20090415

Sunday May 6, 1973

Get up at 11.15. Overcast, humid, and rainy day. Have a beef curry at 12.00. Auntie Hilda, Uncle Tony and the girls came home from the continent last night. They are coming over here this afternoon.

Walked to the CW at 12.45. A completely dead afternoon. Pauline came at 1.10. Sue went upstairs for a while whilst Pauline, Toffer and myself watched the tv, drank coffee, and ate ginger cake. No customers came in until 3.30. We bought Mars bars and put them in the refrigerator until they went hard. Very tasty. It began to get busy at tea time. Pauline left at 7.
Sue and I had a mixed grill, with a bottle of red wine, then apricots in brandy. We went upstairs to watch Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds'. Came home at about 12.

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Saturday May 5, 1973

John gets up at 6.00 and goes to Wembley with Geoff Saxton. Yes, the day has come. Leeds United are playing Sunderland in the FA Cup Final today. How can Leeds loose? Sunderland, a second division team, have only played at Wembley once before, way back in 1937. Watch the build up to the kick off from 10.30.

Mum and Dad go shopping a buy a few large cans of ale. Bill Stott rings up at 2.15 and asks if he can come round to see the final on our colour tv, which, incidentally, is one year old today. Mum is furious when Dad says yes to him. When he does come he turns up with his father-in-law - both nice blokes really. Kick off at 3. The Duke and Duchess of Kent in the royal box. At half-time Sunderland was winning 1-0. We all seemed to take it for granted that Leeds would snatch two goals in the second half. Full-time: Sunderland wins 1-0. We are all stunned. Poor John, going all that way to see his idols defeated! Geoff Saxton will no doubt commit suicide. Tragedy!

Go to the CW. Sue and Toffer didn't even watch the match. She said I was a baby for saying I "felt sick inside" when contemplating the defeat. Pauline came in at about 7.10. She says she was on Sunderland's side throughout. Later on in the evening she promised to 'rape' me when I had finished doing the washing up. Not a very hectic evening. Toffer brought me home, un-raped, at 1.15 after sitting with some beers for an hour. Working again tomorrow. Fool, Michael. You bloody fool!

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Friday May 4, 1973

Terrible weather. Rain and icy blasts. One would hardly think that it is May.

Take Sue to the dentist and sit in the waiting room reading an old magazine featuring Princess Anne and Lieutenant Mark Phillips. The insinuations that it might be an Easter engagement seem very silly now, to say the least. But, just because the TV and papers stop publicising Pcss. Anne and Lieut. Phillips's every move doesn't mean to say that the romance is over. It seems to me that the couple are being put through the traditional 24-month separation, which the Duke of Kent and many other royals had to go through. An endurance test as it were.

Mr Ayling doesn't arrive for the double lesson this morning. We all go instead to the common room and make some attempt to read Harvey. June and I sit together at break. She does an exam at 1.30. At 2.40 Dave and I rush out of school, along with Denny, MM, Chris, Tim, Liz, and many lower 6th scum. What we get up to when Groves isn't around! I go to Rawdon library until nearly 4 o'clock. Go back and see June. We walk to the bus stop together - it's raining hard.

Go to the CW - quite busy.

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Thursday May 3, 1973

June sends me a letter. She has tonsilitis but will be coming to school today. What a relief!

Go on the 8.30 bus. June arrives at 9.30. She sits with Linda who prceeds to tell June about my so-called "affair" with Christine. June pretends to be put out. Linda can be a bitch at times.

We go down to Rigg's at 12.15. She forgets the shopping list about eight times. Christine and Dave are astounded. She tells me, as we walk down, that our meeting at the Emmotts tonight will have to be cancelled because she has an exam tomorrow morning. I quite understand, and I tell her that I cannot go out on Sunday either because I am working. She laughs. Oh Lord, we can't go out until at least Wednesday of next week, and even then she is doing more exams and she may have to revise then as well. At least she is back.

Walk down to the bus stop at 4.30. Paul Cheetham and Sheilagh Thingy-in-the-lower-sixth are standing there. My bus comes. We kiss goodbye. Come home and have tea. Quiet evening in watching the television and reading.

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Thursday May 3, 1973

June sends me a letter. She has had tonsilitis but will be back at school today. God! What a relief! Go on the 8.30 bus. June arrives at 9.30. She sits with Linda who tells June all about my so-called "affair" with Christine. June pretends to be put out. Linda can be a bitch at times.



We go down to Rigg's at 12.15. She forgets the list about six times. Christine and Dave are astounded at her scatter-brained behaviour. She tells me, as we walk down, that our Emmotts evening must have to be cancelled because she has an exam tomorrow morning. I quite understand and I tell her that I cannot go out on Sunday either because I am working. She laughs. O Lord, we cannot go out until at least Wednesday of next week, and even then she is doing more exams and she may have to revise then as well. Ah well, at least she's back.



Walk to the bus stop at 4.30

Wednesday May 2, 1973

Get the 8.30 bus. Revise in the library until Mrs Lane arrived at 9.45. We start immediately with the two essays. I tackled the British one first which was: "Discuss the view that Appeasement was a policy which was bound to fail". Very good. I quoted both Randolph Churchill and Lord Avon. The European question was: "The decline of democracy in Germany was inevitable by 1930. Discuss." Finished both by 11.15.

June still away. Last night I wrote her a letter which I posted today. She should get it by tomorrow. Anyway, she's got to be back by Thursday. Sue has asked me to work tonight because Moody Martin has exams all week and he wants to revise.

Go down to the bus stop with Dave again. Home by 4.40. Go to work at 7.30. Sue also asks me to work all day on Sunday! This means I'll be working: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Think of the money? Go home at 12.30. Immediately to bed and sleep.. Please June, please come tomorrow.


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Tuesday May 1, 1973

Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones is 9 today. June still not at school. Get up at 7.40. Weather beautiful again (or perhaps I should say, beautiful as Sunday). The Glorious 1st of May! (or is that June?) Oh June, why aren't you at school? Life is hell without you.

Read Eden until 10. Then do "Balance of Payments" with Christine. Two and a half hours! What a mess we get into! She re-writes her essay 6 times. Get into a mess with the maths. Run down for the lunches alone. Have soup, crisps and sandwiches with Louise, who goes home at 1.30. Things aren't the same since she finished with Chris.

Read through Eden again until 2.30. Tomorrow is Mrs Lane's timed question and so in the afternoon I devour several important paragraphs of Randolph Churchill's "The Rise and Fall of Anthony Eden". Have a laugh with Christine. Walk to bus stop with Dave at 4.05. Awful without June. Miss the 55 and get the 35 with Dave. Get off at Yeadon. Dave goes to Ray and Marian's. I go to the record shop until the next 55 bus comes at 4.50. Come home and have tea.

Read Queen Victoria until 7.15. Go to CW. Sue and Toffer went to see some pubs yesterday but the state of them quite put them off. They are staying at the Chuck Wagon after all. Not a very busy evening. Toffer brings me home at 12 o'clock. We sit for ten minutes in the car talking about buying pubs. Come in and have some eggs. Go to bed and sleep immediately.

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Saturday May 19, 1984

A warm, gentle day. Ally and I took off to town with Samuel at 1pm. We didn't take the pram and I carried baby for two hours, by the end...