Prologue

Here we are 34 years after first writing my diary and I wish to thank Margaret Burden and Bill Rompkey who made it possible for me to come over and meet my friends in Port Hope Simpson in 2002. I especially thank Margaret and Carol Burden for their kindness and generosity and all the staff at The Alexis Hotel for their wonderful hospitality. To Ben and Ursie Rowe, thank you for yet another scrumptious meal, Ben’s greenhouse full of vegetables is a sight to behold and to Ron Notley for your boat ride up The Bay. Is there anything better than contentedly whacking your boat flat-out, having a fag sitting next to your gas canister whilst looking over at Eldrid Penney lording it, or, resting his gammy legs in the back of his boat, as he failed to take you on for speed?
Regarding my old diary; after re-uniting with Scott and Rita Coish and Claude and Jean Rumbolt at The Town’s Great “Access North Coming Home 2002 Celebrations” and with Pete Smart at his home in Cardiff in 2003, I hope I have left them with a sense of fun about what I have written all those years ago. On reflection, there is no doubt in my mind that the mental hammering I was giving Scott, Claude and Pete in particular, is out-of-date and echoes my own immaturity at 18 years of age. For one thing, I have not given them sufficient credit for the way they were dealing with their own problems at the time. For that I apologize and I thank them for allowing this electronic journal into the public domain. Similarly, I apologize to anybody else who may feel offended by what I have written all those years ago as a young lad.