Diaryless Friday

Well no diary tonight I have been out socialising in the 'real world' with some good chums.

I thought, however, I would share this instead. I am currently reading 'Engleby' by Sebastian Faulks. Faulks has been one of my favourite authors since I first read a novel of his in 1993 'Bird Song' (if it hasn't crossed your reading list then I recommend it as a must read)
Since then I have read 7 of his works including Charlotte Gray (the film really didn't do it justice in the slightest) , The Girl at the Lion d'Or (I passed the Hotel Lion d'Or when horribly lost in France one year.. and could I find it again once I found where I was supposed to be? Could I heck!) & the Fatal Englishman (another must read ).
Faulks's novels span WW1 through WW2, the 50's and beyond.

'Engleby' is very apt just now as it starts with his character 'Engelby' at University in the 1970's. Their are many references to my recollections of the time which I haven't diarised, that have amused me.
I recall posting about me 'taking my white jeans in' , Sam in his grey cords and drainees!
On the train home tonight I read in the book this paragraph which made me smile and describes that moment in fashion history far better than me as a Teen (although I felt the same!) could ever describe.

'Overnight, everyone's stopped wearing flares after all these years and is suddenly back into drainpipes: jeans, needlecords, doesn't matter so long as they're straight. If you wear flares it's like saying you're into Barclay James Harvest or the Moody Blues'

& that is exactly how it was !!

1978 June week 24

Sunday 11^th June

Got up at 11.30 am
Bev phoned she got absolutely Brahms & Lizst last night
Watched ‘The Boy in a Plastic Bubble’ with John Travolta (cor!)

Fi Phoned
Phoned Sam at 9.35 in Stafford
It was in the half time in the Scotland (3) v Holland (2) match.

(yes I learnt at an early, having a football crazy brother, chit chat can only happen at ½ time…… something my teen has not quite mastered with her father yet!! Me ‘don’t phone him now he will be watching the game’ Teen ‘he won’t mind’… 20 seconds later … me ‘ well?’ Teen ‘ he was watching the footy, will phone him tomorrow’)

Sam is home tomorrow

Monday 12^th June

Art I = failed. That is the last time I draw a cucumber. (strangely enough I have not felt the urge to since??)
Finished exam at 4.30 and went to Maths Tutor for the last time
Had a bath & washed my hair
Bev, Fi & Sam phoned
Sam got back from Stafford at 9.30pm
He has been accepted at Bournemouth College (boo hoo!)
Revised English Lit.
I know a few quotes and basic stories

Tuesday 13^th June

English Literature 9.30
Quite easy considering
Got out at 12 noon
Came home and did some Maths revision
Bev phoned
Met Sam at Art Collegeat 3.30 pm
Went for a coffee then came home
Tried to revise Maths but have not succeeded very much
Haven’t done any French
Sam phoned.
He has got an interview at Nottingham College a week tomorrow (good luck pal) (I must have been thinking ‘well ‘J’ didn’t get in so it is doubtful you will!’)

John Travolta and Olivia Newton John Number 1 (The wizard of oz song oo oo oo .. how skinny was Livvy and how I wanted to emulate her with my lycra pants and those shoes.. but not the hair do)

Wednesday 14^th June

Maths I (9.30 am) = bloody hard putting it mildly
French II (1.30 pm) = quite easy
Got up at 7.45
Went for Maths exam don’t know why I bothered
French =Ok
Sam came round at 4.45 after being to the dentist
He came round at 7.00
I did some Geog notes
Watched Brazil3 v Peru 0
Sam left at 11.00

Thursday 15^th June

6 Months !!!
Phone work
Got up at 11.00 am
Sam came round at 1.00 pm and left at 3.00 pm
Had a bath
Phoned work. I am working on Saturday weather permitting (well it was an outdoor café!)
Bev & Fi phoned
Phoned ‘J’ & Sam
Revised Geog fro 2 ½ hours
I haven’t done much Maths revision
In Geog I know Liverpool, Skelmersdale, Southport, E. Anglia & a bit of iron & steel

PERFECTLY GOOD!

Friday 16^th June (the day my teen was born many, many years later)

Maths II 9.30 = Easier than paper 1
Geography 1.30 = Quite difficult

Sam met me at 3.40 pm
Drew £2 out of the bank
Went to town at 7.30
Met Sam on the station
Went to the ‘Brick
Saw Bev with her American friend Angie
Went to El Tonel
I am a bit *@*!!@ (yes that is what is written! & oh those heady days to get blottoed with £2.00 in your pocket)

Saturday 17^th June

Worked from 9.30 – 6.45
Got home @ about 7.15 (ooo I did text/MSN speak 30 years ago lol)
‘J’ came round then I went back to her house til 10.00
Sam phoned from Northampton
He has gone to some film thing
My brother bought the L.P. ‘Saturday Night Fever’ it is great

I love Sam

1978 June week 23

Sunday 4^th June

Worked 9.30 – 5.15
Got up at ½ 8 & went to work = OK
About 3 pm it started to thunder & the rain was so heavy, so we closed at 5.15. (we used to love this as we would clean up then sit around chatting and still get a full days pay)
Got the train home
Sam came round at 7.05
He phoned from Ainsdale Station first before he came round (fool!) (erm no I think it was a Mum avoidance technique)
We stayed in and watched ‘Wheels’ & the Spanish Grand Prix
Marienne (oops) Andretti won in a Lotus. Ronnie Peterson = 2^nd
Sam left at 11.10 pm

Monday 5^th June

Got up at 8.15 am
Jackie came round but I wasn’t going into skool
Fi & Bev rang
Revised Maths & East Anglia for Geog (yawn)
Sam rang about 2.30. He was in Formby
Went to Maths Tutor did nautical miles (wow)
Fi phoned again
Sam phoned again
He’d been to Southport with Mike and Jim as it was Jim’s 18^th today
Phoned Bev at 10.00pm but she was just going out (just going out ? tut tut)

Tuesday 6^th June
O’Levels start
Got up at 10.15
Had a bath & washed my hair (of course it is Tuesday NM!)
Did a little French revision (seulement que je pense)
Bev phoned so did Fi
Sam came round at 3 o’clock
Watched TV
He left at 5 o’clock

Phoned ‘J’ & she came round.
Had a good ol’ chin wag (nothing has changed there some 31 years later we still have a good ol’ chin wag but unfortunately it is via the phone as we live so far apart… usually a once a week 2 hours putting the world to right)

She left at 10.45
Phoned Sam
He’d been out for a meal with his parents
Italy (3) v Hungry (0)

Wednesday 7^th June
Got up at 10.00
Did a bit of French revision (seulement un peu)
Fi came round at 12.00 after her cookery exam = ok (now Fi was the Nigella of the 70s)
We went to town at 3 o’clock. I beat her at pool (but she could beat me hands down in the kitchen lol)
Looked around for a pressy for Bev
Met Sam at 5 o’clock after his A’Level Art II
Went to get my wages but the owners weren’t there
Came home at 6.00pm
Sam phoned at 8.15
Revised French until I flipped… going to fail tomorrow
Boney M still number 1

Thursday 8^th June (25 weeks)

French I (9.30) Dictation ½ hour, Paper 1 – 1 ½ hours Free Composition & E->F translation (goodness knows what that means?)
A very fair paper
Came home at 11.30
Went to town at 2.30 & met Sam.
Bought a suspender belt & stockings (ooo la la, is there anything sexier? Fi's dad used to call me 'la suss' because of my love of suspenders ... slightly worrying as an adult now lol) & a pressy for Bev (a horoscope book)
£10.00 wages
Put £7.00 in the T.S.B (the Trustee Savings Bank … I had this account from being very small and used to call it the Tufty savings Bank, I feel maybe, Tufty was used as its advertising logo at one time … but there again ??)
Sam came round at 7.20
‘J’ phoned
Watched ‘I Claudius’
Sam left at 11.05

Friday 9^th June

Got up at 9.00
Washed my hair
Met Sam at Art College at 10.30
Helped him put his exhibition up
Came home & he stayed for dinner

Mum on ½ day (My mum is a star she was so innocent to modern speak and she would say things like ‘I think I will have it off this afternoon’*snigger* or ‘you know, you can’t beat a good ham shank!’ *double snigger* (referring to a certain piece of meat *oops snigger) I imagine this day was one of those expressions & I would be gfawing)

Sam left at 1.30 pm (I bet he did as Mum was on her way back)
‘J’ came round at 7.00 pm & we met Sam in the Railway
Went to Mike’s party = hardly anyone turned up
Sam fixed ‘J ' up with Ashy
He took me & ‘J’ home at midnight

Saturday 10^th June

Bev’s 16^th Birthday

Bev woke me up this morning with a phone call at 10.30 (yuk)
Got a bit of a hangover
Met her and Jackie in the Fox & Goose at 2.15
Went to an Antiques Fair Bought a ring for 30p (ooo a genuine antique)
Came home at 5.00
Watched TV Sam phoned from Stafford at 9.00 pm ‘J’ phoned as well
Did some English revision

1978 May/June week 22

Sunday 28th May
Got up at 10.30 am
Washed my hair
Sam phoned and he came round at 1.45 pm
Today is the hottest it has been for a long time
We decided to take a pique-nique (oh cool spelling!!) lunch & go to Formby beach away from the crowds
We stayed there until 6.00 pm then we came to Ainsdale
Watched The Godfather 1 it continues tomorrow = great (horses heads in beds, revenge a dish best served cold and all that .. fabulous)
‘J’ phoned, she has been pig farming today (wow) (think I prefer pique-niques myself!)

Monday 28th May
Bank Holiday
Worked 9.30 – 8.00
Weather = boiling hot again = dead busy
Came home at 8.10
Mum picked me up
Fi & ‘J’ phoned
Sam is in Stafford with his parents
He didn’t phone but I didn’t expect him to
Miss him
Watched The Godfather part 2

Tuesday 30th May
Got up at about 10.00
Did 1 ½ hours English revision

Stayed in all afternoon
Sunbathed for an hour
Sam had an interview at Bournemouth College
Al, Bev & Sam phoned
He doesn’t know if he’s got in yet
He’s in Stafford until tomorrow
I miss him
Watched ’79 Park Av’ by Harold Robbins on TV
Went to doctors with bad throat

Wednesday 31st May
Got up at 10.30
Did some Maths revision (WT is this??? I like the Q7 quip though!)
Went to Southport at 3.00pm met Jane on the bus
Went round with her.
Met Fi after Jane had gone home
Bought 2 badges (Paddington one for Sam and a Rupert & Edward one for me)
Bought at tiered skirt £6.50 & a T-shirt £1.20
Came home at 6.00
It thundered & rained & was sunny
Went to the Natterjack with Sam (of course) . ‘J’ and a few of her mates
£4.50 wages

Thursday 1st June
World Cup Starts in Argentina
Party at Tiffany’s
Got up at 10.15 did 2 hours Geography revision
Sam came round at 3.00pm.
It thundered again
Sam left at 5.00 he came back at 7.15
Watched Poland (0) v W. Germany (0)
Went to Tiffany’s = great
Had a few to drink (hic)
My brother = some girl called Sue
‘J’ = some lad nicknamed Wolf (hee hee 'J')
Sam stayed the night (on the couch)
Got home at 1.25

Friday 2nd June
Got up at 10.00
Woke Sam.
Made baked potatoes with mushroom & ham filling for dinner = ok
Went to Southport in afternoon
Beat Sam at pool (YIPEEE)
Went to Art College for ½ hour
Sam came round at 7.20
Watched Italy (2) v France (1)
France scored after 31 seconds
We then went to the ‘Brick & Art Centre
Sam beat me 2 x at pool (DAM)
Came home on last train 11.00
Argentina v Hungry

Saturday 3rd June
Revised Geography today
Phoned Sam at 12 o’clock
Had a bath
Met Sam at Formby station at 2.00
We went round Formby village
He bought his sister a pair of blue wellies £2.99
Went to Formby Gala Show it cost 40p to get in
I bought a ‘7 up’ necklace and Sam bought a ‘polo’ one
Same came round at 6.45 and we watched footy
Brazil (1) v Sweden (1)
Scotland (1) v Peru (1) (wow a draw against Peru!)
Bev & ‘J’ phoned

1978 May week 21

Sunday 21st May
Worked 10.00 – 6.15
Fairly busy day
Got a 26p tip off a foreign bloke (wow)
Got home at 6.40
Sam came round at 8.30
We played footy in the garden then watched the Belgian Grand Prix
(if you are interested it was held at Zolder &
1st Mario Andretti
2nd Ronnie Peterson
3rd Carlos Reutermann
4th Giles Villeneuve
5th Jacques Laffitte
6th Didier Pironi
Some great names in motor racing)

Bev & Fi rang
Phoned ‘J’
Sam left at 11.10 pm

Monday 22nd May
French Oral with Mr Somebody or other (ok Daddy Papersurfer & Nursey …… )
It was at 11.30 = ok a bit nerve racking
Went to Whiteheads café for dinner
Came home at 2.30
Couldn’t be bothered to go to Biology
Went to Tutors at 4.30 pm
Sam phoned at 8.40 talked to him for ages
He has got an interview at Bournemouth College (sob)
Persuaded Mar to let me see ‘Saturday Night Fever’ tomorrow!

Tuesday 23rd May
Got up at 9.30 & had a bath
Sam rang at 11.00
Bev came round and she stayed for dinner
Went to school at 1 pm
Mrs P refused to teach us in English (shame) she said we were like a “bunch of kindergarden kids” (excellent!!)
Sam met me at 3.40
Played golf? in the garden
Met him later on the train at 7.15 with my brother
Went to the ‘Brick then to see Saturday Night Fever = ACE 9/10

(what a mover)
John Travolta = sexy (wow)

Wednesday 24th May
13 years living in Ainsdale

Got up at 9.30
Did some Geography notes
Bev came round at 12.30
Sat in Cookery room through Biology (huh??) then went to French
After French I went to town . Had to wait ½ hour for a train
Met ‘J’ & Sam at Art College
Got £4.00 wages
Bought Sam’s mum a card
Mum is off work coz she is ill
Phoned Sam at 8.00
Did some more Geog
Watched ‘Arena’ about ‘The Tubes’ & ‘David Bowie’

Thursday 25th May (23 weeks)
Went to skool this morning (faint)
Someone let the fire extinguishers off on the first floor
Came home at 2.30
We had our new Leisure gas cooker delivered
Mar came home from work as she is still not well
Sun bathed
Sam came round at 3.45
Played footy
Got the 7.40 bus met Pat & Liz.
We met Lo, Debs & Sheena at the Classic.
We all went to the Art Centre then the Grape Escape then the ‘Brick
Sam was in there. He was being really dead nice to me (why wouldn’t he be??)

Friday 28th May
School til 2.30
Had leavers assembly this morning it was dead sad. I can’t believe we leave today and only have to come in for exams
Came home at 2.30
Sunbathed with Fi
Had new cooker put in and found a serious gas leak = ok now
Sam came round at 4.00
Fi came round at 7.00 and Sam at 8.00
Chris took us all in his car to Gails house = so boring
Came home at 11.00

Saturday 27th May
Worked 9.30 – 6.30
Very, very busy all day
Got home at 6.45
Sam came round at 7.05
‘J’ came to see me at lunch time
We have to wear Union Jack aprons now (perfectly good!!)
Stayed in all night with Sam
He left at 11.00
Stayed up to watch ‘The Return of Count Yorga’ = quite scary

Picture of Bowie by Snowdon 1978

1978 May week 20

Sunday 14th May (22 weeks)
Got up at 11.00
Fi phoned
Sam phoned
Went to Sams at 2.30
Stayed there for tea
Weather = lovely so we sunbathed
Me & Sam came home at 7.30
Bev & Fi rand
Phoned ‘J’. She and Martin have finished.
I feel so sorry for her but she had an idea it was over a few days ago
Sam left at 11.00

Monday 15th May (5 months to the date)
Sam had his A’Level Art I exam
Boring day in school
Maths Tutor at 4.30 pm went over old papers (how riveting!)
Phoned Sam
‘J’ came round.
Things are just not going right for her
1st Martin finished with her
2nd She didn’t get into Nottingham
3rd Her A’Level pottery piece broke.

She came with me and Mum to a Wicker party (wow that was bound to cheer her up… it was the era of Tupperware parties. Mum worked in an office and she was always invited to these things. She didn’t have a lot of money, most of her collegues worked for 'pin money' they were bored and their husbands earned enough already. It wasn't the case for Mum, she hated going as she could not afford to part with cash for trivial things. Although I do remember a few pieces of Tupperware in the house and we did have one of those awful pin and thread pictures on the wall for years. I know there is a photograph of it behind me on my 18th … must root it out)

I got a basket wall hanging 85p (sounds delightful) and a mat 68p
Sam phoned but I wasn’t in (no I was having a huge amount of fun with basket cases... scarily many of the women there were the age I am now....... I confess to hosting a Body Shop Party and I am considering an Ann Summers one lol, no Tupperware in sight )

Tuesday 16th May
Drew a cucumber in Art
Played a bit of softball in games
Weather stil = very hot
Sam met me after school
He phoned me at 9.00 pm
Will see him again tomorrow (oh what a surprise!!!)
Washed my hair & had a bath (wow)
Number 1 still the same as last week

Wednesday 17th May
Getting my hair permed
Skived German
Went to school at 10.45
Went to town at 2.30
Met Sam on the train
Played pool and got £4.00 wages
Came home at 5.30
Went to Alison’s house at 7.00 pm (OMG a home perm!!)
Got my hair permed looks ……….. ok (ish)
Got home at 11.30
Sam phoned he is phoning me tomorrow morning
Phoned ‘J’ to see how she is, she seems a lot more cheery

Thursday 18th May
Hospital 2.15 pm
Got up at 8.30 am
Didn’t go to school
Did some Maths for Tutor
Sam phoned at 11.00
Bev came round and we went into town

Met Sam in the ‘Brick
He says he likes my hair
Went to the hospital the consultant said I can do a little sport but I must go back in November
Went back to the ‘Brick and played pool
My brother has got some girl pregnant (stupid boy) Huge rows in the house I am staying out of the way (now this was quite amusing, he had just got divorced (oh and obviously back from the Sahara by now). Her mother phoned to say he had got her daughter up the duff, he had only just got divorced and I remember my mum shouting this fact …… he didn’t really deny it but not long after this girl married someone with the same name as my brother… so who was the father ????? )
Sam phoned at 9.15
Revised Biology for 1 hour (faint)

Friday 19th May
Got up at 9.30 am
Did some more Maths.
Bev & Fi came round at lunch time and went to school at 1.00pm
Geography teacher really skitted me about my hair (how unprofessional lol)
‘J’ came round at 7.30
We met Sam in the ‘Brick at 8.00
Went to the Midnight Lounge.
Got home at 11.15
Have had 1 ½ pints of cider = feel a bit groggy

Saturday 20th May
Got up at 9.00
Phoned work but they said I am working Sunday
Phoned Sam at 12.00
Sun bathed 2.30 – 4.00. Not hot enough to get brown
Revised Geography, French Oral work & Maths for Tutor
Sam phoned at 6.45 & came round at 7.15
We went to the beach and all round the sandhills
Saw 8 bunnie rabbits (ah!)
Sam left at 11.00

1978 May week 19

Sunday 7th May
Worked 11.00 – 6.15
Got up at 9.00 but didn’t have to go to work til 11.00
In the morning we weren’t busy but about 4.00 pm we got mad busy
Went to see Bev at the ‘Brick at lunch time
Sam down in Stafford for the day
Got home at 6.45
Sam came round at 7.15 and left at 11.05
My brother goes to the Sahara desert tomorrow at 6.00 am (why??)

Monday 8th May
My brother left for the Sahara Desert this morning, a taxi came for him at 6.00 am to take him to Ringway airport (now Manchester Airport)
Sam met me at luch time
Had my Maths tutor at 4.30 (no not like that)
Went over an O’level paper
Sam phoned but I in the bath so I phoned him back

Tuesday 9th May
French Oral Practise 12.15 pm (dither, dither)
‘J’ had an interview at Nottingham College
Stayed off in the morning went to school at 12. Had my French Oral = ok but yuk!
Weather = boiling hot
Sam met me from shool & he took my photo (eek!)
My auntie & uncle came down
Sam phoned me from Formby
Bone M – Rivers of Babylon number 1 (another of my non favourite tracks or bands... it was the bloke in the band he gave me the creeps!!)




Wednesday 10th May
School all day
Weather still = boiling
Went to town at 3.00 and met Sam
Got £8.00 wages
Health Inspector is reporting the café
Bought Sam Ian Drury ‘What a Waste’ (of course we were now in the age of 'punk' and the like.... I dabbled in the safety pin fashion the year previous, which I didn't mention.. coz I had forgotten about up until now. My younger brother was well into it.. the Sex Pistols and his very favourites were the Stranglers. It really wasn't for me so didn't stay long in that scene)



Bev = skiving school

We won the European Cup
Liverpool 1 v Bruges 0 (YIPEEEE!!!) (oh yes YIPEEE)
Sam phoned at 10.45
Phone ‘J’ and Fi phoned me

Thursday 11th May (10 days to French Oral, 27 days to first O’level exam)
GERMAN C.S.E 1 - 1 ¼ hours
GERMAN C.S.E 2 - 45 mins
Start 1.30
Paper 1 = aural & written response
Paper 2 = composition
= a fair exam (very mature response)
Sam met me from school
Went to Fi’s for dinner
Tina’s got a cold (aww poor pussy cat)
Bev & Fi phoned
Phoned Sam

Friday 12th May
GERMAN C.S.E 3 – 1 ¼ hrs
Start 1.30
Translation & comprehension = so hard

Finished exam at 2.45
Went to town
Met Sam
Came home at 5.30
Went to town at 8.00 met Sam
Went to the Midnight Lounge
Am a bit drunk sorry!!
My brother came with us (the younger one)
Me and Sam had our photos taken in the photo booth (oh yes me and mates used to do this a lot I have a collection of really dreadful black & white photos & no they will not be published!! Although others seem to not have the fear I have??)

Saturday 13th May
Worked 9.45 – 6.15 pm
Weather = sunny then cloudy
2 new girls started today
Sam met me at lunchtime
Got home at 6.45
Sam came round at 7.15. Went to Tony R’s party at 8.15
Had a good time.
Tony tried to snog me when Sam was in the other room, the cheek of him (OMG)
Got home at 11.15pm
‘J’ phoned she is having problems with Martin


Sahara photo by photographer Jef Maion(tried to email you Jef but link don't work!)