My secret diary 1973 - a quick catch up for March

Here is a thematic summary of what this 16 year old got up to in March 1973

FRIENDS AND LEISURE
We all got free tickets to go to an over-19s 'Girlie Night' at the Cat's Whiskers in Oldham. We were very excited. It was great - we had a terrific time. Only drank Coke. We entered a 'Funky Chicken' competition.
Some girls at school planning a big party.
Reading third book of the Gormenghast trilogy - Titus Alone.
Joined S's youth club, where we spent an evening jiving.
Went with Ju and her mum and dad to new social club opposite them - enjoyed it.
6 of us had a great night out dancing at the Cat's Whiskers - jiving and twisting and all kinds of things. Ju trapped with a gorgeous boy who she might see again. One chap kept putting his hands on my hips, but I didn't care for him. All stayed over at my house. We didn't get to sleep until 4.30am great fun.

LOVE LIFE
Rob didn't phone, 1st March. Then on 3rd March Rob and I went to see a play, George and Margaret' at the Oldham Coliseum. On the way home we had a row. It turned out that Dave's (Julie's ex) sister had seen us at the Cat's Whiskers last night and told Dave and Rob. And so I finished with Rob, more or less. He was very upset. I was very upset that I had upset someone so much.
March 5th Rob phoned to ask me to school dance. He bought tickets for us. (this is a cliffhanger - as I write this I don't know what will happen next!!!).
March 9th, school dance, held at Chaddy Grammar, I was horrid to Rob, Ju and Dave had a big row, we all finshed our relationships and I stayed over at Ju's. I regretted the unfreindly ending to the relationahip, but was glad it was over.
Started dreaming of Jerry who I met at Butlins last year.
March 17th, returned Rob's record player. He was very cold. He said 'thanks. Ta-ra'

FAMILY
Norma home from uni. Had her hair cut and I thought it loooked nice.
On a sunny Sunday dad and I went out driving in the car. He liked to see if we could spot any horse manure on the streets, so we could shovel it up into a bucket and put it on the garden. (You have to bear in mind we lived in a town with lots of terraced streets, few green bits and few trees. Our garden was probably about 24 square foot in total. Finding a pile of steaming horse-poo was a treat!)
Mum was upset because I wrote a letter to Norma and never mentioned mum once.
Auntie Emma visited.
Loved it when Norma came home from university to see us.
We all put a bet on the Grand National. I didn;t win anything.
Went to town and got flowers for mum, for mothers day.
Had row with Norma.

SCHOOL
Too much homework from Miss Hatch. Too much homeowrk from all teachers. Working solidly each evenng. Crying about it.
We got our 'O' level timetables.
Mr Higgins the music teacher discussed Gormenghast with me, but he didn't finish it. Didn't like it.
I got a slide-rule to do my calculations on and started to learn to use it.
Ju and I got told off by a prefect for talking in assembly
A day off for speech day..
Chose HG Wells as my topic for Russian 'O' level prep.
Teachers played 6th form at hockey - fun to watch.

POLITICAL AND SOCIAL COMMENT
8th March "My God!! Today about 7 car bombs were planted in front of nearly every important building in London. 2 went off. Injured 180 people and a man was kiled. IRA believed to be responsible. They're lunatics!"

MOOD AND HEALTH
Sad, depressed, fed up.
9th March I had nearly a perfect day, I claim. Weather nice, teachers nice, good school report.
New brace from dentist.
Later in month, hated life, hated the world, bored. Nothing in my life but homework. Mum and dad said I looked ill. I wondered if I had tonsilitis.
Crying over a Russian translation which was taking me too long. Too hard. Dad told me to stop, but scared of Miss Hatch.
Great wopping spot on chin, which I later described as a boil.
Then developed lump on neck.
Spurts of happiness occasionally.

OTHER
Early March was lovely and sunny and it lifted everyone's spirits.

My secret diary 1973 - a quick catch up for Jan and Feb

Dear Reader
Oh dear, oh dear. I have not reported on my secret diary since 20th Jan 1973. It's just like back in my real diary-keeping days, when I used to miss entries, making feeble excuses.

So, I have a plan, to try to get up to the end of March 1973 before March 2012 ends.
My plan is this - I will do a thematic summary of everything that happened to me from Jan 20th to March 31st 1973. Then I will get back to reporting verbatin again (well, that's what I'm promising, anyway!).


Thematic summary begins here:-


MOOD & HEALTH
Very depressed in January, while revising. I wanted to step off the planet and I thought I was cracking up.
February - crying before school because of Russian lessons. (did other people feel like this?). Moody, tearful, upset. (is it just that I only reported these emotions to my diary?)

POLITICAL VIEWS & COMMENT
Jan 23rd - peace in Vietnam announced by President Nixon. I described it as 'one star in the dark night of exams' :-/
end of Jan I comment that there is still fighting going on, so still not real peace.
February 'what am I going to do about vivisection?' I ask myself.

SCHOOL
In January I was finding it very hard revising for mock 'O' levels. I described the exams as 'not bad', 'terrible', 'not very delightful'. Russian was particularly terrifying because of my fear of Miss Hatch. I was reading Northanger Abbey and Macbeth for English.
Exam results come in and they don't seem too bad, but I usually comment that I could have done better.
Careers talk at school, but I don't name my aspirations.
School report not bad.
Too much Russian homework. I hate Miss Hatch.

FRIENDS
Julie and I virtually living at each others houses - we were always staying over with each other.
February - for some reason Ju and I did a shift working at Ju's dad's wood factory one Sunday morning.
S made me a T shirt with a picture of Snoopy on it. Miss Hatch picked on E, not me, for a change.
A bunch of us went to The Parochial Youth Club and one of my pals entered th talent competition, singing 'The Universal Soldier' and she won. We all had a great time dancing.
Decided not to write to French pen-friend again, because she never replies.

FAMILY
In January Norma brought her friend Kanchan, who was Kenyan, home from university to stay with us. It was exotic to have someone foreign to stay.
February - Dad had his car stolen from outside the house.
Niggly with mum.
Very worried that I owe dad £2 and Norma £1 and mum's birthday coming up.
Mum and dad both poorly.
Norma home from uni, and then went back.
Dad got flashy new car. We went in it to see Auntie Emma, in Sheffield. I loved driving over the snowy moors.
Mum's birthday. I got her some chocolates, but I was moody with her. I was in a bad mood because of Russian (and because I was a sulky teenager).
Dad's stolen car was found in Darlington.

LOVE LIFE
In January Rob wants to spend more time with me and I want my time to revise.
February - Folk nights at the Manchester Sports and Social Guild with Rob, Julie and Dave. We saw Martin Carthy on Feb 17th.
Rob and Dave went a week without phoning us and we started to panic and wonder whether to phone them.
Then they phoned. Then Ju told me she had finished with Dave. I was worried by this.
We both exchanged Valentine's cards with our respective boyfriends. I thought Rob's was too serious.
I lusted after James Taylor.
Decide I want to finish with Rob and keep writing about it.
Had a big row with him on the phone because I wouldn't go to see the film 'Woodstock' with him, because I had no money, and I said that I didn;t want him always paying for me. He put his mum on the phone to persuade me. Then my dad had a go at me about it, and said I was being horrible to Rob.
Another day, on phone to Rob for an hour, and it sounds like I was rude to him and sulky.
Rob had a party. Big Disaster. Ju and Dave had a row. I took her for a walk to calm her down. I thought Rob's friend, Keith, might fancy me.
Ju finished with Dave officially.



LEISURE LIFE
January - none!
February - me, Ju and some other pals celebrated end of exams by going dancing. I lied to Rob to get that night free.
Saw 'The Dambusters' and thought it was a great film.
Reading Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake. 'Terrific'. Then reading the second book, 'Gormenghast'
Bit of crochet.
United won!
A lot of going up town shopping.
Saw Fairport Convention on telly - great!

OTHER THINGS
It snowed a lot in February. Then one day I noted the hail, rain and snow all day.