Saturday April 12, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Staff shake-up. Chris walked in here bold as brass on Thursday and I told him to be on his way. He then asked for a 'black and tan' without so much as a flinch. Oh no. MLR will not be shit upon. He went away threatening to re-style my facial features. I will never give in to terrorism and will continue to go walkabout whenever I can. My cousin Beverley phoned me and asked whether I would ever employ a relative, and I was very pleased by the sound of her voice. She is coming here tomorrow evening to give it a bash. If I remember correctly she is a shy, bonnie, imposing girl. We interviewed from 6pm. Nobody spectacular. The first was a Karin Ireland, a friend of Gerry & Mary. Phoned Hilda re having Samuel on Thursday.

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Friday April 11, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds, LS11 5NQ

Norman Wilson's threat to turn our tap room into a ghost town hasn't quite come off. He has taken the riff raff with him including Gary Rhodes, who has been going over the top recently and carrying on disgracefully with Edna's daughters. Recently he came in bearing a bollard, no doubt stolen from Dewsbury Rd. I have been lenient with him only because he must be a kinsman, albeit from an ancestor way back. Sarah Ferguson's great-uncle, Sir William Fellowes, died on April 6, aged 86. He was land agent at Sandringham 1936-64, and married Jane Ferguson, Ronnie's aunt. She died in February, aged 74. Will July 23 be a national holiday? Princess Anne's wedding day wasn't, if I remember rightly. Charles and Diana's was different. They will be anointed one day.

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Thursday April 10, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Poor Dad is becoming quite loopy, elusive and erratic. He has made it plain he is sick of his B & B existence and yet when we press him to come here for a few days he backs off. We have seen him only briefly in a month now and his grandchildren no longer seem to have the pull that they did. In fact the sight of them all together quite turns him off. At Thomas's christening he was horribly morose. The noise and the hubhub irritates and no longer does he frolic on the floor. Let us hope and pray that this is only a temporary thing. Our new pool team played here but I fell out with Norman Wilson, who stormed off in a cloud of abuse taking everyone with him. Oh dear.

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Wednesday April 9, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

New Moon

Maureen worked tonight. Her first session since her vein op. She caused chaos and mayhem when spraying polish on the till and in the process dislodged a wire and brought the business of this establishment to a standstill. I had to go upstairs for Ally whose expertise with electrical faults is legendary. Needless to say she had fixed it by 10pm. We had been keeping a list of items to ring in and the bar back was piled high with notes and copper. Ally like a small hillside in a tracksuit raised gasps from the punters. And she has three months to go before baby comes! I have sent a begging letter to the YP. Where is my money for the Fergie revelations, shock horror? And do they want a family tree showing all the Dukes of York? The last two recipients of this honour received  the peerage in the birthday honours of 1892 and 1920. We shall see. Fergie will not be Princess Andrew.

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Tuesday April 8, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

John is a cool customer but with a heart of gold. Ally asks him to do anything in the house and he gets on with it without ceremony or palaver. He is going to tile the bathroom too before we take up residence in May. We will never get any sense out of John and Janette. Such a volatile couple. Almost theatrical at times. ____________. Uncle Arnold has asked Dad to go to an apartment in Lanzarote with him in the summer. But Dad needs money. He turned Lynn down when she suggested a similar venture and I do hope no ill will be incurred.

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Monday April 7, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

To Club St later this afternoon to light the gas pilot light. What fun. We almost cremated the piano. Ally was very tetchy about this. Samuel loves Club St. He went to bed with Ally while I attempted to strip the beams in the spare room. A rea pig it was. John and Janette came at 8pm both dressed like manual labourers, and he put 'browning' on the walls and did a good job. Janette helped mixing the plaster. Ally got up at 9 and we had tea. Janette says she and John are getting engaged very shortly. _________. We discussed the family tree. John would like a copy. Back to the Moorhouse at 12. Fagged out.

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Sunday April 6, 1986

Julie Baker, Lynn & Tom, Self and Frances.

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Low Sunday

Snow today. We went to Guiseley and to Thorpefields where Lynn has prepared a party. Poor Dad was being organised like a four year-old by Lynn, &c. We went to collect Sue after a ticking off from David about our parking on the muddy grass verge. Ally stuck to her guns, defiantly I thought, and wouldn't budge. Her resolute jaw was set. We collected Sue, Pete and the boys and went to Esholt for 2:45. Awful. 'Emmerdale Farm mania'. Japanese and other Orientals crawling everywhere with zoom lens cameras. A packed church. Two christenings. One Thomas David (ours) and one Thomas William (theres). Lynn was furious because the church was packed and she was expecting a quiet, personal family service. A good attendance from the family. Dad seemed odd and strangely distant. I cannot put my finger on it, but in recent times he has changed. Audrey Baker was very pleasant and seemed fit, and joined in all the fun and games back at the house party. And of course Frances is 5 today. Thomas stood up on the side of the font to be anointed. (I passed him to the care of the vicar), and he yelled his head off at his 'wetting'. A good buffet later. Wine, fun and pandemonium. Back here for 7.

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Saturday April 5, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Today I am 31. Ally, God bless her, made it a special day with her munificence. Samuel came in early singing 'happy birthday to you' and the three of us sat in bed opening cards and presents. Ally bought me two shirts from 'Paris', at Rawdon. Exquisite. A tie rack, and a beautiful tie with a miniature elephant reclining. Two books. "Claudius the God" by Graves and "Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo. Thorntons chocolates. Breakfast in bed. The girls and Dad all phoned before 9am. It was touching to hear Dad. Lunch. Drink downstairs. Ally and Sam to bed. I had a lager with Margaret and Audrey and they formed a plot and gave me a 'German special' one of the concoctions favoured by our Gestapo clientele. I was slightly 'tight' by 4pm. Upstairs we had rump steak, sauteed mushrooms, white wine, &c. We then lay upon cushions on the floor like Roman patricians. I failed to win the pub 'flutter' on the Grand National. Chris phoned to say he cannot work tonight and so I axed him from my front bench team. Ally very beautifully said she would do his shift. Janette phoned to say they are coming. We went down at 7 and sat sozzled in a corner. We were joined by Uncle Peter, Auntie Jean, John, Janette, George W and Jayne. A quiet night really. You have to be reasonably quiet at 31. Bed at 12:30. No high jinx. No stoppybacks. No 21 gun salute.

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Friday April 4, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn Leeds LS11 5NQ

Uncle Peter is 57 today. We haven't seen him since Christmas. One of my customers makes me feel like vomiting. Joan Shelton, 58, has just been savaging the poor prime minister. "I was never out of work until she got in". And there she is (Joan) supping gallons of mild every week and living a life of Riley. She expects something for nothing. Bloody parasite. Ally went to bed early and I went down to the bar for social intercourse. A drunk, tippling whisky in the tap room, upset me at 11:30 and I physically ejected him midst the breaking of glass and furniture. My remaining customers filed out in an orderly fashion. I went to bed covered in blood and sweat.

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Thursday April 3, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Ally to Dr Duck at 9:50. ________. Believe it or not Ally has yet to be confirmed as being definitely booked in to the BRI for baby's birth. St Luke's is the designated place and whenever Ally brings up the topic with Dr Duck she says "Oh don't worry. We'll have you at the BRI. It's where you went last time." It will mean war if we are thwarted this time. A home birth in fact. Ally has a wicked look on her face. She and Samuel are in collusion over my birthday presents, and by the look of things my wife has gone mad on the plastic again. On Saturday morning all will be revealed.

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Wednesday April 2, 1986

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds LS11 5NQ

Lynn and the children came over this afternoon for high jinx and high tea. Ally laid on an old fashioned nursery spread and the little ones greatly appreciated it. Katie had never seen a doughnut before and sat wide eyed but refusing to touch one. Samuel was covered in jam. Little Thomas moves around like a badger and refuses to walk. David came and picked them up at 6. Lynn made a comment about the Moorhouse: "It's a typical town pub". Snobby somewhat. She perhaps should visit some of the pubs in town.

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