Friday July 26, 1974

To Hare and Hounds in the evening. John is quite entraptured with Carol Shires, the girl from Ohio. Peter Mather sits rather too close to Carol until we go to the Fox, and from then he devotes his attention to Anne Shires, the better of the two sisters. Don't like the Fox and Hounds really, but Denny likes it, and the crowd fancies a change. All to Wikis at 11 - except Raymond and Jill, who have better things to do. Enjoy it for a change and dance with Denny for quite a while. John and Carol Shires stood in the centre of the dance floor hugging each other tightly until 1.30!! Dance with Sandra, Dave L's sister, who is a very pleasant lady. The crowd seem to think it amusing that I had picked up such mature company. See Helen, who was once the associate of Keith Brown - looking quite gorgeous with her hair styled much shorter, and looking more well-groomed and classy in general. She eventually went with Paddy Saunders. Pete brings us home in the back of his van - Denny and I clowning around much to the disgust of our friends from the American Colonies. Bed at 2.30. Very pleasant day altogether. -=-

Friday June 21, 1974

My half day. Work 9-12. Busy but not unusually hard. See in the papers that the poor desolate Lady Jane Wellesley was taken to a police station in London after failing the breathylyser test in her Lancia car. No doubt that full of remorse over losing the Prince of Wales, she went out and got herself pissed. Good bloody luck to her Ladyship, that's what I say.

Go to Bradford at 12 where I meet Denise for lunch. Go to The Queen's, a new pub near the new hotel (Norfolk Gardens?) and we have a couple of drinks. A very warm day, and it feels wonderful to get into the shade of the little, cool tavern. At about 2 I go and have my hair cut, and it certainly needed doing - Denise thinks it looks wonderful. We have a coffee together.

Later: Jackie rings for John, but nothing comes of it and I decide not to contact Judy. She isn't a very nice girl_____. Very good looking of course, but that is all.

John and I go to the Hare (and Hounds) where we are soon joined by Bruno, Andy, Christine W and Linda. Where is Carol? No mention of her is made and I suspect Bruno and she are no longer intimate. Denny comes very late, and Chris even later. To Wikis at 10.30. Home 2.30. Helen Willis ignored us all night.

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Saturday June 8, 1974

Up only hours after leaving Wikis. Rain is the first thing we encounter on drawing back the curtains. Bid farewell to the family and off to London go John and I. Arrive after 1 and John and Sheila are waiting for us in Victoria Coach Station. John and I go on to Windsor in the back of a rickety old car with a huge, loveable Labrador, Hugo, to keep us amused. Thus begins our holiday with dear John and Sheila in beautiful Windsor, the seat of Kings.

(As you are aware I do not write masses whilst holidaying).

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Friday June 7, 1974

To Wikis in the evening. Do not enjoy it at all. See Lynda Thompson whom I have not seen in at least 3 years. Lynn Dawson is also with her boyfriend, though she doesn't really speak to Christine W, her cousin.

Poor Denny was too scared to come because her horrible boyfriend, or perhaps I should say ex-boyfriend, was in residence. He was indeed inside, but didn't seem bothered by Denny's absence,

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Friday May 24, 1974

Quite a memorable day romance-wise. Lounge around all day and do sweet sod all until I go into the YP. Quite a good evening, which I discover to be my last on night duty for a while, other than Ray's day off of course.

Tony Kelly, my drinking companion, suggests we try the Wellesley, which is on Wellington Street, and unless you know anything about famous nineteenth century personages you won't have made the connection between Arthur Wellesley and Wellington. Of course, Arthur was the 1st Duke of Wellington.

Go to Wikis by taxi at 12. All the mob are therein, and Bruno is also amongst the crowd, making passes at Carol Smith, much to the disgust of poor Chris, who is quite infatuated with her. Chris goes at 12.30 - having a lift from Raymond. John is with Judith B and I soon take my rightful place. At 2 she brings us home and I invite them in for a coffee, which they willingly do, remaining until 3.45. We sit about reading our LP covers and arguring about pop singers in general. Then it happened, at about 3.45, outside Pine Tops, leaning on the Alfa Romeo - we kissed & for a brief minute or two I was in paradise. She says she isn't going to Wikis anymore and when I say she is 'nasty and evil' for not coming to the party at Pontefract next Friday she agreed, adding: 'I don't like parties.' I now realise just how easy it is to become infatuated with someone.

PS - saw dear Helen, who was once the property of Keith Brown, at Wikis, with another man. We exchanged niceities but that was all.

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Saturday May 18, 1974

Lynn and I go to Bradford where I spend £9.50 on a beautiful cheese-cloth shirt and a pair of trousers - long overdue. In Smiths we see Denny working in the travel agency and we spend an hour with her. Lynn and Denny get on so well together it's s shame they don't meet more often.

At 7 I ring round and make plans for the evenings entertainment and Chris says we'll meet at the Hare and Hounds. I ring Denny and tell her to be at Menston for 8. Chris rings back and says: 'We've changed plans, Mig,' which annoys me, and he says the venue is switched to the Dyneley Arms. However, I say that John, Denny and I are going to the Hare and Hounds and we'll probably see Chris later on at Wikis. At the H and H Denny is furious and says that Bruno brought her down and then drove off leaving her outside the pub. But we do enjoy ourselves and John sits with George Waite and Jane Lockyer and the latter gets horribly drunk and sits weeping in the centre of the Tudor Lounge much to John's amusement. Denny and I sit by the juke box and are joined by June's friend, Lorraine, and Christopher North, who I don't like. Lorraine tells me that June got in to Bingley College of Education, which is very nice. Whilst I was 'pointing Percy at the porcelain' Lorraine attempted to extract information from Denny, who played along with the game superbly. I came back and made Denny laugh by telling Lorraine that D and I were 'just good friends' followed by a knowing look and a titter. Lorraine was sent packing her suspicions aroused. No doubt June will soon know of my night out with Denise Akroyd, her arch-enemy. We walk to Wikis, and John follows on the bus. Denny and John are the first to dance, and Chris comes over alone at 12. At 2, Denny is picked up by 'an old friend' of the male sex, who proceeds to monopolise her for the remainder of the evening. Chris, having nowhere to go, comes to our place where I set up the camp bed in the lounge. I collapse in bed at 3 and sleep until 11.30.

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Friday May 10, 1974

Wake up at 10.45 with the alarm clock ringing merrily.(Excuse the handwriting but I am sitting up in bed resting the volume on my knees - not a very satisfactory method at all). Doing nothing until Mother comes home for lunch, then she surprises me by saying she is having a driving lesson at 2 - which means this is the second one this week. She gets so nervous about drivming, so much so that she makes everyone else petrified too.

Go to the YP by train at 4.20. Arrive early as all the girls are just leaving. I have a very good night and finish all my routine work by 8.20! Judith Rushworth rings at 9 and we talk for 15 minutes about nothing in particular. I ring Mum but Sue tells me they're out and I joke with her and Lynn for a further quarter of an hour or so.

Read through the Duke of Windsor's file and am especially interested in the abdication period. The poor Duke of York hated the idea of kingship and from newspaper accounts it seems as though the king and his brother finished up deadly enemies. The refusal to give the duchess the style and title of 'HRH' stems from this rivalry. Anyway, I was very glad to see that Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, now visiting Canada, found time to call on the old Duchess of Windsor, who is visiting New York. Margaret and Edward VIII have a lot in common.

My taxi came at 12 and I was in Wikis at a quarter past. Meet dear Denny at the top of the stairs and she is worried about John, who disappeared about ten minutes before my arrival. I go check the lavatory but he is nowhere to be seen. Have a good deal to drink and have fun with Denny. Judith, the Alfa Romeo girl, comes over and sits with me and I act with great civility considering the way I have been treated. She gives me a lift home and we cry with laughter to see John staggering up the lane at 2.30. Where had he been? I follow him in and discover he'd slept on a wall behind Wikis, after going outside to get some fresh air. A likely tale, but it must be true. Bed at 3am.

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Friday May 3, 1974

Off all day. Go to Morrison's with Dad and get the weekly supply in. Poor Mummy is still ill and remains in bed until lunchtime. A warm afternoon, but do absolutely nothing at all. Go to the YP on a 33 bus, but do not get to the office until 5.15 and Kathleen, who is chatting with one of the lads, doesn't seem too pleased at my lateness. She goes at 5.30 and I carry on until midnight. An excellent evening and hardly no interference from any of the lads, except one who wanted pictures to illustrate an article on alcoholism, which I couldn't find anywhere.

At around 11 a party of ladies came inspecting the place on a guided tour and I displayed a large selection of coloured photos of Princess Anne's wedding on my desk to give them something to rave about. I never fail to satisfy these visitors, and the guide never suspects that I am only doing these things in order to make his tour all the more exciting.

At 12 I get a taxi on account and get out near Wikis. Find John drunk inside, and see Chris being pestered by Helen, who immediately accosts me and makes me buy her a drink. I pick up two girls and at 2 they take me to their flat on Apperley Lane in a white Alfa Romeo, if that is how one spells it, and Philip Cartwright and Paul also come. At 3 Philip brings me to Hawksworth Lane. John was mad at not being invited.

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Friday April 26, 1974

Rise at 8.30. Determined not to go into the YP until 10.30 at least. Leave on 9.30 bus - the one which goes the long way round and eventually get to the office at 20 to 11. Kathleen sorts out my trouble with Austin-Clarke, or I hope so anyway, and I work steadily until lunch.

See Marita, looking thinner, in Leeds. She's committed some atrocities on her hair and looks semi-negro or something! But still, Marita is a great character. I had to laugh when she said she'd caught something off MM. One always thinks of VD when people say things like that, but she soon lets me know it is shingles or the symptoms of shingles anyway. We said we were both bored with our evenings entertainment of late, but parted without attempting to remedy this 'We Hate the Emmotts but we Can't Help Going' attitude. Eat sandwiches in the park. Go to the dentist at 4.30 - just a check up of course, and arrive home at 5.45.

Believe it or not, I am staying at home this evening, and I think Chris and John may follow suit, but they aren't made of the same stuff as me - givers in, that's what they are. Later: I've joined the 'givers in' and been to the Hare and Hounds where all the gang assemble. Chris and I have a great laugh with Christine W. Go on to Wikis where I get drunk and spend all the time with Valerie.

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Saturday April 20, 1974

Wake up at 10 but drop off again until 1. Up for lunch which was very nice. John and Lynn decide to go to Leeds in order that John can buy a new suit. Mum and I then sit with a cup of tea and discuss my financial situation. I say I want a Barclaycard or something, but she is doubtful. Dad thinks it's a great idea. I will look into this next week.

Go upstairs and listen to 'Radio 5' which is put out on the BBC by Eric Idle, of Monty Python fame every afternoon at 2.

John and Lynn home at 5.30. J buys a £30 suit from Burton's - very attractive indeed. After washing my hair, Sue blow waved it for me and she did exactly the same thing for John, which he didn't really like. We ring and Chris and decide to go to the Hare (and Hounds) in Menston and we leave, on foot, at 8. I wear a pair of John's platform shoes and he wears flat ones in order to do justice to his suit. Arrive at 8.30. When Chris arrives, the three of us, have a good time around the juke box. Chris and I keep playing 'When I Fall in Love' by Nat King Cole. John is furious at our taste in music, but Chris calls him a 'narrow minded git.' We all decide to go to Wikis at 10.30 but on leaving the H & H I find I cannot walk in John's shoes, which rub my feet terribly. I ask John to swap shoes, which would have remedied the problem, but he refuses. I decide to go home to change shoes, and then decide not to go back to Wikis. My brother is a swine and he knows it. Talk with Lynn until 2.30. John comes in but I ignore him and go to bed.

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Friday April 19, 1974

Up at 9. Sit listening to the radio until half past, then get the bus to Leeds. Arrive at YP at 10.30. Kathleen was pleased that nothing difficult was thrust upon me last night. Quite a boring day really. Home at 6 and immediately had a bath. John rang Chris and arranged to meet at the Emmotts. I was furious and after all the things I'd said about the place yesterday I was in two minds about going at all. But surely enough at 8.20 we were inside, having the honour of drinking the most expensive beer in the area. Philip Cartwright and his latest play-thing, Jane, sat with us. Dave, MM, and Marita came in and I stood with them for the want of something better to do. The three of them were in the highest of spirits, but______. Marita, the sweet thing, bought me a drink. They left at 9 and Chris, who had only just arrived, John and I moved on by bus to the Yorkshire Rose. I hate the place and was only too glad at 10.30 when we were able to move on to Wikis. To my surprise, Andy, Keith and busty Heather were already propping up the bar. We settled down at a table and I was quite ready to fall into a deep coma when Little Helen spotted me and rushed over. From then until 2am the two of us danced nearly non-stop. Chris disappeared mysteriously at 1.30 and John looked miserable as sin. At 2.15 I walked Helen home. We sat in her tatty lounge until 3.30. She was very drunk and woke the whole household up. I made my exit and walked home, and I found it most pleasant. The birds were singing and the night sky was nearly gone.

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Friday March 22, 1974

Quite a busy day but uneventful. To the Emmotts at 8. Chris, Andy, John, Keith, Paul, Laura with Martin (one of her latest conquests). At about 9 we all go to the Hare and Hounds at Menston and then Andy takes John, Chris and I in his VW to Wikis, where John becomes a fully paid up member. A good time is had by all and we go home at 2 or thereabouts.

Receive a letter from David in Worcester. I tell him, when I reply, that something will be going on at Pine Tops on April 5, my 19th birthday. And by odd coincidence I saw Sandra Lawson in Wikis, with someone other than her husband, and we exchange the usual niceities. John was unusually abrupt this evening and behaved quite hatefully towards the end. We had a good go at each other when we arrived home. Bed 3 -ish.

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