Day: April 29, 2024

Diary: 18 February 1985 to 21 February 1985

On By Games4LifeLeave a comment

Monday 18 February 1985

Cold, Windy
Mum went to Work, Played
with Mark, Watched t.v.
Half term at school.

Was this one of those half term days when you didn’t do much but the day flew by anyway?

Tuesday 19 February 1985

Windy, Cold
Went to Nans, Played with
Philip and had some pancakes.
Watched television.

My cousin Philip, born in 1968. He would have been 16. He lived in Oxford with his parents and older brother. Were they also present on this visit? Why didn’t I mention them?
So glad someone made pancakes. The toppings were less sophisticated back then. It was sugar or a squeezy Jif lemon, or both if you were lucky.

Wednesday 20 February 1985

Cold,
Went to Hannahs for the
day, had a bike ride.
Watched t.v. Dad went out.

Was this when Hannah Cundall lived in Gurnard, or was she still near the Stag Inn on the way to Newport? So glad I got a day out of the house. I’m feeling oppressed by the monotony of my life back then. Did I feel that way when I was 9?

Thursday 21 February 1985

Dull, Cold,
Went to Southsea with
Nan, Mark, Mum and Dad.
Watched t.v.

Two consecutive days out of my house! Going to Southsea would have meant taking the Hovercraft from Ryde. Did we go shopping? This was many years before they opened Gunwharf Quays. Perhaps we lingered in the amusements near Clarence Pier.
Interesting that my nan came too. Did my mum feel she couldn’t cope without my nan alongside her?

Diary: 15 February 1985 to 17 February 1985

On By Games4LifeLeave a comment

Friday 15 February 1985

Cold, No School,
Mum went to Work, Watched
t.v. Ann Cut Mums hair.
Played with Mark.

Why didn’t we go to school? It wasn’t snowing, so it can’t have been weather-related. Was it due to industrial action? If my mum went to work, who looked after me and my brother?? My nan probably came on the bus from Newport to keep an eye on us. At least, I hope someone did.
Ann was Ann Price, a friend of the family. She lived higher up Oxford Street, on the even side of the road. She also cut my hair. Did we sit in her lounge, or was it her kitchen? I did not look forward to hair cut day.

Saturday 16 February 1985

Cold.
Watched television,
Dad went shopping,
Played with Mark.

Two consecutive days of playing with my brother. If only I had added some detail. Did we play Lego? As well as the normal Lego that everyone knows, we alse had a lot of copycat bricks, in an off-white colour. They didn’t snap together in the same way. No doubt they were cheaper. My dad worked full time and my mum worked part time. We weren’t impoverished, but the choice was often ‘buy cheap’ not ‘buy quality’.

Sunday 17 February 1985

Cold, but sunny,
No Sunday School. Watched
television. Dad went out.
Did Butterfly embriodry

That’s a brave attempt at spelling embroidery.