Got up 9.30. Too wet to do any gardening. Dot, Ron and Jane came about 3.30. We all went to Chester to David’s* 21st birthday party. Got home about 6.30. Jane very good.
(*My mum’s cousin)
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.

Got up 9.30. Too wet to do any gardening. Dot, Ron and Jane came about 3.30. We all went to Chester to David’s* 21st birthday party. Got home about 6.30. Jane very good.
(*My mum’s cousin)
Day off today. A lovely warm sunny day. Got up 9.30 a.m. Finished my digging. Went to P in the afternoon. Did the mowing and started to dig the big rose bed.
Showery at first but a lovely mild day. Little Jane got vaccinated yesterday. Car washing H. Polished A in the week. G.S. making 81 to date. Cleared the bins from the lab workshop. Did all the Ts.
A lovely mild day with some sunshine. Washed S car and did all the Ts. Did some weeding on border under big wall and started to hoe among the rhodies. Two bigs to burn.
Rather cool today with strong wind and some rain. Washed G car and did all the Ts. A lot of stuff to burn. Fire went out and had to relight it. N gone to D. 4d on baccy. 1d on beer.
Strong wind blowing rather cool. Budget day. Went to the Docs with my knee this a.m. Did all the Ts. Cleaned both the jets. Some heavy showers last night. Cleared silage lab.
A nice day but the wind rather cool. Knee very bad today. Ron off sick. Only one car. Mc, making 77 to date. Did all the the Ts again. A good lot of stuff in for burning.
Rain this morning. Didn’t do any gardening. Read the paper. Ron, Dot and Jane came for tea. Jane up to all sorts of tricks. Saw Joe in the Wheat.
Day on today. Got done about 10 am. A nice mild day. Charles came for scrap. Did the mowing at home and went to P in the p.m. Finished pruning. Didn’t do the mowing.
A lovely mild sunny day. Did A car and polished it. Also in the week did B.H.T. making 76 to date. Did all the toilets. Paid 2/6 for 1 dozen eggs from Mrs Ward.