Tag: Spelling mistake

Diary: 11 February 1985 to 14 February 1985

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Monday 11 February 1985

Very Cold
English, Maths, Singing,
P.E, Reading, Watched t.v.
Dad stayed at home

According to my dad’s diary, he was on a course of antibiotics.

Tuesday 12 February 1985

Very Cold, But Sunny
Wrote are spellings, English,
Maths, Music, Project,
No Nan, Went to Brownies

Brownies took place in the Church Centre. Our Brown Owl was called Jayne. I can’t remember many of the activities, but I do remember some kind of “emergency” pack, containing 10p for a phone call and a piece of string. I had no use for the pack, but at least I was prepared.

Wednesday 13 February 1985

Very Cold.
Went to Cowes to practice our
music festival, Progect, Watched
Zig Zag, Country Dancing.

One thing I have never possessed is any form of musical talent. My contribution to the music festival must have been limited.

Thursday 14 February 1985

Cold.
Spelling test, Maths, Late home
for dinner, games, Reading,
Knitting, Watched t.v.

Did the spelling test include the word ‘project’? On Tuesday I got it right. On Wednesday I lapsed back to progect.

Diary: 1 February 1985 to 3 February 1985

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Friday 1 February 1985

drizzle, Windy,
Class 3 did asembble, Spelling
Test, Singing, Libary, Maths,
read, Played with Mark.

I was in Class 3, but I was actually in Class 4. Except there were not enough children to make a full year, so they made us repeat Class 3! Did this have any impact on my education? They wouldn’t get away with it these days.
In 1976 and 1977 there were fewer births than deaths, a rare occurence. I was born in the academic year 1975-76. See how the blue line for births goes into decline after the early 1960s.

Births compared to deaths since 1900

Saturday 2 February 1985

Cold Breezy
Played with Marks fort.
Went to Annas party won
some games, Videod Doctor Who.

This would have been Anna Smallwood’s 9th birthday. She lived on Wyatts Lane, Northwood. I won some games did I? Was this the year I cheated at Pin the Tail on the Donkey?? The blindfold had not been pulled far enough down and I pretended it had been. I could see where I was aiming. I put the pin just to the right of the spot so no one would think I had been cheating. The shame.
And I spelt videoed correctly the week before. This was Season 22 of Doctor Who. Colin Baker was the Doctor. In Season 24 (1987) the companion was a character called Ace played by Sophie Aldred. I had a crush on her in a way that did not make sense at the time.

Sunday 3 February 1985

Dull, No Sun
Went to Sunday school
Played with Mark, Watched
television. Dad went out

Was there a day in my childhood I did not watch television?

For anyone interested in Sci-Fi, Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics were introduced in 1942.

There was a new Number 1 this Sunday: I Know Him So Well by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson.

Diary: 25 January 1985 to 27 January 1985

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Friday 25 January 1985

Cold Windy, Raining,
Spelling test, Did our play,
Reading, Libary, P.E., Redd a
book. Dad videoed A tv programme

I can’t spell read, but I can spell videoed. Typical for a nine year old?
Was I performing in a play? Not something I would do these days.

Saturday 26 January 1985

Windy, Overcast,
Watched t.v, played Monopoly,
Dad went out, Mark played a
game with me. Had some toffees.

Another Saturday when dad had to work, in his job at Parkhurst Prison. Looking at his diary, he was setting up for concrete in the yard.
Was it one of those games of Monopoly that lasts for ages and ends in a disagreement and someone going off in a huff?

Sunday 27 January 1985

Raining. Cold
Went to Sunday School
Dad went out, watced t.v.
Played with Mark

Work again for dad. He was covering up brickwork and removing tiles.
I played with my brother a lot but we didn’t have an easy relationship. We were either getting on well together or we hated each other. There was a time in our teenage years when we barely spoke. If I had known he was only going to live to the age of 23 would I have treated him differently?

I love the information box about robots: they were supposed to do all the boring jobs for humans but at the end they control the world. Anyone for Artificial Intelligence?

Diary: 14 January 1985 to 17 January 1985

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Monday 14 January 1985

Very Cold Snowy,
Wrote down spellings, English,
Maths, Country dancing.
I hurt my knee. Watched t.v.

How did I hurt my knee? I don’t remember country dancing as dangerous. It’s not a contact sport. There were more girls than boys in our class, so some of the girls had to take on the boy role and signify this by wearing a blue sash over their shirt. I was one of the those girls. I wonder what this says about me.

Tuesday 15 January 1985

Very Cold. Got G.S. Bag.
English. Maths, Practisised
our asemmble. Went to
Brownies, Nan came down.

A G.S. Bag? No idea. Was it given out at school?
Those spellings are so bad I’m cringing.
This nan was Connie Jones, who visited us most Tuesdays. She helped my mum with housework, like the ironing.

Wednesday 16 January 1985

Snowy Cold,
S.R.A. Music, knitting,
Singing, History.

S.R.A.? Having looked online, it was the reading comprehension programme which used colours. I remember Roger Red-hat; Billy Blue-hat; Johnny and Jennifer Yellow-hat. I do not remember The Old Man. You can still buy them today. Hundreds of thousands of children must have learnt to read using this programme.

Thursday 17 January 1985

Snowed Cold,
Went to Carisbrooke Castle,
English, Reading, played with
doll makeup.

I have the fabric page I must have bought in the shop at Carisbrooke Castle. Today I live a ten minute walk from the Castle. I’ve walked through that entrance many times.

Played with doll makeup? Me? My ribs are aching.

Diary: 11 January 1985 to 13 January 1985

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Friday 11 January 1985

Cold Dry
Spelling Test, Maths, English
Libary, Played Dominos

The shame of spelling ‘library’ as ‘libary’. Particularly as I went on to gain a MSc in Information Science in 2003. It counted as a professional qualification in librarianship.

Saturday 12 January 1985

Cold dull
Went to Newport with
Dad. Got a headboard for my
bed. Watched A film.

Did we get the headboard from MFI? I remember it clearly. It was dark pink in plush velvet, with wooden struts. Why did I need a new headboard?

Sunday 13 January 1985

Snowy Cold
Went to Sunday School.
Played tanks with Mark.
Watched television.

Day 13 and I finally mention my younger brother Mark. He was 7 at the time. He died in 2001, aged 23, of a heart attack. RIP. I have no memory of those tanks.

On 13 January 1985 soft rockers Foreigner got to number one with I Want To Know What Love Is, displacing Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?