Friday, June 13, 1980

Friday June 13th

My Maths exam went pretty much as expected, with about two ‘easy’ questions and the rest really difficult. We had to choose five from eight; of these five I was pretty sure about one, not sure about another two and definitely cocked up one – The other I only managed to start before my 2½ hours was up. I think I’ve probably passed Maths – its just Physics I’m worried about. I only know that now I’m just relieved to get my exams over and done with. I’ve just one more on Wednesday and then that’s it till June 30th, when my 6th year induction course begins.

My exam started at nine so I got home at about twelve. Robert has brought most of his 200+ records up so I whiled away the day playing Syd Barrett (“The Madcap Laughs”), The Crusaders ("Street Life”), and a quite good record called Afro Rock featuring five groups, Osibisa, Assagai, Chaka, Simba and Grutz. It was all African jungle rhythms utilizing bongos, timbales etc.

Talking about bongos reminds me that Robert gave me a poster and a badge which he got when he went to the Santana concert in London on June 5th. According to him and to Andrew who has since rung up, it was ace. They played all the old favourites from “Caravanserai” and “Moonflower” – tracks such as “Europa” – and were every bit as good as they always were. The badge and the poster are pretty corny – the poster is a big picture of Carlos; obviously one for the hero-worshippers.

Anyway, Dad came home shortly after Robert, at about 3.45 p.m. Robert had been to visit his new school, Copley Comprehensive, near Swaithebrough, Dearnelow and Dardray. He seemed quite impressed with the organisation, which his school in Woolwich lacks.

Mum came shortly and we had tea in the front room by the television about 5.00 p.m., Robert, Mum and I went to watch television then because at 7.50 was the final series of Citizen Smith, followed by Michael Palin in Ripping Yarns. Dad went to visit Nanna B.

The two programmes were superb, Ripping Yarns being a repeat of the “Barnestoneworth United” episode. The scene where Michael Palin trudges home after his team have lost "8 bloody 1" is really funny. I can well recall the feeling of desolation almost after Athletic lose. You feel sickened, and just want to forget about football, but you soon return.

While Dad was gone we all talked about him. It may have been a bit cruel discussing him like that, almost as if he was a mental patient, but it is interesting getting other peoples’ views on him. We all agreed that he was stubborn and quite pig-headed. He’s still my Dad though, whatever his faults.

After tea, Robert went up for a bath and I watched the news. There was a bit about S. Africa, about the black school boycott. It was calmly divulged that whites there have ten times as much money spent on their education as do blacks. I felt sickened that that fascist dictatorship dares to blatantly charade as a fair and equal country. The sooner the white pigs there are out the better! I was glad Dad was out. A “gradual process” eh!!?

Dad came home about 10 and I then went to bed after watching a brass band programme.

It is now 12.00 pm almost and I’m going to read a book by Che Guevara – “Reminisces of the Cuban Revolutionary War” – which Robin Quinn lent me this morning. It seems quite a good book and not at all as biased as one might think.

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