summer 1989

July 19^th Wrote to Jackie H and registered with Digs; started house search

July 20^th – got holiday snaps back from chemist; looked at house in Harlesden. £60 a week

July 21^st – to Plymouth

Written in 1990Last year after Europe: As the holiday in Europe came to a close I thought more and more of what the long term future held for me. Mark, Chris, Chris and Julian had just vacated the house at Tuam Road and I was effectively being thrown outby the new tenants who wanted to prove their friend into my room. I decided at that point that I had to look for womewhere else quickly. When I got back I put Andy up for the night – he went off to see some friends the next day. The day we arrived back in London the sunshine was brilliant. It was as if we never left Europe. I felt more comfortable  now that I was back in London than I had for a fortnight. And with the holiday behind me I was able to put London into a European context for the first time. This was a first for me anyway – me being in London during the summer – I always went to Plymouth for the summer months until I left Poly. London is a a city I really like. We arrived at Victoria with the usual mass of people – commuters, holiday makers, shoppers all fighting for their few inches of space among the rush hour traffic. We got some money out of our mutual cash machines and quickly rushed back to the tube sation. The hjourney to Plumstead involved a tube train to Charing Cross, British Rail to Woolwich and a bus (53) to Plumstead Common. Andy enthused about London all the time he was here. “I love London” he said. He said it felt like home to him and it was for a time in 86/87 while he worked for the Met Police. He was happy about seeing all his pals in London again, especially Tiffany for whom he’d trapsed around Venice  to buy a present. We were planning to see the new Bond film “License to Kill” which had opned in London the night before, and to do this we had to rush to Plumstead, eat quickly, if at all, quick wash and change, and then rush back to central London to queue outside the empire, Leicester square. We were lucky with the connections back to Plumstead and so there was no need to panic. 60 Tuam Road: I hadn't seen it in over a fortnight. I had come to dread entering this house in the week before the holiday. It had become a cold, lonely, and noisy place. The new occupants, 4 friends, were obviously avoiding me, or if not that then at least they felt no need to befriend me or be friendly at all. As it turned out when I left the house all their possessions, some pieces of furniture and a tv were moved to the sitting room. The piles of dishes in the sink had vanished, they cleaned the suiting room and the kitchen. In other words they waited till I left before they could make it their home. Lack of trust? Were they just trying to drive me out? I tried not to take it personally as they didn’t know me and I probably wouldn’t trust a stranger either. I may well have appeared just as unfriendly to them, though I was shy, even then my shyness was very acute. Tony, of all of them, was the most outgoing and did talk to me, I felt I could have liked him if I had tried. All that was going on in my head though…

July 28^th – Dad came to Plumstead

July 29^th – moved to Harselden – saw Jennie for first time.

August 1^st Bill moved to Slough

August 19^th & 20^th – worked nights

Augsut 21^st – saw Batman film.

Monday 28^th bank holiday – went cycling; ill with flu. Bike ride unsuccessful

29^th August – off sick with flu

31^st August worked night – Shah, me and Woody

September 1^st worked night – Shah, Andy me and Woody

September 2^nd – Andy me and Woody

Monday 4^th September – back to days

5^th September nights – me & woody

6^th September nights – me, woody and Jon

7^th September nights – me and Jon. I overslept

8^th September nights – me & Jon

Monday 11^th – enroled for art A level at Hammersmith, met Greg and Morizio

12^th September – 1^st art class

16^th September Wild Will Barrett with Sean

18^th – Art class

19^th – art class

20^th – nightwork

21^st – nightwork

22^nd – nightwork after being at pub with Sean (Mean Fiddler?)

23^rd John Otway with Sean and Jennie

25^th & 26^th art class