Hello, welcome to my blog

Mostly you will find, here, transcribed entries from the secret diary that I used to keep as a teenager between 1970 and 1975. I try to be honest with my transcriptions, but, just occasionally I do edit, to protect myself or others from embarrassment or some other emotion.
Also, though, I like to do a brief review of the books I have been reading, so these are interspersed throughout. I reserve the right to write blog entries, also, about other random things.
Why do I keep this blog? I don't know. I am an academic and one of my research interests is around how people construct their own identities. The diary transcriptions, and what I write about my books, are very much about revealing something of my identity.

Saturday 30 January 2010

My diary 1970 February (i)

Feb 2nd Mon
(GB's suspension over) Rotten day. So boring! Nothing to look forward to. S invited me to a party. S keeps ignoring me.
Feb 3rd Tues
I'm fed up. Woke up in a fantastic mood, kept thinking of summer, tennis etc. Went worse all day. Norma made me angry. Dad blamed both of us for arguing.
Feb 4th (Wed)
Snowed! Carol pushed me down a hill. Told S about M.
Feb 5th (Thur)
M told S that she was going to break off with J. Caused upset. My bottom's come out in bruises because of Carol.
Feb 7th (Sat)
went travelling all over with Cathy. Up town, Hollinwood ... GEORGE BEST SCORED 6 goals! What a comeback!
Feb 9th (mon) Only 4 days till half term. Julie's away. Lonely.
Feb 11th (Wed)
Got angry again. Don't know what's up with me lately. Got mad with S and J. GB film on telly
Feb 12th (Thur)
At last broke up! J got me angry. She brought a mouse into school. Teachers were dead nice. Posted joke Valentines card to Julie. Phoned Shirley.

Friday 29 January 2010

the house that I live in

I'm not sure if we should move house. This house is too small. I nag Paul that it is too small, all the time. Now he has found a house for sale which we have looked at twice. It is lovely. But is it too remote? Do I want to leave my lovely neighbours? And if we move, we could get the Victorian furniture out of storage and hang all our pictures, and I would have somewhere to put my plantpots.
I hate making decisions.

Saturday 23 January 2010

My diary January 1970

Jan 1st 1970
Wrote letter to S at 12pm. Finished 1000 piece jigsaw. Saw film with Marx brothers at midnight. Very Good
January 2nd 1970
Gave Lady a bath. She didn't like it! Did 2 jigsaws with Norma. George Best suspended for 28 days. Dad bought liquers (3 boxes)
Jan 3rd 1970 Saturday.
Went up-town with Norma. Bought a sketch-pad. After dinner mum was in a grumbly mood so we did a lot of work. I tidied bedroom. Saw scary film about psychic quadruplets.
Jan 10th Sat
Did nothing much. Thought a lot about Lady dying. I don;t want her to die. Knitted a long scarf.
Jan 13th Tue
Had a rotten day! Why does everything have to be so boring? Same routine over & over. Ju and Jenny are away. Nearly lost temper with S
Jan 17th Sat
Went up town with Norma and Dad. Got some seeds, soil and woll. Knitted Norma a hat and scarf set.
Jan 23rd Fri
Went to S's with Ju after school. Norma thought I was with a boy. Like S's mum. Sensible. My mum would like her.
Jan 24th Sat
Went with Julie to a panto rehearsal. Saw gorgeous lad called Steven. He's 20. Moustache. Tall. UNITED BEAT CITY 3-0 FA Cup! Went mad in town.
Jan 26th Mon
School! After school went up town with mum. Decided with S will never raise money for the swimming pool again. Not worth it.
Jan 27th Tue
Ju was ill. Sat in sick room with her. Saw Pamela G. She said a girl at school was pregnant.
Jan 28th Wed
Great day. Art competition at school. Stayed up dead late learning rotten poem for English.
Jan 29th Thurs
Worried about whether to tell S about M or not. Didn;t do poem in English. S in giddy mood. Found new way to wear blouse.
Jan 30th Fri
Still haven't told S. After school Auntie Emma came from Sheffield. I hate her. She thinks I'm a baby and ignores me. Audrey and Fred came.
I think I've set up a blog! Now what do I do with it?
My intention is to post an occasional diary. On facebook I always want to write more than is allowed - which is probably a good indicator that a blog is the next step. No idea, really, what will happen here. But I do have one plan. After a recent conversation with a friend about diary keeping when we were youngsters, I thought that I would dig out my old 5 year diary, which I kept fairly religiously from the age of 13 (1970) to 18 (1974). I'm going to have a little project in which I copy entries from that diary onto my blog. Why? I don't really know. Let's see.