1968: GRANDMA'S PAINTINGS ARE LOVELY — 1967-1968: Diary of a Posh Schoolgirl

"And the Dutch things and Grandma's paintings are so lovely.."

Monday, 5 Feb

Dreamt about Mark for the second night running.

Glorious weather driving to school on the back route. The race course looked wonderful in the misty sun.

Got German results: 56% - which is about what I expected. I didn't come bottom, thank goodness. Lucy came top with 72%! She and me spoke German at dinner break! I went to the Library and looked at magazines: more fun than sitting around with Martha and that lot.

Anya was ill, but Anna-Marie brought in Anya's draft of the phone call. It's marvellous! It's three huge sheets of paper and has absolutely everything about the interview, including of course my little bit. What I can't get over is this: when they couldn't get any answer from me the first time, they said, "anyone there, anyone there?" (in French) and Pol said, in English, "hello? Spooky? Spook-y!" Well honestly, besides dying of laughter every time I think of it, I can hardly get over it. Sarah C practically swooned when I told her I hadn't only spoken to him over the radio but I'd met him!!!

It was tipping down going home. Fortunately Ma fetched us from the office.

Michael Dixon came to supper again (half an hour late) and then all of us went to the school to look around the Sixth Form Unit. Crowds of people there! Of course Daddy and Mr Dixon went round concentrating on architectural details - it was so funny. They think the Unit's terrific, especially the curtains, furniture and lighting, but they think the Science Block is pretty crummy and old-fashioned. So do I. Daddy rather fell for Mrs Thomas.

Tuesday, 6 Feb

Took glacé fruits to school to try and get rid of them. No luck.

In dinner break went to the most intellectual meeting on Zeffirelli's Taming of the Shrew.

Christa was the 'chairman'. But the director-type act she put on, I just can't describe it, it's so eccentric coming from a 16-year-old. Still, it was a very interesting discussion. We came to the conclusion it's a very good film, but Christa objects to its superficiality. I think that's good because it means ordinary people can enjoy it. They see the colour, the gaiety, Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, and they love it. If it had been done like Othello they would have hated it. Surely it's a good idea now and again to use Shakespeare for excellent entertainment.

Unexpectedly got French back this afternoon. I came third top in Divi 2 with 57%. The average was about 48%. I'm rather pleased I beat Vanessa and Claire; they got 55% and 51% and are very upset about it. Who should come top but Tig - with 72%!

Went home with Vanessa, Debby, Julie and Jill. Everybody in a flap about their results. We're never going to get to University at this rate.

After supper Ma and me had to go to the school cruise meeting. Awful bore, but it was interesting. We sat next to Lucy and her ma. The slides of last year make me long to go, but the boys in Venice must be terrible flirts! Every photo had boys crowding round the English schoolgirls.

Wednesday, 7 Feb

Straight after Prayers had typhoid injections. Angela and Diane fainted before they even had it.

Had Current Events with a student teacher - it was very interesting. Started off on rights for women, and ended up with America. What a crummy society it is: five-year-olds are given questionnaires at school like "if your house caught fire what would you save - the family Bible or the family jewels?" The very idea that this sort of thing goes on is frightful, let alone ludicrous. And before Prayers you have to pay homage to the American flag. England is regarded as practically Communist.

I'm fed up my skin is so spotty. How lovely to have a beautifully smooth skin.

At 4 we went by coach to La Cérémonie. I sat next to Rosemary P. She's quite interesting to talk to but a deadly sort of person, for instance, she thinks the train-robbers deserve their 30-year sentence. Personally I think they shouldn't get more than five. All they've done is a train robbery - they didn't even know they got two million. Admittedly it was a feeble thing to do, but everybody has their weaker moments and I don't see why your whole life should be ruined because of one silly mistake.

I didn't think our choir was very good, though Jackie and Fiona were fantastic. The funniest thing was at the end when all these boys dressed up as people at a wedding, including women! Everybody was killing themselves, it was pretty riotous. Then Monsieur Maurice Carême came on and presented the prizes and kissed everybody three times. He gave a very good little talk (which I understood) on the value of poetry, and said children are all natural poets.

For supper I had gorgeous brown eggs with hot toast!!!

Thursday, 8 Feb

Anya still not back.

Mlle Tronchard told us about the 'pieds noirs' - the French who live in Algeria and Morocco who are very unpopular when they return to live in France. In English we discussed Iago's foulness among ourselves, then Debby told us about her foul cousin. He's only a year older than she is but is getting married soon. He has a walrus moustache, long hair and horrible clothes - and takes drugs. Ugh!

Ma fetched us because of the dentist. Honestly, Mr Shepherd mades me sick. I was telling him about Christa wanting to miss the cruise to be in the Epsom College play, and he said, "she's obsessed with sex, is she!" Such a crummy remark. Anyway, it's the last time ever I'm going to Mr Shepherd or Wimpole Street, thank god.

Then drove to Grandma and Grandpa's in Holland Park. It's such a beautiful house. The walls aren't just white - some are olive, some orange, some turquoise - and the Dutch pewter and Grandma's paintings are so lovely. I especially adore the main living room overlooking the studio. We sat in the little "drawing-room", a bit chilly but OK in front of the heater. Daddy arrived and at 8 we had dinner, cooked by Ronald, who is adorable, the most charming man, and wonderfully willing. He made the best shrimps I've ever had - Chump says he's like a fairy godmother! Just to tease Grandma I said, "Grandma, have you ever met La Fontaine" (!!!) Unfortunately she wasn't taken in, but she did say, "one of my friends is so-and-so de la Fontaine - an ancestor of his"!!! I might have known it.

They all went to the 'soirée' at the Royal Academy. Us two ate meringues and cream which Ronald brought upstairs.

Friday, 9 Feb

Forgot to see Mrs Dossitor at break, forgot to get my La Fontaine book out of Miss Leopold's locker, forgot to get a French reader. Felt miserable most of the day.

Martha (Conservative) and Sandra (Labour) had a very heated argument at lunch.

Parents went out in evening.

Jean-Claude Killy, triple Olympic champion

Saw Killy win the gold medal for Men's Downward Skiing (Olympics at Grenoble) - he's an awful snazz.

I'm so fed up. I'm doing nothing this week-end, not even relaxing, I've just got a pile of work.

Saturday, 10 Feb

Finished La Fontaine. Satisfying, but I don't think she'll think much of it as it's copied out of books word for word.

Wore black ripple skirt, blue ribbed jumper and we left for Leatherhead - first time we've been to a matinee. Saw 'The Damask Cheek', it was super. Sonia Graham was Roana and marvellous as usual, the actress who was Polly Flanders in the pantomime was in it, and Jamie (who Roana marries in the end) was that chap at the garden party with Anya! The play was set in Boston in 1909 - exactly the same setting as 'Our Town'. What shocks me about that period is the 'morality' that was such a part of the society. Roana and Mr Harvey leave the party for a quick drive round the park and as a result her ghastly aunt insists she leaves because her reputation has been ruined! It's funny now, but it must have been hell then.

Home for tea, then out to an Italian restaurant in Sutton, a gorgeous friendly little place with a chap playing a guitar and a mouth-organ. Lovely food - prawn cocktail, roast pork, and oranges in caramel sauce. But what spoilt it was Daddy; he hardly said a word the whole evening. It's so selfish of him because there was absolutely no reason to get into a negative mood. He nearly made me scream, how Mummy can bear it I don't know. She did all the talking.

Sunday, 11 Feb

Anna-Marie came to play with Chump. We had a hot lunch of roast beef.

Wally and Co. (but not Karolina) came for tea. We all watched the giant slalom - needless to say, Killy won! You can see immediately he is a champion. But this poor 19-year-old boy from Norway hadn't gone more than a few yards when he fell over - it was his first ski championships ever! Chump and me felt so sorry for him we cried.

Read an article in the Observer on see-through blouses called 'Who'll be as brave as Mary Quant?' - it made me die.

"A young art student on the steps of the National Gallery echoed the essence of manly fears. 'The whole trouble is that one knows you're not going to get beautiful, firm Botticellis, but your Rubens kneeknockers,' he said."

Apparently they've sold out completely in Lady Jane!

Then we all watched Cyrano de Bergerac. Oh it was wonderful, and Eric Porter was indescribable. I always knew he was Soames in Forsyte Saga, but I never realised he was Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, which was the best acting I've ever seen. As they say in the Radio Times, it's the story of the passionate love of an ugly man for a beautiful woman and is terribly funny and terribly sad. At the end I found it difficult not to burst into tears.

Daddy asked me if this weekend wasn't too boring. I didn't have the heart to tell him last night ruined it.