

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Monday October 18, 1976

Bogged down at the YP. Bloody newspapers. Leave at 4.30 feeling whacked and nothing for my labours. However, this subject is too miserable to dwell on.

Mum has a letter from the estate agents announcing that a pub - the Bridge Inn at Ingleton actually - is on the market. The usual family conference was convened, not unreminiscent of the Vietnam peace talks held in Paris. Will report in greater detail tomorrow.

Somehow I cannot help thinking that the enagement of the Prince of Wales and Davina Sheffield is imminent. Two weekends in succession at Balmoral must mean something. Will it be a 28th birthday engagement for HRH on November 14? It would all fit very nicely. Engaged next month, leaves the Royal Navy in December, takes up residence at Chevening in the New Year, married in March, April or May, Silver Jubilee in June. Or is it more complicated than that?

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Tuesday January 23, 1973

Uneventful day. The snow has gone completely. Our winter for the year is over. Went to school on the 8.30 bus. I revised in the morning. People go wild with hysterics over my "Fog Theory" which I wrote just before Christmas. I could make millions writing satires. Sometimes I wonder whether teaching will be worthwhile after spending 50 years at college. The dreaded letter came today from Darlington College. I have been passed on again. My next choice is Middleton St George near Newcastle. I must be bloody awful at interviews. When I told Mr Groves this morning that my letter had arrived he didn't break down crying like he usually does. All he could say was "place your hopes in Middleton". Silly bugger. At 2pm Denise and I had a mock O Level Biology exam. Louise finished at about 3.30 - everyone else finished at 4. I could only answer half the questions and was sure glad to get out.

President Nixon of the USA announced something about Vietnam on the radio today. It was live on BBC1 at 3am. It will probably be a ceasefire or even an end to the war which has been raging since about 1400BC. Strangely enough, if the end of the war has come Pres. Johnson will have just missed seeing it by a day. They are burying him on Thursday.

Did a bit of revising and watching TV until almost 12. I have History exam tomorrow. If I get more than 40 per cent I am high and dry. In the last "mock" I got 29 per cent.

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Monday January 22, 1973

The main subject of discussion at school today was the amusing events of Fridays drunken engagement party. To my amazement Janet says she caught to bus to Horsforth. It seems I am madly in love with June. But I'm not the only one, or so it seems. Dave, Steve Tate, Peter Hurst, Michael Stott, and many more have fallen under her bewitching spell. I would love to know whether she fancies me...the competition gives me an even greater urge to succeed in capturing her beautiful heart.

It was announced on the late night news several minutes ago that Lyndon Johnson, former president of the United States 1963-69 has died from a heart attack. No doubt the mess in Vietnam added a couple of decades to his life. He has looked 90 since 1966. He was only 64.

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