January 18th (Part 2) / 19th / 20th

• “Go to Alresford”
• “Good laugh at Al. Usual missing of clothes etc”
• “Got home about 5:30″
Old Alresford Place was built in the 17th Century as a country parish rectory.
In the 1800’s it became the home of the Rt Hon Reverend Sumner, whose wife Mary  founded the Mothers Union, now a worldwide christian organisation boasting a membership of [...]

September 17th 1973

“Had a look for chain at school – could not find it – damn!”
I do remember that this lost chain saga really dominated my thoughts back then.
Maybe its why I went to church yesterday?
Considering the “damn!” however, maybe not?

September 16th 1973

“Went to C in morn”
On this occasion the much-maligned “C”-word refers to “church”
Something that is as alien to me now as never being grumpy.

July 15th 1973

“Done project nearly all day. Went to church and saw my “battle in vestry” in print. Played football wiv Nig, Mal, Mart & Cuppa”
I vaguely remember writing a tongue-in-cheek piece for the church magazine about how two different sets of  religious ’youths’ fought a raging battle across a crowded vestry.
A bit like “Hot Fuzz” – but [...]

July 12th 1973

“Went to Parocial Church County meeting at All Saints.
BORIN!”
Wikipedia describes a (spelled correctly) Parochial Church Council thusly…
The Parochial Church Council or PCC, is the executive body of a Church of England parish. It is constituted as a body corporate by the Church Representation Rules set out in Schedule 3 to the Synodical Government Measure 1969, and [...]

June 17th 1973

“Went to C. – and accident with eye. Sleeped all afternoon, then up woods with nig + mal”
I will assume that the “C” refers to church, although my memory is naturally dim as to the whole ‘eye’ incident.
I’ve always loved Ernest Hemingway’s quote about sleep… “I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall [...]

May 31st 1973

“H.Term – confirmed at All Saints 7:30. Got 100 kroner from Mormor & Holger, Pen from Uncle Bill & Auntie Dot, Alarm clock from Simmonds”
“Confirmation” – according to online research – is a rite of initiation in many christian churches, including the Church of England.
It takes the form of the ‘laying on of hands’ by a [...]

May 30th 1973

“H-Term – Nothing dun in morning, but in afternoon went up Gra’s and he taped Imagine and borrowed Foc 3. Went up dick’s, Trev’s and from there to TIB meal and booze up”
So, lets sum up what TIB – a religious group remember - gave this teenager in the 70’s shall we?
Naughty fumblings in shared sleeping [...]

April 29th 1973

“2nd aniv at T.I.B. – took beer and Roxy Music album”
See?…. if organised religion was like this all the time I could possibly have been a player.
In hindsight there’s something quite glorious about taking an album which features a song about a blow-up doll to a churchly get-together.
Not to mention the ‘beer’ thing.
I was 15 [...]

March 11th 1973

“Went to church in morn – then to rehearsal for passion play – didn’t go to TIBS cos’ I was thoroughly shag tired out”
Honesty time… I had to look up what a “passion play” was
Wikipedia describes it thusly….
A Passion play is a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Christ: the trial, suffering and death of [...]

February 18th 1973

“Got 25p for cleaning car” / “Went to Tibs & was told that Confirmation might be at whitsun. Mum in mood ‘cos of this” / “Went to church to see my masterpiece in print”
Why on earth would my Mum have dropped into a “mood” because my Confirmation would be at whitsun?
Was she secretly planning a holiday [...]

February 11th 1973

“Went to church in the morning and gave Sue C my report of the weekend – she liked it” / “Saw Angela again – wow! Still haven’t made up my mind”
My brain had a fart when I read this diary entry. The resulting smell reminded me about the “report of the weekend” of which I [...]

February 4th 1973

“TIB w-end” / “Went to the baptist church – bloody bore – felt sick for day” / “Got ‘ome 6:30″ / “Goodies back on telly (yippee)” / Angela still after me”
I wonder if Angela looks back on this church weekend with any fondness at all?
I wonder if she remembers being ‘after’ a boy?
I wonder if [...]

February 2nd 1973

“TIB w.end” / “First nite – good larf – theme Light of the World – had a candlemass in Church” / “All in quite good, didn’t get much sleep”
Another teenage weekend of crashing at the vicar’s pad. Heh!
Memory does not serve me well as to how many people were there.
I have no clue what a [...]

January 21st 1973

“TIB at church” / “I caused an argument by getting in a huff with Mum – Sod it!” / “Good Larf in TIBS – Val there – Played on Piano (Not with Val – Awwww)”/ “Gave dep for w-end”
Regular readers may have noticed that the diary entries for 1973 have been, generally, lengthier than they [...]

December 3rd 1972

“(Arguverge)”/ “Went to TIBS and was told there was no trip to Alresford, but thing on 2,3,4 Feb”
“thing”?
what “thing”?
“trip”
what “trip”
I guess we’re all going to have to wait until 1973’s diary is unleashed?!

November 19th 1972

“told in TIBS that would be confirmed at easter + that TIB group would go out on my birfda”
In the whole Church of England malarkey, confirmation is a ‘grown-up’ ritual where individuals who were baptised as babies renew the ‘promises’ made for them at that baptism by their parents and godparents.
Only after confirmation is the individual admitted [...]

June 19th – 23rd 1972

June 19th “Geography (QH) / “English Language (QE) / French (QH)”
June 20th “Maths (VH)”
June 21st “Physics (VH) / Chem (VH)”
June 22nd “Bio (H)”
June 23rd “English Lit (QE) / T.D. (QE) / RE (VH)
Thrilling diary entries as promised a few posts back.
School exams.
Acronyms in brackets standing for “Quote Hard”, “Quite Easy”, “Very Hard” & “Hard”
Surprising that [...]

May 22nd 1972

“no more norty things. bit tired all day but not to worry”
Blimey, I’m not surprised I was tired.
That was, apparently, one (if the word can be excused under the circumstances) hell of a sleepless church weekend!!
“but not worry” makes me appear ridiculously nonchalant about it all though, especially when the “no more norty things” is taken [...]

May 21st 1972

“locked val and sue out of their room in afternoon” / “service in afternoon” / “more norty tricks” / “got home at 5:15, found out that have lost pen”
Lest we forget the true purpose of the weekend, “service in the afternoon” probably relates to something ‘church-esque’. I am pretty sure it doesn’t suggest anything untoward, *ahem*, if [...]