Re-Reading My Teenage Diaries | June 1990

[I almost didn’t bother posting this month’s selection of archive diary entries, purely because they’re super-boring, even by the standards of my teenage self. In the interests of accurate documentation, though, here they are…]

Actual transcripts from my teenage diary. Some names have been changed to protect the guilty…

Monday, June 4th, 1990

Into 3rd year today. I had computing, French, Life & Work, English and chemistry. So far I’m finding it both good and bad. It’s good that I’m meeting new people, getting away from Chloe and becoming more independent, and the subjects are much more interesting. It’s bad that I’m having to work much, much harder, and I’m sure to get lost, and that I’m smelly and ugly. I’m writing this in the middle of a break, I’m supposed to be revising Chemistry and French. I don’t really need to do chemistry revision but I want to because it’s a tough subject, to pass you need a 1 or a 2, so I’m getting ahead while I can. I do need to revise my French verbs though, because on Friday we’re having a kinda test and I, of course, wannabe top. Tomorrows’ gonna be a challenge cos I’ve got English (OK), accounting (don’t know where it is), life & work (OK), math (don’t know where it is and I’m in a class full of people who don’t like me), and economics (haven’t had it yet). Well, look to the future and back to the homework!

Wednesday, June 6th, 1990

I’m feeling very worried today. When I went downstairs, dad told me to stop using talcum powder because I use too much and it’s dangerous. I’ve stopped using it immediately, but I’m worried that it could be too late. On Sunday at riding I had a really sore head. I thought it was just because my hat is too small, but on Sunday night I had a REALLY sore head (I was clenching my teeth when it began to get sore), and today I was clenching my teeth and ut happened again. What is wrong with me dear diary, am I dyeing, is it the talcum powder or what?

Yours hopefully,

Amber Louise McNaught (Miss)

[So, yeah, I have NO idea why I chose to write this entry in the form of letter, but I DO think I know where my health anxiety possibly came from? It was the talcum powder, obvs. This incident obviously freaked me out, however, as there’s a long gap in the diary at this point, until…]

Tuesday, June 26th, 1990

Today I had the absolute greatest news possible! Last night we paged up the holiday pages of Ceefax* and phoned up a few of the evening numbers of travel agents, they all promised to look around for holidays for us in Lanzarote or Menorca (those are the two places we liked best), and call back today. Well, guess what?! One of them did call back and he’s got a holiday for us!!!! On Saturday at 7,20 we fly to Menorca from Newcastle airport! It’s really short notice cos we were going to buy that bungalow, but we decided to try to get a holiday instead**, and we were really, really lucky. Believe it or not, Newcastle airport is the closest we can fly from as loads of holidays have been axed (for reasons unknown to me) and we were unable to get a flight from Scotland. We’re staying in apartments called The Cala Blanes Park, in Cala Blanes, Menorca***. I can’t wait, I’m just so excited!!

• For the benefit of non-UK readers, this was a text-based service you could access via your TV… I’m not sure what the equivalent would be in other countries, but I guess it was a bit like an early internet, with news, weather, etc. Most importantly for me, it was also where you could book last-minute holidays, although you basically had to just read through the adverts, then phone the companies directly. Ah, the nostalgia!

** So, either the bungalow was really cheap, or the holiday was really expensive: you decide…

*** It was called Cala en Blanes Park, and it looks like it’s still around: https://www.booking.com/hotel/es/cala-en-blanes-park.en-gb.html

This wasn’t my first foreign holiday, but it was the first one we’d had in a few years (Presumably because of the whole ‘trying to buy a bungalow’ situation, hence the hysterical excitement. Although, tbf, I still get that excited about holidays NOW…)

Friday, June 29th, 1990

It’s quarter past four and I’m really bored. Mum and dad are working, so the rush will start the minute mum comes in. I’ll have to go and have my bath, wash my hair etc, and then really just be bored again and watch the parents sleeping before we leave. The drive will be really boring too, but I cant wait. It’s absolutely pouring down here in Scotland, I only hope it’s nicer in Menorca. See ya when I come home!

[Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash ]