My Granddad is Keeping Busy

My granddad died in 1983. For the previous 20 years, he kept a diary, recording his day as a farm worker and then through his retirement. We are lucky enough to have his notebooks, all the entries in block capitals, often in pencil. He always tells us about the weather, sometimes about what is going well at the allotment. We get updates of how Liverpool are doing and the occasional political thought. He suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, was always in pain, but you would never know from these entries. My mum once described him as a contented man. Who knows, really, but certainly, there is something soothing about these entries. So I thought I would share them with you. We have a few years to cover so buckle up.

Monday 30th November, 1964

A frost this a.m. I believe. The day much the same as the rest. Terry Downes got beat.* Ron brought Nell in to see me. All is ok at home. The time goes very slowly and it seems ages to wait.

* World title, light heavyweight fight in Manchester against Willie Pastrano. Downes was knocked down twice in the 11th round, while reportedly well ahead on points, and Pastrano retained his title. Downes then retired, and had a number of acting roles, as a thug, including appearing in Derek Jarman’s “Caravaggio”.

anneiskeepingbusy

Leave a comment