Sunday March 9, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Mothering Sunday. Felt low. A wet and cold day. To Guiseley at 10. Me at the wheel. Took pots of primroses and crocuses to Mum's grave. Very muddy, but we left it looking pretty. Samuel said: "Bye bye, Granny", when we left. To Lynn's for a sherry. John & Janette dined with them last night for David's birthday. We were in the dark about this and feel a little let down. We gave Dave a marble cheese board. Back here at 12 feeling atrociously grumpy. 

At 3 we went to (Auntie) Mabel's. She was with Connie and looked podgy. Samuel in his velvet suit and bow tie became quite paranoid about the snake-like draught excluder at her door and he paraded around the tiny flat saying "don't like it", and yet he couldn't put it down. Mabel told me that Mum's cousin Elsie Basham  died aged 68 at the end of last month (daughter of my great-aunt Harriet Basham, née Wilson). Elsie was renowned for attending every family funeral, no matter how distant or remote was the family member. Uncle Albert used to say that the elbows of her black overcoat were always covered in the grease from the numerous boiled ham funeral teas. Elsie has an only son, Peter Hawkridge (?) who is about 38 or 39. A huge tea. Chicken salad, &c. Mabel was very complementary about Ally saying how much she admired how she can run a public house and be a mother. I said that I am of the very same opinion. Samuel followed Mabel into her kitchen and called her 'granny'. He is a very good little boy and Mabel loves him.

-=-

Saturday March 8, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds, LS11 5NQ

David B is 30. I am no longer the only one of the family at this revered, august age. I have been terribly lazy of late and this journal is suffering. 

Up at 7 when Samuel came skipping in. He is sweet and talkative but with a hideous, running, green nose. We endured Postman Pat before breakfast and then went over to Bradford at 9 with me at the wheel. Steve O'Connor's been doing some 'pointing'. Saw poor old Jack O'Brien in his garden and we expressed our condolences. Words are quite meaningless at such times. Poor Mary (Moore) is on sticks after six weeks in hospital and looks shocking. We measured up Sam's bedroom for festoon blinds. Sometimes I think that Ally thinks I am the Duke of Westminster. Back to Leeds for 11. Ally called upon her doctor for a prescription. _________. Samuel urinated in the car park. 

A fresh spring-like day. Bev Pirie came in with Audrey. Uncomfortable. Ally ironing. 12:30 saw the arrival of John, Janette and Charlotte Nora. We sat upstairs with drinks and I nursed the baby who is a replica of Catherine at the same age. JPH now has four sisters. Maria gave birth to another daughter recently. She's called Heather. John came down to the bar with me and I thought he might mention the possibility of a forthcoming wedding, but he didn't. They left at 3. Baby is beautiful.

Tonight: Margaret came in for a drink ________. Later, watched the film 'Poor Cow'.

-=-

Friday March 7, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

The video repair man came back again and replaced our troublesome Fisher appliance. Good now. Almost a warm day. We argued in the pub about British Summertime. Some diaries say it begins on March 16 and others say March 30, but the latter is Easter Day, and I feel sure it isn't Christian to tamper with the clocks on such a feast. We'll see. Didn't phone Dad today. He has been so distant of late, and preoccupied. Ally says it is money issues. Phoned Mabel and booked ourselves in for Sunday tea. She is 67 tomorrow. She was at Marlene's washing her hair. To town at 4 for an hour. Bought Ally two blank video cassettes for Mothering Sunday. Samuel had tantrums in all the shops. It's a funny age. Phoned Sue (Samuel inserting the coins) and told her of Ally's scan and the possibility of twins. I do like getting them all going. Ally was furious for some reason. Poor Sue's sinuses are in turmoil and she's been consigned to wearing dark glasses though how that helps with catarrh God knows. The Nasons have been brought to near bankruptcy by the new patio doors and bunk beds. An extremely busy night though I didn't go down until 9:30 (I opened up 6-7). Ally went to bed early. I recorded 'The Colby's', and a film 'Poor Cow'. I will never have time to view them of course. 

Thursday March 6, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Lynn's birthday today - poor girl. They went to Scarborough today and she hit the Pernod tonight. I phoned her and she seemed sad , and she mentioned visiting the cemetery on Sunday, Mother's Day. It will be sad. A year ago today I can remember Mum laying in bed upstairs saying, in a rare fit of self-pity, that she would never see another of Lynn's birthdays. How true. 

Ally saw Dr Duck at 9:50 who thought too that she is further 'on' than 21 weeks, more like 25 weeks, mentioned twins, and suggested a scan, but added that we shouldn't get too excited because baby might just be a large foetus. And Ally is only 5ft tall, don't forget. What do you think of twins? A lovely idea. 

No staff tonight. Just Ally and I. Busy early doors. Phoned Dad. He says some Dutch have provisionally booked in at Waltergarth. Lloyd Crowther, the previous owner of Waltergarth, has died in Benidorm.  Dad was sad about Bridget O'Brien. They used to talk when meeting at the dustbins.

-=-

Wednesday March 5, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

We now live, breathe, sleep and eat Postman Pat. This afternoon we went over to dear Club St where Samuel and I stripped the small bedroom of its wallpaper. A hive of industry. Later we had lasagne and bathed a dusty, exhausted Sammy and attempted to put him to bed. He steadfastly refused. I was in the comic situation of crawling around in the darkened bedroom whilst Sammy lay clutching Snoopy, with one eye closed and other eye scowling down at me. Ally had her feet up watching 'Dallas'. It was poor Bobby Ewing's funeral. The old Miss Ellie back and Sue Ellen is on the bottle. Just like old times. I was sticking some photographs in Dad's album when at 10 o'clock a distraught man knocked at the door saying he was Mrs O'Brien's son-in-law and that our neighbour had died an hour ago from pneumonia, meningitis and blood pressure. An awful shock. We didn't know that Mrs O'B was ill. We were speechless. She was a sweet, Irish lady with a friendly face and in all the years we have dwelled at Club St she never once complained about our orgies and drinking bouts. We retired at 1am, quite worn out.

-=-

Tuesday March 4, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds, LS11 5NQ

The lads were here again today in the cellar after spending a night at the Adriatic on Harehills Lane. They say the proprietor is a Pole. I thought he was an Italian. The job was finished at lunchtime and they celebrated with burgers and chips. A guy from Vallance's came to repair our video player and he condemned it, saying it was beyond repair and that the tuner had 'gone'. Postman Pat was sounding like a castrated pig. The annoying thing is that we now have to wait until Friday for a new appliance. British industry is so bloody slow. One wouldn't have to wait until Friday in Tokyo or Frankfurt. I boiled in my rage and stamped on the floor like John Cleese. Graham was back at 6:30 for an hour or so before going to meet Anthony (Browne) at 'Cloud Nine'. Graham told me the hair-raising tale of how he was almost copped for evading the payment of his TV licence. Gill was cautioned by a pin-striped thug on their doorstep "anything you say will be taken down" &c. Ally and I alone downstairs later with only three octogenarian punters. I attempted to record 'I, Claudius' but got the wrong channel.

-=-

Monday March 3, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

We were rudely awakened at dawn by Samuel who went on the rampage and burst into Graham and Gill's rom waking Simon, whose cry sounded like one of Churchill's speeches. We had a chaotic breakfast and then went into town where Gill took a shirt back to Next. She has tried to do this in every other Next in GB. We went to Vallance's to moan about our video recorder, and while we were out they sent someone to the pub to fix it. Silly. We looked at Jane's antique pine shop on Burley Rd and we returned at 12 to find workmen crawling all over the place replacing the cooling system. Busy with lunches too, and the place was bouncing with activity. The Dixons left at 1:40 looking genuinely relaxed. I think the weekend has been a success. Gill was particularly in need of a break. Samuel delights in toddler company.

The poor Queen has had a rough ride on her current tour of the antipodes. Eggs were thrown at HM in New Zealand , and it was the first time that the Queen has been struck by a missile in the 34 years of her reign. People flashed bare bottoms and tits too. Despite all this tomfoolery the Queen always appears more relaxed on her walk-abouts in the Dominions.

-=-

Sunday March 2, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

3rd Sunday in Lent

Early start. Samuel seeking his cousins ended up in bed with Gill, who was half dead. Graham, bright and breezy, went out in search of the Sunday Times. I concocted a breakfast for everyone. A 'full-English'. A mammoth task. We all ate in the kitchen. Philip Middlebrough phoned and we arranged to meet them at the Royalty on the Chevin, where a family room is set aside for the poor souls with a plethora of offspring. A brisk, bright and sunny day. We went up to the Chevin for 12. Hustle and bustle but extremely pleasant. All the children piled into a large plastic Wendy House and we big ones hit the drink. I drank pints of Guinness. Afterwards to Philip and Carol's, a shoe-box in a Menston backwater. Tom, the elder son, drags a duvet around as a comforter. Oh dear. Home for 5pm. Liz phoned in sick and so I phoned Maureen who came in with Margaret at 8. We sat downstairs until 9:30 talking about F & B, Andrew & Lorraine, &c. Graham went out and bought us a Chinese-takeaway. We watched a play - "Hotel Du Lac". We wet ourselves laughing  at the quip Graham made to Philip last night: "Hello Philip - still as boring as ever." Aaarrgghhhh.

-=-

Saturday March 1, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

St David's Day

Sunshine. Graham and Gill got here at 12:30, and after all the children had thoroughly inspected each other, Graham and I came down to the tap room to watch the rugby from Twickenham. England v. Eire. Graham is a fan, of course. He hit the Diet Pils with a vengeance and suffered thereafter. He had all the symptoms: 1). Senseless grin, (2) Purple eyes, (3) Legs akimbo, (4) looseness of both vowels and bowels, &c. He drifted hither and thither with his light-blue pullover draped over his shoulders.

Later the children all went to bed. The Dixons together and Samuel in ours. We dined on lasagne, and then went down to meet Philip and Carol (Middlebrough). A fairly quiet night with interruptions from the children who cried at intervals. ____________. Graham was the first to retire. V. pissed.

-=-

Friday February 28, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Will Prince Andrew wed Fergie? She is of good stock, a brilliant pedigree in fact but her age is against her. 26 leaves her a bit long in the tooth. She has a colourful past and doesn't have the virgin image of Lady Diana Spencer. A couple of nameless EP reporters called in and gasped - they didn't know I was here. When I told them that Fergie has some Leeds ancestry the note books came out and they took down my genealogical information, and a gleam of interest was aroused. They will contact me when an announcement is made.

-=-

Thursday February 27, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Christopher Paul (Nason) is 4 today. We went over to Guiseley at 1:30 to Thorpe Lane via the cemetery where Mum's grave looked desolate. Dead flowers from January, and the water in the bowl a solid block. Ally and Samuel stayed in the car. We didn't want mud on the boys party clothes. We went on to Sue's where she looked worn out and short tempered, full of cold and complaining of a constant headache. The children were all in a queer mood and uncommunicative. Dad was quiet too. He went to collect Frances from school. She came in looking very grown up in her grey uniform. Samuel and Ben managed to wreck the record player whilst Rod Stewart was in full swing. A gloomy party really. I had a few glasses of wine and asked Dad if he would like to be a casual barman on his visits to the Moorhouse. He says he will have a go. The poor man is in a highly emotional state. He almost broke down when I told him we had been to see Mum. He bleakly said: "I haven't been for some time." We shouldn't consider it a duty to go and should only do so when we feel it's right. It eases the pain to talk to a stone. It's good to have a place where people can go. Lynn was bright. Janette and Charlotte boycotted the party.

-=-