"VERY SERIOUS NEWS"

S U N D A Y,  1 9  N O V

I had the most wonderful dream: this gorgeous boy took me out and I thought, I’ve got a boyfriend! I practically cried when I woke up and found it was a dream. Spent ages in bed thinking about it. After that I thought about Mark.

Didn’t do much work, had a pretty grotty day. Went down the garden once to see the new greenhouse, which Chump is very thrilled with. 

Started on Ma’s present - four table mats for the boat, in blue and red linen, with a ‘holder’ for a knife, fork, spoon and napkin on each. Chump has made Ma a peg basket and Dad a tobacco pouch - lined with PVC from her old mack!

All watched the Royal Variety Performance.

“The best people were Mireille Mathieu, Ken Dodd, Bob Hope and this marvellous chap called Tommy Cooper.”

This is one of his jokes. In a dead-pan voice (sounding upset) he said, “remember that waterproof, shock-proof, dust-proof watch you gave me? It caught fire.” We were in stitches for half an hour.

Very serious news: the pound has been de-valued. Talk about not keeping promises! Daddy says the trouble with this country (unlike France) is that the best people don’t get to the top. We're run by a bunch of amateurs. Now we may not even be able to go skiing as the £50 travel allowance will be worth £30. Infringe what you like, but don’t infringe the liberty of movement. It’s the most important thing in the world, and if we can’t even get off our grotty island there’s no point talking about freedom at all. Only now is Mr Wilson talking about cutting down the £100 million we spend on Defence. He should have done that three years ago.

I suppose everyone will talk about last night's party tomorrow.

“The devaluation of the pound”

“Harold Wilson went on air on November 19 to announce the devaluation of the pound by 14%. The nation trembled, we were on the brink of the financial abyss. Wilson was no mug in front of the camera, and he offered reassurance as all around him faltered. ‘It does not mean that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket or purse or in your bank, has been devalued,’ he said." Saga Online

‘The pound in your pocket’ became a late-60s catchphrase, as did his observation that ‘a week is a long time in politics’.