Cosham

November 25 1980
Horizon episode about the spike in brain waves which accompanies epileptic seizures. All the other trainee clerks are younger than me. I was reminded I ought to wear a tie by Mr Vernon. He said learning was easier with pictures than words. The example he gave was the cartoon in the paper which is
remembered after the headlines are forgotten. He said ‘infer’ when he meant ‘imply’. He would return at the end of our training. My landlady is Mrs James. I share a room with Pete.

November 26
Woken by alarm at 6.30. Cornflakes for breakfast. I was asked if explosives could be sent through the post. Mrs James once had a Spanish student who lay on his bed for three days instead of going to lectures. She said it was not right foreigners being given jobs British people applied for.

November 27
Pete and I share a key. I gave it to him as he goes to the pub. Watched 6 a side soccer on Sportsnight. John told me most of the sums I added up yesterday were wrong.

November 28
While Pete was at the pub I watched Question Time, Teddy Taylor said the previous government borrowed too much.
Decided to leave Mrs James’s next week for a hotel so I can have a room of my own.

November 29
Phoned the Salisbury hotel in Southsea. Bed and breakfast: £45 a week.

November 30
Did the price I was quoted include VAT, ...