Girls' Fun - Part Thirty-Five
[I'm transcribing edited highlights of a diary I kept when I was 15 / 16 years old, in 1985. Index here.]
[For previous instalment, see here]
Mon 26th Aug, 1985 (Young Clare is 16 years old)
Paul gave me the book he’d been so mysterious about tonight: the one he said meant a lot to him when he was my age: it was Catcher in the Rye. He wrote an inscription in the front which he said came from the I Ching:
“T’AI
Peace. The mean decline; the great and good approach - good fortune and success.
with love.
Paul.
x”
Me and Rachel both slept in and had a late breakfast and stayed undressed for ages and then just slopped around watching “Flashdance” and telly and mucking around and getting all our jobs done such as giving the rabbit a run, feeding it, feeding and cleaning the goldfish, washing up, etc. Then at 5.30 we were waiting for Rachel’s parents to arrive.
They didn’t arrive til 7.30 and twice I had to ring Paul and postpone meeting him for an hour. During this time I got v. depressed and morbid and eventually decided I wasn’t serious about Paul but was stuck with him, and arrived at Paul’s v. fed up and quiet.
We went to the Spreadeagle and I was v. quiet and explained I was depressed and Paul was v. understanding and nice and concerned and it got deeper til I was on the verge of tears so drowned it in cider and we went to the Spotted Cow and after more cider I got v. happy and after a while we just went back to his house and spent a v. companionable hour or so on his sofa.
We got quite passionate but not in the least bit erotic. Funny, really.
Was half an hour late home so I stuck a pin in my tyre and pretended I’d got a puncture.
Tue 27th Aug, 1985
I spent all morning mending my puncture, then Rachel came round and we went into town to meet Omar, Stephen etc. At first it was only Stephen and Richard and someone called Fuller and his girlfriend, then an hour later we met Omar, Patrick, Chris and we all mucked about in town for a while and I really enjoyed myself!
But everyone teased Rachel rather a lot. I think I’d better keep them separate in future.
Went round to Paul’s at 6.30 and we stayed in all evening sitting on the sofa, sort of stroking each other’s hands, watching telly, listening to tapes, all entwined. V. nice.
Wed 28th Aug, 1985
John rang in afternoon, v. depressed.
Patrick got me to give him Clare S’s number and wants me to bring her into town on Sat! (he went with her at my party)
Dave and Gill [uncle and aunt] arrived, Immy and Luke [cousins] as lovely as ever, and we went for a walk in the uni, then I dashed out to meet Paul and we went to the John Bull to see Brendan Croker. It was much better than I remembered it last time and me and Paul sat entwined in a corner all evening. Then we spent half an hour at Paul’s on the sofa (not much more than kisses but he did sort of rest his head on my chest when I had to go home).
Thurs 29th Aug, 1985
Devoted the whole day to Dave and Gill [uncle and aunt]: Went into town with them, showed them the sights, went on an open-top bus tour of York, had lunch at Young’s (where Guy Fawkes was born), then spent the afternoon in the Castle Museum (which has changed; for the better) and generally good time was had by all.
Spent the evening sewing up a hole in my pink trousers and playing Nine Men’s Morris with Immy and Luke.
Paul rang in the evening, just after Mum had told Dave and Gill about my boyfriend who I spoke to for hours on the phone. Arranged to spend whole day tomorrow at Paul’s Mum’s house in Pocklington.
Fri 30th Aug, 1985
Met Paul in Heslington at 10.30 and we cycled to Pocklington together. Twelve miles and it only took us 45 minutes! There again Paul used to train 20 miles a day and go in for serious racing. All the same I didn’t find it hard to keep up, so it’s not bad.
He took me on a guided tour of Pocklington. We saw Gavin, Lucy’s ex flatmate! He’s got a gardening job now in Pocklington.
Spent the day watching telly, and lounging on CHAISE LONGUE (!), listening to records and cuddling, etc. It’s an ace house!
There was a head wind on the way back, but we managed to make it in 55 minutes.
Got back by 7 and I babysat for Immy and Luke while the adults went out. While I’d been out, Luke had written me a v. cute note and Immy had made me a lovely basket of flowers. I made them sandwiches for tea and they really liked it.
Paul rang and we talked for two and a half hours!
Sat 31st Aug, 1985
Got up really early to see Dave and Gill off. Could’ve gone back to bed but figured it wasn’t v. healthy and would only make me yawny and awful all day, so got up and watched THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES (v. funny) then washed the bum on my new pink trousers which got made FILTHY by my bike seat yesterday.
Rachel came round at 1.30pm and we went into town and met Clare, and Patrick, and all four of us went round town for two hours. Some blokes were being awkward in a café and the POLICE came in!
Then I met Paul, and me and him went back to Heworth for a while, then went and met a friend of Paul’s and we went into the Crosss Keys and the John Bull and got drunk. Paul’s friend is quite nice but a bit haughty.
Then I went home and me and Paul spent about quarter of an hour outside kissing and cuddling and talking. He says he really loves and needs me but doesn’t believe I’ll stay in love with him.
Sun 1st Sept, 1985
GOING TO STAITHES.
It was quite a nice journey, we got here in one and a half hours.
It’s an ace little place, obviously somehow an old smuggling village. The cottage Barbie and Bill[grandparents]’ve rented is right on the sea-front, overlooking the harbour, really small, and me and Mum are in the attic. V. nice.
As soon as possible I rang Paul but didn’t speak for long cos two girls kept knocking on the windows and wanting to know who I was speaking to. They were quite nice, about 10.
Mon 2nd Sept, 1985
When I first rang Paul yesterday it was engaged, so I hung around waiting in the phone box, and the phone rang! All I got was someone playing Bruce Springsteen, then someone whistled so I whistled back and put the phone down. Then the same whistle came from outside, so I looked around but couldn’t see owt.
Anyway, after phoning Paul I explored Staithes. There’s only really one street but LOADS of crooked little houses. Instead of on streets, they’re on funny little paths and channels and staircases, all twisting round and mixing up, and it’s impossible to learn your way round them all, but great exploring.
I met a little boy who told me all about how they’d had a puncture. He was really cute.
The sea was really rough and noisy.
Anyway, that was yesterday. TODAY we walked to Runswick and found all the pubs were shut so we had lunch in a café, then I rang Paul and after talking arranged for him to ring me at 6.30.
We walked back to Staithes, and I explored again and found a walk through the fields.
I received my call from Paul, who is missing me and I’m missing him and can’t stop thinking about him and wrote a poem about him yesterday and we’ve decided to cycle up here together one weekend and stay the night and I can show him around.
He asked his friend what he thought of me and he said I was a ‘very nice girl’ but wouldn’t elaborate.
When I came out of the phone box, this boy said sommat about me being on the phone for ages and I had to find a long route back to the house to avoid him cos he seemed hostile.
Tue 3rd Sept, 1985
BACK AT SCHOOL: 6TH YEAR: SKIVING IN STAITHES!
I had a dream about Philip last night and it’s started me thinking about him again. I miss him and it’s about time I saw him again. The FIRST thing I do on Thurs when we get back is go and see Philip. He always cheers me up and takes my mind off other things and I’m getting a bit bogged down with Paul at the moment.
Paul rang this morning and my two girls were there again with some popping stuff and they said Hello to Paul again.
We went to Sandsend today and this evening Paul rang again but there were loud-mouthed kids all round the phone box making a din so I found another one. Paul sounded a bit fed up, and when I asked about seeing him when he’s back at Uni, he said he reckoned it wasn’t a good idea for us to see each other too often, and that depressed me, seeing as I’ve missed him so much, and I wondered if he was getting fed up of this 16-yr-old child and I was in a mood all evening.
___
[For previous instalment, see here]
Mon 26th Aug, 1985 (Young Clare is 16 years old)
Paul gave me the book he’d been so mysterious about tonight: the one he said meant a lot to him when he was my age: it was Catcher in the Rye. He wrote an inscription in the front which he said came from the I Ching:
“T’AI
Peace. The mean decline; the great and good approach - good fortune and success.
with love.
Paul.
x”
Me and Rachel both slept in and had a late breakfast and stayed undressed for ages and then just slopped around watching “Flashdance” and telly and mucking around and getting all our jobs done such as giving the rabbit a run, feeding it, feeding and cleaning the goldfish, washing up, etc. Then at 5.30 we were waiting for Rachel’s parents to arrive.
They didn’t arrive til 7.30 and twice I had to ring Paul and postpone meeting him for an hour. During this time I got v. depressed and morbid and eventually decided I wasn’t serious about Paul but was stuck with him, and arrived at Paul’s v. fed up and quiet.
We went to the Spreadeagle and I was v. quiet and explained I was depressed and Paul was v. understanding and nice and concerned and it got deeper til I was on the verge of tears so drowned it in cider and we went to the Spotted Cow and after more cider I got v. happy and after a while we just went back to his house and spent a v. companionable hour or so on his sofa.
We got quite passionate but not in the least bit erotic. Funny, really.
Was half an hour late home so I stuck a pin in my tyre and pretended I’d got a puncture.
Tue 27th Aug, 1985
I spent all morning mending my puncture, then Rachel came round and we went into town to meet Omar, Stephen etc. At first it was only Stephen and Richard and someone called Fuller and his girlfriend, then an hour later we met Omar, Patrick, Chris and we all mucked about in town for a while and I really enjoyed myself!
But everyone teased Rachel rather a lot. I think I’d better keep them separate in future.
Went round to Paul’s at 6.30 and we stayed in all evening sitting on the sofa, sort of stroking each other’s hands, watching telly, listening to tapes, all entwined. V. nice.
Wed 28th Aug, 1985
John rang in afternoon, v. depressed.
Patrick got me to give him Clare S’s number and wants me to bring her into town on Sat! (he went with her at my party)
Dave and Gill [uncle and aunt] arrived, Immy and Luke [cousins] as lovely as ever, and we went for a walk in the uni, then I dashed out to meet Paul and we went to the John Bull to see Brendan Croker. It was much better than I remembered it last time and me and Paul sat entwined in a corner all evening. Then we spent half an hour at Paul’s on the sofa (not much more than kisses but he did sort of rest his head on my chest when I had to go home).
Thurs 29th Aug, 1985
Devoted the whole day to Dave and Gill [uncle and aunt]: Went into town with them, showed them the sights, went on an open-top bus tour of York, had lunch at Young’s (where Guy Fawkes was born), then spent the afternoon in the Castle Museum (which has changed; for the better) and generally good time was had by all.
Spent the evening sewing up a hole in my pink trousers and playing Nine Men’s Morris with Immy and Luke.
Paul rang in the evening, just after Mum had told Dave and Gill about my boyfriend who I spoke to for hours on the phone. Arranged to spend whole day tomorrow at Paul’s Mum’s house in Pocklington.
Fri 30th Aug, 1985
Met Paul in Heslington at 10.30 and we cycled to Pocklington together. Twelve miles and it only took us 45 minutes! There again Paul used to train 20 miles a day and go in for serious racing. All the same I didn’t find it hard to keep up, so it’s not bad.
He took me on a guided tour of Pocklington. We saw Gavin, Lucy’s ex flatmate! He’s got a gardening job now in Pocklington.
Spent the day watching telly, and lounging on CHAISE LONGUE (!), listening to records and cuddling, etc. It’s an ace house!
There was a head wind on the way back, but we managed to make it in 55 minutes.
Got back by 7 and I babysat for Immy and Luke while the adults went out. While I’d been out, Luke had written me a v. cute note and Immy had made me a lovely basket of flowers. I made them sandwiches for tea and they really liked it.
Paul rang and we talked for two and a half hours!
Sat 31st Aug, 1985
Got up really early to see Dave and Gill off. Could’ve gone back to bed but figured it wasn’t v. healthy and would only make me yawny and awful all day, so got up and watched THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES (v. funny) then washed the bum on my new pink trousers which got made FILTHY by my bike seat yesterday.
Rachel came round at 1.30pm and we went into town and met Clare, and Patrick, and all four of us went round town for two hours. Some blokes were being awkward in a café and the POLICE came in!
Then I met Paul, and me and him went back to Heworth for a while, then went and met a friend of Paul’s and we went into the Crosss Keys and the John Bull and got drunk. Paul’s friend is quite nice but a bit haughty.
Then I went home and me and Paul spent about quarter of an hour outside kissing and cuddling and talking. He says he really loves and needs me but doesn’t believe I’ll stay in love with him.
Sun 1st Sept, 1985
GOING TO STAITHES.
It was quite a nice journey, we got here in one and a half hours.
It’s an ace little place, obviously somehow an old smuggling village. The cottage Barbie and Bill[grandparents]’ve rented is right on the sea-front, overlooking the harbour, really small, and me and Mum are in the attic. V. nice.
As soon as possible I rang Paul but didn’t speak for long cos two girls kept knocking on the windows and wanting to know who I was speaking to. They were quite nice, about 10.
Mon 2nd Sept, 1985
When I first rang Paul yesterday it was engaged, so I hung around waiting in the phone box, and the phone rang! All I got was someone playing Bruce Springsteen, then someone whistled so I whistled back and put the phone down. Then the same whistle came from outside, so I looked around but couldn’t see owt.
Anyway, after phoning Paul I explored Staithes. There’s only really one street but LOADS of crooked little houses. Instead of on streets, they’re on funny little paths and channels and staircases, all twisting round and mixing up, and it’s impossible to learn your way round them all, but great exploring.
I met a little boy who told me all about how they’d had a puncture. He was really cute.
The sea was really rough and noisy.
Anyway, that was yesterday. TODAY we walked to Runswick and found all the pubs were shut so we had lunch in a café, then I rang Paul and after talking arranged for him to ring me at 6.30.
We walked back to Staithes, and I explored again and found a walk through the fields.
I received my call from Paul, who is missing me and I’m missing him and can’t stop thinking about him and wrote a poem about him yesterday and we’ve decided to cycle up here together one weekend and stay the night and I can show him around.
He asked his friend what he thought of me and he said I was a ‘very nice girl’ but wouldn’t elaborate.
When I came out of the phone box, this boy said sommat about me being on the phone for ages and I had to find a long route back to the house to avoid him cos he seemed hostile.
Tue 3rd Sept, 1985
BACK AT SCHOOL: 6TH YEAR: SKIVING IN STAITHES!
I had a dream about Philip last night and it’s started me thinking about him again. I miss him and it’s about time I saw him again. The FIRST thing I do on Thurs when we get back is go and see Philip. He always cheers me up and takes my mind off other things and I’m getting a bit bogged down with Paul at the moment.
Paul rang this morning and my two girls were there again with some popping stuff and they said Hello to Paul again.
We went to Sandsend today and this evening Paul rang again but there were loud-mouthed kids all round the phone box making a din so I found another one. Paul sounded a bit fed up, and when I asked about seeing him when he’s back at Uni, he said he reckoned it wasn’t a good idea for us to see each other too often, and that depressed me, seeing as I’ve missed him so much, and I wondered if he was getting fed up of this 16-yr-old child and I was in a mood all evening.
___
Labels: Girls' Fun
3 Comments:
NINE MEN'S MORRIS! Wo, you're only the second person I ever met that knows that!
I played it all the time when I was a teenager. Me and my dad used to have tournaments. I still play it occasionally. Great game.
Shakepseare mentions it: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2, Scene 2: "The nine men's morris is filled up with mud".
And your mention of Staithes was well-timed: see here.
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