January 31, 1978

We drew shapes inside circles for maths. There were 6 shapes. We drew them all together in Art. We did about life in Jesus’ time in Bible Story. I waked home with Keren. We went to Nicolas because Mummy is in Oxford. I wrote a story and did a lot on Norway. We had mushroom flan for tea. I went to a going up ceremony. I bathed with glasses on.

Nicola, I think, was both a Guide and a Brownie leader, so I would have gone along to Brownies if she was taking care of me for the evening.

January 30, 1978

We drew angles and measured them with the protractor. I had to stay with Mrs Roe to do French. I didn’t know that Miss Dean had been given no warning about playing the piano part for my flute piece so I took the tape recorder to school. I discovered Kims pen in my bag. At Guides I made a thinking day card to sent to Alex. I came home quite late.

I don’t know who Alex was, although it’s possible she was in my Brownie Scout troop when I was in the US for a year, a year prior to this.

January 29, 1978

I didn’t go to Sunday School. I hope God will forgive me. We went swimming. I did all sorts of stunts. I turned a backwards somersalt in the water. I had 2 pieces of cheese for lunch. Yum! Daddy finished tiling the kitchen chimney-piece. Francie came to play. We did a real circus. There was a human pyramid!!!!!!!!! I watched ‘All Creatures Great and Small’.

I think those same tiles are still in my dad’s kitchen – but I’m happy to report I’m not so holy now.

January 28, 1978

I have given up Music Workshop. It is better to just sit at home and relax (or get some fresh air in the summer). I watched ‘Swap Shop’ on which there was James Gallway and Angela Rippon. Bobby and I made a flea circus. It was worked by him. I watched Play Away and Jim’ll Fix it. I read in the evening.

Reading this now, I can hear my mother’s words coming out of my mouth…

January 27, 1978

Today I went in for the Henry VIII School exam. First we did General Knowledge (Verbal Reasoning). I made friends with a girl called Carol Beddles (I think it was Beddles) We then had English and Math tests. I didn’t go to school in the afternoon. Mrs Hunt doesn’t mind! Supeeedoopy! Hoory! I watched most of Cracker Jack and then went to ballet. We learned a new step, called pose. I watched Porrige and played Piquet with Daddy.

As far as I know, the girl Carol I met didn’t go to the school in the end…

January 26, 1978

In Radio Assembly there was a space, ‘Jonah and the Whale’. It was ‘Jo Warnack and Recycler’. It is not finished yet. In French we drew pictures froma house and wrote the French name by them. I did not go swimming. I will explain why tomorrow – it’s a secret today. I got ‘Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines’ from the library. I will discontinue my topic. I watched ‘Blue Peter’ and ‘The Good Life’.

If you remember the film “The Rescuers”, Miss Bianca was one of the characters in that.

January 25, 1978

We copied a poem by an ancient Chinese poet in Handwriting. We played a game where one team has half the room and you have to get the ball to one of your team who is on a chair at the back of enemy territory in games. We won, 5-3. Easy! In Science Susan Schledt and I wrote a letter to the Meteorlogical Office to find what the weather was really like from 1925 to 1975 because our summary was from a tree. I had no homework. I lost Bobby at Miss Cranstons but he turned up.

January 24, 1978

Bobby’s birthday! I gave him a sticker album. We made a protractor out of tracing paper. We copied the Lord’s Prayer into our R.I. books. We had a reading test. I took a lot of homework. I watched quite a bit of T.V.

January 23 1978

In P.E. I found a leotard. It is titchy. I learned two new and VERY high notes on the flute. We did Geography, on the cotton of America (U.S.A.). I watched ‘Hunters Gold’ and ‘Blue Peter’. I went to Guides. There was some food that was half yuck and half yum. There was a story with sound effects an accident faked and a stall of stuff. I won a notepad.

January 22, 1978

We played for a while before having breakfast. I did not go to Sunday School because Jill doesn’t want to go. I think I will stop it so I can go to Church Parade. We played dolls hospitals in the morning. We also played real hospitals. I got some paper cups for Bobby’s party today. Jill and I did not go ice skating, but stayed at home playing and preparing the party food. The food was yum with a pretty cake. I watched ‘The Muppet Show’.

January 21, 1978

I did not go to Fire Maid rehearsal because I have a sore throat and Mummy doesn’t want me to have to miss school on Monday. I watched Multi Coloured Swap Shop. They had an ornithologist. I read and listened to ‘The Mikado’ in the afternoon, until Jill came. Then we went shopping. I got Bobby’s bithith bithuthdy present and a book. Then we watched T. V. Bobby gave me some cake from Adrian’s party.

Jill was Adrian’s sister so I’m assuming she was escaping his party by coming to play with me. Jill is now an administrator at the university my father used to work at; her brother is a major in the army, and testified for a soldier under his command who was accused of mistreating Iraqi prisoners. Their last name, Grinonneau, I have only just realised I had absolutely no idea to spell, when I tried Googling them.

January 20, 1978

It was very icy today. In Maths we guessed angles. In French we started to draw a house. In Craft I started cutting out my foot shape from wood. We heard ‘Noah and his Floating Zoo’ in Music. I started a game of hangman in class. There wasn’t time to finish so I told them. In English we did on Black Beauty. Mummy came to watch Ballet.

I started ballet again recently – I don’t remember being so stiff when I was ten!

January 19, 1978

Today we made a protractor in Maths. We had a filmstrip on houses in French lesson. I hate swimming. I got, Wet Magic from the school library. I am not coming along very well with my topic. After school I went to the library and got 6 books. I watched Blue Peter and Tomorrows World. It snowed and stayed! Hoooooray.

January 18, 1978

Today’s temperature was about 0˚Centygroid*. In Assembly we sang Mondays (choir practice) new jazzy hymn. In Handwriting we did a poem that went like this ‘Wherever that I chose to go, I cannot escape the falling snow’. We danced in Gym, we also had the apparatus out. In Science, Susan Schalloti† and I figured out the weather from 1925-1975. Jill came to play.

*Centigrade †?

January 17, 1978

It snowed (slightly) again. In Maths we did about degrees in Triangles. In English we did Past Participles. I played Mice in the lunchbreak. We did Art in which we painted patterns made from circles. In Scripture we did about Jesus as a young boy. I didn't have any homework so I went to spend my book token. I got, 'The Workhouse Child' and, 'Midnight is a Place'. I watched 'Charlies Angels'.

I don't particularly remember 'The Workhouse Child' but 'Midnight is a Place', by Joan Aiken, was one of my favourites - full of dark satanic mills, and very rousing to a child with a vaguely social conscience.

January 16, 1978

I today did work in the subjects of Mathematics, Everyday Life in 1926, Physical Education, and Reading, and Playing of the Flute. I did homework in English and Everyday Life in 1926. I watched on the television, Jackanory and Blue Peter. I went to Guides, where we did sewing and played a ball game. It snowed!

"My" Blue Peter presenters were Valerie Singleton, Peter Purves, John Noakes and Lesley Judd.

January 15, 1978

I went to Sunday School, Pathfinders (see Jan 8). We saw a film about Pathfinder camps and staying in old houses. It looked super, but I can't go. After lunch I did homework and read. Later on we went to Francies to deliver her invitation to Bobby's party. She invited us to play. We saw a pantomime on ice, 'Humpty Dumpty', with her. When we got home I watched 'Just William'. I watched 'Carry On Again Doctor'.

Ah, Violet Elizabeth Bott...

January 14 1978

I went to Music Workshop. We are doing an opera called The Fire Maid. We sang nearly all the songs from it today. The Roes, Fiona, Biddy, Piccy and Derek came to discuss our hollyday* in France. Bobby and I played with the kids, Biddy and Piccy†. We made silly recordings. We waqtched 'Play Away'. I watched 'Jim'll Fix It' and 'Celebrity Squares'.

*holiday † Pixter or Nicholas

Nicholas would have been about six or seven at this point, so I suppose can be forgiven for having such a silly nickname. I remember "Jim'll Fix It" very well, and wrote to him at one stage, but if you'd asked me, I'd have said I wasn't allowed to watch trash like "Celebrity Squares." Perhaps my parents weren't looking.

January 13, 1978

Today I had a test in French. I did quite well, but I don't know the results. My friend, Pernille, has moved to Wales. I miss her so much. I don't like school any more without her. We are in woodwork this term. It is super. We had music after lunch, we listened to a rather bad record on Mozart. We saw one film on Essex and one on fossils. I got new shoes at ballet. There is a new girl. I watched Sherlock Holmes and 'Porridge'.

Pernille (whose mother was Danish) had moved to Wales - we did keep in touch and it was at her house that I dyed my hair red and cut it half an inch long all over, just after doing my O levels. My parents clearly didn't see this as a negative portent, because they suggested she move back to our town for A levels and live with us - the two of us seriously fell out, and we ony just managed not to kick her out.

January 12, 1978

I'm puzzled that I say we don't have a swimming pool at school, as I remember a huge fundraising effort to get a pool at my primary school, and this is my last year at that school. I had been in another teacher's class the previous term but partly due to "personality clashes" (I kept correcting his spelling) and partly because he wouldn't give extra work to me or the only other girl preparing for secondary school entrance exams (although he did give some to the two or three boys preparing), I had been moved into Mrs Hunt's class.

We did about symmetry in shapes. We then had French. We learned classroom verbs, such as 'j'ecris avec un stilo', 'I am writing with a biro'. We went swimming at school (as usual). We have not got a school swimming pool, anyway it is winter, so we go to Leamington baths. I didn't get a book from the library. Mrs Hunt (our teacher) showed us a film on Queen Victoria. I took my topic home and had trouble with it. I watched 'The Good Life'.

January 11, 1978

We went on the apparatus in Games. In Science we did tree rings (Susan S. and I) It was very confusing because we were told two things. I had Piano, as every Wednesday. Miss Cranston, my teacher, an old lady, said I am doing very well! I took an English test home (for Kings High). Daddy showed me a thing about tree rings. I want to go to Birmingham museum to see the tree rings there.

My father was a chemistry lecturer before he retired but both before and after retirement he had a parallel, almost full-time job studying and writing about local and architectural history. He dates houses using the tree rings in their beams and I suspect knew a bit more about the subject than my teacher.

January 10, 1978

Bandits... guess they weren't that memorable.

Daddy came home yesterday. I forgot to mention it. We did more symmetry in Maths. In English we did past tense. I had the same lunch as yesterday, but I swapped 2 chock biccys for one mint Bandit at lunch. Mmmmm! We made folded over shapes in Art. One of mine looked just like a little girl. I had homework, English, and a Maths test (for Kings High) We went to the library. I got 'Young Cooks Year', 'A Pinch of Weather', and 'Miss Rivers and Miss Bridges'. I went to Debbies. We played table tennis. OUR HEATING IS FIXED!!!!!!!!!!

January 9, 1978

I'd completely forgotten about Go with Noakes!

We got up at 7.30 to go to school, but there was lots of time. I am bell monitor this week. That means I ring the bell for playtime and lunch. We did symmetry in Maths. I had an exotic and yum sandwich for lunch. It was egg and salmon pate. I made a sticker saying Katies Lunchbox. I did a story for homework. There was no Blue Peter but we did 'Go with Noakes'. We made up quite a funny account of the Xmas hols at Guides.

January 8, 1978

We had breakfast as soon as we woke up. We played a while, 1 hr, and then went to church at 10am. I started Pathfinders today! It was great. First we sang songs. Then we had a quiz. That was the only bit when nobody shouted out. We then had a discussion about nothing in particular. Then we did a Bible quiz, with things about you on the back. After church I walked over to get Bobby from Explorers. He got out early (worse luck). After lunch I went to play with Debbie and she wasn't there. I then watched a film, did a test, had supper and watched television (a Carry On) until bedtime.

Pathfinders and Explorers are apparently still going strong, though I am not sure they are "official" Sunday School group titles any more. My friend Debbie lived around the corner from me, with her mother, in a flat (which seemed very exotic to me), and she and her mother shared a bedroom (again, something completely outside my experience - it sounded quite fun in principle to me but obviously wasn't much fun for her!).

January 7, 1978

I again slept late. We watched Multicoloured Swap Shop at home after breakfast and later went to the Alexanders who are away for the day. We saw the rest of Swap Shop there. We had lunch there and a bath and shampoo. I did a General Progress test (to prepare me for my entrance exam into Kings High). I played Monopoly with Bobby, and we then went home. I went to the Sunday school party. We first played games, and one team game our team won. Then we ate, and then had a silent movie. I watched 'The Two Ronnies' after.

The year before this, I had started going to Sunday School, mainly because my mother was sick of me moaning I couldn't sing in the boys' choir at the church, even though my brother could (It's not fair!); my parents themselves didn't go to church, and had brought me up as a good little atheist.

January 6, 1978

I woke up at 9.20: very late for me. We went over to Frances Alexanders to keep warm. There was nothing on T.V. We took the London Game there to play with her. Mummy and Francie's mother played too. We went home for lunch, and Francie came to play in the afternoon, bringing her game of Monopoly. After we had played it we watched childrens television. After supper I watched a movie about a group of schoolgirls and their mistress who lived on an island with a Marine.

The London Game was great! Any ideas what the film might have been?

January 5 1978

After breakfast, Morgan and Dodo went to school. I went with them. I played with Dodo's Spiro 2000 after that. It is great. When Bobby woke up I tried to show him, but he couldn't do it. We drove to Oxford about 10.45 a.m. When we arrived, I went with Fiona to get Biddy from school - she had a half-day. She brought two friends. We made up and staged a play. Mummy said it was good. When we got home (hurrah) the central heating had broken. So we had to use other methods of heating. Then the hot water bottle burst ¡ *


* ¡ means ! only bad

(I clearly hadn't come across Spanish punctuation...)

Bobby is my younger brother - who has not surpisingly given up being called Bobby and is now called Rob. Fiona was a family friend and Biddy (Bridget, now a charity director) her daughter. Not surprisingly I still remember the central heating episode quite well.

January 4, 1978

I woke up at 4 this morning. We played flats, which led to argument, because of Morgan. We made a circus, with lots of funny acts. We had home made fizzy drinks for lunch. We went to Bushy Park and made a house in the bracken and a sort of wall round a space which was a toilet. We did the circus when we got home. We watched T. V. and then I read. We had supper, watched more T.V. and went to bed.

I remember my cousins' Soda Stream, the height of sophistication at the time.

January 3 1978

We finished the flight. I finshed 'Rebecca'. We arrived at Gatwick at 4'o'clock p.m. After getting our baggage we met Aunt Jane. She drove us to her house. Morgan was there with his friend John, which made him rather bossy. Dodo arrived just before supper, and John left just after. Dodo didn't want a bath, but she had one.

My cousins mentioned had the misfortune to live in South London so were always having us to stay before or after flights. "Dodo" is now known as Jocelyn (and has a high powered job with Heal's) and hates being reminded of her childhood nickname - apparently she couldn't say her own name, or her brother couldn't, or something. I was discussing this with another cousin recently and remembered Morgan was Moggie when very little but fortunately for him it didn't stick for as long...

January 2 1978

This is my MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY

We went shopping in the morning. I got 'Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm' to read on the plane. I also got a 'Word Find'. We played after lunch, and packed. Grandma and Grandpa drove us to the airport. We waited a long while for the plane to take off. I read some of Rebecca, had dinner, and slept for 2 hours till one.

January 1 1978

This morning we watched Animals, animals, animals. It was about rabbits. They talked about an island that was overrun by rabbits. At lunch we roasted hotdogs. We went to the beach, though it was raining. I got very cold and had a bath and shampoo. I had some hot eggnog. I read (and finished) a book that Mummy didn't like but consented to my reading. It won't ruin my mind. I watched a Disney film after supper. Then I packed my knapsack and went to bed.

My diary for 1978 begins at my grandparents' house in Monterey, California. Although I grew up in England my mother is from the US and we spent a lot of holiday time there.