The great roof space clear out of 2011 reveals that for three years I did attempt to write a diary. I think this was mostly because for Christmas 1988, 1989 and 1990 (I was P4, P5, P6 and P7 during these years) I got the Brownie Guide diary.
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| It wasn't your typical 'Dear Diary' sort of diary. More a diary your keep appointments in. What appointments a Brownie is supposed to have, I don't know but that's neither here nor there at this point. |
At the beginning of each one was about twenty pages of 'activities'. 1989's was the only one I attempted to complete. Perhaps the work I did indicates why I never completed any other pages.
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| I see I let my imagination run wild with how Brownies might look in 2014. |
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| Not so much an 'interesting clock' as 'just a clock'. |
Now, I'll say write from the start I wasn't very good at writing often in my diary, illustrated by the fact the first actual entry in 1989 comes in March.
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| It seems nothing diary-worthy happened until the big news of red nose Day and the fact that my best friend Laura might come up to my house on Saturday. Not sure what exactly I've drawn there on Wednesday. Some sort of hammer handed man by the looks of it. |
I wrote down family birthdays and my own, of course.
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| Good spelling. And ever the child royalist it's good I was celebrating the Duke and Duchess of York's third wedding anniversary. |
That's all the big events of 1989! 1990 started off better with the first recording coming in January:
Wednesday 3rd January
Today is the last day of the holidays
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| WE started Ink today |
Wednesday 24 January
We had snow today (it was fulley)
(I can only assume I meant fluffy.)
Thursday 25 January
I had sore legs
Friday 26 January
I was off with sore legs
Saturday 27 January
Went to carrickfegus got mini piona and play clay
(and by 'piona' I mean piano. All the right letters, just not necessarily in the right order. I think I got these because I hadn't been well.)
Wednesday 7 February
Laura said she liked heavy metal and it could only be played loud
We had miss beaston
(Laura and I were forever falling out. I think we fell out over this because I knew she didn't really like heavy metal. No clue on Miss Beaston. A sub? Great name though.)
Thursday 8 February
We had her again
Friday 9 February
and again
Sunday 11 February
Nelson Mandela was freed from jail after 30 years in prison
Wednesday 14 February
We gave Allister L cards for a joke
everyone went woooo
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Tuesday 27 February
I had 3 big big pancakes Thursday 1 March
we had icy snowy stuff
I did not sleep a wink
went to docters
Friday 2 March
I was off school
I went to docs
wee bit about 7-8 hours sleep
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Sunday 4 March
fourth rail bridge 100th birthday
(Must have been on Blue Peter.)
Tuesday 13 March
We had Mr Gray
He shouted at me cause I was talking to Laura
Wednesday 14 March
We had Mrs Powers (uuuh)
Thursday 15 March
A junalist was hanged because he was thouted to be a spy.
(I really did always like current affairs. Spelling and grammar, not so much.)
Friday 23 March
Mum went to a course
Sunday 25 March
She came back
Monday 26 March
I counted how many words I have in my English book 2
I have 2808
That's where 1990 ended. I must have known myself I had reached a low point in my diary keeping.
Christmas 1990 brought a new Brownie Guide diary and a new attempt to document my life. Well I say that, but the first entry doesn't come until March. Again it was Red Nose Day that prompted me.
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| Friday 15 March Red nose day 3 THE STONKE 7.25pm - 2.30am Saw 7.25pm - 11.00 (I don't know why I thought it was important to write down my viewing hours.) |
Wednesday 24 April
I was in the play
I played a nurse and the recorder
Miss Cathcart came to the play (student teacher)
(I have no memory of this, except getting my hair cut that afternoon (in Hair We Are, Whiteheaders!))
Those were the highlights of P6 it seems. There wasn't anything else until my birthday. Now, two years later would I be able to spell it right?
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| My Birthday Very inporten (Oh you had to push it Tina.) |
Saturday 14 September
Space shuttle Discovery at these times:
20.56
22.37
12.11 (and will be flying for the next 3 days)
Sunday 15 September
I saw it
all excited
It saw it 12.30-12.35
I saw a green flashing light shaped like a pepsi or coke bottle
(Yeah, it was either that or the flight coming in from Heathrow that night was delayed.)
Friday 11 October
I did the 11+ today. It was o.k
Thursday 17 October
Todd Landers left for Adulade and Neighbours
(Really Tina? Neighbours updates?)
Sunday 20 October
I became a vetation today
Nobody thinks I will keep it but I will.
We got our caps and stuff taken off us because of Keith
(The problems came from not liking vegetables. Or vetables. And I don't know what Keith did, but Hallow'een was a big deal for us - we'd make bangers and sparkler bombs. Actually, maybe our caps being confiscated why I still have functioning eyes and ears?)
Monday 21 October
Kerry was shot in Neighbours
Tuesday 22 October
It was confirmed that she was dead
Friday 25 October
Todd was in Cody's house
he ran away
(Slow news week, eh Tina?)
Saturday 26 October
Karen and I had a mini mini game of hockey 4-1 to her
(Karen of marathon and photography fame.)
Sunday 27 October
They knocked down the front of the Post Office. I'll never forget it. People are wiping out the history.
(I was absolutely incredulous at this. I even detailed how the 'old' Post Office looked.)
Saturday 2 November
Australia won the Rugby world cup 12-6 at twictaham
Mum went to Eire
('twictaham', bless. But seriously Tina? You referred to it as Eire? Also a point to note: dad went away for work a lot so that never registered with me and my diary.)
Monday 18 November
Mummy's birthday
Terry Waite was freed after 1763 days in captivity
Monday 25 November
Freddie Mercury of Queen (rock band) died last night just 24 hours before he announced he had Aids
He knew beforehand
(I loved Queen when I was little, well David liked them so so did I. I remember being quite stunned at this, that it was all quite sudden. He was sick and then, bam: he died. A fact reflected in this entry, I needed to know that he knew he had been sick, that it wasn't just as sudden to him as it was to me.)
Saturday 28 December
Mum had a house warming party, it ended at 1.30 Sunday.
(This party was legendary in the Park for years after. I don't know why, I don't think anyone got drunk. It was probably the last time anything 'community' ever happened in our street. Unless they've all been having parties without us?)
Tuesday 31 December
New Year's Eve went swimming with Laura
I love that they are just a junior version of me now, with the interest in big events and things that I do. They're like a very early version of my blog! What's really surprising is that I checked the dates of the news stories I wrote about and they're all right! Even the number of days Terry Waite was held for is right. Must have been my historian genes shining through.
I thought that was it for my diary until I came across a 'poem' right at the end I think I must have written. I hated poetry in school but it probably does sum up my feelings pretty well on the 11+.
When Lineker is scoring goals
And Faldo is putting on the green
When Moorhouse is in the pool
And Christie is training
What am I doing?
All for 200 misely questions
All for 1h 40 min work
All for grades 1 or 2 or 3 or 4
That's what I'm doing
Profound Tina.
Just wish I could say the same for the Neighbours entries.
3 comments:
I remember the house party!
I see the very early signs of a politics diary in there!
I also kept a diary - or several diaries over the years - but mine were more about how I felt and what I thought about people. I will not be publishing mine!!
Karen, I knew you would! I don't even remember why it was so memorable.
You're totally right Brian, definitely are! It would have been quite geeky for me to have written about the poll tax and the like though! No, probably best not to publish them, but I bet they're still funny to look back over! Like big, major incidents that now you can hardly remember!
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