Thursday July 17, 1975

Another wet and humid day. Busy at work, though I can say Kathleen's been much more cheerful since her holiday.

Sarah and I went into town at lunchtime and I bought a pair of clogs for £6.99. When I got them home only Lynn seemed to like them, and Mum wasn't very talkative at all really. I don't know what is the matter with her lately, because one day she's a bundle of happiness and others she can be nasty and uncooperative and spiteful. Is it her age perhaps? I always thought that women didn't change, as it were, until they were 45 or 50 or so. However, I'm no authority on it.

Sarah bought a pair of knee-length socks and a pair of plimpsolls. We had a quick one in Whitelocks before returning to the grindstone. A wonderous thing that girl is.

At 8.45 tonight Dad drove me down to the Hare for my appointment with Caroline. I don't think anything about her at all, and was quite repulsed by her when she hooted with laughter tinged with mockery at the fact that I'd failed my driving test twice. Admittedly, she's quite attractive, but beauty is only skin deep. After standing with Caroline for ten minutes I spy Judith R with Kathryn. They stand with us until 10.30 along with Jimmy Elkington and a drunken Jehovah's Witness. Caroline won't let me buy her a drink, and we don't speak. I go back to Judith's for a coffee and chat with her and Kathryn until 1.30. Walk home, and it was quite fine.

-=-

Wednesday July 16, 1975

John rocketed into the upper classes at 6.30 this evening when he became the proud owner of a 1970 J registered Triumph Spitfire - a white convertable one. I'm not jealous really because it's not a thing which comes easily to me. (This is supposed to be funny).

At 11.30 this morning Eileen answered the phone and spoke to Fanny Cradock, the deep-voiced lady who cooks on the telly. She asked if she could come in and look at a 1914 file of Yorkshire Posts. Obviously, Eileen said yes, and ten minutes later Fanny was in the library shaking my hand and thanking me for finding the 1914 file for her. She was quite nice really, and not a bit like the bitch you think she is on TV.

John took me to the Hare in the Spitfire at 8, and Caroline, Maria's pal, more or less picked me up. I told her a lie and said I was going out with someone from work, at which she made the classic reply: 'I don't care. It's you I want. I don't mind sharing.' How could I refuse her after that? I find her sexy and sensual, &c, but she's a bitch and she'd like to think I will be crawling after her professing my love.However, I'm determined not to be captivated this time. I said I'd meet her tomorrow, and I'll regret it no doubt.

-==-

Tuesday July 15, 1975

Dave, Christine and I went to the cinema this evening. We left at 6.30 for Leeds to see 'Barry Mackenzie Holds His Own', a follow up to 'The Adventures of Barry Mackenzie'. The film really was first class and the three of us enjoyed it because we are all of the same humour.

Christine finished with Roger on Sunday night after a 'courtship' or four or five days. We laughed when she said she was going off to Manchester on Saturday night for a meal with a strange bloke. Not writing any more. I'm in a bloody hurry.

-==-

Monday July 14, 1975

Why do the wrong women always fall for me? This so-called Carole says she's passionately in love with me and is prepared to undergo any hardship which might entail going out with me. My current infatuation is for Sarah and until my feelings change I cannot see me touching anyone else.

It was awful at work because Eileen got onto the subject of 'how horrible it would be to go out with someone who worked at the same place' &c, and my heart was pounding, and I kept trying not to look at Sarah, who was doing the same trying to keep her eyes from me. What would it be like though if I did take her out? The office would come to a standstill I do suppose, and they'd try to make it hell for us. Carol Johnson for one would never give her assent to our relationship because she is horribly envious of Sarah and thinks I am far too unworthy. Nothing short of the Aga Khan for Sarah would satisfy Carol J. However, I can forsee her coming down to earth with a bang shortly. Sarah is for me, and on the 26th I'm going to do my damned best to get her once and for all.

-==-

Sunday July 13, 1975

7th after Trinity. It really is amazing how refreshing a night out at a discotheque can be. It is perfect exercise and I'm sure that one could go on the dance floor at midnight feeling stodgy and short of breath and leave at 2am feeling something like a cross between John Conteh and Erroll Flynn, i.e. perfectly healthy and full of vitality.

Dave L and Christine D were brilliant last night. You should have seen the wrestling match they had on Ilkley Moor! I'm saying no more on the subject.

See in the Sunday Express, that the Duke of Leinster, Britain's longest serving duke, is to make his debut in the House of Lords later this week at the age of 83. He inherited the peerage in 1922, but has been unable to sit in the Lords because he was an undischarged bankrupt until recently.

Don't go for a lunchtime booze with Chris due to lack of funds, and watch TV all day. Carole plagues me again, and I have to go round to 'George's' to shut her up. I can see that she isn't going to be easy to get rid of.

-==-

Saturday July 12, 1975

Up very late and have lunch almost immediately. Dave B comes round in the car and he persuades me to go along with him and Lynn to Bradford on a boozing/shopping spree. (Well, he didn't persuade me at all really. Actually, I invited myself along, but I always think a diarist should be allowed to use a bit of poetic licence.) John and Maria came along too, and the five of us had to squeeze into Dave's little car.

The girls went off shopping for an hour and we three went to the Queen's. Played a few records on the juke box and consumed a few pints, and met the ladies at 3pm outside Chelsea Girl, which was quite a nice arrangement.

At 4.30 we went back to George's. Sorry I keep calling her Maria. I sometimes forget. Meet a friend of hers called Caroline who prefers to be known as Carole. Good looking, but not quite right in the head - rather like ____in character. At 7pm she, that is Carole, rings me and more or less asks me out. I say she can join us at the Hare & Hounds for a few drinks, but make no other suggestion at all.

Lynn and Dave continue to kid everyone one about being engaged, and she's wearing a ring costing 8p! Poor Chris was so stunned he had to sit down!

Dave L took us to the Cow & Calf pub and at 10.30 tghe inevitable happened and we went downstairs to the disco. We all had a great time, and Christine D, Carole, Dave came back to Pine Tops for coffee. It was foggy and raining over the moor tonight.

-==-

Friday July 11, 1975

Worked 5pm-11pm tonight. Went straight down to Wikis afterwards. It looks horrid when one's sober, and only Lynn and Dave were in. They were pretending to be engaged, and everyone at the Hare seems to have taken it in. Home at 2am feeling a bit merry.

-==-