Wednesday 29th - Went to Radio Show at Earl's Court with Kathy, the Alex Welsh jazz group are there. I used to quite fancy Tony Pitt, the banjo player, but how can I fancy anyone else, now?? It's a wonderful experience, but very tiring trying to get around all the exhibits, and we have to go on to work yet, just as well it's a sitting down job! Unfortunately, Eugen is on the opposite shift, I just can't keep up with the shift changes on reception, we stick to ours pretty rigidly. It's very disappointing, when I'm expecting him to be on!

Thursday 30th - Food Fair today - after work, Kathy and I went to get our fill of all the goodies on offer. But it's another tiring trawl round, still, no need to worry about what we're having for tea! Maureen, telephonist at Bassett's (yes, she's still there!) phoned to tell me that Hazel is married. What's the matter with these young people - don't they know there's a great big world out there waiting to be explored??

Friday 31st - Very busy in the hotel, at least Eugen is on the same shift, even if we don't get chance to say more than hello and goodbye, poor lad had to work until 12.30 am.

Saturday 1st - What a strange world it is, one of the guests at the hotel keeps asking me to get a telephone number in Sheffield that I know very well - Bassetts! I'd love to know what the connection is - and why is he ringing on a Saturday? There's only a skeleton staff on duty, he must know something I don't. (Then again, perhaps I knew something he didn't!) I'm doing a spot of overtime this evening, so Kathy went out with Johnny R and his friend Ted. I felt sure she said she would be going home for the weekend - got the fright of my life when I heard our door creaking open at 2.30 am!

Sunday 2nd - Slept in very late, but the sun shining through our 'port hole' eventually encouraged us out of bed. Decided we would do something different, so went to Tower Bridge and boarded a boat for a trip down to Kew. We missed breakfast, and couldn't decide where to have lunch; it was evening before we eventually had our first meal of the day, at an Italian restaurant on Ken High. Then talking all night. (God, we girls can gossip!)

Monday 3rd - Kathy couldn't drag herself out of bed this morning, consequently turning up late for work - much to the night porter's wrath. The hotel was very busy with guests checking out, and others trying to check in. It was very much a case of all hands to the tiller, not a good day to be late for work! Nice to see that Eugen is on my shift again, but so busy all morning - poor reception. They get annoyed with us for ringing their telephone when they are dealing with people at reception, but what can we do? If we could help them with taking bookings for rooms, we would, but it's just not possible. It's times like this, when things tend to get rather fraught between the telephonists and reception, reception and the porters, the porters and the telephonists, that its best if the guests just keep out of the way...

Eventually things calm down and me'n Eugen manage to have our lunch together, he remarks that me knitting him a sweater must mean something (!!) (Well for heaven's sake - just how long does it take for the penny to drop!)

Tuesday 4th - I'm happy to find that Eugen is still on my shift, but he is either working in the control office upstairs, or doing the accounts in the restaurant, but not being backwards at coming forwards, I whisk him out of the restaurant, to have supper with me. I make a big thing of measuring him for the sleeve I'm knitting; a girl can't miss a chance to get close to the guy she's nuts about! One of the guests, Mr. Caplin, myself and Eugen are all talking together at reception, on learning that I'm from Sheffield, he says he's going there this weekend, and offers me a lift, my mind is racing to find a polite way of declining (as if I would accept a lift from a comparative stranger, does he think I was born yesterday?) to my surprise, Eugen steps in and says that we have plans for the weekend - we do? Tell me more! "Well, perhaps another time", the guest offers. No way Jose'! (So, Eugen, tell me about 'our plans' for the weekend?)

Wednesday 5th - On an impulse, me'n Kathy decided to go to the Café de Paris in Leicester Square last night, we met two nice Turkish lads, Jimmy and Ali. (Unlike living so far away from the centre of Sheffield, where evenings out have to be planned and bus times sorted out, in London everything is just there, right on our doorstep - impulses become the norm.). Kathy has arranged to go swimming with Jimmy on Sunday, and Ali is coming over to Ashley Court on Friday.

On same shift as Eugen this evening, and as we are not too busy, he came into the switchroom for his tea, and as there are not enough cups, he insists on using mine - I'm so flattered! We had a nice chat about London and entertainments (nice lead up, go on, Eugen, jump in there). He tells me that he is 26 years old, and laughs ruefully when I tell him that I am 21, he actually thought I was only 19!!

Thursday 6th - Ali rang twice I am beginning to regret having made a date with him now, as, despite their beautiful black wavy hair and brown spaniel eyes, both he and Jimmy were a bit on the short side, and I do like my escorts to be somewhat taller than me so that when I get dressed up to go out, I can totter on my 3" heels! Still, he seemed a nice enough young man, hmm, yes, he is a bit on the young side as well...

Friday 7th - Ali arrived at Ashley Court with his friend Allah, hoping that I could fix him up with a friend. We all go into the T.V. lounge to watch The Chubby Checker Show, several of the Johns are in there too, so is the rather handsome Udo, receptionist at the Grosvenor Court - I sense a party coming on!

Phew - eventually Ali and Allah left, so did all of the Johns - which just left me and the lovely Udo (am I a lucky girl, or what?) The entry in my diary reads: "... we took a bottle of gin to my room - what a guy! - what an evening!" (I confess to being somewhat flummoxed by this apparently blatant admission - it tends to cast aspersions on my purity... I was to remain 'untouched my human hand' for a few more years yet!)

Saturday 8th - God, what a day! Bought paint and started to redecorate 'the garret' for which, we do not have permission - but what the hell - does any one realise that we are still up here?? Working late - 5.0pm til 10.0pm, alas, no Eugen! First Ali phoned, then Ted, then Haggis (Alan, my friend and neighbour from Sheffield), then some character rang up and invited me out, wouldn't take no for an answer - so cut him off, then not one, but two Cable and Wireless operators rang for a chat - one girl should have so much attention! At 10.0pm Mr. Montag, the head receptionist, brought me back to Ashley Court on his scooter. Peter Jones suddenely emerged from the shadows to invite me out for coffee, but declined. Please tell me that this is not how Eugen feels...