Thursday December 12, 1985

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds, LS11 5NQ

New Moon

Karen and Steve appeared at 10:30am and stayed for lunch until 2:30. Sam and Hayley are good friends. Very alike.

One year ago today poor Mum entered Airedale Hospital 'for tests'. A year of hell and misery. The very worst year of all our lives. Feeling low, I suggested to Ally that I wanted to go out to a disco and leap around. I don't have any wild sessions anymore. I am far too busy providing wild, happy times for others. Ally has never swooned over heaving discotheques. Instead, we went over at 4:30 to Susan's. Samuel thought it was a great adventure driving in the dark. We sat in Sue's cold, little lounge. I had whisky. Christopher is a psychopathic little man, banging the TV screen with a plank of wood, and assassinating us all, in his child's mind, with a plastic gun, a gift from Margaret N. Peter was very silent. He is now into Crown Green bowling on BBC2. I always thought of Sue as being like Mum, but she isn't. Neither of Mum's daughters take after her. I drove Pete (in our car) to the Chinese takeaway. I only killed three pensioners, four dogs and sixteen hedgehogs. Mounds of food. Was home at 8. TV. Yawn. Robin Day. Yawn. Auberon Waugh. Night, night.

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Wednesday December 11, 1985

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Made a few phone calls. Janette, &c. We are fuming about Lynn and her inability to come here. Are we not good enough for the Bakers of Tranmere Park? _________.

Ally still has very sick evenings. The three of us visited Dr Sykes (he had a particularly foul smelling office). He saw no harm in Ally transferring to Bradford for maternity matters. He told her to go see Dr Duck.

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Tuesday December 10, 1985

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

We were tucking into our poached eggs at the breakfast table when Maureen shouted up that a stock taker was here. My blood ran cold. Sure enough Rob Young was downstairs. Looking at my letter from the brewery it says he was coming on 'THURSDAY December 10'. I hadn't spotted this error. He bashed on and gave us a £30 surplus. It left me feeling easier but I will not lift the staff drinks ban. A catastrophic lunch. We only took £55. Few lunches. Ally looked better. She went shopping and made a stew which we ate at 3:30. However, the meal disagreed with her and she sat with her hand clasped over her mouth for the evening.

Every year on this date my thoughts go down to Clarence House where, 42 years ago, the poor Duchess of York, laid low with influenza, rose up as Queen Elizabeth on the dreadful abdication of Edward VIII. Little old Leeds men, my customers, even now go on about 'the Prince of Wales' in the 1930s  as if he was one of them. I've witnessed it here in our tap room in 1985.

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Monday December 9, 1985

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Up feeling groggy at 8:30. Much too late. Had a headache until evening. Cold out. The Sunday Telegraph was frozen solid on the doorstep, and had been there since yesterday. The writer Robert Graves has pegged out aged 90. A good innings. Ally was a lot better. She got some ironing out of the way and was up and about more. She is beautiful. My wife has gorgeous hair and particularly stunning eyes. She can melt anything with those peepers. Later I used the downstairs phone and sat by the lit Christmas tree. Lynn was infuriated that we might not be going to see them at Christmas. She cannot come and see us here tomorrow because she is 'nipping out to Morrisons' and similarly on Wednesday she is 'nipping over to Macro with Pam'. It seems we have come second to frozen veg and packets of Typhoo tea. Phoned Sue. They will probably come here on Boxing Day - all of them - and might stay the night. She has morning sickness too. She cannot walk into a butcher's shop without throwing up. Phoned Dad. He has had a liquid lunch with Arnold which had carried on into the evening. Good for him. Phoned Hilda & Mabel, but in reverse order, to tell them of our baby news which had already been leaked by Papa. Hilda seemed low. Thomas, she says, 'has a funny neck'. Mabel spoke of Mum. It being December and all that, and the theme of her sermon was happiness 'because you have a wife and almost two babies to consider.' She did mean well. 'We will all miss her' she concluded. Liz worked. It was quiet. Ally was poorly tonight. Even at midnight she was bilious and propping up the bathroom sink.

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Sunday December 8, 1985

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

2nd Sunday in Advent

Samuel loves his Advent calendar. Today it was a owl, or was it a donkey?  Do donkeys sit by moonlight in the branches of trees? Oh, I don't know. Ally was particularly bad today. She didn't get up until 2:30 and then lolled around on the settee threatening to be violently ill. Everything she eats smells and tastes funny. I also smell quite dreadful. She says it's the cigarette smoke and stale beer on my clothing. Bloody hell. Did the lunches alone. Went very well. Took £116 and kept nobody waiting. Heavy fog. Watched TV until 9pm (Mags opened up at 7). I was lethargic too and could have stayed upstairs by the fire. Margaret still supping glasses of iced water. We have more or less decided to keep the staff drink ban indefinitely. _____.

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Saturday December 7, 1985

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Dismal. Ally awful. Nausea, &c. Chris Wills came in and spent the afternoon with Audrey & Terry. I hid behind a customer at one point and listened as Audrey launched into a ridiculous and scandalous tirarde against me. I was shaking with amusement mingled with rage. She was complaining that I leave her every afternoon to clean up and lock up at 3:30. What she failed to say that at 3 o'clock on most afternoons three old men is a crowd. I shouldn't allow her to annoy me, but she does. I put in more working hours in this place than any of the previous managers, I'm sure. We now have only 50 staff hours. The Piries had 150 at least in December, 1983. I went down at 7. Chris and Liz in working. I propped up the bar and had a lager or two. Just to show I am the boss and can do as I please. The door opened at 7:30 and in came Sarah (Collis) and Trevor (Abbott) just for half an hour. They were heading to Trevor's yuletide 'do' at the Cambrian Hotel on Nineveh Street (Greer Garson?). Quiet. Much social intercourse. To bed, quite done in, at 1am.

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Friday December 6, 1985

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Dad went home at lunchtime via Guiseley. Samuel went to bed for his afternoon nap. He dotes on his grandad, who calls him "my little mate." Ally is a funny old thing. For two days she has appeared much better and she herself told Dad the he must think she's a fraud, but as soon has he had gone in his rusty old motor she had a relapse, was violently morning sick, and wobbly. The weather prevented me taking Sam for a walk. Fog, in fact. We ate those fish steaks in plastic bags - Ally's favourite at the moment. Steak and kidney is out. I was supposed to be adorning the pub with more Christmas decor, but couldn't be bothered. I am something of a Scrooge at the moment. Margaret worked tonight, drinking glasses of iced water, would you believe, and a bit sulky following my booze ban. 

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Thursday December 5, 1985

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

A sad note in a Christmas card from Edna and Nellie this morning. Dad's cousin Vera Dean, 76, was struck by a car and killed on Nov 24 when leaving church in Bramley. She was on a pelican crossing . She has a brother, Arthur Dean, 73, and is the only daughter of Polly Dean (née Ross), sister of my great-grandmother, Christiana Rhodes (née Ross). We sat in bed with tea and biscuits. Dad was very saddened and he phoned Edna, who filled him in with the details. We went out. Wet, fog, drizzle. We bought a potted Christmas tree for  fiver. In the hustle and bustle of Leeds Market Dad says Dickens characters abound, and looking around they most certainly do. Dad loathes cities, especially Leeds, which he finds squalid. At 3:30 we went down and decorated the (Christmas) tree in the lounge and put up lights. Samuel's face was a picture. He sang 'Happy Birthday' at full throttle for some reason. _________.A night off. Dave L phoned from South Elmsall. He spoke about bees and aquaria, &c. Very chatty. He says he's coming here at Christmas with MM & Marita.

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Wednesday December 4, 1985

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Wet. Sue phoned at breakfast and spoke to Ally. She's suffering from morning sickness too. Dad appeared at 11am and went up for a coffee with Ally. She went to her hairdresser in Bradford and when she came back she looked groomed and healthier. I worked until Liz came in at 8:30 from her cleaning job at Schofield's or Lewis's. She thinks she is three months pregnant______. Mad Scots were in the tap room celebrating their win, or draw, over Australia, to put them through to next years World Cup in Mexico. Dad walked up the road and bought Chinese take-aways (£10 for three), and we dined upstairs at 8:30. Dad says that Janette is planning the wedding for March 14. He is doing nothing for Christmas. All his descendants are to receive a fiver. No Christmas tree at Horton, and he's sending no cards. Very sad. He has lost his spirit.

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Tuesday December 3, 1985

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Samuel and his grandad

Poor little Samuel must wonder what is the matter with mummy. When should she see a doctor? She says she'll see one at 12 weeks which takes us to January 1st. I went over to Hunslet and had a haircut. Samuel found a little girl to play with in the barbers. It's obvious how outgoing he is. A little leader. The girl was at least twice his age and yet he bossed her about. This afternoon we completed our Christmas cards - 41 or so, and Ally wrapped presents. Samuel and I climbed into the bath together. He washed my knees and I washed his. I worked from 5:30. People had to wait. The British are famed for queuing aren't they? It was quiet. I managed nicely. Dad phoned to say he will come for a couple of days. He seemed concerned at Ally's condition.

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Monday December 2, 1985

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Ally nauseous and completely washed out. I went down at 5:30 and did both bars on my own whilst Ally lay above. It was quiet. Pool knockout. A lad from 'the Cut' brought me a garden gnome. Wernher keeps a list for Audrey tomorrow. He'll have to go. 

John & Janette (1985)

Janette phoned this morning. People can ring in but we cannot ring out. Hopeless really. She wanted a copy of John's birth certificate because he's insuring her and Charlotte Nora___________and cannot find his copy. I do not have one and suggest Maria. She went on to say that she and John had been discussing 'the wedding' last night with the 1986 diary, and they plan to marry at Leeds Register Office in March. The thirteenth of that month will be the 10th anniversary of his marriage to Maria. Surely, this month is a bad omen? Janette has also spoken to Dad. 

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