Debt

Mild outside, all the Geographers gone into the Dales for a field trip. I spent most of the time with Jeremy’s headphones on listening to Madness. I owe Gledhill £1.60 for a New Scientist, Duncan 80p for busfare and Richard Houlding 20p from London.

In the afternoon I went to Lee’s to see the film he took last Friday and in London and I stayed there most of the evening. The film was disappointing and I was struck by how awful I look.

Mysteries

First lesson spent waiting for Ingham to stop hovering around so I could go to the shop, which I did at about ten, and then the whole of the second period I sat in the stiflingly hot library talking to Claire. She told me that just before Christmas Michael told her he loved her, which, by the way she rolled her eyes when she told me, she obviously thought quite corny. She said she sneaked a look through his diary and was surprised that it was packed with every little detail that happened between them. "He seems obsessed." She says she really just wants to be friends with him and nothing more. Christ . . . if she saw this!

In English we were given parts from one of the Alverhouse Mystery Plays to read out, and in Slicer’s lesson we again discussed Enobarbus’ friendship with Antony, dismissing the idea that they were gay in any way. Then at one thirty everyone went to the poetry seminar at Easterby Poly’ and I went down to the Sports Hall to get ready for the rugby.

Our opponents Wheatshaw were already changed and out practising. They’re an excellent side, and the pace was much faster than the previous games I've played. I managed to get the ball and pass it on down the line a couple of times, but more often than not it was snatched away from me. At half-time it was 0-0, but soon after the break Wheatshaw scored two tries and got a penalty and then we really soaked up the pressure, battling away in scrums and rucks within inches of our line before we fought back and scored a couple of tries. A good atmosphere at this point, Ingham, Flatters and McIntyre shouting encouragement from the sidelines. We lost 10-11.

Tommy brought in his cassette recorder today and it looked really good and worked well at first, but then the recording facility went, then rewind and fast forward, and finally it quit altogether! I'm annoyed; it's pretty rotten of him.

No way noble

Farrar asked me if I would play rugby again tomorrow and I said yes but quickly realised that I'm supposed to be going to Easterby Polytechnic for a poetry seminar. I'd much sooner play rugby and Farrar seemed a bit annoyed when I told him about the conflict, but within minutes he’d managed to sort it out. Tommy told me he's selling his £40 Phillips cassette recorder for £10! He’s bringing it in tomorrow and I hope it's good.

After Art I kept thinking about redecorating my bedroom, maybe painting it unconventionally with black and white striped walls or something.

Delusions, all wet

Raining again and arrived late so as to avoid the assembly, finding Jeremy, Claire and Deborah in the common room having done the same. We talked about our weekends while the girls brushed their wet hair. Julie Crabtree was very flirty today.

The debate after school was about abolishing school uniforms, which I voted for. For the next one, Jeremy and I are proposing that sporting links with South Africa should be resumed and I’ll argue that politics should be divorced utterly from sport, which is a little naïve I know. Walked home with Claire and Michael B. She talked to him the entire way and it's pointless deluding myself any longer.

Collectivisation

All the snow gone and throwing it down all day. Prospects for the match looked pretty poor, and as Robert and Carol were coming across from Hull, I tried to get in touch but they'd left already so it was pointless. Sure enough, they rolled up at about one but seemed happy enough to stay anyway. We all sat about talking, playing records and things went quite pleasantly until four, when they left.

I didn't get a word of my collectivisation essay written until seven, but was quite pleased with my progress. I wrote four and a half sides and finished at eleven thirty.