Sunday June 29th

An unremarkable day, highlighted only by a blazing row between Mum and Dad about education, Dad calling Mum a bolshevist and communist.

I got up at 1030 and read the ‘Times’ until late morning when Nanna P. and Dad got up. We had dinner about twelve and it was after this that the argument started.

It began innocuously enough, with Mum saying that she didn’t agree with Thatcher’s policy of financing private schools to the detriment of comprehensives. Dad disagreed and soon things escalated. Dad accused Mum (ridiculously) of being a Communist and she, in turn, said that he was a virtual fascist. He eventually stormed out beaten, making remarks from the other room about living in a left wing household and singing the ‘Red Flag.’ The dispute dissolved into comedy, with everyone half-seriously making comments about everyone else.

The nastiness erupted again though when Dad said that Mum spoke rubbish. This upset her a lot because she got really angry and virtually accused him of fascism. I was quite impressed with Mum. She really has got her head screwed on right as far as arguments go and had Dad totally beaten.

Throughout all this me and Nanna P. remained silent except for occasional remarks supporting Mum. It may seem a bit one-sided but it was because Dad was speaking complete crap. His attitude was (and still is) “I’m all right Jack, stuff the worker” and “ . . we pulled ourselves up so why can’t they? . . .” etc.

One comment which really did make me annoyed looking back was when he asked Mum why she wasn’t living on Norfolk estate, “Because you would fit in there”! Some of the things he said I just can’t believe, even now! The general tone of his argument was just incomprehensible and totally one-sided.

Anyway, after that things soon cheered up. At two o’clock Mum, Dad and N. P. went out in the car for a run. I stopped at home, supposedly to tidy my bedroom up and get my things ready for school tomorrow, but I ended up messing about – calculating the world’s population for every year until 2009, by which, according to my figures, the population will be 7.53 billion – and such like.

They came home at five o’clock and we had bacon and eggs for tea (we normally have salad).

I went up and had a bath soon after, pulling the plug at half seven. I then played records upstairs while watching the sun set in a superb golden sky.

Dad and Mum took Nanna back mid evening and I watched Alan Minter’s World Championship Title defence. He absolutely butchered Vito Antufermo – his face was like raw meat – and the ‘fight’ was stopped after Round 8.

Mum and Dad brought fish and chips back and I then came to bed. As I write this I’m still looking forward to tomorrow and I’ve decided to tidy my bedroom etc., now while I still feel active.