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.

Monday 4 August 2014

My secret teenage diary 1974 July (abridged) - in which I think about Nixon, I make a speech and learn to start a car

July 1974

organised by themes, not a timeline


Family
Norma's boyfriend Phil had been staying, so we all drove him back to Morecambe. One Sunday we had a lovely family day at home, me sewing and pottering.

Friends
Ju was ill and off school. When she was better 6 of us went out for an evening at the Yarnspinners. Babs, who I worked with, asked me to go with her to Bailey's night club, where we spent the evening with 2 chaps who chatted us up. I wondered if Geoff would be able to tell, and I felt terrible.

School
I was incredibly busy, it seems to me. Two significant and long-standing teachers, Miss Roker and Mrs Scott were leaving. Wendy and I had to collect money for their leaving presents  and help organise te leaving party and ceremony. We went down Manchester to get Mrs Scott a piece of Royal Doulton pottery. We gave Miss Roker an axe for chopping wood, which she had requested. Miss Roker put on a record of the Oldham Tinkers, and she got one of the lower forms up on stage to recite something. I also seemed to spend a lot of time adding up house points, to work out which house was 'cock house' this year. I was involved in organising the house festival, I gave a speech, and on another day I showed the parents of incoming new girls round the school.

Work
I worked some of my summer holiday. We were busy changing VAT on the stock from 10% to 8%. I was feeling underpaid, comparing my measly £2 with Susan's £3.50.

Hobbies
I bought some yellow cotton and made a blouse, and some black cotton to make a skirt. I wore them both to Bailey's night club.

Also
I got my provisional license and some L plates and dad started to teach me to drive. I found it hard to grasp starting the car.
I started to send for university prospectuses. the first one to arrive in the post was Sheffield.
We had a mouse in our house.

The news
There was talk that President Nixon might be impeached.
Germany won the World Cup.
Mama Cass Elliot died, aged 33 - I was very upset by this. Mamas and Papas Dedicated to the One I love


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