(Sedbergh, age 14)
Five-Year Diary: I went to Matron first for some Algipan for my back, which is still bothering me. Usually, she offers Vicks VapoRub for all complaints. She’ll never apply it, though.
German: dull and predictable. We moved on to the next chapter. I’ve never been to Germany. That would be a start. A German girlfriend would be a marvellous incentive.
French revision: I did reasonably well on the adverbs test, 11 out of 17, which felt about right. I’ve got a dozen skiing-related words and half a dozen motoring-related swear words – there’s not much of either in Petit Nicola, not skiing, nor swearing – both important aspects of French life, like Paris Match and Jane Birkin.
Geography: I handed in my project on the ice sheets of the Eden Valley, though I hadn’t included any photos I’d taken of Knock Pike. Bell talked about Lagos,
Maths: means and graphs.
Physics: passed without much happening.
Divinity: I finished off God and spent the rest of the lesson looking up rude words in the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Cadet Corps: House Parade—I was told I looked keen, which was a curse. For the rest of the week, wherever I was and whatever I was doing, boys would shout out ‘looking keen!?’
We changed out of our Cadet Corps jerseys and did marching and map work, both of which were very dull because they’re so easy.
I went swimming afterwards, then over to the Winder tennis courts. Tennis matters. The tennis club is somewhere to meet girls, Mum had decided.
By the end of the day, everything eased off into something like relaxation.
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