Monday May 4, 1981

St George: Bank holiday?

 _. Bank Holiday in the UK -- New Moon

Climbed out of bed at about 10 o'clock. I am far from happy about celebrating this May Day bank holiday. It shrieks of communism. Why can't we celebrate on St George's Day instead, or the Queen's Birthday?

We took a completed banns form to Mr Nudds, vicar of St Wilfred's, Lidget Green, and then went aimlessly towards Otley, where we had a brisk walk in the deserted streets. Driving back to Guiseley we spied Susie and Pete driving into the Fox & Hounds car park, and so we joined them for a couple of drinks. Afterwards we went on to West End Terrace and she made us fish fingers and chips. We washed it all down with lager.

Back to Pine Tops after 7.

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Sunday May 3, 1981

 _. 2nd Sunday after Easter

St Paul's: loony congregation

Family party this afternoon. They seem to be becoming a regular thing. But first Ally and I went to church. To St Paul's, Esholt, to participate in the morning service and hear our banns read. One realises at times like this why the Church of England is crumbling into obscurity. The goings on at St Paul's had nothing whatsoever to do with life here on earth in the latter part of the 20th century. It was as though Mr Ward and his loony congregation are cocooned in a time-warp. The new-fangled Alternative Service Book was used and the congregation have to do more hailing and chanting than the vicar. Since last year the Lord's Prayer is now almost unrecognisable. What a bloody shambles.

Back at 12 for a family party. JPH, obsessed with Richard, spent the day next door. Catherine took her first steps across the room walking from auntie to auntie.

Mum and Dad went to the Stonehouse Inn at 7:30 with John and Maria, calling at the Roebuck [at Otley afterwards]. Ally and I went on to Lidget Green.

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Saturday May 2, 1981

 _. Despite what I said earlier in the week I gave in and spent the day on a ladder painting the house white. Life went on quite normally beneath me. JPH is making a big impact. Maria came and then went [she seems to be obsessed with Otley]. John spent the day under his car on the drive, and was joined by Jimmy Macdonald, and his wife, Karim. Ally occupied herself with Mum and Catherine. My little niece calls me 'Mikey' or 'Micah'. Finished daubing paint at 6:30.

Ally and I went to Burley-in-W to 'baby sit' for Frances whilst Lynn and Dave went to join Sue and Pete at the White Cross. The baby decided she wanted to feed in the middle of 'Dallas', and so the US saga had to wait while Ally found a bottle. Lynn phoned twice from the pub and came back feeling guilty at abandoning her daughter.

Home to Pine Tops after 12.

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Friday May 1, 1981

 _. May Day, for what it's worth.

Uneventful at the YP. Carol J's birthday passed once again into the annals of history. She has become quite impossible in recent times. We cannot take much more. 

To Guiseley for 6. Mum and Dad went to Pudsey. Ally came here. John was here too, covered in oil underneath his ailing Ford Escort 1300, on the drive. Good to see him. JPH was next door visiting his friend Richard, and no doubt organising things.

Tea time was a bit of a circus. Dave B called in with some plans of the Stonehouse Inn and surrounding land. He was downcast. The seven acres, he says, are worthless. We had sausages, eggs and chips with John, still covered in engine oil, and JPH prodded an egg, ate half a chip, and demanded we release him to go play with Richard. John made no attempt to make the lad eat, and so I gave him his liberty. JPH reminds me so much of his father at a similar age. He attracts dirt like a magnet and is the epitome of the naughty child portrayed in childrens story books.

Ally and I spent the evening watching tv. Mum and Dad returned from Pudsey at 9:30.

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Thursday April 30, 1981

 _. Went shopping to Safeways. Carried bags of goodies onto the bus for the journey to Bradford. To Club St for 6pm. Ally waiting hungrily for my arrival. We had a curry with rice [not hot enough] but pleasant all the same. Afterwards we sat reading 'The Further Letters of Henry Root', another hilarious volume of his letters to the rich and famous illustrating just how easy it is to fool people. Not many years ago such a book would not have been tolerated. We ignored the dull tv. 'Top of the Pops' is becoming more hideous. Just who does Jimmy Savile think he is, anyway?

Spoke to Mummy. She and Dad are going to see Marlene tomorrow. Bed at 12.

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Wednesday April 29, 1981

 _. Sunny with the odd shower. Cousin Jill's 19th birthday. Went to the office wearing a tie and gave some of the members of staff heart failure. Shazzo says I'm projecting a 'futurist' image, whatever that means. 

Ally's food supplies are virtually gone. She has eggs and mushy peas in her cupboard. She has despatched a shopping list in the post for me to spend my pay on the likes of washing up liquid and toilet rolls.

Auntie Mabel phoned Mum. __________. 

The Ripper trial opened, and was adjourned until Tuesday.

Jean Rook, in her newspaper column over two days has been interviewing Lord and Lady Spencer in an attempt to throw light on reports that they are cashing in on the forthcoming Royal wedding. Both made it clear that they are not doing this and are very upset at the rumours. Gossip of this nature is going to spoil things for the family on July 29, and the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana will have no happy start to married life if the press are going to pursue the character assassination of family members.

A report in the Sun suggests that Lady Diana's wedding dress might be pink. Bollocks.

Lord Cambridge died last week, and now Prince Philip's sister Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, has died in Germany, aged 76. She was the eldest child of Prince Andrew of Greece and his wife Princess Alice.

This evening Dad and I painted the garage, and then adjourned to watch the Lloyd George drama. Philip Madoc is excellent in the part.

Bed at 12:50.

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Tuesday April 28, 1981

 _. We are like nervous wrecks waiting for something to happen about the Stonehouse Inn. The valuers are now on the case and George has sent for his accounts from Skipton, or Berkshire. Some background: the pub is at Thruscross [from the Danish word Thorscross] on the outskirts of the sunken village of West End [which is beneath Thruscross Reservoir]. The pub was built in the 1790s as a farm, but an adventurous farmer and home brewer did such great things selling his ginger beer that it soon became a public house. For 54 years from circa 1868 one Jesse Peel was the landlord/owner, and he was succeeded by his daughter. George Deacon bought the place in 1947. The Stonehouse is the last of five pubs that were in the Washburn Valley, all the others are now submerged beneath the reservoir. The Gate was the last to go in 1964. I only hope and pray that they manage to get this place. It will suit them down to the ground.

Wrote to Ally and phoned. She is busily knitting. Cousin Tricia is her current victim, or rather her baby is. I phoned her again when Mum and Dad went to see Sue and Pete.

I went to bed with Robinson Crusoe. I get the impression that he and Man Friday were on the peculiar side.

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