Monday November 17, 1980

Lady Diana: fever grows.

_. Lady Diana Spencer fever grows. I saw her tonight for the first time on TV. The six o'clock news on the BBC showed the poor girl besieged outside her flat, bombarded with questions as she fumbled for her car keys, eventually driving away beaming all over her face. The poor girl. I think this really means business. The morning papers say she was at Sandringham over the weekend. But as a note of caution let us not forget that Sandringham is her birthplace and home, and she has close ties to the Queen. Another bloody red herring? I am trying to view the situation objectively. Mum says they'll be engaged by Thursday, but Dad's opinion is that it will never happen because the Prince of Wales is a confirmed bachelor. Obviously, Dad doesn't know what he's talking about.

YP busy. Carol J left 'with a cold' at 12:30. That is the last we'll see of her until pay day. A new boy on the YP staff, I discover, is the son of the ghastly former Home Secretary, Merlyn Rees, a Leeds MP. We are really scraping the barrel these days. On the subject of MPs it was interesting to see Sir Harold Wilson speaking on 'Panorama' this evening. His opinion is that the Labour party fell to pieces when he resigned the leadership. He described Peter Shore as his 'poodle' and scoffed about Michael Foot. Harold tends to regard himself as a god, I think.

Mum and Dad went to Auntie Mabel's from 6:30-11:30. I half-heartedly watched TV. Lady Diana was on every news bulletin. I like her pleasant demeanour and obvious good mannered gentleness.

I phoned Ally. She was washing and brewing. I offered to buy her a dress. Auntie Hilda phoned for John's address. She is sending out Silver wedding invitations.

To bed at 12:15.

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Sunday November 16, 1980

_. 24th Sunday after Trinity

Breakfast at the Hollywood and then we bid our fond farewells to the Glynns. On to Bradford for 11 where Ally changed into her 'slave-wear' and departed for the Belfry. I made my way to Guiseley and had another breakfast with Mummy.  They [Mum and Dad] were at Giovanni's last night for Jim's birthday.

Received a surprise at 3 when Ally walked in an announced she had resigned from the Belfry and will never set foot in that sinking restaurant again. I think she has failed to see eye to eye with the Ayatollah Hartley for some time. And a new waitress has been rubbing her up the wrong way. That will never do.

Charles: hunting foxes on his birthday.

Later we went to Burley-in-W and the Baker residence. It is months since I visited Lawn Road. The new tiled bathroom is exquisite.

I'm tingling with excitement about an article about Lady Diana Spencer in the Sunday Times. She is reported to have left her London flat on Friday and they say she is at Sandringham for the weekend, but no official statement has appeared. The prince was out hunting foxes on his birthday, and Lady Diana found a parking ticket on her car, in the midst of the press turmoil, at her £100,000 flat.

Bed at 12.

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Saturday November 15, 1980

_. Drizzle, fog, rain. Breakfast at 10. Met by Ally at 11 in the Citroen. Over to Stockport in treacherous conditions arriving at 1pm. Lily's hair is no longer blond - like Mrs Thatcher she's gone 'honeysuckle'.

Off to the Robin Hood pub with Billy Garry and Steve. Drank profusely. They all seem to revere Ally - nay, idolise her. We all do get on extremely well. Back at the Hollywood at 3 Dave played his 'Meatloaf' LP.

Out at 7 with the lads to dinner at 'Steak Kebabs' . I had a 2lb T-bone steak. Ally also had a T-bone, but smaller. Afterwards the merry band returned to the Robin Hood for further lubrication. Argued with the barmaid about who actually shot J.R. Ewing. The fun continued until after 1am.

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Friday November 14, 1980

_. Hideous experience at the dentist. The dentist had great difficulty locating a wisdom tooth. One comment he made was that my tongue is one of the biggest he's encountered.  I choked and spluttered and left the surgery at 6:15. Dreading my next appointment on Dec 1st. He says he will have to inject me in the roof of my mouth to enable him to hit one particular nerve and will have to go away and research the procedure because he hasn't performed such an operation before! Gulp.

Diana: pretty and demure.

Today is the 32nd birthday of the Prince of Wales and the media are eagerly awaiting the announcement of his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer. I have been carrying out further research into Lady Diana's background [for the YP] and have discovered with some pleasure that she was born on the Sandringham estate at Park House [the home of her grandmother, Lady Fermoy] on July 1, 1961. On Aug 30, that year, she was christened at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, by the Bishop of Norwich. I do feel that Lady Diana is the one we have been waiting for and do not think she is too young for the prince. Her connections are impeccable and she's led an unblemished life with no sordid tales of sex that would create a 'field day' for the News of the World. Pretty and demure, she will undoubtedly blossom into something far exceeding her present demeanour. Oh yes, if Charles doesn't go ahead and marry her I feel sure he'll be missing out on a jewel.

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Thursday November 13, 1980

_. Bought steak, cheese and chocolates in my lunch hour and went to Ally's at 6. Joined at 7:30 by Mum and Dad for a dinner party. Prawn cocktails, rump steak, asparagus, celery, followed by cream cake and an assortment of cheese. A delightful evening. Mum seldom eats steak, but found it very enjoyable. Darling Ally did flap and fluster prior to the arrival of the royal party. Dad went upstairs to fix a blind and a curtain rail. He had to earn his supper. Ally looked very pretty in a black dress of Sue's.

Catherine Brook leaves the AHA tomorrow.

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Wednesday November 12, 1980

Foot: winner by 10 votes.

_. In the midst of Tim's 21st birthday celebrations on Monday I quite forgot to comment on Michael Foot's victory in the Labour party leadership stakes. The old boy beat Denis Healey by 10 votes. I am feeling quite gleeful about it. Labour now stands no chance of ever winning a general election with this aged cripple at the helm. My only worry is the thought that Wedgwood Benn is waiting in the wings. At 67 Foot is surely not long for this world.

Took a half day from 12. Joined by Ally at the Ostlers. Then on to get Ally's car taxed for another six months. We marched around Leeds but made no Christmas purchases. On to Pine Tops at 4:30 but the house was deserted. Mum and Dad are out for the day in the Dales. We ate pork chops by candlelight. Mum and Dad were back at 9 clowning around in the kitchen like a courting couple. Jim and Margaret came at 9:30 and we all watched a film of President Kennedy's assassination which was excellent. The man who played Jack Ruby is something of a comedian. To bed at 12.

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Tuesday November 11, 1980

Gustav Adolf: party in Shipley.

_.Union news: Our trouble with the M.O.C. is resolved. I have agreed to pay my union subs but NOT the political levy included in the weekly subscription. The flustered M.O.C exclaimed: 'It's only a penny a week, you know?' To which I replied: 'Ah, but it's the principle of the thing.' I refuse to subsidise the lifestyle of Ron Leighton, MP. I'd prefer my 1p to go to Norman St John Stevas or young Winston Churchill.

Home at 5. Dined with Mama and Papa. Ally came at 9. We went to the Elmer disco in Shipley at 10 to the 98th birthday party for King Gustav Adolf of Sweden. In reality it's an orgy organized by Chris Mackenzie, and he desperately wanted an excuse to celebrate. Why not an Armistice Party? I did point out to Chris that King Gustav Adolf died in 1973, but this did not hinder the celebration.  We huddled in a corner. Carol J, Pauline, Tony Harney, Helen of Troy, Chris Mackenzie, &c. The bar closed at 1am and we returned to Club St.

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Monday November 10, 1980

_. To the dentist at 5pm for a couple of x-rays. A complete waste of time really. I was amused by a poster in the waiting room showing a fox idly reading 'Horse and Hound', surrounded by hounds similarly engaged.

Ally collected me at 5:30 in Rawdon and we went on to Pine Tops for dinner. Ally collected a dress from Sue's and we headed off to Tong arriving at the King's at 9:15. Jill and Tim were there with Tim's enormous brother. Tim and Jill are good company. At 10:30 we went on to see Auntie Hilda and Uncle Tony, both subdued. On to Club St at 12. Tore wallpaper from the walls in the spare bedroom.

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Sunday November 9, 1980

_. 23rd Sunday after Trinity. Remembrance Sunday

A day buried beneath mounds of festering wallpaper and paste at Rue Club. Ally was at the Belfry and left me alone until 3. Finished the bedroom at 7. Heinz tomato soup and bread.

Back to Pine Tops. Ally only managed a cup of tea before returning to the Belfry. Mum and Dad had a very exciting day. Earl Stephens, an old friend from the deep past, who has been in New Zealand since 1958, suddenly appeared on our doorstep this morning. Unfortunately, Dad was out beating up innocent members of the public and didn't see him, but Earl returned at 7:30. Spent the night chatting about old times. By 11 I was like a zombie and escaped to bed leaving Mr Stephens expounding his ideas for a revolutionary shower partition. Slept immediately, and deeply.

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Saturday November 8, 1980

_. Up at 11 for bacon and eggs. To Ally's at 12 and found her cleaning. Decorate the bedroom until 5. Daubing paste &c.

Went into Bradford at 5 and bought Tim a T-shirt and a birthday card. Ate fish and chips in newspaper like ravenous fiends.

Bathed in the luxury of the green bathroom, listening to Ally throwing a tantrum about her clothes - or lack of them. On to Pudsey at 8:30 and then  we all - the whole mob - went to the King's Arms in Tong for refreshment. I wore a tie pin which created a minor sensation for some reason. Ally really gets on well with Diane. Sue and Pete are uncertain about a holiday next year, but we are considering our plans in earnest. Lynn was lovely all in black. Back to Wilsby [6, St James's Crescent] at 11. I was pissed and fell on a poor woman splattering her with pizza and potato salad. Tony was becoming quite malevolent to Peter, who clowned around in a punch bowl. Auntie Mabel was the only surprise guest.

Back to Rue Club at 3am.

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Friday November 7, 1980

_. Sarah's birthday. Out to Da Mario's at 12 for a joyful celebration. Just Sarah, Shazzo, Carol J, and Marilyn. Ate lasagne but felt hungry afterwards. Walked back to the YP minus Sarah, who took a half day. Called at a travel agents and collected some books for the next summer season. Shazzo says Agios Nikolaos on Crete is 'lively' and 'my scene'. Sarah's Lindos on Rhodes sounds starchy and old. You know I like noise, debauchery, dissipation and booze.

Home at 6. Read 'Caligula' by William Howard. Truly a foul, evil volume of perversion if ever I saw one.

In the space of two days I've been thoroughly brainwashed into thinking  Ronald Reagan isn't such a bad guy. His elder brother, Neil, is quoted as saying he cannot understand why 'Junior wants to run America'. To bed at nearly 12.

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