Late May 1984

the calm before the storm - of O-Levels...

Miss C arrived late for RE because her car wouldn’t start, and as she was pushing it, it started going off down the drive, with her holding onto it for dear life, and it ended up on the other side of the A56. She got a lot of help from various people – her neighbour helped her reverse it out of the brick wall. Then she got a lift on the Lymn Grammar School bus as far as Lymn Grammar playground. Another bus driver delivered her to school. She arrived in the classroom, and we gave her coffee to revive her, and we sat there drinking some ourselves. We had a very lazy lesson.

We didn’t bother going to choir at lunchtime, instead we sat around talking sex.
We ha
d Hymn Practice this morning, malheureusement. We sang God Gives His People Strength, and God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again, because today was U6’s last day. tradition...

Once home I did ¾ hours French, had tea, and then worked continually from 1740 – 1910 on English, French, Latin, and a little History. After Coronation Street I did a bit more French and some Music.

This hard studying has left me mentally and physically exhausted. Emotionally, it has had two effects upon me – firstly to give me a great deal of confidence in my ability to settle and work, and secondly a blue funk about my inability to get the stuff done in time. I have this vision of my DS and French exams, twelve days and sixteen days in the future, taking on an almost human role, becoming personified, stepping out, fast approaching, always advancing in my direction, increasing in size. Jeez, j’ai eu peur.

I went to bed very depressed.

I felt really cheerful mid morning – or rather midday, but mostly I have been pretty awful. Earlier on, I felt frustrated, partly because the world was going on about last night’s match between Spurs and Anderlecht. Spurs eventually won on penalty shoot out.

Maths was horrid. I hate the flaming subject. We had done the O-Level the previous year and were now starting the A-Level syllabus, but I was not intending to Maths A-Level.... I can’t do it – well I could if I applied myself, but I am totally apathetic. Andrea castigated me – and she wasn’t joking.

Music was mixed. Mrs Bm was away. Miss Fa took us. We did a test essay on Monteverdi’s Beatus Vir. I did chronically abysmally. We also discussed Arnold’s Scottish Dances. At least I began to cheer up; indeed I felt quite lively and content in Latin – Ovid – and the beginning of lunchtime. But then I was lying stretched out, relaxing, relaxing when Jackie L poured water over me. I was most annoyed, cos it went up my nose and into my eyes. We adjourned upstairs, but Andrea, Judy and Louise sat watching the childish cavorting outside half of Form Five engaged in water fights , so I went down to the Broadwalk, and had a nice gossip with Ria.

I began to become very depressed at Registration, thinking about what a load of slaggy bitches there are in my class. I grew even more depressed in English, realising I will never know anything.

While revising, I listened to the radio – all Radio Three, which tends to be the station I listen to the most.

Today has been quite a dos but Andrea has been in a foul mood. We did very little work whatsoever. Amazing that, considering that we now have no more lessons left before our O-Levels! Take Maths – well, Isabel took photoes. French was lazy, no panic. Study was a right dos. Mrs S said we could talk, so I did – with Jane and Juliette.

Lunchtime was a bit mixed. We messed around, but we couldn’t break any school rules, because Sr E, Mrs Pe, and Miss G made their presence rather conspicuous. It was sad – because we had water fights planned, and Mel, Katie O’T and Kathy Mc were planning to climb up and ring the chapel bell.

Before Music I strolled round school looking for a suitable firebell. I originally planned the middle corridor, because I had prereckoned it would be deserted – it was, of firebells as well as people. So I went onto the bottom corridor, but the bloody thing wouldn’t smash, and then I saw Mrs Tr coming. I accompanied Janet and Trisha up the stairs, and smashed the bell near the Physics Lab – and scarpered quick. I should, of course, have written to the headteacher on Health and Safety grounds, pointing out how difficult it had been to find a firebell to smash

After lining up for a bit, we returned to lessons. Mrs Bm came in, accusing me jokingly of smashing it, I had previous - outside the Music Room, before Music..., little suspecting that it was actually me!

After school we were allowed home. That surprised me rather: after all, Mrs Qn did search us for flour and eggs. She gave the remainder of my coffee a very suspicious look.

At home I revised while listening to some Brahms and Lizst Piano Music, and wrote my love story while listening to Aaron Copland’s wonderful Appalachian Spring.

I did a touch of revision while listening to Dvorak’s Cello Concerto and Vaughan Williams’ 4th Symphony. Then I watched Scotland v England. The final score was 1-1, a very meaningless result to a highly entertaining match. This result means that every team has won one game, drawn one and lost one, so Northern Ireland win – retain – the Championship, on goal difference.

I went to Church with Math. We both agreed it was bloody boring.

You know, revision’s a funny thing. One minute you’re all genned up on the digestion of proteins, then you’re writing about the beauty of Mozart’s operas.
Reggie Bosanquet and Eric Morecambe died today.

There was a partial eclipse of the moon this evening, which I saw.

Today has been bloody awful. I was forced Presumably following a blazing row... to go to Mass this morning Holy Day of Obligation - Corpus Christi? with the men of the family. I spent the morning in half hearted revision, which I also did after lunch, the emphasis being on the half hearted rather than the revision.

After tea, I got ready to go out. I thought I looked bloody good!

I went out with Papa to a Hallé Concert, held by Granada, and costing nothing, at the Free Trade Hall. Before it even began, I saw the actors who play Jack Duckworth and Percy Sugden in the side circle.

Eventually, the concert began as Owain Arwel Hughes took the platform. First was the Nat Ant, followed by a Fanfare. Next was Geoffrey Burgon’s beautiful and evocative Brideshead Variations, with the rich, high (but not raucous) brass and the mellow oboes contrasting with the accompanying strings. This was followed by Peter and the Wolf, narrated by Bamber Gascoigne.

After the interval was ‘the Ring’ an operatic sketch based on a typical day in the Rovers Return, by somebody called Stephen Oliver (who took a bow). The idea was good, but unfortunately, it didn’t come out too well in the concert-hall, because the words were important, but not properly enunciated, or else half drowned by the orchestra. I think it would sound better under studio conditions, or as full blown opera with pit orchestra.

The final piece was Mussorgsky/Ravel Pictures From An Exhibition, which was mediocre in places, but worked up into a stirring, frenzied, PERCUSSIVE climax, leaving me exhausted!

As we came out, we saw the actresses who play Hilda Ogden and Mavis Riley.