Saturday September 29, 1973

Wake up at 7 o'clock and go back to sleep until 11. My cold is somewhat better, and even if I have pneumonia I am going out tonight in order to celebrate David's last pre-college Saturday. Stay in the lounge all day. See a Liz Taylor film: 'The Last Time I Saw Paris' which was quite good. Mum and Dad go to the shops at 4.30 and she buys some liquid to put up my nose. It works wonders. By 5 o'clock I can breath again. Lynn and Sue come back from Bradford with another LP for John - who is at work - Tamla Volume III. John and Dad go out driving and Sue and Lynn go to have tea with Al Dixon. Mother and me watch Bruce Forsyth's 'Generation Game'. At 6.30 I go change, now feeling greatly improved. Andy rings at 7 and I say I'll meet him near Shires at 7.45. However, John and Dad don't get back until 7.30 and John and me are subsequently late. We buy 12 pints of beer and go to Dave's where Philip and Christine are listening to records - Philip is unusually very quiet. MM, Christine W and Linda S arrive later, followed by Chris and Marita. By 11 Andy and myself are quite drunk - especially Andy who added Bacardi to his pints of Newcastle Brown. What a laugh - everyone imitating everyone elses dancing styles. When Mr & Mrs Lawson arrive home we pile into Dave and Marita's cars and go to the Intercon at the Cow & Calf at Ilkley. Christine ignored Philip all night long. See Denny who, strangely enough, ignores Chris. Home at 2.30. --==--

Friday September 28, 1973

The morning begins with me feeling very tired and listless. Totally 'under the weather'. By lunchtime I begin sneezing my head off. Christine takes all the blame because she started with a cold earlier in the week. However, I do not give in to it and last out at school until 4 o'clock.

Having already made arrangements to go out tonight I do not break them. Therefore, at 8.15, Dave, poor soul, collects John and I and Christine W. We go to the Fleece where Chris, Marita, Christine and Philip, Andy and MM are busily supping and merry-making. By 9.30 my cold is terrible and John yells at me for coming out on a cold evening with such an illness. Chris, being his usual gracious self, bought me a brandy. John, God Bless him, brought me another 2 brandies and a rye and dry. I was not even slightly pissed at 10.30.

MM invites us all back to his pad at 10.45 for coffee, and coffee only. We all go. I sit with Marita and almost fall to sleep on her - much to the dismay of Chris who is sitting on her other side. I am very fond of Marita, whom I first saw at Sue Crosby's 1st party all those months ago - she says so, because I have no recollection of seeing her until August 25. I was so drunk at Sue's party anyway.

Dave brings us home at 12.20 - me feeling lousy. Bed 12.30.

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Thursday September 27, 1973

A day of filthy, rain, rain and even more rain. Stay at home in the morning to do an Economics essay but to my horror I discover that I have mislaid the question. Anyway, at 12.30 I go to Benton and do my essay sitting with Julie Turner. Finished by 2.30.

The Economics lesson is awfully drab and I nearly fall asleep. Incidentally, I have been offered an interview at the Yorkshire Post. Will go see what happens next Thursday.

___has been spreading more rubbish about poor Chris.

See a horrid King Kong film. Chris rings at 8.30. We decide not to go out due to the freak weather conditions. But I am definately going out tomorrow. Lynn and Stephen Barstow come home. We all sit around the tv - Mum and Dad having gone out at 9 o'clock.

I see 'Jason King' at 11.30 and retire one hour later.

The Prince of Wales marriage stakes are making a large splash at the moment. Since Monday the Press have had the prince engaged at least five times - and to different women. The first of these fillies was Lady Jane Wellesley, daughter of the 8th Duke of Wellington - she of course denied it. The second was to a certain Janet Milner - she made no comment. Another was Rosie Clifton, a very theatrical sounding name. She's been to Balmoral for the weekend. In 1861 another Prince of Wales was entangled with a certain Nellie Clifden. Personally, I think it's a load of rot. Charles would never run off with a short-hand typist called Rosie. He is more sensible than that. I guess that the Prince of Wales will be 28 when he marries and the bride will be British upper class. Good old Lady Jane would fit in perfectly. After all, she is a relation of the dear Queen Mother.

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Wednesday September 26, 1973

A very interesting afternoon at school where Maggie Edwards, Irene, MM and myself entertain six old age pensioners - all over the age of 80. They sit and tell us ancient anecdotes of how they lived in the 1890s. Believe it or not one old boy cycled from Rawdon to Sheffield four times a week! And this routine went on for about a year! How has he managed to survive for so long after such hard work?

See the tv in the evening. Chris rings at 8 o'clock and wants to know if I'm going out. I say 'no'. But I am tempted. He and Andy are going off somewhere - poor Marita is in bed with cold.

John and Dad went out driving until 8.30 - it's the first time John has been at the wheel, and I think I will have a go tomorrow.

See Harold Macmillan on tv talking about 1963 - his last year of premiership. What a tremendous fellow he is. It's a damn shame he cannot live another 50 years to further his aims. You can tell from the conversation that he was born 30 years too soon.

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Tuesday September 25, 1973

A truly historic day. John is seventeen. And to think he's been a regular in the local pubs for 9 months now! When I was his age I didn't even go in off-licences. I was 17 and a half when I first crossed the threshold of the Emmotts - although, I did have a half of beer at the Hare and Hounds in Menston on Nov 5, 1970, aged 15.

Andy rings at 7.30. We meet him and Christine W at Rawdon traffic lights at 8. Go to the Queen's at 8.10. The place is almost deserted. Two large coal fires burn merrily in the grates. We enter a competition to guess the weight of a Tetley dray horse which is to be weighed in Leeds on November 18. MM arrives at 9.15. We sit until 10.30 - MM left on his own in the car at 10.15. We catch a 51 bus at about 10.40 - I almost fell to sleep on the back seat. John, Christine and I bid farewell to Andy and Chris at Rawdon - we walk down towards Yeadon. John takes Christine home and we have some fish and chips at Westfield. A 55 came at 11.20 and we were home for 11.45.

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Monday September 24, 1973

Boring morning at Benton. Christine and MM went to David's at 42, Tennyson Street, where I joined them at 2.0 o'clock. We played records and drank some cheap sort of sweet sherry until 5 o'clock. Christine angered me by say Chris 'influenced' me. What absolute rot!

Arrive home at 5.30. Salad for tea. Mother argues about my job again. I am determined not to leave school until November 27. What's seven weeks anyway? See 'Coronation Street' at 7.30.

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Sunday September 23, 1973

I told John this morning that I would NOT be going out tonight. "I must cut my drinking habit to a minimum" I said. He laughed because he knew I would be sitting in one pub or another before the hour had gone 9pm. How right he was! Oh yes indeed.

How I do loathe Sundays - the feeling of impending doom (Monday morning) always hangs over ones head.

In the afternoon Mum, Dad, Lynn and Sue go to Pudsey to see Auntie Hilda and Co.

John and I have baths and listen to 'Solid Gold 60' on Radio 1. My, doesn't time fly? Hard to believe that John Philip Rhodes is 17 on Tuesday. Will he receive a card from Christine W? I ask this because they always seem very cool with each other - not like June and I were. Miss White was born on a very historic occasion - the 25th birthday of Princess Margaret. On that day HRH was eligible to marry above the reach of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. The poor dear decided not to. I hope she doesn't regret it now.

Dave collects us at 8.30 and we go to the Queen's, where I am terribly bored. I miss June tremendously - I don't know why. Can she be worth it?

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To be coninued