The Adventures of Grace Russ

Grace Enid Baglin's Diary - based on letters (1977-1985)

Anna Dawson & the Sponsored Slim – 26th April 1983

Last evening was the final `weigh-in’ for the Sponsored Slim organised by the `Celebrities Guild of Great Britain’ - proceeds in aid of a Portable Dialysis Machine. I was presented with a lampshade as a prize at the final weigh-in and had my photo taken with Anna Dawson who presented it. Also had one taken in a group with Eddie Large.

It All Adds Up? – 1st June 1983

I have been keeping a most accurate record of my finances since the 1st April and am jolly glad I have too as if I had continued on in the same old happy-go-lucky way I had been it could – no, undoubtedly would – have ended up disastrously before long. As it is, I am now gradually clearing the backlog of bills and by the end of this year hope to be on a much stronger footing.

Now I have started this system I shall continue to follow it – although in the beginning the idea was just to get some idea of where my money was going. It has proved to be so useful I only marvel why I hadn’t thought it out before and, by filling out the analysis sheet daily, it is child’s play to tot it up at the end of the month (did have to buy myself a calculator to do this with though, because I’m not very good at `sums’. It just `sounds’ rather complicated but it isn’t at all, neither is it very time consuming or I wouldn’t be able to keep it up. I just have two exercise books going:-

i. The Bank/Cash book, and
ii. My daily breakdown book in which I jot down everything I spend.

It is from this daily book that I transfer the figures to the appropriate columns on the Analysis Sheet each night before I go to bed. It just takes a couple of minutes each night and I know exactly where I stand.

In the first two months I have been running this system I used only one column on the Analysis sheet for `Household Sundries’ but in June’s sheet I have made two. I have also made a breakdown of the two previous months on the back of each sheet. This was because I was putting everything in that column that didn’t belong in any of the others, but have split it in two to show real household sundries i.e. soap (yes, I DO use some now and then, no matter what you might hear!), toilet rolls, cleaning materials etc., and the second column for General Sundries in which I put the other items such as the calculator I bought and a pair of garden shears, also the flowers for the table and the bedding plants etc. I think I must be doing it right because it seems to balance at the end of the month, in that the money I have spent, added to the cash I have left in hand and the balance at the Bank total up to the sum of actual monies I have received that month.

Must get on with some work soon I suppose. I have been told we are having a word processor and I am to be trained as the Operator for it, after which I have to train the others! Keep my fingers crossed – after all, I may know what I am doing, but it is sometimes difficult to explain it CLEARLY to others. Oh well, no doubt it will all come out in the wash, which reminds me, I really MUST sort some clothes out for the launderette.

The Long Journey – 31st March 1984

There was an unofficial strike on Southern Line (my line) due to a long running dispute on flexible rostering, resulting in cancellation of trains and long delays in the ones that were actually running. For example, on Saturday when I went to Charlton Station I found a crowd of people on the platform, which is most unusual at that time on a Saturday morning, and as usual when there are `problems’ there was a dearth of British Rail employees!! However, I eventually managed to track the only one on duty down in his little room underneath the station. He said the Guards at Slade Green (further down the line) were taking unofficial action and five trains had been cancelled in a row. The people then began to get annoyed and many asked for their ticket money back. This took quite sometime but quite a few stop when a train suddenly arrived, taking everyone by surprise. “Where the hell did that come from” said the ticket collector. Any how, we piled on and took our seats and I though, even though I’d lost the train from Paddington I was booked on, I’d only be an hour or so late. The journey from Charlton to Charing Cross takes 25 minutes – normally. However, on this particular day, due to `vital engineering work’ at the Borough Junction, trains were NOT going direct to Charing Cross but were being diverted to Cannon Street, from where we had to change to a `special train’ to complete our journey. In theory this should have only added an extra 15/20 minutes on to the travelling time, making it a 40/45 minute run at the most, but in the event it actually took us 2 ½ hours to get from Charlton to Charing Cross because of a very slow journey up, due to frequent long waits at signals, and an extraordinary long wait at Cannon Street on the (Special Train’. When I joined it on Platform 7 I had a job to find a seat, as it was already quite full of people who had been there for “at least half an hour” according to the lady I was sat next to. After I had been sitting for about 10 minutes or so, we heard one of the speakers informing us that: -

“The Train on Platform 7 will not now be calling at Charing Cross and will all passengers for Waterloo and Charing Cross please join the train on Platform 5”

You can just imagine the frantic scrabble that then ensued. Anyway, I eventually arrived at Mum’s (Bristol) at about 7 pm, thoroughly worn out and as I had to leave again just after 6 pm on Sunday I really did have the energy to do much else. Since then, I have been SO busy, working a 13 hour day, plus the travelling time, making a 15 hour day – So I have virtually been getting up, going to work, coming home and going to bed, with no real lunch breaks, taking sandwiches in with me.

Today is Jonathon’s 7th birthday and I am supposed to be going to Orpington. I must go over as I have his birthday card, but I have `the runs’ at the moment so have to wait for things to settle down before I dare start off on the journey, as it takes me two hours to get there, and I heard from mum this morning that Alan and both boys have gone to the Dr’s as they all have bad colds!!

With all the frequent trips to the loo I have forgotten about the cheque business with the bank. This was a combination of circumstances. Firstly, my January salary was paid in for me by the Office Manager when I was off due to the breast operation earlier this year, and unfortunately, he not only filled out the wrong form (a Barclay save instead of a Credit Paying In Slip) he also managed to get my account number wrong, the result being the Salary cheque was in suspense for some time until it was discovered floating round the system. Normally this wouldn’t have caused too many problems as I had a good relationship going with the Bank Manager, but apparently he retired at the end of last year and the new one is “a new broom who is sweeping clean” and the man now in charge of our accounts is also a new man – a young `Whiz Kid’ in his 20’s who is trying to `prove’ himself to the new Manager. When I got back to work I had a meeting with this new young man and he is very `cocky’ and is trying to emanate Margaret Thatcher. He was SO patronising he put my back up. I explained the £400 cheque WAS in the Bank at the time and it wasn’t my fault it hadn’t been credited to my account, but he said if there is no money in the account they are unable to accept cheque written on the account. He is expecting to see my next two salary cheques paid in, as he said “On the correct Paying Slip under the correct Account Number”. So I didn’t argue with him anymore, I just transferred all my dealings to the other account (with a different bank), which I had opened in 1981 on the principle that it is not wise to have all your eggs in one basket.

The Non Journey – 2nd April 1984

I never did get to Alan’s. In the end he phoned to ask if I was all right and when I told him of my problem he said he had been to the Dr himself, and taken both boys with him as they were all down with a virus. Anyway, he came over to me in the car and we had a little chat – about the Chinchilla I am getting for my birthday.

The Adventurous Journey – 24th April 1984

Most People, when they leave a place, suffer a multitude of doubts of the kind “Did I turn the Gas off?” “Did I put the lights out?” “Did I leave the shower running?” “Did I lock the back door?” “Did I turn the grill/oven off?” etc., But me? As I sat on the train at Temple Meads my thoughts were “Did I brush my hair?” I still can’t remember if I did or nut but gave it a quick flick with the brush when I got into the office on the principle that it is better late than not al all!

To catalogue the series of incidents arising during my trip to the office, just to give you a smile (or make you blush).
Firstly, I left Bristol at 5:55 in order to get the bus at 6 am. Well, silly me, that was the times of the buses going on a weekend! During weekdays the times are 11 minutes past the hour so I had about fifteen minutes or so to wait. However, I did have the two letters to post so that got rid of one of the minutes. It was a lovely morning, seagulls flying around overhead making squawking noises as if I was an intruder on their territory (I told them I used to live there long before they came on the scene!) But it was a bit fresh and nippy. Although I was quite comfortable at the top, I did feel that I might be running a risk with regard to the nether regions so, as there was hardly anyone about – just the odd ca going by now and then – I undid my suitcase, took out the skirt I had been wearing all weekend and climbed into that, making the dress look like a blouse.

The bus came along on time and I caught a train at 6:52 so hadn’t long to wait. I bought a newspaper on the station and started on the cross word as soon as I was settled in, but must have dozed off for a while because the next thing I remember was waking up in a kind of foul smelling fog and seeing the man sat opposite me looking at me over the over the top of his glassed like a schoolmaster. As I still had my granny glasses on from doing the crossword I did likewise and for a few seconds or so we stared at each other over the tops of our specs, then I said just one word “Muesli” and he nodded in understanding. No doubt he was making a mental note to pop along to his local health shop as soon as he was able to enquire about some for itself, thinking if it was that potent it must be good!

I eventually got myself a coffee from the buffet and read my paper for a while. Then, just after Reading (Berkshire) I thought it might be advisable to spend a penny before arriving at Paddington and made my way along to the little cabin, only to find the lock didn’t work! The door would close all right but you couldn’t lock it – and by that time the train was full with people standing, several of hem just outside the door, so naturally I thought that if they saw me go in then if anyone else came along someone would say “There’s someone in there”… but did they? No? The rotten lot. Half way through the operation the door was suddenly yanked open, only about six inches or so because I grabbed the handle as soon as I saw it move, but there was still one lucky chap just outside who saw me sitting on the pot! When I emerged a few minutes later this chap was `busy’ looking out of the window!

We got to Paddington just after 8:30 which wasn’t bad going really as we stopped at several stations. When I got down to the tube I saw a big blackboard with a notice chalked on it about a derailment at Neasden or somewhere causing delays and cancellations to the tubes! Strangely enough though a tube came along just afterwards and I found myself in the office before 9 am., and decided to start typing but then the typewriter mechanic arrived to see to my machine, so I got a coffee for both of us and had a natter instead!

Toe in the Vacuum – 12th September 1985

I think I have broken another toe! If not broken it then it is very badly bruised. I am hobbling around in the office without my shoes and walking on my heel, as I did when I broke the two toes on the other foot (well, I suppose it now evens things up a bit). No way am I going to hospital this time with the risk of ending up in plaster again! I did it early this morning- caught my little tow in the vacuum as I galloped past and bent it right back (my toe, not the vacuum). Boy, did it hurt. The cats heard a few words they had not heard before that I have picked up during my stint on the Samaritan’s switchboard! They were so shocked by y outburst they took refuge in the garden.

Toe it to Guy’s – 16th September 1985

On the day of the accident I wore my sandals into the office, albeit with the laces as loose as possible on the foot with the broken toe, but the following morning when I woke up the foot was so swollen and the toe in particular so tender, being all discoloured and twice its normal size, that I just could not get my sandal on and the only way I should get in to the office was to tie my foot to my shoe! It was rather uncomfortable because I was actually walking on the upper itself with a piece of string tied round both the shoe and my foot. Appearing in the office like that meant everyone could see the state of my toe and the Managing Director insisted that I go to the hospital with it, which I did when I finished work. I was there (at Guy’s) from 7:15 until 10:15 pm. – most of that time just sitting around and waiting. I was told to sit where there were already about seven people sitting, and several others came in during the evening. Not far from us, to the right, were another group of people waiting, but I don’t know what they were waiting for, whether they were for Casualty too. There was only one Dr, one medical Student and two nurses on duty (at least, that was all I saw) and half way through our vigil an emergency came in by ambulance and all the staff had to rush away to see to that for some time. When I eventually saw the Dr. he confirmed that I had broken the toe but said it was not worth X-raying it as X-rays cost money, and I was told to go home and rest it, putting that leg higher than my body, which I did do for Saturday and Sunday. I didn’t do any shopping on Saturday at all, in fact I didn’t even put my nose out of the doors on Saturday, but was forced to pop up to the local shops on Sunday as I had neither cat food nor fodder for myself. After resting for those two days my tow and foot are now much better, the toe is still tender it touched, but the swelling is gradually going down now and I am able to wear my sandals today – not properly done up yet, but at least I now have my foot in the proper place and just the top lace tied loosely, which just about keeps the sandal on my foot, and the bottom part is not touching the toe by not doing up the laces (I have removed the laces completely and have just threaded them through the very top of the sandal – thank goodness I have this type, it would have been very difficult in ordinary type shoes).

A Weak Week! – 28th November 1985

I have been late into the office every day this week; not because I have overslept, in fact I was in the bath at 5:30 on Monday morning listening to the early morning music on LBC, but I just couldn’t get my stumps moving.  As it happened my boss did know about my Doctors’ appointment on the Thursday and I had said I might have to make a call to the Surgery on the Monday to let her know the results of the tests I’d done, so when I was still pottering around at home at 9am (when I should have started work) I just rang through and said I was going to let my Doctor know the results so would be a bit late!  I then rang the Surgery and spoke to Dr. Kenyon and, eventually, arrived in the office.  It was another of my ‘lies by default’ because my boss jumped to the conclusion that I way paying a personal visit to the Surgery!

Before actually going into the office I went to Woolwich to draw some cash from the Abbey National as I was a bit boracic (Cockney rhyming slang, boracic lint, for skint, penniless).  The Abbey National is situated quite near ‘Fosters the Mans’ Clothes shop where Justice works; I fostered his dog when his Mother had the new flat at Charlton.  As I have one of those Capital Cards I travel to Woolwich on the bus, getting off just behind ‘Marks & Spencer’ and walking through the side street, past Fosters and on to the Building Society; and this I did on Monday, waving out to Justice as I went by and he, in turn, giving me a wave and warm smile of greeting.  Having got my cash I then walked back to Littlewoods and had a coffee before getting a train, after which I again walked past Fosters to get to the Station and, once more waved to Justice and he waved back, albeit with a rather puzzled expression.  However, having got just a few shops further on I decided that as I was late anyway and as I was in Woolwich I may as well take the opportunity of getting some porridge etc., cheap in Prestos, so retraced my steps past Fosters and bought my Porridge and other small items, and, YET AGAIN, walked past Fosters and waved to Justice who, this time didn’t wave back; just stood there with a most peculiar look on his face.  Later on that evening he phoned me and checked up that I had, in fact, walked past his shop three times that morning because by some strange quirk he hadn’t noticed the two times I had walked BACK, only the three times I had gone past the shop.  He felt he had a bad case of the whatsits, you know, the French word déjà vu.  Anyway, poor Justice was very relieved to hear I HAD been tripping to and fro in front of his shop that day.

Tuesday I was again awake at 5 a.m. and listened to the music on LBC in bed all nice and comfy, then dropped off to sleep and didn’t wake up until 8 o’clock, but managed, by some freak of nature, or maybe a miracle, to catch the 8:30 train which was running late so got into the office at 9:30.

On Wednesday again, although I was awake early, I wasted time searching for my shoes because they had announced snow was on the way and I though my summer sandals I have been wearing would not be quite suitable for such weather, but couldn’t find them anywhere and, in the end, had to give up the search and go in wearing my sandals anyway… only to discover my shoes in my desk drawer in the office all the time!  I then remembered, the last time I had worn them they hurt my toe that was broken so I left them off and wore my sandals home.

Today, I was so warm and comfy in bed that I just couldn’t drag myself out.  It wasn’t that I was tired, in fact I felt more alert than I have for quite some time.  I think it was just the fact that I could see all the white roofs and smell the cold on the cats’ fur when they came in to remind me it was way past their breakfast time.  I eventually forced myself to get up and out and got in at 9:30 so hope I can be on time tomorrow as it will be my last day here for a week. 

Mind you, now that I am here there is no work for me.  We were discussing this yesterday among ourselves, saying the omens are not good.  We peaked in July/August and since then our orders have been travelling south-east on a gradual decline, according to the graph we did for the Conference the other week.  Already management are beginning to talk about ‘cutting costs’, ‘budget s and forecasts’ etc. and holding little mini meetings behind their closed office doors.  Still, IF I should find myself out of a job once again I really don’t think it would affect me quite so badly as before, I would still be concerned of course, but by the time you get to your third redundancy you have become rather blasé about it all!

I had Beryl visit me on Monday evening and I went to her house straight from work last night.  She gave me a lovely tea/supper of two pieces of haddock (steamed) with two grilled tomatoes.  With salt and pepper sprinkled on the top it was a very tasty meal and, because I enjoyed it so much, she did the same for her husband when he came home at 9:15.  He was quite surprised to have fish as she normally doesn’t to that kind of meal; the fish was out of a large pack of 12 frozen pieces she had bought in ASDA for £2.06 for her cat!

Having recently had two colds within a month I had to splash out for an umbrella to try to ward off any further bouts.  As all my other umbrellas have been given to British Rail, along with numerous single gloves, this time I decided to go for one of those with a strap attached so I could hook it on myself somewhere, somehow.  This is great, or it was, until I was climbing up the steps at the Station last night and the girl behind me tripped and grabbed my umbrella (which I had slung across my back with the strap over one shoulder and under the other arm; like children wear their satchels.  I was nearly strangled by my own umbrella!  It was just by a freak that I, too, didn’t lose my balance or I would have bowled all the people below me over like a row of soldiers.  Mind you, being on the top I would probably have been ok but some of them would be badly squashed!