1981 and making your mind up

Some years do hold certain memories and sometimes I talk a bit about them on here but 1981 was one for being the year I  had moved up to the Sixth the academic year beforeso what was going on outside school was more important than it had for most of my previous years.

Much went on that year from the shocking attempt to assassinate President Reagan who'd been sworn in to replace Carter amid much concern, a ultimately doomed Royal Wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer that we all followed and rioting in many of Englands major cities in the summer, the comments I made to one teacher proving ahem...interesting.

It was a great time for the arts even if funding issues raised the heads bring forth the arguments between grass roots community art and the big institutional galleries theatres and ballet while the music scene had one of its finest years across many genres.

I may of been "In the sixth" but for me somethings remained very much as they did for years such as my reading tastes, play and generally feeling more a young child in "big" school.

Television taste were a mixture of children's programming such as cartoons and series and some more family shows such as Blakes 7, Tomorrow's World, Top of the Pops and Ask The Family while I continued to watch Blue Peter which then had the second "dream team" of Simon Groom, Sarah Green and Peter Duncan who later went on do much for Scouts.

Overall it was an interesting, colourful year even if it was difficult managing expectations of an older boy with still being one on the inside.