Thursday March 5,1981

 _. Ally, bless her, eats banana on toast. She's besotted with this peculiar delicacy. I cannot enthuse or share her taste.

To Club St at 6 for dinner with Ally,who was feeling gloomy. We had a casserole with kidney and dumplings, quite excellent, and reclined afterwards. A life of domesticity. It must be a relief to the neighbours. For two years they've seen and heard us bombing around in the dead of night in varying states of alcoholism. It must be a shock for them now we behave like lieutenants in the Salvation Army. We have yet to tell Mrs Greenwood of our coming nuptials.

At 11:30 we went to bed to escape Sir Robin Day. 

Wednesday March 4, 1981

 _. Ash Wednesday

Almost Spring-like. My cousin Jill and Tim have found a house on Valley Road, Pudsey, and so now might be marrying this summer too. All the best people are. 

The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana were at Covent Garden last night, her first experience in the royal box. She is to carry out her first official public duty on Monday, with the prince, at a charity performance somewhere. I spent the afternoon in the archives looking at the Annual Register for 1863, and all the material relating to the marriage of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and Alexandra of Denmark. The last occasion when a Prince of Wales married as such. They wed on March 10 that year. The bride wore a diamond bracelet, a gift from the ladies of Leeds, and the bridegroom was attended throughout the marriage ceremony by his 'groom of the stole' Earl Spencer, the elder half-brother of Diana's great-grandfather. I wonder whether Lady Diana will appoint a similar retinue to her household as Alexandra, who, in 1863, appointed Lord Harris as her [Lord] Chamberlain, the Marchioness of Carmarthen, the Countess of Macclesfield and the Countess of Morton as her ladies of the bedchamber? I'm guessing that Diana's weekend visit to Eaton Hall was to fix Natalia Westminster with a job. Another possible candidate is the Duchess of Abercorn, Natalia's sister, and both are distantly related to Charles. I'm gathering all this for an article for the YP.

Home at 6. Mum and Dad visited the Stonehouse Inn again today. The old man [George Deakin/Deacon] is in no hurry to quit. They remain hopeful. Mum and Dad went over to see Hilda and Tony at 7:30. I phoned Ally twice. The first time I was cold and snappy, and so I phoned back to apologise. I also phoned Jack Simon and booked him to do our wedding photos. Watched TV until midnight. Part 1 of a dramatisation of the life of David Lloyd George. Seems promising.

Nothing in the news other than Ronald Reagan singing the praises of Mrs Thatcher.

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Tuesday March 3, 1981

 _. My day off caused no misery or heartache at the YP. Eileen Burnip was very keen to relate various tales of my escapades on Sunday afternoon. I winced hideously. 

Kathleen's papa died on Sunday night, but she will not resume her duties until the end of the month. She put in a very brief appearance this morning. 

Royal news: the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana is to take place at St Paul's Cathedral on July 29. The last royal wedding at St Paul's [the old pre 1666 St Paul's] was Arthur, Prince of Wales, elder son of King Henry VII, who married Katherine of Aragon there. It's a bigger venue and can hold 2,000 more guests than Westminster Abbey. I think that the prince prefers St Paul's. He spoke from the pulpit here at Lord Mountbatten's funeral in Sept '79, and of course last year it was where the service for the Queen Mother's 80th birthday was held. The prince and Lady Diana spent the weekend at Cholmondeley Castle, home of the Lord Great Chamberlain, and they also visited Eaton Hall, home of the Duke of Westminster and his 21 year-old Duchess. Will she be Diana's Mistress of the Robes? One of the Sunday papers reported that Diana is a seventh cousin once removed of Humphrey Bogart and the same re Rudolph Valentino. This line can be traced via her great-grandmother, Lady Fermoy, formerly Frances Work, of New York. 

Ally came at 6 for pancakes. I have sorted out most of my books destined for Club St, and she drove off at 9:45 like a mobile library. To bed at 10. Mum and Dad have another appointment at the Stonehouse Inn tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

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Monday March 2, 1981

_. Stayed in bed until 12. We both phoned our work places pleading sickness and diarrhoea. I went out at 1pm in the drizzle to the Co-op to buy a few provisions for our naughty day off. [Our first illicit day off since Oct '80 when we spent the day in Knaresborough]. For lunch we had scrambled eggs on toast with tomatoes, and for tea it was crumpets and Heinz Sandwich spread sandwiches. Luxury. We remained in the comfortable surroundings of Club Street until 9pm and then returned to Guiseley to make a serious attempt in selecting wedding invitations and place settings from several large volumes. Snow now gone, making way for drizzle and mist. To bed at 11.

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Sunday March 1, 1981

 _. Quinquagesima ~ St David's Day

Rain melts the snow. Catherine Brook phoned to ask if Ally and I would like to join them for a drink at Bingley at 12:30. We made a hurried visit to Club Street where we erected the bunk beds, and then went to join Catherine and David, who got engaged yesterday. I can never remember the name of the pub in Bingley, near the parish church. Is it the White Horse? Felt quite pissed by 2pm. We don't do much drinking in the afternoon these days.

Onward at 2pm to Meanwood and Anne Goodyear's  so-called Eisteddfod party in celebration of St David's Day. Got hopelessly plastered on red wine and made the usual spectacle of myself. Leeks poking provacatively from the fly of my trousers, &c. My last recollection was cuddling Anne's large stuffed gorilla, a fine piece of taxidermy. We left at about 7:30 and after some disagreement in the car I got out on the Headrow, only to be found some time later down on Kirkstall Rd near YTV. Ally spotted me in a phone box and swerved across the road to collect me. I have absolutely no idea what happened. Instead of going home we drove to the Hermit at Burley Woodhead. Back at Club Street for 10:30.

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Saturday February 28, 1981

 _. Woke up after 10:30 to snow falling. Not happy about this because we planned to go on a shopping expedition to York, and now instead we are trapped here with the prospect of a boring day indoors ahead of us. 

We struggled out at about 3 to collect a couple of volumes of wedding invitation examples from Fred Rhodes's shop and then went on, somewhat bravely under the circumstances, to Otley, then Ilkley, where we got very wet in the slush as we wandered around the shops. I have my eye on a stuffed dog, a Yorkshire Terrier I think, upon a cushion in a glass case for £44.

To Lynn and Dave's at 4:30. We took tea with the expectant mum. Everybody has decided that she is having a girl because of the size and shape of the bump, but I stick to my guns.

Back at Pine Tops at 6 with Sue, Pete, Mum and Dad. We all came to conclusion that that we should go dine out. Giovanni's at White Cross was fully booked and so we went down to Manningham Lane and our 'love nest', Mamma Mia's. I had seafood salad, lasagne, then pineapple. Ally had corn on the cob, lasagne and a sweet. We all had Sambucas, Strega, and Tia Maria. Back in fog at 11 for peach wine, or was it apricot? Bed very late.

-=-

Friday February 27, 1981

 _. Went to Leeds on the 72 Express bus with the one and only Tony Harney. A enlightening experience. 

Home to Guiseley at 6 to a phone call from Sue enquiring as to my planned activities or schedule for this evening. Ally came over at 8 and we abandoned Audrey [the car] and scaled Thorpe Lane on foot with no sherpas. We joined Sue and Pete at the White Cross. Dave L was in the bar with Graham and Christine Airey. Dave made some comments about our 'long engagement'. Phil Knowles was there. He told us he'll be in Ios in mid-July with a girlfriend and he will track us down at our retreat. Chippy, Gus and Frank joined us. Back to West End Terrace to look at the wedding photographs and drink wine. Back to Pine Tops in the snow after 12.

-=-

Thursday February 26, 1981

 _. To Club Street at 6. Had cheese and potato casserole for dinner, made in the crock pot. It was accompanied by mushy peas which failed to mush. I took Ally a bunch of daffodils and tulips, which she loved. We just sat and watched TV until about 11:30. 'Malice Aforethought' with Hywel Bennett - Excellent. He is such an eerie character. 

Royal wedding: It is to take place at the end of July. Will Ally and I be back from Greece to witness the spectacle on the telly? Lady Diana is to become HRH The Princess of Wales, and not 'Princess Diana', but the Press will no doubt go with the latter. Certain organs have been speculating that Lady Diana will be given a new Christian name, with royal associations. This is nonsense. Diana is after all from the Latin meaning Goddess; principally the Roman goddess identified with Artemis. A more 'queenly' name one could not wish to find.

-=-

Wednesday February 25, 1981

   _. The wedding errors in the press: the YP have married James II to his mistress Henrietta Churchill. We also state that Lady Diana has five illegitimate lines of descent from Charles II, and one legitimate line. Charles II of course left no legitimate descendants. Poor Catherine of Braganza couldn't conceive. 

The Times says that the London-born Queen Mother is 'Scottish', and that Queen Mary, wife of King George V, was German. Yes, her title was German - Princess of Teck, but of course born at Kensington Palace, in May, 1867, and raised there. The newspapers are full of the engagement. Some of the worst headlines: 'MY SHY DI' and 'CHARLES LOVES DI - TRUE'. Oh, dear. The palace has released a wonderful portrait of Lady Diana by Snowdon. She will blossom into something more amazing, I'm sure. The Times put the match down to the Queen Mother scheming. The couple were photograped in the palace grounds. Diana looking bewildered, peering through her fringe at the sea of cameras. Looking at the photos I'm guessing Lady Diana is about 5'10. One thing's for certain, the Prince of Wales couldn't have left it much longer.

Cold again. Ally came at 7:30. I re-organised my bedroom. Saw the final, gruesome episode of 'Sons and Lovers'. We chose some brass handles for the chest. Ally goes at 10:45. Bed at 12:10am.

-=-

Tuesday February 24, 1981

 _. Cold. Whilst devouring breakfast I heard on the 7:30 news that Lady Diana and the Prince of Wales spent two hours last night with the Queen. Something is obviously afoot. At 11 the news broke in the office that the Prince of Wales is engaged to marry Lady Diana Frances Spencer. A feeling of relief. She's an impeccable choice of bride. The Prince can now share his heavy burden with this delightful creature.

Spent the day compiling a family tree for tomorrow's YP showing the common descent of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana from King James I. It is interesting that she has so much Stuart blood and he has so little. Diana will be the first Queen to be descended from Charles II and his brother, James II.

To Ally's at 6. A tortuous journey because of the menacing snow. Had a fish casserole for dinner. Spent the evening watching the various news bulletins. The happy couple dined this evening at Clarence House with the Queen Mother and Ruth, Lady Fermoy. From last night Lady Diana took up residence at Clarence House, to come under the umbrella of royal protection, and no doubt to be groomed for her future role by the Queen Mother, a master at the royal trade.

To bed at 12. In honour of the engagement was have named our new ceramic flying pigs Charles, Diana and baby George [wishful thinking].

-=-

Monday February 23, 1981

 _.Snow on the ground with leaden skies above. Grotty day at the YP. Escaped at 4:45. I phoned Denise to ask the time difference between Manchester and Athens. I could easily have looked in Whitaker's Almanac, but didn't. 

Bob Cockroft is confident that the Prince of Wales is to marry Lady Diana. He's been told that the prince has commissioned 'something for his wedding' and it's only a matter of time.

Some horrid colonels are holding the Spanish parliament hostage in Madrid. However, the King remains in his palace and there are no signs of Spanish peasants rigging up a guillotine. It is such a pity because Spain seemed to be doing so well following Franco's end in 1975.

Phone calls: to Ally. Honeymoon taxi trouble, but June is a long way off. Spoke to D. Glynn whose holiday plans have collapsed because Garry can only have two weeks from July 20. I am going to see Denise and see what she can do about it. 

Mum and Dad visited the Yorkshire Bank to discuss the Stonehouse Inn deal. Mum spoke to Lily Glynn about the pub business and she was very helpful. 

Forgot to watch John Cleese.

-=-