Tuesday July 23, 1974

Bloody awful day. Sleep in until nearly 10am. Ring Kathleen and take a half-day today and go in at 2. Sick of the YP.

Home at 6. Mum and Dad criticise the painting. John rings everyone to to select a suitable pub for tonight's drinking excursion. We go down to the Hare and Hounds where Carol, Linda and Christine later join us - not forgetting Chris. Quite a good evening. We all pull Peter Mather to pieces and decide, in his absence, that it was about time he was either a) married, or b) living in sin with some sexy woman. All pile in the Ratcliffe bus at 10.45 and home within minutes.

See 'The Royal Show' etc, and knock back a few pernods. Bed after 12.

-=-

Monday July 22, 1974

Denny and Marita come and see us at 9. They help to prepare for the return of the family later tonight. Poor Marita falls in love with one of my paintings - and I give it to her. I cannot resist making people happy (big headed swine that I am). Promise Marita that I'll take up painting again because she insists that I have a talent in this field. Miss Akroyd is also thrilled by Wyndham-Logg. Hell, I'm too good to be true. Home they all come after 11. Not as sun-tanned as I would have thought, but they all look ever so well. Mama is rather quick-tempered, being very tired, and we sit about talking until after 1. They say the resort wasn't as nice as the Italy holiday but they loved it all the same. Good to see them after 10 days. -==-

Sunday July 21, 1974

Little Sue is 15 years old today and will be having a great time in Spain. Looking forward to seeing them all again.

The party continued into the early hours - and Mr Monkman, the old swine, came round in his pyjamas at about 1am to complain about the noise. I say nothing at all. By 3 everyone is either gone or going - Chris staggers to bed and Denny and I sit by the record player looking through my photo albums until 5. Very nostalgic. We go upstairs and sit on the top bunk reading 'Wyndham-Logg' and I fall asleep leaving her enthralled in the adventures of my creation, Peregrine Wyndham-Logg. In bed till 1pm.

Marita calls on us and we, that is Chris, John, Denny and I, accompany her to the Commercial for a drink. We're beggars for punishment. Come back and eat hot buttered toast and lashings of coffee. They all go at 3 and I make lunch - steak, new potatoes and fried tomatoes. Gloss some doors until 7, watched by John and Chris, who discuss the wild events of last night.

Judy rang me this afternoon, and at the end of the conversation I had a feeling that our love (sarcasm) was over. Glancing through these pages I see that she first came into my life on Friday May 3 - hardly a lengthy relationship. Denny is quite relieved that J is out of the running.


"Rock Your Baby" George Macrae.

-==-

Saturday July 20, 1974

To work at 8. Get John a pair of trousers and a shirt from'Harry Fenton'. Home and in the bath listening to Tony Blackburn. Party here at 10.30 after the Hare and Hounds. Judy comes at 9.30. Back to the house for a great time. Mr Monkman comes round in his pyjamas and I tell him to get lost, or words to that effect.

-==-

Friday July 19, 1974

Nice day. Meet Denny and Chris in the Generation Bar at 12. Chris goes back to work half an hour later and Denny and I sit drinking until 1.30. Intend to get some clothes for John but whilst passing the Odeon Cinema we notice a Liz Taylor/Michael Caine film and go inside. "Zee and Co". Tremendous film. Finished at about 5.30. Not home till nearly 7. John goes quite insane about my doings in Leeds. "I thought you said you'd finish doing the gloss?" he yelled. Who does he think I am?

General Franco, the Spanish leader handed his powers to the Prince of Spain today due to his illness. I can see we shall have a new King of Spain within the coming week.

With Judith to Wikis after Hare and Hounds. Denny, bless her, refuses to speak to me because of my liaison with 'Miss Screw well'. J and I fall asleep on the sofa and she wakes up in a screaming fit at 5am!!

-==-

Thursday July 18, 1974

I could quite fall in love with several women if the need should ever occur:-

1). Dear Denny

2). Miss Carol Smith

3). Miss Judith Beevers

4). Miss Marita Fountain, etc.

-==-

Wedneday July 17, 1974

Painting. Nothing further to say today.

-==-

Tuesday July 16, 1974

Carry On Painting.


(Page filled with ink sketch of my sister Susan. "A bad picture of Sue, who looks somewhat nicer in the flesh - Not at all fat)".

-==-

Monday July 15, 1974

Buy paint for the hall doors. Rainy awful day and typical of summer these days. Denny comes straight from work for tea - sausages and chips, etc. Quite nice. She is annoyed about Judy coming tonight and fails to see the sense in my going out with her. She is of course quite right because neither do I see any sense in going out with Judy, but it makes a friendly diversion from the usual rigmarole. Christine and Linda come at 8.30 with Chris - and Judy follows on at 9. The atmosphere is awful. Judy looks like Hell. Sharon, my distant Kirk cousin comes after 9, with her friend Susan - quite a laughable couple. Go to the Commercial for a few drinks at 10. Back home for coffee - unenjoyable evening really. Dead loss.

-==-

Sunday July 14, 1974

5th after Trinity. The sun rises and I go for a walk on the moor. A beautiful morning really - and by 5am I am on Baildon Moor. Back to Pine Tops where I sit in a deckchair in the garden with 'Queen Mary' till nearly 8. Sleep in bed from just after 8am till 11.30. Denny makes breakfast for everyone, and I am surprised that they are alive, meaning Denny and Ron - who spent the night in Mum and Dad's bed and accidentally triggered the electric blanket. They could have ended up more fried than the bacon.

Marita comes at 1pm and we go to the Commercial at Esholt - Dave, Chris, John and Marita. At 3 everyone except D goes to Marita's where we sit in her bedroom and sup Cinzano and home-made marrow wine till after 5. To the Emmotts at 8. See June and feel nothing for her at all. I'm free from her spell at last! Can you really believe it?

-==-

Saturday July 13, 1974

YP till noon. Go to 'Just Pants Plus' and get a pair of wonderful trousers - cords - with an embroidered pattern on the bum - £7.00, etc. Home and in the bath at 2 listening to Tony Blackburn.

Dearest Denny comes straight from work for tea - prawn curry - though we don't enjoy it at all after arguing about Judith. Denny says she wouldn't have come to tonight's party if she had been aware that J was joing to attend. To Hare and Hounds at 8.15. Joined by Marita, who looks gorgeous lately, and MM and Christine Jennings____.In order to cheer up Marita I pull her to my side of the bar where we buy each other Cinzanos till after 10.30. Both quite drunk. Marita having to drive as well!! Party a good success. Denny, who is very drunk, finds her old boyfriend, Ron, and they spend the night together. Judith comes at 11.30 and I ignore her - being very drunk -and she leaves 10 minutes later. Fantastic scenes in the bathroom then follow, and I am in the shower with a massive audience of both sexes. Everyone gets thoroughly soaked, and poor Christine W looks like Phyllis Diller with her hair wet. Linda, Carol, Dave B and Keith and myself have an amusing, unrecordable, session in our small, yet cosy, lavatory. Hysterical. Everything ends at 3am when someone put a foot through the bathroom door. I don't want the party to end but most folk drift off. When everyone is in bed asleep I clear up the mess and listen to the 'Super Bad' LP.

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