Monday 28 March 2011

The Piley Diary: March 1977

Well the last full month of the 1977 Piley Diary is here already, what a five minute wonder that was! A shame really, as I remember 77 for numerous street parties and Jubilee celebrations, as well as my initial introduction to punk. Alas, none of that has been documented, but on the plus side there is still a lot of important historic information captured... Swimming certificates, teachers strikes (and ill teachers!), piano lessons and lets not forget those all important TV programmes.... Crackerjack, Go With Noakes, Just William, and even a mention of the legendary Tomfoolery!



Piley

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I didn't know you could tinkle the ivories Piley. Great spelling of "stumerk" on March 29!

Warble

John Medd said...

Film companies will be clambering over themselves for the rights to this potential blockbuster. But who will play Smiley Piley? Answers on a postcard...

Anonymous said...

Piano lesson...used both hands together! Good boy :-)

Kolley Kibber said...

WHY were you not able to go swimming any more? And was it in some way connected to Mr Gibbs' upset stumerk? I need to know.

planet mondo said...

Where did you get in the swim Runnymede 'corn plaster' Pool? Funny my last diary had a swimming theme - must be that time of year..

And Tomfoolery and Rentaghost mentions, which bizarrely both get shouts 34 years later in the next poddy..

Piley said...

Warble - what it's not right??!

JM - To be honest, I'm already keeping 'em at bay with a shitty stick. It's gold, and they know it.

JJ - yes both hands! My initial lessons were just getting each hand used to the keyboard, then came the big day when I played with both at the same time. Just like Jools Holland I was!

ISBW - No idea why the swimming was canned, but it all just stopped. Mr Gibbs and his dodgy stumerk was probably to blame yet... and no doubt he was to blame for Miss being ill a few days earlier?? and What was wrong with Mr Jones?? Dropping like flies they were...

PM - Yeah, all Runnymeade trips. My junior school was in Benfleet, and the school laid on coaches to the pool and back. We were even allowed to buy snacks and hot Bovril after we'd finished! Yum!

P

John Devlin said...

You know what strikes me when reading your diaries Piley is that they are almost a forerunner of Twitter. The fact that you've got only a few lines means you got to keep it brief and now looking back you've got a little 'tweet' of that day. Maybe thats why people are put off of keeping a diary - they think they have to be like Pepys and wax lyrical for 2 sides of A4 when in fact, as you've proven, just a few words is perfect! Shame we haven't all kept a 'tweet' diary all our lives...now there's an idea!!

phsend said...

Your dad taped Rentaghost back in 77?? No vcrs about so you must have done what I used to do and record programmes with a tape recorder! I was always taping Get Some In for some strange reason.

Love the way you started writing more about what you didn't do rather than what you did do!

Piley said...

haha! Well some of my entries are certainly boring and inane enough to be worth of 'tweets' I guess John! I remember I felt obliges to fill in every day, otherwise it just wasn't a daily diary - hence some of the old pap and filler you see before you. There's about another week or so left to publish, then I obviously hit the 'sod this for a lark' point!

PH - yeah, was always audio taping stuff from the TV. It seemed exciting at the time, and the thought of playing back a TV show that had been broadcast and now gone was quite exciting! Who'da thought we'd end up where we are now with our Sky+ boxes, TV on demand, and pausing live TV.

P

Furtheron said...

You know I wish I'd kept stuff like this... Brilliant insight to the previous life !!!