Stone

It was quite a fine day and incredibly warm and still. After English with Giles during which we were told about our Creative writing option in the exam, we all adjourned to the Common Room, and I spent the next three-and-a-half hours in hypocritical lethargy, boredom and absolute idleness talking (or not) with Angela, Julie, Deborah, Duncan, Lee, Tommy, Richard, and Claire. I felt pissed off with Jeremy, which was maybe my fault, maybe not, but I felt like he was ignoring me and being rather terse. Robin asked me if I fancied going rock climbing tonight on Moxthorpe Common, so I agreed to meet him at the Egley Lane/ Coal Farm Rd junction at seven. After this I read Doris Lessing’s Briefing for a Descent into Hell and stayed at school reading almost until four. I’m enjoying it. It’s strange.

At seven I met Steve and Sharon and we called round for Wendy Truswell, then all met up with Tim Moyles, Peter Wood, and Robin. Wendy couldn’t come, so we all walked up to Moxthorpe Common, along the path that Claire and I took, and then clambered up among the rocks. We climbed loads of difficult rock faces, some of which were thirty feet tall, and although Tim, Robin, and Peter made it look easy, Steve and I didn’t. It’s a lot harder than it looks, but it was a good evening and I enjoyed messing about amid the sunset, the warm bracken, and the stone. I chickened out of the abseiling though; I’m a total coward.

We walked back through dark Burgoyne’s Park and I heard things said which secretly I long to be true but realistically I know aren’t.