_. 4th Sunday after Easter.
Sat in a deckchair in the garden reading 'Richard III' swinging my ancient knees. I cut the lawns, which took me just over an hour. Tortuous endurance. It was about six inches long .... the grass that is.
Mum baked herself all day in the sun and by tea time she resembled something of a mix between a lobster and the Rev Ian Paisley.
Sue and Pete were out all day no doubt copulating in some remote Yorkshire dale, or boosting the profits of some local ale-house.
Relieved that I'm not living in England in the 1480s. The horror of Reginald Reginald Bosanquet reading 'News at 10' and Esther Rantzen's ugly mush pale into insignificance when one thinks of the life and times Edward V endured.
-=-
20180417
Saturday May 12, 1979
_. At noon I went into Bradford and paid Michelle £650 for four holidays to sunny Ibiza. Took cheques with me because the cash would have been far too tempting. I could easily have ended up with a second hand Datsun and three Chinese prostitutes, which I might have regretted later. The girls in WH Smith's Travel are sweet and they giggle and titter like fifth formers. They say Denise is in the Greek islands on business. Home at 2pm.
Watched Arsenal beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final (3-2) at which the Prince of Wales put in an appearance. Countess Desiree Rosenborg, a cousin of the Queen of Denmark, is now rumoured to be the 'ideal' match for HRH. whether Charles has ever met his Danish kinswoman I don't suppose matters to the gentlemen of the Press.
Read 'Richard III' and watched a 1930s Erroll Flynn epic 'Captain Blood'. Is it true what they say about Erroll Flynn?
-=-
Watched Arsenal beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final (3-2) at which the Prince of Wales put in an appearance. Countess Desiree Rosenborg, a cousin of the Queen of Denmark, is now rumoured to be the 'ideal' match for HRH. whether Charles has ever met his Danish kinswoman I don't suppose matters to the gentlemen of the Press.
Read 'Richard III' and watched a 1930s Erroll Flynn epic 'Captain Blood'. Is it true what they say about Erroll Flynn?
-=-
Friday May 11, 1979
_. Mum phoned me at the office to say my national savings certificates arrived this morning and at 12:45 she and Dad brought them to Leeds so that I can cash them. That's £120 towards Ibiza '79.
Spent some time in the library and took out a couple of sizeable volumes. "Richard III" by Paul Murray Kendall and "Bloody Mary" by Carolly Erickson, a biography of Mary I.
Later I started on Richard III which is a very interesting account. He wasn't the crippled monster one imagines. Bloody Shakespeare should have thrown all his considerable energies into bricklaying or dabbling in watercolours because his historical plays have maligned more innocent characters and distorted history on a massive scale. Especially Plantagenet history, which was so blackened in the Tudor era, and this has stuck down the centuries.
-=-
Spent some time in the library and took out a couple of sizeable volumes. "Richard III" by Paul Murray Kendall and "Bloody Mary" by Carolly Erickson, a biography of Mary I.
Later I started on Richard III which is a very interesting account. He wasn't the crippled monster one imagines. Bloody Shakespeare should have thrown all his considerable energies into bricklaying or dabbling in watercolours because his historical plays have maligned more innocent characters and distorted history on a massive scale. Especially Plantagenet history, which was so blackened in the Tudor era, and this has stuck down the centuries.
-=-
Thursday May 10, 1979
_. Cold day. Wet too. The soggy daffodils are retreating at speed back into their bulbs. Old Wordsworth would have beheld a 'host of running, wet daffodils'.
Susan seems much improved. She tells me that staying at home with mother all day long is driving her crazy. Mother is quite insane. Edgar Allen Poe would have found material for a dark, gripping tale after spending a morning in the company of Nora Rhodes at Pine Tops.
Mrs Thatcher has been prime minister for a whole week. Lord Soames is the new Lord President of the Council, but who is the government chief whip?
To the dentist at 5pm (Rawdon) and find myself with a new dentist. What has become of old Hough? The young, moustachioed guy prodded around in my cavities and cleaned my crumbling teeth and charged me £2 for five minutes work. That's me until November. Left in pouring rain at 5:10 for home.
Jim, Margaret and Julie came at 9. Retired at 11:30.
-=-
Susan seems much improved. She tells me that staying at home with mother all day long is driving her crazy. Mother is quite insane. Edgar Allen Poe would have found material for a dark, gripping tale after spending a morning in the company of Nora Rhodes at Pine Tops.
Mrs Thatcher has been prime minister for a whole week. Lord Soames is the new Lord President of the Council, but who is the government chief whip?
To the dentist at 5pm (Rawdon) and find myself with a new dentist. What has become of old Hough? The young, moustachioed guy prodded around in my cavities and cleaned my crumbling teeth and charged me £2 for five minutes work. That's me until November. Left in pouring rain at 5:10 for home.
Jim, Margaret and Julie came at 9. Retired at 11:30.
-=-
Wednesday May 9, 1979
_. I am putting on weight in the wrong places. The very thought of spending the rest of my life in rotund misery is much more frightening than the prospect of the coming holocaust due to the failure of Cyrus Vance's SALT2 agreement. For a one-time slim-line Adonis it's harrowing watching the numbers on the bathroom scales moving up and up. So, the fight back begins today. I am cutting down on my lunches and my beer intake is to be reduced drastically. I want to be on top form for Ibiza in eight weeks time.
It was a warm and sunny day. Mum and Susan sat in the garden. At the YP I spent the day, again, adjusting the files with the new government appointments. Cabinet ministers were sworn in at the palace yesterday afternoon.
At 2pm I went over to the library in town, but after an hour came back unable to make a decision on which books to choose. Glanced at "The Lives of the Queens of England", an ancient tome, but decided against it. It's probably a volume of historic poofs down the ages. Oh, and on the subject of our gay friends, the trial of Jeremy Thorpe has started at the Old Bailey. My great fear is that old Mr Justice Cantley will not survive long enough to send the disgraced former MP to the gallows. (Well, why not? They hanged Mr Bhutto.)
I have it on good authority from a man on the YP that Marion Thorpe is a lesbian, and that the object of her obsession is none other than FW ______. If this is so I can see why Mrs Thorpe has behaved with an almost light hearted indifference through the period of Jeremy's humiliation and disgrace.
Poor Uncle Tony (Gadsby) failed in his quest to become a Liberal councillor - by about 150 votes. Poor man. He worked so hard too.
Mum and Dad went to dinner at Lynn & Dave's. I watched TV with Sue & Pete. Bed at 12:15am.
-=-
It was a warm and sunny day. Mum and Susan sat in the garden. At the YP I spent the day, again, adjusting the files with the new government appointments. Cabinet ministers were sworn in at the palace yesterday afternoon.
At 2pm I went over to the library in town, but after an hour came back unable to make a decision on which books to choose. Glanced at "The Lives of the Queens of England", an ancient tome, but decided against it. It's probably a volume of historic poofs down the ages. Oh, and on the subject of our gay friends, the trial of Jeremy Thorpe has started at the Old Bailey. My great fear is that old Mr Justice Cantley will not survive long enough to send the disgraced former MP to the gallows. (Well, why not? They hanged Mr Bhutto.)
I have it on good authority from a man on the YP that Marion Thorpe is a lesbian, and that the object of her obsession is none other than FW ______. If this is so I can see why Mrs Thorpe has behaved with an almost light hearted indifference through the period of Jeremy's humiliation and disgrace.
Poor Uncle Tony (Gadsby) failed in his quest to become a Liberal councillor - by about 150 votes. Poor man. He worked so hard too.
Mum and Dad went to dinner at Lynn & Dave's. I watched TV with Sue & Pete. Bed at 12:15am.
-=-
20180416
Tuesday May 8, 1979
_. The alarm clock sounded off at 7am. Made cups of tea for David G and he devoured those revolting Kellogg's Cornnflakes which make one hell of a noise for sensitive young ears first thing on a morning.
Looked at the Daily Mail before taking the 8 o'clock bus to Leeds. Spent the day pouring over the election news, and the movers. The only government appointment that I find surprising is that Lord Carrington has gone to the Foreign Office. Recent foreign secretaries have come from the Commons. Most of the other appointments seem to be drawn from Mrs Thatcher's opposition front bench team.
The leader of the Tories on Leeds City Council has been given a position as a junior minister with a seat in the House of Lords. Irwin Bellow is a friend of Jim Rawnsley. Just think - I have travelled in a car with a man who has danced with the wife of the man who has spoken to Margaret Thatcher on the telephone!
Worked all day without a break. Sarah brought some sandwiches in for me, but otherwise I didn't leave my hot, sweltering typewriter. The Labour party has been shredded. Yippee. I suppose it means the gallows for Jim Callaghan, and by Christmas we'll have Wedgwood Benn at the helm. It is such a relief that we now have a civilised government until at least 1984.
Susan saw a doctor at Yeadon this evening. He says she has some kind of fish poisoning, probably from the seafood salad she had at Salvo's.
Ally came back from her interview to see Mama and seemed quite hopeful of the position. She stayed to lunch before bombing off to Martyr Worthy.
I retired at 12:23am.
-=-
Looked at the Daily Mail before taking the 8 o'clock bus to Leeds. Spent the day pouring over the election news, and the movers. The only government appointment that I find surprising is that Lord Carrington has gone to the Foreign Office. Recent foreign secretaries have come from the Commons. Most of the other appointments seem to be drawn from Mrs Thatcher's opposition front bench team.
The leader of the Tories on Leeds City Council has been given a position as a junior minister with a seat in the House of Lords. Irwin Bellow is a friend of Jim Rawnsley. Just think - I have travelled in a car with a man who has danced with the wife of the man who has spoken to Margaret Thatcher on the telephone!
Worked all day without a break. Sarah brought some sandwiches in for me, but otherwise I didn't leave my hot, sweltering typewriter. The Labour party has been shredded. Yippee. I suppose it means the gallows for Jim Callaghan, and by Christmas we'll have Wedgwood Benn at the helm. It is such a relief that we now have a civilised government until at least 1984.
Susan saw a doctor at Yeadon this evening. He says she has some kind of fish poisoning, probably from the seafood salad she had at Salvo's.
Ally came back from her interview to see Mama and seemed quite hopeful of the position. She stayed to lunch before bombing off to Martyr Worthy.
I retired at 12:23am.
-=-
Monday May 7, 1979
_. Bank Holiday in England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales.
Work-free today because it's May. All other nations have a holiday on May 1 to riot in the streets or parade in Moscow or shoot someone in the backstreets of Istanbul.
Had breakfast with David G and Alison. She thinks he is insane, and it's touching how he watches her with spaniel-like tendencies. Dad is quite correct when he says David has Rembrandt-like qualities. All craggy like one of the master's self-portraits.
The three of us went off in Alison's Midget sports car, roof down. Dave looked amazing sitting up in the back with what is left of his hair blowing in the damp, soggy atmosphere. We called on Lynn and Dave at Burley-in-W. David was messing round with his kitchen door and we waded through wood shavings to say hello. After a brief visit we went off in the direction of the Dales. Burnsall was too crowded - the tourists were out in force - peasants from the filthy urban areas. We found ourselves in the packed Tennant's Arms at Kilnsey, in the shadow of the jutting crag. Pints of ale and steak and kidney pie saw us through to 3pm and we journeyed back laughing like six year-olds at other motorists and waving at people in the style of our dear, beloved Queen Mother.
At home poor Sue was in bed after being taken ill at the office.
We ate fish and chips and sat in front of the telly all night - a war film dragged on for hours and in the midst of it Alison went off to Lynn's for the night, nervous about her interview tomorrow.
Bed at about 12:30.
-=-
Work-free today because it's May. All other nations have a holiday on May 1 to riot in the streets or parade in Moscow or shoot someone in the backstreets of Istanbul.
Had breakfast with David G and Alison. She thinks he is insane, and it's touching how he watches her with spaniel-like tendencies. Dad is quite correct when he says David has Rembrandt-like qualities. All craggy like one of the master's self-portraits.
The three of us went off in Alison's Midget sports car, roof down. Dave looked amazing sitting up in the back with what is left of his hair blowing in the damp, soggy atmosphere. We called on Lynn and Dave at Burley-in-W. David was messing round with his kitchen door and we waded through wood shavings to say hello. After a brief visit we went off in the direction of the Dales. Burnsall was too crowded - the tourists were out in force - peasants from the filthy urban areas. We found ourselves in the packed Tennant's Arms at Kilnsey, in the shadow of the jutting crag. Pints of ale and steak and kidney pie saw us through to 3pm and we journeyed back laughing like six year-olds at other motorists and waving at people in the style of our dear, beloved Queen Mother.
At home poor Sue was in bed after being taken ill at the office.
We ate fish and chips and sat in front of the telly all night - a war film dragged on for hours and in the midst of it Alison went off to Lynn's for the night, nervous about her interview tomorrow.
Bed at about 12:30.
-=-
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