Pheasant shooting beings
Got up at 9.20. A rotten day. Rained the whole day. John brought my wages. Not fit to go out all day. Did some reading and sorted out some books.
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.

Pheasant shooting beings
Got up at 9.20. A rotten day. Rained the whole day. John brought my wages. Not fit to go out all day. Did some reading and sorted out some books.
Another lousy day with showers. Lou and Less came. Brought Dot and Jane with them and went back about 4.30. Had a nice day with Jane. Stayed in at night.
Not a very nice day. Went to Selby and then to see labour. Went to Dot’s after dinner. Had a play with Jane. Ron off with cold. Went home at 6.30 and went for a drink.
Not so nice today. Cloudy and cooler. Pruned shrub on the library wall. Cleared workshop bins and cleaned both jets. Went for juice. Finished tonight until Monday.
A slight frost first thing but a lovely day. Washed T car. Did office and T. Brushed leaves from round lab door. Tied a shrub up on the library wall. New leather. L.
Got up at 9.30. A better day. Did all the mowing. Little Jane came just before dinner. Played with her. Girl and Allan came in the afternoon. Brought me a good coat.
Got up at 7.30. Made cup of tea. Went back to bed until 9.20. A very bad day. Rain most of the time. No gardening. Saw Joe and Bet in the pub. L’pool beat Everton, 5-0.
Rain at first but some sunny intervals later. Car washing. H.Doc.B2. H old car on Wednesday making 125 to date. Cleared all the lab bins out. A big truck load today. Got some rags off Mrs K.
Another nice day again, warm and some sunshine. Finished holly trees and cleaned up. Cleared a truck load out of hay lab. 14 sacks of fowl from Hanns Hall. Dot and Jane at home.
Another nice day agai. 600 galls oil. Cleared bins, workshop and hay lab. Howarth’s new car. Cutting the holly trees at the far end of the tennis lawn.