December 23rd / 24th 1973

• “Worked in morning”
• “Worked all day – Good laugh!”
Good laugh?
Must have been the only time I worked in retail in the two days prior to Christmas that I could have described as a “good laugh”
Maybe supermarket customers aren’t quite as … er … ‘frustrating’ … as hi-fi or music buyers proved to be later [...]

December 21st 1973

“Got £7.20 pay – BLOODY HELL!!”
Using online tools and research I appear to have worked out that £7.20 would be worth approximately £33.30 in today’s money.
[pauses to look at current income from investments and savings...]
BLOODY HELL!
£7.20 was a lot of money!!!

November 2nd 1973

“Bort 2 cassettes from Comet – Recorded 2Man – Work, out on bike in pitch black darkness (figures!)”
The music piracy and piss-poor grocery delivering continue unabated!

August 4th 1973

“Work all day – Ward in BAD mood. Nig came up in evng. Done painting”
Hey, a boss in a bad mood?
In the best traditions of ‘karma’ and/or the philosophy of “pass it forward” I bet I got my own back later in my life when I ran my own businesses!
As for the painting, I can REMEMBER [...]

August 3rd 1973

“Roger came for me at 10 – said Ward wanted me to work all day – did so. Swapped my Scalextric for Bernard’s organ”
I will now pause whilst the more juvenile amongst you make up your own jokes…………
Done?
Good…..
Right, so having been denied an earlier opportunity to become a Scalextrix racing Car driver of some [...]

July 30th 1973

“Worked all day”
As this was a Monday “all day” in 1973 would have meant from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm.
Yes, a supermarket that was far from convenient.
That’s how it was in the seventies. God forbid that a shop would be open when you might need it to be open?!!

July 27th/28th 1973

•27• “Nothing all day except work from 5-8. Out on Bike”
•28• “Work. Out on Bike again”
A quick flick ahead in the diary suggests there are several entries like these throughout the summer, so I’ve made the decision to lump them together on occasion so as not to incite complete boredom amongst my faithful band of [...]

May 22nd 1973

“When got home had haircut. Went out in Van for Ward. Went up woods”
Another haircut? What happened to the hippy teenager?
I assume the “van” refers to some kind of supermarket delivery vehicle? (“Ward” was my boss at Lancaster & Crook). Why would I go out in it when I couldn’t even drive? Presumably then, I was [...]

May 19th 1973

“Work all day, got 1.92 wages. Had to clear out storeroom. Went up Nigs Evng. Drew funny picture + posed as Tramp for Mal’s ‘o’-level”
Now here’s a funny coincidence.
I cannot, for the life of me, remember dressing up as a tramp so that Mal could (presumably) paint some kind of picture of me.
However, MANY years [...]

May 18th 1973

“Went to work. Sue & Stella have invited me and Nig to Barbecue next Sat. Mite take Angela”
Sue & Stella were fellow workers at Lancaster & Crook.
Sue, as I remember, was a “bit of a looker”. (Stella, by contrast, I can’t recall, at all)
Looks like my social life is about to take a turn for [...]

May 12th 1973

“Work all day – got 1.52 pay for only 7½hrs work which is quite good”
What’s more upsetting than the apparent 2op (30 cents) an hour rate I was getting in 1973 is the fact that, right now, it is 20p an hour more than I am currently earning!

April 28th 1973

“Work all day. Stocktaking, but didn’t stay – was too tired” / “Sorted books out for school”
What a lazy little toad I appeared to be in 1973.
Stocktaking was obviously a chance for a bit more money but I didn’t stay for it.
Maybe it just sounded ‘boring’? – I’ve never dealt with being bored very well.
Instead [...]

March 23rd 1973

“Got sent out in Physics thanks to Dave B” / “Rode my bike from school so’sat I get home earlier for work” / “Nig started work wiv me over Lancaster & Crook”
I wonder what misdemeanour I got sent out of Physics for? Seems as if this Dave B character was real perpetrator and I was [...]

March 18th 1973

“Argument” / “Got 10/- for cleaning car – last time I will do it – ee’s movin” / “Bort hi-fi mag”
On no……… my supplemental source of income was moving away!
Still, ten bob (shillings) – or 50p – was quite the sum for a teenage lad in those days so I doubtless didn’t complain too much.
Especially [...]

March 2nd 1973

“Only worked till seven – felt a bit worn out after the past hectic week” / “Bort 3 light ales for the drinking of”
This cracks me up so very much.
One, the past week has apparently has been so hectic (reads back on entries, sees mention of scalextric, table tennis and one night’s homework) that I am [...]

February 17th 1973

“Got first pay 3.70 – 1.50 sub” / ”Bort new stylus 70p” / “Took bak Who Do We Think We Are – got £2.50 back” / “Lent Roger Moving Waves” / “Statement from Halifax” / “City 1 Liverp 1″
Aaaaah……… my first proper pay packet, suggesting that I underestimated my anticipated income as £1.70. It actually appears [...]