Sunday January 21st, 1973
I did not go to church for once. I stayed in bed for most of the morning. Uncle Harry gave me a French-English Lilliput dictionary. I have a sore throat. I am just beginning my 44th page of an English essay. It's wearing me out.
Monday January 22nd
Saturday January 27th
Sunday January 28th
I went to communion. The vicar wants me to sing another solo, ‘Morning has Broken’ this time. I had a premonition that it would be that. I did my English essay and I'm now on my 80th page. I also went to Bible classes with Frank from 8 till 9. I hope we don't have to go out for games tomorrow.
Monday January 29th
'Fog on the Tyne' by Lindisfarne
Tuesday January 30th
I went to school. I caught a bus from school with Julie Plant. It was the Baddeley Green so we had to get off there and catch another bus to Hanley. Our intention was to go and get tickets for Jeff Beck's concert at the Steam Machine in Hanley; however when we got to Hanley the Steam Machine was shut so Mr. Plant will buy the tickets tomorrow. I did my homework. Nanar called and told me that Tessa and John are definite about emigrating to Australia. I went across to Julie Plant’s. We drank coffee, listened to records and watched TV.
Wednesday January 31st
I went to school. Today wasn't bad. I have finished my long 91 page essay on murder.
Thought: “No scent is nicer than the sweet smell of success.”
Saturday February 3rd
I stayed in bed all morning. Frank brought his girlfriend Anne Hargreaves down, and Robert brought his little friend from the paper shop, Jon Bennett.
Sunday February 4th
I did not go to church today but again stayed in bed all morning. Mum, Dad, Robert and Mark went kite flying and Frank went out whilst I did my homework. Frank and I went with Nana and James to bible study.
….got to bed at 1:15am....!
Wednesday February 7th
Friday February 9th
I went to school. I have taken 'Delight' by JB Priestley and 'The Rubaiyat' by Omar Khayyam to school for Mr. Lüvgreen to borrow. He has taken them home with him.
PE was okay because we did counterbalance sequences. Julie and I had the best one according to Miss O'Neill (Wonders will never cease). I went to choir practice and to bed early. I have also had a letter from Mauritian pen friend Robert Alairy. He has begged me to pray for his big brother who drank 75° petrol by mistake whilst working.
I stayed in bed until 11 a.m. this morning. I listened to jazz all day on the record player. I discovered the great track called 'Hushabye' on the LP Chris Barber Plays Vol 2. Mum and dad went to Bill Road's party. Dad has promised to take me to the Rugby Club Disco if I promise not to wander off.
Sunday February 11th
I went to communion. I read 'The Man in the Brown Suit' by Agatha Christie all morning. We had pork with stuffing and apple sauce for Sunday dinner. Julie Stubbs came down here in the afternoon. We played records and chatted girl-talk all afternoon. I didn't go to bible class as I didn't feel like it, but Frank went with Nana and James.
Monday February 12th
I went to school. It rained, hailed and eventually snowed. This pleased me because it meant that we could, and did, do dancing inside. I have a peculiar feeling of being immensely, outrageously happy. I joined Leek library today.
Tuesday February 13th
I went to school today. When I got up the snow was thick on the ground. I had my doubts as to whether, if ever I got to school, we may be sent home, but unfortunately neither of these things happened. I read, did my homework and went to bed early.
Wednesday February 14th
Thursday February 15th
I went to school. The snow is still here, but the bitter cold atmosphere is overwhelming. Last night was apparently the coldest night for 12 months. Again no Valentine! One has to give up hope now I suppose. Never mind. I paid Julie P £1 for a ticket for Elton John as she is getting them.
Saturday February 17th
I did some of my English topic and in the afternoon Anna and Nanar came to see us. Dad went to play rugby. Nanar took me back to her flat for the night and promised to take me out for a meal tomorrow.
Sunday February 18th
Thought: “To listen is to learn.”
Wednesday February 21st
I went to school. What an awful day! I was depressed and flared up quickly, so much so that I light-heartedly shouted at Mr. Lüvgreen and he turned around and shouted, “Don't shout at me, woman!” I went red. I had to go to the vicarage for singing practice, but it cheered me up a bit. Once home I had a lot of homework to do and got depressed again. However, I got 20 out of 20 for my Latin test, 20 out of 20 for my last two, and 19 out of 20 before that. Good!
On the weekend of Sat 17th and 18th Feb you spend the night with Nanar. From your description she was living in a flat at the time. Where was this flat? What was it like? My earliest memories of Nanar are when she was at Creda House, although its possible I was also taken to this flat in 1973 too. Do you remember that meal out with Nanar, or the subsequent afternoon with Rosmary and Graham? This must have been quite a treat; dear Nanar looking after her granddaughter! Well, you say you had a great weekend, so you must have enjoyed it. I don't remember ever going out for a meal as a kid at Milber, only on holiday.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mark, for these questions! 😘 Nanar had a flat at Creda House, Blythe Bridge which came with her job as cook and housekeeper for the Creda directors. They would stay there when they visited from other parts of the U.K. and she did the breakfasts and dinners in that fancy dining room with a high polished long table. She was a really excellent cook, as I’m sure you remember. There was a cleaning lady who came in to do the rooms etc. but Nanar - who would have been in her mid-50s - was in charge. The flat was at the side of the big, red brick house - converted from a double garage I’m guessing. It had 1 bedroom, 1 living room and a bathroom. She could use the main house kitchen and most of the time, there were no guests, so she could use the house too. Maybe you remember all the Sunday lunches she hosted? I was often invited to spend the weekend with her. We shared her double bed and I would get breakfast on a tray - a perfect omelette, orange juice, toast and marmalade… I was completely spoiled! Sometimes she also took me out for lunch at the Crown in Stone. First time I had duck a l’orange and crepe suzette - where the waiter set fire to the brandy and cooked it next to your table in a fancy oak dining room - a very traditional English setting. And you’re right we never went out for a meal at home. It was just not something people did in those days - and money was tight. Nanar had come into quite a big chunk of money when she lost her husband - grandpa Tom in 1967 when he was only 58… First time in her life she had independent means, a job and a car. I remember Rosemary (mum’s cousin) and her husband, Graham Parker, very well, but not this particular afternoon. We often visited Nanar’s brothers and sisters when I stayed the weekend. They were all lovely - big talkers, massively entertaining and all their conversations were full of humour and drama - lots of impressions of people, funny faces and laughter. Very “family Forster” (Frank and Rob have inherited it I think.) I never said much, but I was spellbound and highly entertained. Every visit was like theatre.
DeleteThis is fab! I have so many questions… How was the mattress set on fire? Are you still in touch with both Julies? Do you have a copy of your 91-page essay on murder? Did you get a valentine’s card in 1974? Were Elton John tickets really only a pound back then? Do you still wear gold eyeshadow with black eyeliner?
ReplyDeleteAlso love that you were “depressed and flared up quickly.” So funny. xx
Thank you, Simon for reading and for asking these questions! I’ll do my best to answer them!
ReplyDelete1. I think the old lady with the mattress on fire had left an electric blanket on and in those days they didn’t turn themselves off or have the kind of safety standards we’d have now. All I remember is she was a tiny white haired old lady - dressed always in black - (whose husband had been the church organist). My mum saw her waving desperately from the upstairs window - almost opposite our house - and there was smoke. She ran over and by the time the fire brigade arrived, my mum had single handedly ejected the burning mattress from the window, where it landed in the front garden!
2. I am still in touch with Julie Stubbs (now Woodward), although I haven’t met up with her since 2014 - as she lives in Cornwall. We chat on ‘messenger’ and I keep up with her via FB. In fact it was through this Julie that I found out just a couple of weeks ago that the other Julie (Plant) with whom I lost touch - sadly died just about a year ago. Apparently she fell while walking on holiday and hurt her knee and the hospital found she had advanced bone cancer. How awful is that!? 😢
3. I’m afraid - for better or for worse - I do not have a copy of the 91 page ‘essay’ but I’m sure it was very likely dreadful. It would have been an Agatha Christie imitation and completely unreadable… My poor English teacher!
4. Racking my brains but can’t recall EVER getting a Valentine card before my dear husband dutifully obliged once we were married. This year I got a bouquet of red roses which is much nicer. Back in the day it would have been girls sending Valentines to the boys they fancied - I’m guessing. If my brothers had ever been discovered to have sent one they would never have heard the last of it from their mates…
5. I know £1!!! And I see I got a t-shirt from Carnaby street for 99p!! In fact I still remember it. It was yellow with long sleeves and it had little black hearts all over. I also remember the Elton John concert. It was in a club in Hanley so people were just roaming around and he was playing his piano on a sort of raised platform at one end.
6. The gold eyeshadow and black eyeliner persisted for many years - certainly into my late 30s… My students at school would comment on it. “Ooooh Miss. I really like how you do your eyes!” 😹 I still use eyeliner (more like smudgy stuff though - kohl) but I’ve dropped the gold - and either use no eyeshadow now - or brown. More discreet at my age hopefully!
Ok - so that’s all I think… I am less inclined to be morose these days, but Mou - my dear husband- will tell you I am still inclined to “flare up quickly” if triggered. (Only at home though. I avoid conflict like the plague!)