Saturday April 27, 1974

Rise, if that is what you can call crawling out of bed with a hangover, at 7.45. Lynn and Sue say I look 'shocking' and I certainly feel it. Work was terrible and I was glad to get out at 11.55. Walk to the station with Anne who tells me she is leaving in June. I tell her that the YP will not be the same without her, but she laughs and thinks I am making fun of her. The poor devil is going to Cheshire to do social work or something of that type of charitable nature.

Have lunch and listen with Sue and John to 'Radio 5' which isn't so funny as it was last week.

Capt Mark Phillips is the victor of this years Badminton Horse Trials and I watched the final stages of the tournament on tv this afternoon. Capt Phillips rode the Queen's horse, and Her Majesty gave the cup to her son-in-law. Princess Anne was fourth I think. The Queen looked remarkably fashionable again and over the past 2 years everyone has noticed that HM is becoming more and more well dressed.

John goes to the H & H and Mum and Dad go to Burley. The girls go out and leave me alone with the tv. See 2 good films and read 'Have his Carcase' by Dorothy L. Sayers, which is another edition of the Lord Peter Wimsey saga - very good. Bed after 1am.

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Friday April 26, 1974

Rise at 8.30. Determined not to go into the YP until 10.30 at least. Leave on 9.30 bus - the one which goes the long way round and eventually get to the office at 20 to 11. Kathleen sorts out my trouble with Austin-Clarke, or I hope so anyway, and I work steadily until lunch.

See Marita, looking thinner, in Leeds. She's committed some atrocities on her hair and looks semi-negro or something! But still, Marita is a great character. I had to laugh when she said she'd caught something off MM. One always thinks of VD when people say things like that, but she soon lets me know it is shingles or the symptoms of shingles anyway. We said we were both bored with our evenings entertainment of late, but parted without attempting to remedy this 'We Hate the Emmotts but we Can't Help Going' attitude. Eat sandwiches in the park. Go to the dentist at 4.30 - just a check up of course, and arrive home at 5.45.

Believe it or not, I am staying at home this evening, and I think Chris and John may follow suit, but they aren't made of the same stuff as me - givers in, that's what they are. Later: I've joined the 'givers in' and been to the Hare and Hounds where all the gang assemble. Chris and I have a great laugh with Christine W. Go on to Wikis where I get drunk and spend all the time with Valerie.

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Thursday April 25, 1974

Relax all day. Get books from Guiseley Library: 'Clouds of Witness' by Dorothy L. Sayers, which is very good; and the memoirs of Rafaella, Duchess of Leinster, which I haven't had time to inspect yet. Cold, but sunny day.

Go to the YP at 5. Kathleen is busy all evening and we see little or nothing of each other. Feel very irate when I see they haven't given me extra pay for working Thursday night, and Kathleen says something to the effect 'you could bang your head against a wall', etc, which I doubt would do very much good at all.

File pictues of the Queen of Denmark, who is to pay a state visit to the UK next week. She certainly looks a lovely lady, and I intend watching the BBC programme about her on Sunday.

Get a taxi at 12 but feel astounded when he says my journey is not on account! It costs me £2.40, which is obscene when one takes my pay into consideration. Austin-Clarke may as well be a stuffed effigy for all the work he does, and they (the YP that is) are not going to get away with this. Bed at 2 after sitting tucked up with Dorothy L. Sayers, Lord Peter Wimsey and a cup of cocoa.

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Wednesday April 24, 1974

Up at 7.30. Morning passes quickly and I get a bus home at 12. Carol had some bad news this morning. I think her grandmother died, or something. Janice and I were sitting with her when she received a phone call. She was upset.

Nice lunch. Just Mum, Dad and self. Quite infuriated that Barclaycard hasn't let me know anything. I wanted a spending spree at the weekend and unless I get a card this will not be possible.

See 'Coronation Street' on tv. Anne Walker was playing Lady Bracknell in 'The Importance of Being Earnest'.

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Tuesday April 23, 1974

St George's Day. Very late for the train and nearly miss it. See Philip Knowles who is going to tech with a friend. See in the EP that the Queen gave the Garter to Lord Abergavenny, a close friend, and Lords Shackleton and Trevelyan, who are both life peers. The Most Noble Order of the Garter, the highest English honour, is restricted to about 26 members, that is not counting the Princes of the Blood and Foreign Heads of State, and the Queen seems to be widening its membership. Three years ago it was given to Lord Rhodes of Saddleworth, a one-time miner! Still no word from Barclaycard. Driving lesson at 6.30 which is better than last week but still rather hopeless. Ring Chris at 8 and ask him to come to Margaret Grandison's market research thing on Thursday, not forgetting to tell him that £1 will be his for the asking. He agrees. He went to the Emmotts with Laura on Sunday and then went to the Hare and Hounds. 'June was in the Emmotts on Sunday', he said with great excitement, but I say 'Oh really?' with a slight false yawn. See 'Napoleon and Love' on ITV. Hopelessly wrong, and poor Mrs Lane would die if she watched it. Little Nappy may have had nis moments but he was cerrtainly no Casanova. Bed 12. -==-

Monday April 22, 1974

Boring day. Kathleen and I are working Thursday evening again & we are both taking Wednesday for a half-day. Carol and Janice were green with envy at our arrangements - such horrid girls they are! Come home on the 33 bus which makes a happy diversion from the usual rigmarole on the train every night.

No one rings and I spend a quiet evening in front of the tv. 'Lord Peter Wimsey' by Dorothy L. Sayers is very good indeed. It follows on next week.

The Prince of Wales is docking at Portsmouth on HMS Jupiter tomorrow and I can forsee a revival by the Press of the 'Will he marry Lady Jane Wellesley before or after Christmas?' theme.

Bed after a bath at 11.30. Saw a terrible programme about (Christopher) Ishwerwood, the homosexual who wrote 'Cabaret' in which Judy Garland's daughter rose to fame as 'Sally Bowles'.____.

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Sunday April 21, 1974

Low Sunday. Wake at 11.30 and climb straight out of bed. Mum is quite mad with John, who I ignore. She says he is too young to be going to nightclubs and rolling home at 3 every morning, etc. He doesn't even bother to apoligse and that makes me all the more angry.

A brilliant sunny day, but cold. See the Queen on tv receiving the Queen's Scouts at Windsor. Her Majesty is 48 today and looks it. _____.

I cannot decide whether or not to go out tonight, but If I do decide to go, John won't be going with me.__.

See tv all evening and retire to bed at about midnight.


"Seasons in the Sun" Terry Jacks.

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