INGRID GETS ALL HET UP

How ghastly: a passive plus a modal verb after a ‘dessen’.

T U E S D A Y,  2 7  J U N E

Got to school and found it was German first. Pretty off-putting when I’d been revising Latin. If I’ve failed any ‘O’ Levels, I’ve failed German. First we had the diktat, then we had the exam. It was horrible, it really was. There was so much vocab I didn’t know and couldn’t guess at, and constructions I couldn’t have done however much I’d revised because THEY’RE NOT IN THE BOOK. One was particularly nasty, it was a passive plus a modal verb and it was after a ‘dessen’. The standard has gone up so much in the last ten years, we must complain to Miss Leopold. What is the good of being given test-papers so completely out of date?

Lucy and Tig came in for Latin in the afternoon. Anya had heard about Francoise Dorléac – she said she was the nicer dark-haired one. Latin was OK. Funnily enough I think I'll get my highest marks for Latin.

“Well, it’s over - no more exams for two more years. ”

I was expecting to feel utterly joyful when I got home, but I didn’t feel any different at all. I wish I could feel really joyful about it - no more exams for two whole years! Perhaps I will tomorrow.

Ma and Pa went to London Grandma’s birthday party, lucky things, and Chump and me watched constant TV. On ’24 Hours’ there was a thing on freemasons. Well, they may have very high ideals, but it seems to me these are entirely lost in the middle of the ridiculous, childish, fruitless messing about that goes on. The primitive activities they take part in are worse than ancient fertility rites. The freemasons completely lose the point. In fact, the whole thing would be beneath my dignity to be involved in.

Now exams are over I don’t know what to do except be lazy. I will start to read.

“The world’s first ATM machine ”

Funnyman Reg Varney of ‘The Rag Trade’ fame made the first withdrawal from an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) on 27 June at the Enfield branch of Barclays. The machines paid out a maximum of £10 at a time - enough to last a weekend.

A Swedish bank followed nine days later.