Thursday March 15, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds

Greville: Puff?

Stayed in bed until 8. I am resassured to read in the Daily Telegraph that since the budget N. Lawson is now a serious contender for the Tory leadership after Mrs T's resignation in 1995. I am of the same opinion. How long will Margaret go on? If she is defeated in 87/88 then it will be curtains, but a third term will see the PM in her late 60s and surely heading to retirement.  Interesting. 

Samuel, wearing his new clothes, did a lot of giggling. He now has fat knees and pudgy hands, and I cannot begin to describe the joy I feel when he looks upn at me - his father. I could weep. 

A volume of Noel Coward's diaries arrived in the post. An excellent volume. Why are almost all diarists with the exception of Samuel Pepys, homosexual? Is it an effeminate thing for a man to do? Were Greville and Creevey both poofs? And how about that Sassoon chappie? I can assure you that I am not sat here in a Hardy Amies creation with pink finger nails and string of pearls. Actually I look very respectable. Grey pants, blue shirt and a red tie. Every inch a publican. 

Lunch was a mad rush. Lots of food orders. Barely had time to eat afterwards. ______. Busy until 8. Went upstairs when Margaret and Karen came in. Watched the news. The Queen Mother was at the races watching the Cheltenham Gold Cup bringing a bit of light relief to the miners' crisis and the Labour furore about poor Mark Thatcher's Oman deal. Too pitiful. Alison was ironing until 10. The boom of the juke box below was infuriating.

Takings: (B) £208.92, (L) £154.42

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Wednesday March 14, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

Stock take. Ronnie came and left at about 10:30. However, we have a defecit of about £40. Ally drove Dave to the station. He left giving us £20 for Samuel's bank account. How good of him. I told him to come here on June 19. We'll see. Our so-called day off. Did the lunches and then went out to town at 3 to buy Samuel masses of clothes. Did a good deal of window shopping. Returned somewhat wind-blown and exhausted. Blame the fresh air. Upstairs Samuel was restless and grouchy. He must be a Dixon. The staff down below didn't  bother us and we sat in front of the TV eating ploughman's lunches and nodding off. Watched 'Minder' and the news. The miners are holding the country to ransom yet again. Thank God we have Margaret Thatcher and not that weakling Heath. The Irish have attempted to kill that nauseating IRA MP whose name escapes me. Bed at 11:30 or 12. Michael Brown phoned and canceled our night out.

Takings: (B) £166.39, (L) £126.91

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Tuesday March 13, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds

When did Samuel begin to smile and gurgle like a proper baby? This seems to have crept upon us and I have no accurate record of his very 'firsts'. A lengthy breakfast with Ally and Dave. The usual cereals and fried sausages. A spider plant in the middle of the dining table was hanging in the butter and jam. 

Lawson: narrow money?

Dray day. Budget day. It was Nigel Lawson's first budget and as I sat upstairs watching it dawned on me that he might one day succeed dear M (Thatcher). A good budget. Only 2p on beer which will make our Sam Smith's bitter 56p. Other breweries sell ale at 66p or even 70p. Dave and I were puzzled about the chancellor's statement on the subject of broad and narrow money. 'It all looks the same to me', said Dave. Beef curry. Dave slept in the chair and I went down and opened up at 5:30. Ally and Dave joined me later. Jane worked. A dead night. Drank Manderine napoleon liqueur brandy afterwards and asked Dave to stand as a sponsor at Samuel's baptism - whenever that might be. We get on so well, the three of us. To bed late.

Takings: (B) £124.44, (L) £104.04

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Monday March 12, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

Dave G came carrying his large bag of belongings and looking very much the same as when I last saw him. We had roast beef and Yorkshire puddings. At 5:30 he came down with me to the dead bar and stood until closing time watching me work and laughing at Joan, who quite went to pieces on seeing the new tills. Ally came down __________. Later we had pie and peas then went off to bed.

Takings: (B) £137.14, (L) £108.65

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Sunday March 11, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

1st Sunday in Lent

A jolly old Sunday. Sausages and eggs with Graham and Gill. Then they went off to look at Anthony's flat. Apparently he has an eight foot glass topped dining table with stainless steel legs. The tarty Mandy came back, but missed seeing them. 

Rob (Piper) from the Butcher's Arms, came here. Just back from a horrible three-day event at Tadcaster, which involved play acting, role playing call it what you will, for Mike Walker at the brewery. It sounds quite hideous but we all have to go through it. I ran out of lager (I blame Graham's friend Mandy) and I had to borrow 18 gallons from the Station just down the road. The landlord there is a tenant and looked as if he was just returned from Mustique. Anthony came back at 2pm minus his Arabian 'bed mignon'. Gill tells us that Anthony's bedroom is all mirrors. It all shreiks of Lord Astor and Christine Keeler. Leather masks too. Graham and Gill returned to Coleford at 2:30.

Maurice Macmillan, recently styled Viscount Macmillan, son of 'Supermac', is dead, causing another by-election, this one in Surrey. No doubt it will kill off old Harold. The new heir and new Viscount is Alexander, Supermac's grandson. 

Walter Mondale's campaign appears to be wilting. A Kennedy clone by the name of Hart is sweeping in front in the caucuses. A president named Gary. Whatever next? Jane (Tudor) tonight. Samuel slept from 7pm until dawn and Ally came down for a couple of hours. 'Evil' Edna (as I call her) who sits at the bar in the tap room warned me about drugs in the back bar. She has eyes everywhere. Oh dear. Glynnie phoned. He's coming tomorrow.

Takings: (B) £116.34, (L) £183.88

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Saturday March 10, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

Riotous breakfast. Matthew ate toast while attempting hand stands against the kitchen wall. The Dixons went off shopping to Habitat and came back at 1. Graham and I had a few drinks in the tap room. Another Matthew Dixon, a Scottish alcoholic, joined us. At 3 Philip and Carol Middlebrough came with baby Thomas, who is a mass of blond curls, and resembles Harpo Marx. Graham worked in the bar with me tonight until 9 when they went off for a pizza with the Middlebroughs. Karen, Steve, Di and Paul came.

The Prince Edward is twenty today. He is reported to be knocking about with a certain Romy Adlington, daughter of a Hampshire wine importer. Royal princes seem to practice on these busty, middle class, actressy blondes. One day Edward will mary a Marquis's willowy daughter, you mark my words. Katie Rabett has gone the way of Davina Sheffield, because of a seedy past.

Sir Hugh Fraser, MP is deceased. Another by-election. 

Takings: (B) £195.53, (L) £246.52

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Friday March 9, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

Graham and Gill arrived here with Matthew. We thought she might announce that she's pregnant, but she didn't. Matthew looks very much like the Lynn family and is full of spirit. I think we thought they expected the Moorhouse to be something of hovel, but they inspected the place with approving looks upon their faces. At 5:30 an acquaintance who work at Formwood came to see them. The wife is called Mandy ______. They stood at the bar until 11pm and she grew steadily louder from the constant flow of lager. I frequently spend my evenings watching people become horribly pissed. It is a strange ritual isn't it? Graham was a bit breathless and sounds very much like Sir Robin Day when he's had a few. But very amusing. Their old friend the actor Anthony ____ came at 11. He grows more and more effeminate with the passing years. He shares a flat in Roundhay with a homosexual arab friend. He works at Lloyd's bank when not treading the boards, and earns only £5,000 p.a. Ridiculous. He drank Bols Parfait Amour liqueur, but he switched to pints of 'butch' Old Brewery bitter. Bed after 2am. Knackered.

Takings: (B) £208.00, (L) £213.93.

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Thursday March 8, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

Wintry day. Did my order for the brewery. Mum and Dad cannot tear themselves away from Samuel. They have been such a great help, and went off to Guiseley at 3. They say that next time they will babysit and let us go out for dinner. Karen didn't work and so I did a stint with Margaret. Sarah and Trevor appeared at 9. She was wearing leather trousers. I took them upstairs to see the baby, but I was far too busy to talk to them. The toilets flooded and people were were paddling around in urine. Gill phoned to say they are coming tomorrow. Jolly good.

Takings: (B) £177.82, (L) £162.76.

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Wednesday March 7, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn

Ash Wednesday

Mum.

Panic stations at lunch when a jolly funeral party came in wailing and merrymaking and drinking like fish. I find such celebrations slightly nauseating. Mum and Dad came in at 11 and stood downstairs amidst the black-clad multitude. I found myself, on my day off, running around pulling pints and serving food to the mourners. At 2 I managed to join Ally, Mum and Dad for a sandwich. Mum had been helping Ally in the kitchen. This catering lark is all old hat to her. 

At three Ally and I went to Bradford to inspect the house and buy a pair of trousers and a cot costing £67 minus mattress. Back to the Moorhouse for 5:30. Dad was in the bar chatting to Maureen and I attempted to have a night off which didn't go quite to plan. My roast beef upstairs was interrupted by a drunken trio in the tap room - two men and a haughty, high and mighty, woman. They left peaceably after I refused them beer. After closing we sat in the bar for a couple of hours. _______. We told them of the split with Dave & Elaine Allinson, and for some reason Lynn wanted this news to be kept from Mum.

Takings: (B) £163.74, (L) £205.75).

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Tuesday March 6, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

Shrove Tuesday

Lynn is twenty six. We phoned her at about 8:30 and all she could say was: "Oh, I can't get away from you, can I ?" _______. 

Shrove Tuesday, but no pancakes. A day of furious activity. I scrubbed the cellar for the dray which came at 8:30. L.Gledhill was here at 9 the the new (pre-set) till. I made cups of tea for everyone and he went up to the tray, inspected the Denbyware, and drank the lot. He picked up every cup and drank the lot as if he'd been lost in the Gobi desert since Christmas. We were fully operational by 11 and LG, thirst quenched, went off to the Cheshire Midland. What a pleasant change he is to F.O'B. How lucky we are.

Maureen took to the tills like a duck to water, but Audrey got into a fluster. It was a quiet night in the bars with Jane Tudor. We saw the Rev Terry Munro at 7. A bearded hush-puppy footed Guardian reader, if you ask me. He only allows baptisms on the third Sunday of the month, and at dawn. We are told that Samuel can only have two godfathers and one godmother. The church doesn't dictate that rule to the aristos, so why restrict us? May 20 is a plan.

Takings: (B) £114.72, (L) £120.04.

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Monday March 5, 1984

 Moorhouse Inn, Leeds 11

Up at 6:44, or at least awake.Went down to clear the beer lines and left Ally with cooing Samuel. Blossom looked a little better this morning. Ally and Samuel look so good together and to see them grinning at each other. He is an Ally clone. I see none of me. Sue says he is a Dixon too, and most people agree with her.

___________. I have twenty gallons of cloudy beer to get rid of. It is temperamental stuff. I 'll just turn off the lights in one of the bars and hope nobody notices. The taste is unaffected.

Edward Du Cann and his bleating back benchers are criticising Mrs T's handling of this nation, They are saying she dominates too much and perhaps should take on a deputy. What about Visc. Whitelaw? In my opinion a PM cannot be too strong. Good God. The place would be far worse off in the hands of a weakling wet. Sock it to 'em, Maggie. That's what I say. Benn, elected MP for Chesterfield last week, says the powers of HM The Queen should be entirely stripped. What a pig. He really should be assassinated.

Ally went to the clinic at 2:30 to have Samuel weighed. He is 10lb 2oz. Growing so rapidly and out-growing his 'Moses' basket. He will require a cot this week.

Phoned Mum this evening. She gave us a phone number for Filey so we can ring Lynn tomorrow - her 26th birthday. Mum and Dad are coming on Wednesday for a night at the Moorhouse. We will make them dinner because Mum misses the evening frolics at Club Street.

Worked with Joan 8-11. Useless. I'll cut her hours as soon as Samuel sleeps through.

Takings: (B) £151.50, (L) £97.83

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