Sunday April 8, 1984

 Passion Sunday

Moorhouse Inn, Leeds.

Lay long in bed. We get worse. Ally is of the opinion that we should pretend we are in our old office jobs and emerge at the same time every morning as in the days when the alarm clock always sounded at 6:44. It is a difficult thing to do though. Scrambled eggs and baked beans. The Sunday Telegraph, &c. Read Al Haig's Falklands reminiscences.

Samuel has said goodbye to many of his baby ways already. Ally went to the bar and worked with Margaret at 12. I played with Samuel and he eventually fell asleep in my arms. I went down briefly to see the darts lads about Tuesday's fiasco, but the team leader is away in Bridlington. Taffy was snooping around.

Later watched Erroll Flynn and Flora Robson in 'The Sea Hawks'  and Ally made fish for lunch. Spent the remainder of the afternoon cleaning the deep fat fryers. A revolting job. Watched the Tv but we tend to use it as a backcloth to our chattering. Ally opened up again at 7 and stayed down until after 9. I went down from 9. Looked at snapshots of the recent wedding of Frank and Bernie's daughter. We saw the vicar who said yes to July 22 though it is the date he expects to become a grandfather and so he may be nervous and jittery. We don't want him dropping Samuel in the font. Bed at 12.

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Saturday April 7, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, &c.

Ally was thoroughly exhausted today, and except for emerging to see to our son and heir at his feeding and changing she remained firmly entrenched in our vast bed. I stayed upstairs playing with Samuel. One cannot leave him awake and alone. He has changed these past few days. Taking more notice, giggling louder, and looking at his fingers.

Will John come today? ______. Ally slumbered on into the afternoon and I persuaded her to get up and eat at 4. Then, when I opened up at 7, it was back to bed. Just Margaret and I. A quiet night. Had cheese toasties (again) and after closing I watched a dull Dracula film. Finally I got a chance to look at the Daily Telegraph. Marshal of the RAF Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris is no longer with us. So too goes Sir Mark Milbank, Bt, former Master of the Royal Household. 

And so, to bed, dear reader.

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Friday April 6, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds

Frances is three today. She spoke sweetly to me yesterday on the phone and sounded so grown up. She is a difficult child to get to know and seems morbid and petty at times but is a gentle thing. Received cards from Sarah and Jacq. 

Prince Andrew has been banished to St Helena, no doubt because of Koo Stark and Katie Rabett. He is making a stout Hanoverian prince and will not retain his good looks for very long.

John Wilson (1853-1920)

We expected John with trepidation. Ally would do anything to get a good night's sleep and fears another late night.The hours ticked by and he didn't appear, but then in walked Hilda and Tony, Jill and Tim. All very cheerful and happy. Hilda gave me three old family photos to copy. One of Rella (Fawbert), one of John Wilson (1853-1920) and a group, a seaside shot of Uncle Albert with his niece, Edith Annie Horsfall (who was of a similar age to her uncle), and two unknown boys. The photo of John Wilson was taken circa 1910, when he was in his 60s but he looks like a 98-year old propping up a chair.  Edith Annie was the only child of Mary Wilson (1874-1974), my great-aunt. I remember visiting Auntie Mary at her home in Manningham Lane, Bradford, in 1972. She converted Mum to using tea bags. 

Someone was sick in the porch. Carrots abound. Why does veg feature so much in vomit? Upstairs with the relatives at 11. They all peeped in on Samuel. Bed late after I made beefburger suppers all round.

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Thursday April 5, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

My 29th birthday. Up at 7 feeling awful. Sitting in bed Ally gave me a pink and blue tie and a card with a frog on the front. A card - to 'Daddy from Samuel' - brought a lump to my throat. 

A traumatic birthday really. Rob, the stocktaker, came at 8:30, and LG at 9 with the new optics. We have a £142 defecit which was something of a body blow. The loss is in the draught bitter and lager. Mum and Dad went off to Guiseley at 3 and we sat wearily. I worked all evening like a zombie. Margaret bought me a brandy for my birthday and at 10:30 I was heartily glad to go upstairs. John phoned to say 'happy birthday' at 10:45. Poor Ally says I have had an awful birthday but I am contented. I have a son who is beautiful beyond belief and a wife who is an angel.

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Wednesday April 4, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

Out into town at 9 with Samuel. The boy despises head gear and kicks and struggles when Mummy dresses him. Crisp and sunny. Ally headed straight to Laura Ashley. We dumped the pram near the curtain fabrics and went upstairs. An elderly spinster, very plain and very large, was trying on a wedding frock and looked like Mount Kilimanjaro. We hurried back and found Mama and Papa upstairs. They helped with the lunches and we had a few drinks afterwards. The Mandarine Napoleon came out. They say John has made an offer for a house on Back Lane. We had no idea he wanted to move.The house that Sue wanted on Moorland Crescent is no longer on the market, and they are going to look elsewhere. We drank in the bar until Maureen came in at 5:30 and we went upstairs. I was furious when Maureen told me later that the Piries had called in after arranging a darts and dominoes evening here on April 10. The bloody cheek of it. I wasn't consulted.

Samuel was niggly and playing up. He must know that we want to go out and leave him. He was in bed for 9pm and at 9:45 we hurried into town and the bistro on Commercial Street (it is the former Betty's Tea Rooms). A disappointing dinner. I had veal in horrible cooking sherry - so sweet. It was supposed to be veal marsala. I didn't let on to Ally that I was disappointed. She also had veal, but in a mushroom sauce. I was pissed and staggered out stripping down the stairs. Ally looking beautiful in a peppermint striped Laura Ashley creation purchased today. Back to the Moorhouse for 11:30. Samuel had been awake until 11 and was now sleeping peacefully. We went down to the empty pub and sat in the lounge. My God, I enter my 30th year tomorrow. To bed after 3am.

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Tuesday April 3, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

Busy with food. Dray day. All banked. Bloody Hell, it's all go. 

News: The President of Israel had lunch at Windsor yesterday. Marvin Gaye, the Tamla (Motown) personality, has been killed by his disgruntled Dad. Wasn't Marvin fraternising with Lady Edith Foxwell? 'Heard it Through the Grapevine' will soon be back at number one, no doubt. Almost nine in ten families have some sort of social service assistance. A frightening statistic, eh? 

Jane (Tudor) worked tonight. Old Harold says she is a calming influence on the tap room rowdies. She is slow but I'm sure she's reliable. 

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Monday April 2, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

Pisses down. Albert Tatlock is dead. Joan Parkinson left and went without the theatricals I was expecting. I was kissed goodbye, which was nauseating. 

Balderdash in the papers about the Princess of Wales expecting twins. Rot.

Are people taking drugs in our tap room? The ever watchful Edna insists they are. I must admit that a certain element of the clientel are very 'Dylanish' and look like renmants of the long gone hippie era. Will I go down if the beloved CID raid the bar? Dad will have to be consulted. I do not want to be running a den of iniquity.

Samuel beams. He's sturdier. Looking very much like Frank but Ally giggles and says it's only because they are both bald with sticking out ears.

This Gary Hart person is frightening. He's been going everywhere in the US telling everybody he's Irish. They say he's taking the rise out of the Kennedys. Blimey, he'll be drowning his secretary next. Modale is a spineless fart.

To bed relieved at Joan's departure. Knackered.

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