The Return of the Teenage Diaries

May 1981 - aged 13....

A whole tin of treacle had spilt in Mel’s DS basket so she and Sam spent the whole of French and English clearing it up. When they eventually returned to English Mrs Bs went spare. Later on, Mel was reading a magazine, so Bs chucked her out of the classroom “and wait until Miss R deputy head passes and asks you what you were doin.” Miss R eventually passed – she passed. We were pissing ourselves. Sucks to Bs.

Aston Villa have won the Championship even though they lost, because Ipswich also lost. On the news they said that an Aer Lingus was hijacked en route from Dublin to London, and forced to land at Le Touquet. The hijacker was a Trappist Monk.

I read in the paper that Altrincham are champions of the Alliance Premier League. I hope they get into the 4th Division. It said on the news the reason that the former Trappist monk hijacked the plane was because he wanted the Vatican to reveal the third secret of Fatima.

Bobby Sands died this morning and there was fighting on the streets. In Norway someone threw a missile at the Queen protesting at Bobby Sands’ death.

After school I went to a rehearsal for Noye's Fludde, in the chapel. I discovered that I have to hit the cymbal double forte when God ie Mr J speaks.
At home I heard the chart. As an Ant Person it is the day to celebrate. NUMBER ONE is ‘STAND AND DELIVER’ BY ADAM AND THE ANTS!!!!!!!

In RE we were supposed to be discussing our class Mass for Monday. Mind you, I played with Nicola’s Rubic cube and wrote some fiction. In Chemistry we did practical – metals reacting with acids. Magnesium with dilute hydrochloric acid was fantastic. Steam came off, and it really bubbled, and was hot. Then I broke a test-tube, because Fiona D knocked my hand.

Adam and the Ants were on Top of the Pops!

The bus broke down on the way to school so we had to transfer to another one. At school I learnt that both Magda’s and Sandra’s bus also broke down.

I watched the Cup Final today: Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur. Tommy Hutchinson scored after about thirty minutes. Hoddle took a free kick and it went in off Hutchinson After ninety minutes the score was 1-1, so they went into extra time. There were no more goals so there will be a replay.

I went out to school for a Noye's Fludde practice. Bridget C now an important producer at the Beeb arrived and said she’d been headbanging all night. Her headbanging!

At school we discussed the cup final. Andrea Bu and Magda started it.
When we were waiting to go into Biology, Clare and I were quoting God from Noye!” And that is all my darling dear”. Johnny was at the bottom of the stairs. He said “Have you quite finished up there?”

Before Mrs P'a arrived for Maths, Cass G told me about this girl she knows who goes to another school. Well, anyway, she went home and said to her Mum that out of her whole class she was one of only two virgins. So her Mum said she could go on the Pill.

Stand and Deliver by Adam and the Ants is still number one

I caught the 264 with Renee, Sarah and Fiona. Fiona had something from the Daily Star about Adam, who, incredibly, sold 1/3 of all records sold last week! Danny was on the bus. I’ve gone off him a bit.

It’s really brill where I sit in the classroom. On my left I have the window and the corridor, as well as a small and useful ledge. Behind me is the radiator – that’s lost most of its advantage now, because the heat is off at the mains, anyway, but in the winter I could control the heat. It’s still useful for putting things on. On the right of me is Chapman. That’s the blue chair and we’ve called it Chapman because it keeps murdering us. As my desk is on its own, I’m not distracted by anybody – well, Andrea Ba is across the aisle but if necessary I can switch off.

At 1.20pm I had an orchestra practice which lasted, for the percussionists, until 3.40pm. I had to across to the Physics Lab to get a stool and Johnny said, “Come over here, Gert, you horrible creature.”

I went out to school for Noye's Fludde. Before the performance Mr L came up to me, and I told him he looked very nice in his bow tie!

During the performance everything went wrong (for me). I didn't hit the cymbal properly, and kept losing my way. Katie C got her words mixed up, but I think only the cast noticed! Everybody laughed, thank goodness, when Helen hit Keiran. One day I'll be able to say I was in the same performance as various people - one who works for Really Useful company, one who is a Primary School headteacher in Devon, one who isn't on Google and one who has his own website, sort of when they're all famous!

I caught the 264 with Fiona and Renee. Danny was on. I still fancy him, although obviously, I'm not going to go around opening my mouth about it, what with him having a famous Dad.

We had an ace dos at registration. We went around switching off lights. When we were on Wigmore stairs Mrs M asked us if we shouldn't be in our classroom. We came upon Mrs R, and she asked us what we were laughing at. Then she said, "Why is everywhere in darkness...I bet it's you that's been turning the lights off." She turned them on, and as soon as she'd gone, we put them back off again. Ace laugh!

I went out to Noye's Fludde. We all had to sign a card for Keiran. Needless to say, Kathy had her name under 'Dear Mr Noye'.

The performance went exceedingly well, even I. Mr L said I played much better than yesterday, and put his arm around me. I do hope he doesn't leave. He really is nice. Okay, he can be ratty, but that makes it doubly satisfying when he's nice. I'll never be happy again if Raymond leaves as well as Sister B.

Afterwards we did Loreto speciality - moving furniture, or, rather, percussion instruments. I'll receive my Diploma yet. Well, I've already received a souvenir of The Fludde - a Muppet Mug, a present from Raymond.

In History we were talking about Noye's Fludde. Mrs Mc said the percussion was very good, so I said Mr L was very good. Mrs Mc twigged he's my 'latest', which isn't strictly accurate. We also talked about our trip to North Wales. I think it's going to be really gear. In Music I asked Mrs Bm whether it was true that Mr L is leaving. She said that she thinks she’d know if he was. I feel quite optimistic, therefore. I do hope he stays.

In Latin Miss F was saying that she enjoys teaching us but ‘You are all prisoners in this Colditz.’

(At home) I listened to the chart. 1 is Stand and Deliver- Adam and the Ants. I watched the Harlem Globetrotters which was absolutely fantastic.

In French we recited the homework we had to learn. I didn’t do too well. Frances asked why we couldn’t go down to the drama studio and act it out. Mme H said it wasn’t really worth it; all we needed was a train station and a café. I suggested we went down to Altrincham station to act it out, but Mme H said it would be better to do it at Calais, and then pop into the nearest French restaurant. In English we got out essays back. Mrs Bs said I ought to look in the magazines for Young Journalist competitions, and inflict my essays on the judges, and not her! Ace laugh!

In Physics we talked about train rails and expansion. It was very boring

School finished at 3.30. Mrs S made everybody in their blazers stay behind. (another of the stupid petty things at our school - second years were supposed to keep their gaberdines and blazers in the damp cloakroom at the other end of the school but to get in there you had fight through 120 first years and be inspected by stupid teachers who made you button your blazer up, plus it added about ten minutes to the day and was well out of the way if you were leaving by the back gate to walk home across the park. So most of us kept them in the classroom. There must have been at least sixteen people there, and Jane had hers in her bag. At home I watched the News. Francois Mitterand is now officially French President and has restored the National Anthem to its proper tempo.

I had a percussion lesson. My goodness, was Mr Lin a bad mood. He kept shouting and hiding his head in his hands. I did timpani and side drum.
‘English’ was absol brill. Before Mrs Bs arrived, I was playing pontoon with Kerstie. We heard the ‘normal’ bell go and thought someone was just pissing around. Then it changed – to a continuous ring. Christina, who had just gone out in the corridor, reported this, so we all went down to the tennis courts. We were there for over twenty minutes (until 3.30) and four police arrived. It was a bomb scare! There are confused stories as to when it was supposed to go up – 3.45 or 4.00, so we all had to be evacuated.

Ace dos. Pauline came home. Right! Ann-Marie and her had told Stephen to phone up and say there’s a bomb. Ha ha! And all the police (there was more than four) were searching under the teachers’ cars!!

I saw the news. Peter Sutcliffe is guilty of all 13 murders, and the judge recommends an imprisonment of not less than 30 years.

Very long commentary on a match at Wembley. England 0 Scotland 1. We probably put out a B team.

I watched The Val Doonican Show with special guests Keith Harris and Orville, and Lena Zavaroni.

Bank Holiday. I watched the Great Escape. It was an excellent film – comic in parts, tragic in others, and poetic in others. It was true, as well, which made it even more enjoyable.

I watched the European Cup Final Liverpool v Real Madrid. I have never said this before about a football match – maybe a result, but never about a match – UNDILUTED CRAP. Then suddenly it became rather exciting. The final score was 1-0 to Liverpool.

Switzerland v England. The fighting on the terraces was awful – Union Jacks all over the place, and the match is being shown all over Europe. It’s only a small minority – 200 or so. The final score was Switzerland 2 England 1 – the first time Switzerland have beaten England for 34 years.