Saturday July 2, 1983

 Ally had a good clear out and bagged up old clothes for the local Oxfam shop. I went about with a trowel and re-potted most of our plants in readiness for our departure for Middlesbrough. I also played with the lock on the door. It now opens like a dream. Ally sat outside with an Agatha Christie and moved the chair up and down the tiny garden to follow the sun. We had cheese on toast and watched the tennis. Martina Navratilova beat a young American with braces on her teeth. Dined on chicken with all the works. A hot evening. We sat up late. Watched the late film 'Summer of 42' which was slow and Ally cried off and went to bed. A cat is using our garden as a lavatory. I thought they were supposed to bury it?

-=-

Friday July 1, 1983

 Dominion Day, Canada

Birthday of the Princess of Wales

The Princess of W is 22 today and returning from Canada. At breakfast I arranged to see Ally at lunchtime. Her friends liken us to a pair of doves. On saw me walking her to the bus stop the other day and remarked that no other husband in the whole of Bradford would do such a thing.__________. Shaved and neatly clad I met Ally at lunch and went to the Traveller's Rest. It's a common thing now. Ally has a thing about meat pies. The place was full of students in robes and gowns and I surmise they have been receiving their degrees. I walked her back to the AHA via the maternity wing and we looked at the visiting times (Pamela Nason is in and expecting to deliver on Sept 9). Kisses. At home I watched McEnroe beat Lendl and Chris Lewis of New Zealand beat Curren of South Africa in an excellent match which lasted three hours until 8pm. Lewis is unseeded and 36,000th in the world placings. Phoned Mum to say we will go to Horton next week. Phoned John and then Jill E. Tim is away but they might come here on Thursday. She says Karen's expected date of delivery has been moved from Aug 28 to Sept 19. If she goes on like this we'll be having our Tubby first. Mum says our baby is an 8lb boy with dark hair and blue eyes. Don't all babies start out with blue eyes? 

George Thomas has been created a viscount. He is a bachelor sod it. Viscount Thomas of Tonypandy? Bed after a bath at 10. Ally's Mr Miller has been in touch and we have to go to Bramley next week. We'll do Edna and Nellie at the same time.

-=-

Thursday June 30, 1983

 Cool. Lay in bed a little late. Eggs, &c. Ally to the doctor on Paternoster Lane and I waited for her on a bench in the Methodist churchyard. It's a striking classical building dating back to 1805. Ally seemed to be in for ages and came away having had her blood pressure checked and being weighed. She is 8st 6oz. The doctor pressing her tummy says her uterus is size 11. We walked home together. I have received 2 cheques, giro cheques, from the unemployment people. -- £45. I am going to spend, spend, spend, as Viv Nicholson said. It's the clinic this afternoon where she's having blood tests.

I read in the Telegraph with some surprise and disappointment that Sir Harold Wilson will probably only receive a life peerage. The Earl of Dundee, hereditary standard bearer for Scotland, is dead, and so too is Lord Romilly, who succeeded to the title in 1905 and never uttered one word in the House of Lords. Francis Pym has been prattling on from the back benches and is apparently to be 'Chief Wet'. The PM has nothing at all to worry about as far as I can see. Watched Billie-Jean King at Wimbledon but missed the end. Ally went to the clinic and gave blood then came home, got a bit of grit in her eye crossing the road. Dr Duck says she is 12 weeks but Sister Matthews says she's only 11. Miriam Stoppard dates pregnancy from the first day of a woman's last period.

To bed at 9:30.

-=-

Wednesday June 29, 1983

 We had porridge for breakfast which seems a strange idea for the month of June. I sat down and wrote to the prime minister commending her on the reinstating of the hereditary peerage.  As I bashed at the typewriter in walked Dave B and I gave him a coffee. He was chatty and asked about our training with Sam Smiths. He says that Frances asked her mum: "is Auntie Ally going to have a baby?" When Lynn said 'yes' Frances quipped "Oh I used to be one of them." David went on to a meeting in Oldham and I went out to post my letter. The news reveals that Michael Foot wants 20 new Labour peers. It is customary for the leader of the opposition to get about 6 or 7 in dissolution honours.

I racked wine and tasted most of it. Found it dreadful. Wimbledon on TV. I must admit I find I can watch tennis where I have never been able to do before. McEnroe beat Mayer with no tantrums. Made a cottage pie for Ally's return. The poor girl had spent the afternoon showing the ropes to her replacement.We ate in front of the TV. In two weeks all this will change. So looking forward to life at the Linthorpe. We retired at 10 and I was just opening Jane Eyre when the phone rang. It was Lynn babbling away. Mum and Dad have been down and are at John's for dinner. We're on the agenda next time.

-=-

Tuesday June 28, 1983

 I walked into town at 10 and went to 'sign on' as they say. I asked the 17 year-old bundle of joy on the desk whether this is the first week that I might perhaps begin to live off the state. 'Yes. You might get a cheque on Thursday', she said, vaguely. I went to the railway station to enquire about fares to Middlesbrough. £7.60. I collected a Dales Rail leaflet for trains to Horton-in-Ribblesdale.  Walking home I spied an amusing piece of racist graffiti. ____________. I am in no way a racist. I wouldn't object if a daughter contracted a marriage with a Pakistani if she wished to do so, but the daubing on the wall gave me a chuckle on the way home. 

A letter in the Daily Telegraph criticises the PM's revival of hereditary peerages. I will write to the PM to give my support to her brave decision. I would like to see others raised to the peerage after Willie Whitelaw and George Thomas. Harold Wilson, yes. Callaghan and Heath, yes. Retiring prime ministers were always given an earldom. Disraeli gave a peerage to his wife. Margaret could also do this for Denis.

Watched Wimbledon. Virginia Wade was beaten. I had two odd phone calls from a giggling woman asking to speak to 'Alphonse'. 

I saw Phyllis from the end house and told her our news. Poor Bert is unwell but battling on. I hope I will be able to continue with my journal in Middlesbrough. I haven't been defeated before. When Ally came in we had frozen fish fingers. They weren't actually frozen when we ate them but they were in that state minutes before they went under the grill. The garden gate creaked and in walked Dave L en route to Caesar's nightclub for some tickets. We gave him a couple of drinks and told him our news. He isn't interested in babies but was pleased about the pub. His pig at school expects piglets any day now. We went to bed on his departure at 9:30.

-=-

Monday June 27, 1983

 The second anniversary of our marriage. We met at lunchtime and went to the bank and the Traveller's Rest where we lunched on scampi (me) and steak and kidney pie (Ally). 

Spent the afternoon watching Wimbledon. Jimmy Connors was defeated. Mum phoned to wish us a happy anniversary and says they had two men staying there from Middlesbrough who know the Linthorpe Hotel well and say it's a big place in its own grounds. Spoke to Dad about the hideous Ronald Gregory selling his 'Ripper Yarns' to the Mail on Sunday for £40,000 or more. Dad is aghast.

Watched 'Minder'. Bed at 11.

-=-

Sunday June 26, 1983

4th Sunday after Trinity

 Ally feels slightly better today, yet still queasy. We put the settee into the middle of the room and lay upon it like Romans. Ally snoozed but was frequently awakened by the canon fire from the Battle of Edgehill coming from the film 'Cromwell' on BBC1. A hideously biased film. Before the battle we saw Cromwell (Richard Harris) praying: 'Oh Lord thou knowest how busy I must be this day: If I forget thee, do not thou forget me'. This prayer was actually spoken by Sir Jacob Astley (1579-1652), who fought on the royalist side. The film shows frequent meetings between Cromwell and King Charles I which never actually occurred. Why do they meddle with the facts so?

Lynn and Dave brought the children at 5 for an hour. Frances insisted on taking down every book from the bookcase. Katie is fat and brown. I have never known a baby smile so much. We dined on pork chops. 

-=-

Saturday June 25, 1983

 I slept late. Ally was awake at 7 and collected the mail, but I was sluggish and idle.

I expected to hear from Sarah after my visit to the YP on Wednesday. __________,

Ally had a salad and I sat and watched her eat it. Later I watched a 1979 Dracula film spoiled by the fact that the butler, or asylum administrator, is Chalkie White the Coronation Street dustman.

To bed at 12:30.

-=-

Friday June 24, 1983

Haddon Hall.

 I walked to town and met Ally outside the bank at 12:30. We went to see a young man about obtaining £800 until August 20 when we can get this amount from our building society account. Sam Smith's want a £500 bond and we thought we'd spend the rest on smartening ourselves up. We cannot be seen at the Linthorpe Hotel looking like Greenham Common 'peace' people. We had a quick drink at the Berni and then Ally went back to her labours. I went to buy food and bought Ally a Minton Haddon Hall tea cup (£5.25) and a pair of gold studs for her petite, exquisite ears. These gifts are of course to commemorate our second wedding anniversary. Home hot at 3:30. Watched Wimbledon. Chris Lloyd was defeated by an unknown juvenile. Had fish. Watched Duran Duran on Channel 4. Prince Andrew was on the news. The boy was opening the Mountbatten Athletics Stadium in Plymouth. He's a real bluff sailor. Kisses for Lady Romsey and broad grins. He doesn't give off a royal aura. Perhaps it will come in time. I am eagerly awaiting the dissolution honours.

-=-

Thursday June 23, 1983

Ally: peach

 Heavy Rain. Ally went to work in a baggy dress. She was uncomfortable in a skirt yesterday. Pregnancy suits her. She is like a peach and eyes are brighter than ever. She came home at 12:30 and an hour later we walked to Saint Street where she sat in a waiting room full of heavily pregnant women. I stood outside with a rolled umbrella watching a feeble old man trying to park his car in a tiny gap. She came out having seen Sister Matthews, a midwife, who is as broad as she is tall, and pleasant with it. Ally was weighed. She is 8st 5lb. At home I made the dinner and watched John McEnroe shouting and screaming at Wimbledon. Ally phoned Bessie and I phoned Mum at Horton. She says Maria and the children are in Guiseley but everyone in Guiseley has sent Catherine's birthday presents to Scotland. John and Janette are going to Scotland for the weekend. Janette hasn't been back since she left in January.

Ally went to bed at 10 and I watched Sir Robin Day's programme. Norman Beresford Tebbit is a man to watch. I like him and always thinks he talks such sense about trade unions. The ghastly Gwyneth Dunwoody makes my blood boil. 

-=-

Wednesday June 22, 1983

Club Street.

 I went and stood with Ally at her bus stop and watched her disappear down the lane. I found a corner of the garden and sat crouched like an Indian among the conifer bushes and bags of builders sand. Mrs Greenwood's door was open and so I climbed over the wall and spent ten minutes with her. She told me that Betty Heap at number 20 (Club St) is a fallen woman. I have seen a young Pakistani coming and going at odd hours and assumed he was a lodger. Betty must be at least 60. 

At 11 I switched on the telly and watched the State Opening of Parliament. No stunning measures. It is always touch and go as to whether Lord Hailsham will survive the spectacle. We were told that HM had excused him from walking backwards.The Queen looked older. The Duke of Edinburgh always has a grin on his face. I'd love to know what he's thinking. Back into the garden with cheese on toast at 12. I am instructed by Ally to get brown. She likes bronzed barmen. 

My cousin-in-law-to-be Paul Edwards is 19 today. He looks much older. 

Later, the woman from the social services who comes to visit Britt (Greenwood) at night to ensure she's tucked up knocked on our door to say she's found her on the floor ... again. We went round. Poor Mrs Greenwood was dazed  and shaken. She fell over three hours before whilst making a sandwich. We gave her a brandy and she came round. She is terrified of being taken away to hospital and pleads with the Irish nurse not to tell anyone. Her sons were phoned who say they'll visit later. We sat with Mrs G until 8:30. A thunderstorm. We told her our baby news. She confided in us that she had been a naughty girl and had to get married when she was 23 - in 1911, the year of King George V's coronation and when Asquith was PM! Those days were different. 

-=-