Release of Just in Time

Goodness me this has been a bit of a crunch trying to get two books out in two months, but I have a special reason for trying to get at least the first two in the series out in 2022 – and not just because they’re set in that year. Look out for the whole master number thing, and all should become clear. But it was no hardship, especially with the experienced eye of my new editor, Paul keeping a strict eye on proceedings and trying to make it conform to the vagaries of the RPG world – or at least as close as I get to rules!

So, here’s the blurb – you can pick up book 2 of the Time Doctors series Just in Time till the end of the year at the pre-release price of a meagre £2.99/$3.49. Fingers crossed.

Big Bang Theory meets Stranger Things meets Most Haunted with a huge helping of time travel.
Jen’s always known her take on life wasn’t exactly conventional – being deserted by a weak-willed father skewed her view of all men, compounded by unrealistic expectations based on her brother’s role-model for the perfect partner. Hence still being on the shelf with her 33rd birthday just around the corner.
Living in a house with three extremely eligible males didn’t help, especially when two of them vied for her attention, but the only one who came close to meeting her ideal was walking out with her best friend. Watching them together hurt, although being in her own real-life version of Friends meets Big Bang Theory had advantages, especially when Kev took a turn at being Dungeon Master, leading them on a madcap ghost tour of an extremely haunted castle.
But an unexpected visit to Wimbledon reveals things about her past she never wanted to face.

For fans of modern adventure and quirky fantasy with irreverent British humour and a slice of the unexpected.

The Great 2022 Advent Calender Deal

I've done this for a few years now and people seem to like it. Here’s the deal – for every day in December there are at least two books by Jacky Gray (and/or Rowanna Green) for free, and various other reductions throughout the month. Remember, all of these books are free to read on Kindle Unlimited at any time.

Here’s a little reminder of the series:
The 13-book fantasy saga with Nature’s Tribe, Hengist and Colour of Light.



Bryant Rockwell (YA) and Calamity Chicks (Coming of Age)






Ro’s more grown-up series: Hostage, Jeopardy and Juke Box Musicals

Time and Time Again

How much fun have I had writing this new series? Totally inspired by the fabulous writings of Keith A Pearson and the wonderful crew at the Broadhall Social Club, this story is a meld of the geeky camaraderie of Big Bang Theory, the quirky, role-playing adventure of Stranger Things and the outrageous fantasy of the phenomenal Labyrinth, featuring an unforgettable performance by the awesome David Bowie.

Ok, so probably not the best decision to try yet another new genre, especially one that combines such disparate genres as Time Travel (sci-fi), Dungeons and Dragons (fantasy) and contemporary lad-lit (comedy). But I’m hoping it will find fans from all three disciplines.

A massive shout-out to my new cover designers – a fabulous Ukrainian outfit called getcovers, who created this gorgeous cover in just two days. I’m in awe, guys. As well as my fabulous editor Katy Haye – a phenomenal author of so many fabulous books, I’m thrilled to have found a couple of brand new beta readers, Andrea and Paul, who have generously supported me with their technical expertise. Thank you so much guys, I couldn’t have done this without you – you brighten my days and rock my world!

So, here’s the blurb – you can pick up book 1 of the Time Doctors series for the next couple of days at the pre-release price of a meagre £2.99/$3.49. Fingers crossed.

Time and Time Again
Big Bang Theory meets Stranger Things meets Labyrinth with a huge helping of time travel.
Ben has a problem. Well, several really, if the truth be told. With a borderline narcissist for a boss and a prankster lady-killer for a desk-mate, his work life at a gaming firm isn’t wall-to-wall playtime. The last thing he needs is a promotion, much less a bright, attractive feminist as the first addition to his new coding team. But when they all join the same Dungeons and Dragons party, it makes for an interesting life. Throw in a claustrophobic living arrangement and a global pandemic and there's plenty of scope for fun and adventure.
But what they find in the attic turns everything on its head.

For fans of modern adventure and quirky fantasy with irreverent British humour and a slice of the unexpected.

My Favourite 1980s Movie - Labyrinth

Actually, there's probably another half-dozen movies vying for favourite, but we'll get to them in another post.
This one has always had a special place in my heart, and now it has an even more special place as it's found its way into one of my books, as the setting for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

Coming to an e-reader near you very soon - look out for Time and Time Again.

Yeah, it's a great story with lots of twists and turns (literally), mazes, monsters and cracking puzzles, but the very best thing about it? David Bowie in his prime.

I have to admit to a huge thrill when I met Brian and Wendy Froud at a Fairy Festival - they were both truly magical, creative people, and how fun was it that their son, Toby played the baby in the film? Thankfully, he followed them into the movie industry - such a talented family.

And I couldn't finish without a mention of THAT DANCE.
If I ever did Strictly, this would be my Waltz.

1981 Top Thirteen

This one was particularly tricky to call.
1. Ultravox - Vienna - 02-1981
2. The Jacksons - Can You Feel It - 04-1981
3. Rainbow - I Surrender - 02-1981
4. Kim Carnes - Bette Davies Eyes - 05-1981
5. The Police - Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - 10-1981
6. Randy Crawford - You Might Need Somebody - 07-1981
7. Elvis Costello - A Good Year For The Roses - 10-1981
8. Godley & Creme - Under Your Thumb - 10-1981
9. The Look - I Am The Beat - 01-1981
10. Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure - 11-1981
11. Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight - 01-1981
12. REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You - 05-1981
13. Squeeze - Labelled With Love - 11-1981

And the bubbling unders:
Kiki Dee - Star - 03-1981 
Dire Straits - Romeo And Juliet - 02-1981 
Quincy Jones - Razzamatazz - 07-1981 
Madness - It Must Be Love - 12-1981 
John Lennon - Imagine - 01-1981 
Diana Ross & Lionel Richie - Endless Love - 09-1981 
Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman No Cry - 07-1981 
Sugar Minott - Good Thing Going (We've Got A Good Thing Going) - 04-1981 
Julio Iglesias - Begin The Beguine (Volver A Empezar) - 11-1981 
Imagination - Body Talk - 07-1981 
The Pointer Sisters - Slow Hand - 09-1981
Cliff Richard - Wired For Sound - 09-1981
The Human League - Don't You Want Me - 12-1981 (Virgin)

My 1980s

I’ve always maintained the 80s was one of the busiest decades of my life, chock-a-bloc full of major events every two years. These are some highlights:

1982 – Graduated from what is now Coventry University with a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering – the first local female to do so. Although it was a hardware degree, my first job writing telecoms software showed me how much more I preferred this, and I spent a total of 23 years working for GEC Telecoms, which eventually became Marconi.

1984 – Having returned to my childhood town, Warwick, the terraced house I bought last year for £21K, went up for sale. It sold quickly for 22K, but the real kicker was six months later, the identical house next door sold for 65k. Bummer!

1986 – A magical year when my man and I travelled to Crete in May where he proposed. Four months later, we got married and honeymooned in Corfu. Something about a Greek island …

1988 – I’ll never forget 23/7/88, sending my hubby in to work the Saturday morning overtime at 8am, then spending most of the morning howling like a dog as the contractions grew stronger. By 11am, I’d had enough and called him back. We got to the hospital with minutes to spare as I was 10cm dilated, and our firstborn, Chris, popped out half an hour later at 12:30 on his due date. Utterly charmed, and he definitely lived up to the adage “Saturday’s child works hard for a living.”

1989 – In theory, the “every 2 years” thing should have meant 1990, but Joanna didn’t quite go the distance, popping out a month early on November 30th. As I remember, she took her time, waiting to make her grand appearance while Mike Baldwin did the dirty on Deidre Barlow. Being born on a Thursday (and being a Sagi) gave a bit of a clue to her wanderlust – she spent several years in France and has moved four times since returning to the UK.

These are some of my iconic memories of the 80s - what are yours? I'd love to hear what this era of big shoulderpads, even bigger hair and legwarmers meant to you.

1980 Top Thirteen

Here's the first one in a new decade when disco and funk are replaced with rock and punk:
1. Styx - Babe - 01-1980
2. Randy Crawford - One Day I'll Fly Away - 09-1980
3. Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach - 04-1980
4. Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me - 09-1980
5. Billy Joel - It's Still Rock And Roll To Me - 09-1980
6. David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes - 08-1980
7. Billy Preston & Syreeta - With You I'm Born Again - 01-1980
8. The Pretenders - Talk Of The Town - 04-1980
9. Queen - Another One Bites The Dust - 09-1980
10. Rainbow - All Night Long - 03-1980
11. Cliff Richard - Carrie - 02-1980
12. Dennis Waterman - I Could Be So Good For You - 11-1980
13. Marti Webb - Take That Look Off Your Face - 03-1980

And a few which deserve an honorary mention:
Sheena Easton - 9 to 5 (Morning Train) - 08-1980
Michael Jackson - She's Out Of My Life - 05-1980
Judas Priest - Breaking The Law - 06-1980
Liquid Gold - Dance Yourself Dizzy - 03-1980
Don McLean - Crying - 06-1980
New Muzik - Living By Numbers - 02-1980
Olivia Newton-John/The Electric Light Orchestra - Xanadu - 07-1980
The Nolans - I'm In The Mood For Dancing - 01-1980
Odyssey - Use It Up And Wear It Out - 07-1980
Saxon - 747 (Strangers In The Night) - 07-1980
Barbra Streisand - Woman In Love - 10-1980
Jona Lewie - Stop The Cavalry - 12-1980
John & Yoko & The Plastic Ono Band - Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - 12-1980

Autumn Bliss

Last week, my son Chris married his fabulous fiancee, Sophia. Here's a flavour of the day:

All week, my hubby and I had scoured various weather forecasts which predicted torrential rain all weekend, and they were almost right - it poured down all day Friday as we travelled down to West Sussex and shared an excellent Italian dinner. But the Saturday dawned with glorious sunshine which lasted right up until the disco finished. Strangely, Sunday morning's cloudburst felt as though the heavens had been keeping their legs crossed to give us a perfect day.

It certainly seems like this is the time of year for nuptials - Bri and I celebrated our 36th anniversary on the preceeding Tuesday, my nephew and neice celebrated their 5th anniversary on the 5th, and the 6th would have been my parents' 66th anniversary. You couldn't write it.

Except I kinda did - to celebrate the 1st book in the hengist saga, 3 Handfastings and a Burial, I wrote a series of blog posts all about wedding traditions through the centuries - you can find them here: https://hengistpeoplehorse.blogspot.com/2019/

1970s Top Thirteen Artists

So, having considered every year in the 70s, I did a quick analysis of how often each artist had a record in the top 20 during the decade – this (number) may not be absolutely accurate, but it certainly stacks up with what I remember.

My top thirteen 70s artists were:
Slade (17)
Queen (12)
David Bowie (16)
Thin Lizzy (10)
Stevie Wonder (10)
Earth, Wind & Fire (7)
Bee Gees (9)
Sweet (12)
ELO (15)
Jacksons (Including Michael) (18)
Fleetwood Mac (10)
Eagles (8)
Status Quo (14)

As ever, there’s a few names bubbling under who didn’t quite make it
Leo Sayer (9)
Gilbert O’Sullivan (8)
ABBA (17)
Police (7)
Roxy Music (11)
Mud (13)
Darts (8)

And a special mention to these guys who never brought out a track I didn’t like
Billy Joel (3)
Labi Siffre (2)
Alice Cooper (5)
Manfred Mann (4)
Mott the Hoople (4)
Suzi Quatro (6)
Santana (4)

To put it into perspective, here are some of the biggest names of the decade
Elton John (13)
Diana Ross (14)
Cliff Richard (9)
Elvis Presley (19)

Huge thanks to this fab website for taking a lot of the research strain out of it for me: http://www.severing.nu/music/1970UK.html


And here's a bunch of 70s bands someone put together - I only recognise a few, but I'm pretty sure an 80s band has snuck in there - can you spot them?

God Bless Lilibet

Truly an inspiration to us all, and I'm proud to have been an Elizabethan.

1970s Gadgets & Inventions

Home VCR, 1970
Big bulky plastic tapes that held our favorite movies and cartoons. A step behind the CD but, still truly a great invention in it's time. Family movies were brought from the reels and stored onto VCR tapes. These tapes were more durable and took up less space than the reels of film.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), 1971
LCD used for Televisions, Computers, Calculators, Video Game Monitors, Cockpit Displays, Digital Signs, Clocks and Telephones. Invented by James Fergason

Scientific Calculator, 1971
Initially designed for internal use by HP employees, co-founder Bill Hewlett issues a challenge to his engineers in 1971: fit all of the features of their desktop scientific calculator into a package small enough for his shirt pocket. They did. Marketed as “a fast, extremely accurate electronic slide rule” with a solid-state memory similar to that of a computer, the HP-35 distinguished itself from its competitors by its ability to perform a broad variety of logarithmic and trigonometric functions, to store more intermediate solutions for later use, and to accept and display entries in a form similar to standard scientific notation. The HP-35 helped HP become one of the most dominant companies in the handheld calculator market for more than two decades.

Floppy disk, 1971
Before the days of cloud storage, thumb drives and even CDs, floppy disks were the best solution for storing electronic data. Unsurprisingly, IBM was at the forefront of this. A team of engineers began developing this early method of data storage in 1967, but it wasn’t until 1971 that IBM put the floppy disks on the market, and 1972 when it received patents for the floppy disk and the drive. In 1977, Apple released its first mass-produced computer, the Apple II, which came with two floppy disk drives.

Email, 1971
Ray Tomlinson, a computer programmer at research and design company Bolt Beranek and Newman (today BBN Technologies), created text-based messaging between company computers through the network ARPANET In 1971 by using the “@” symbol to route messages.

Digital Watch, 1972
In 1966, Stanley Kubrick hired Hamilton Watch Company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to make a futuristic clock for his upcoming movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. The resulting clock was shaped like a squashed sphere and displayed time using digits from small Nixie tubes. The clock never made it into the movie but it inspired its makers, John M. Bergey and Richard S. Walton, to work on a digital watch. They’d also worked together in Hamilton’s Military Division on an electronically timed fuse, technology which they’d thought about applying to watches and clocks. The watch they’d come up with was called Pulsar, named for the type of star which sweeps a beam of electromagnetic radiation across space at a precise rate of rotation. By April 4th, 1972 they had a limited edition of 400 18-carat gold Pulsar watches selling for $2,100 — $12,500 in 2018 dollars. The watch used a quartz crystal for counting time and red LED’s for the display. To save power, the time was not always displayed. Instead, you’d press a button which would show the time for just over a second.

Pong, 1972
California entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell hires young engineer Al Alcorn to design a car-driving game, but when it becomes apparent that this is too ambitious for the time, he has Alcorn design a version of Ping Pong instead. The game was tested in bars in Grass Valley and Sunnyvale, California, where it proved very popular. Pong would revolutionize the arcade industry and launch the modern video game era.

Mobile phone, 1973
Although it sure didn’t look mobile, the first cell phone was invented in 1973 by Motorola. How exactly was this day marked? Martin Cooper, a senior engineer at the company, called rival telecommunications company Bell Laboratories to tell them he was speaking through a mobile phone. The phone, which was a prototype of the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x, is nothing like the smartphone you own today. It weighed nearly two and a half pounds, was over a foot in length, offered 30 minutes of talk-time and took 10 hours to charge. Worst of all, it didn't even connect to wifi.

Bar code, 1974
While sitting on a Miami beach in 1949, a spurt of inspiration hit inventor Norman Joseph Woodland. He drew in the sand an outline of what would today become one of the most effective retail inventions of all time -- the UPC, otherwise known as the barcode. Inspired by Morse Code, which he learned in the Boy Scouts, Woodland patented his idea in 1952.
After numerous designs, awareness of Woodland’s idea grew and eventually the retail and tech industries got involved in trying to create a successful UPC. However, it wasn’t until decades later that Woodland’s idea finally came to fruition. On the night of June 25, 1974, a team from the National Cash Register installed new scanners and computers at the Marsh Supermarket in the small town of Troy, Ohio. Finally, at 8 a.m. on June 26, 1974, the first item with a UPC was scanned -- a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum, which is now preserved at the Smithsonian Museum.

Post-It Note, 1974
One of the simplest-yet-most-ingenius invention was actually invented by accident. 3M research scientist Dr. Spencer Silver created a strange adhesive in 1968, which he found different and interesting, but for the most part, useless. However, six years later, another 3M researcher named Arthur Fry tried using the adhesive material to hold his papers together after he got frustrated when the bookmarks in his hymn book started flying around.

Toasted Sandwich maker, 1974
Thomas Edison invented lots of stuff, including an early sandwich grill, but it didn't get much attention from home cooks and was discontinued in the early 1930s. It was entirely forgotten by the time Breville — which claims to have invented the world's first toasted sandwich machine — came out with its panini press in 1974.

Digital camera, 1975
The first digital camera was invented by Kodak engineer Steven Sasson in December 1975, even though it wasn’t the type of camera you’d take to document a family vacation. It weighed eight pounds, took 0.01 megapixel black-and-white photographs that were recorded onto a cassette tape. One image took nearly 23 seconds to take and could only be seen when the camera was connected to a television set.

Queen’s first email, 1976
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom sends out an e-mail on March 26 from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE) in Malvern as a part of a demonstration of networking technology.

Inkjet Printer, 1976
A type of computer printer that creates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper. Inkjet printers are the most commonly used type of printer and range from small inexpensive consumer models to very large professional machines that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Commodore Pet, 1977
In 1977, Commodore introduced the PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) home/personal computer. Appearing before either the Apple II or the Radio Shack TRS80, it was among the first personal computers. The PET 2001, Commodore's first model, included 4 kilobytes of memory, cost $495, and was fully functional out the box.

Apple II, 1977
Sold complete with a main logic board, switching power supply, keyboard, case, manual, game paddles, and cassette tape containing the game Breakout, the Apple-II finds popularity far beyond the hobbyist community which made up Apple’s user community until then. When connected to a color television set, the Apple II produced brilliant color graphics for the time. Millions of Apple IIs were sold between 1977 and 1993, making it one of the longest-lived lines of personal computers. Apple gave away thousands of Apple IIs to school, giving a new generation their first access to personal computers.

Atari Games Console, 1977
Atari releases its Video Computer System (VCS) later renamed the Atari 2600. The VCS was the first widely successful video game system, selling more than twenty million units throughout the 1980s. The VCS used the 8-bit MOS 6507 microprocessor and was designed to be connected to a home television set. When the last of Atari’s 8-bit game consoles were made in 1990, more than 900 game titles had been released.

Commodore 1530 Datasette, 1977
The built-in Commodore 1530 Datasette (data+cassette) is the primary storage device for the newly released Commodore PET. The device converted digital information from the computer into analog sound signals which were stored on compact cassettes. The method was cost-effective and reliable, but also very slow.

Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80, 1977
Performing far better than the company projections of 3,000 units for the first year, in the first month after its release Tandy Radio Shack´s first desktop computer — the TRS-80 — sells 10,000 units. The TRS-80 was priced at $599.95, included a Z80 microprocessor, video display, 4 KB of memory, a built-in BASIC programming language interpreter, cassette storage, and easy-to-understand manuals that assumed no prior knowledge on the part of the user. The TRS-80 proved popular with schools, as well as for home use. The TRS-80 line of computers later included color, portable, and handheld versions before being discontinued in the early 1990s.

Laser Disc, 1978
The LaserDisc is introduced as “Discovision” by MCA and Philips. The first LaserDisc sold in North America was the film Jaws. It offered better audio and video quality than its competitors, but LaserDisc players were prohibitively expensive for many consumers. That fact, in conjunction with the availability of only a limited LaserDisc library, helped it gain significant popularity only in parts of Asia. Now obsolete, it was the direct forerunner of the CD and DVD.

Atari 400/800 microcomputers, 1979
Shortly after delivery of the Atari VCS game console, Atari designs two microcomputers with game capabilities: the Model 400 and Model 800. The 400 served primarily as a game console, while the 800 was more of a home computer. Both faced strong competition from the Apple II, Commodore PET, and TRS-80 computers. Atari's 8-bit computers were influential in the arts, especially in the emerging DemoScene culture of the 1980s and '90s.

Multi-User Domain, 1979
The first Multi-User Domain (or Dungeon), MUD1, goes on-line. Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw, two students at the University of Essex, write a program that allows many people to play against each other on-line. MUDs become popular with college students as a means of adventure gaming and for socializing. By 1984, there will be more than 100 active MUDs and variants around the world.

Texas Instruments TI99/4, 1979
Based around the Texas Instruments TMS 9900 microprocessor running at 3 MHz, the TI 99/4 has one of the fastest CPUs available in a home computer. The TI99/4 had a wide variety of expansion boards, with an especially popular speech synthesis system that could also be used with TI's Speak & Spell educational game. The TI 99/4 sold well and led to a series of TI follow-on machines.

Sony Walkman, 1979
Before your smartphone, the Sony Walkman was the most popular personal music device on the market. Sony introduced the Walkman TPS-L2 on July 1, 1979. It was a blue and silver, 14-ounce cassette player that ran off two AA batteries. Initially released in Japan, Sony predicted only 5,000 would sell. Instead, its popularity skyrocketed and within the first two months, Sony sold more than 50,000 Walkmans.

Portable Cell Phones, 1979
Portable phone using radio links to make and receive calls, most commonly used today, with many alterations.

1979 Top Thirteen

1) Billy Joel - My Life - 02-1979
2) Sad Café - Every Day Hurts - 10-1979
3) City Boy - The Day the Earth Caught Fire - ??-1979
4) The Crusaders - Street Life - 09-1979
5) Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing - 04-1979
6) Sister Sledge - We Are Family - 06-1979
7) Earth, Wind & Fire With The Emotions - Boogie Wonderland - 06-1979
8) The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays - 07-1979
9) Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind - 10-1979
10) The Police - Roxanne - 05-1979
11) The Pretenders - Brass In Pocket - 12-1979
12) Queen - Don't Stop Me Now - 03-1979
13) Supertramp - Breakfast In America - 07-1979

Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive - 02-1979
The Bee Gees - Tragedy -02-1979
Earth, Wind & Fire - September - 01-1979
Dave Edmunds - Girls Talk - 07-1979
Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Till You Get Enough - 10-1979
Gary Moore - Parisienne Walkways - 05-1979
Barry White - Just The Way You Are - 02-1979
Chaka Khan - I'm Every Woman - 01-1979
Rainbow - Since You've Been Gone - 10-1979
Squeeze - Up The Junction - 06-1979
Thin Lizzy - Waiting For An Alibi - 03-1979
Toto - Hold The Line - 02-1979

1970s Holidays

Holidays as a child in England invariably meant the seaside. Actually, it was more clearly defined than that – for those of us lucky enough to be living in the very centre of England (a couple of hours’ drive to the sea in any direction), a day-trip to the beach invariably meant either Skegness, or Western-Super-Mud – where no matter what time you got there, the sea was at its most distant, leaving a trek through filthy, muddy sand.
Week-long holidays meant you could go a wee bit further afield: north to Blackpool or the magnificent, moody Northumbrian coast (where me Da was born, so it was a favourite). East was Great Yarmouth, and we went as far as Dorset to the south, but for some reason never went west to my beloved Wet, Windy Wales (there’s a clue there somewhere!) Been making up for it in the last couple of decades as a static caravan in mid-Wales (ten minutes from the foot of my favourite mountain, Cadair Idris) has allowed us to explore our Celtic heritage.

Several changes occurred in the leisure industry during the early twentieth century, when holidays and travel were no longer an exclusive prerogative of the rich. Thanks to the likes of Harry Warner and funfair entrepreneur Billy Butlin, there were around 200 holiday camps at different seaside locations in the UK by the outbreak of war in 1939. Post-war and into the affluent 1950s and early 1960s the holiday camp industry thrived with knobbly knees contests, human pyramids, tombola and three-legged races at the top of the agenda – inexpensive, harmless fun for a more innocent age. This was further helped by the introduction of two weeks paid holiday and a level of prosperity that gave the young, free and single spare cash for clothes, luxuries and holidays. Where trains made travel within land masses easy, the aeroplane put foreign holidays within the reach of the general public.

Thomas Cook promoted foreign holidays from the UK in the early 1950s with charter flights marking the first mass holiday packages to the likes of Corsica, Palma, Sardinia and of course the Costa Brava. Foreign travel for the masses was still rare in the mid-60s when Britannia Airways focussed on flying holiday-makers to destinations like Spain, the Canary Islands, Malta and North Africa, and Freddie Laker set up his cut-price tours business in 1966. Global travel took off in 1970 when the first Pan Am Boeing 747 jet landed at London’s Heathrow Airport – complete with a restaurant in the upstairs lounge for those who could afford first class.
By then, holiday camps were deemed a relic of the past and were shunned in favour of the package holiday – new, exciting and above all, cheap, with the promise of strong lager, wine at nine pence a bottle and "meat-filled meals" tempting people to save up for their fortnight in the Mediterranean sun. What started out as trips to idyllic fishing villages with half a dozen tiny hotels and a couple of bars turned into a full-blown industry in its own right. Whole new cities emerged across the Spanish mainland, complete with skyscrapers, swimming pools, tennis courts and endless bars and nightclubs. Not to mention the en-suite bathroom, shower and bidet.

By 1972 Spain had established itself as the favourite destination of the British abroad, and the once beautiful Benidorm was named the "Manhattan of Spain," with the highest number of skyscrapers per capita in the world. Over the next decade or so these package holidays began attracting more specific audiences – from honeymooners and families to the fun-loving Club 18-30 crowd. But the high demand inevitably led to band-wagon jumping and cut corners, with Clarkson’s package tours collapsing in 1974, leaving hundreds of British holidaymakers stranded. Skytrain undercut the big airlines from 1977 but collapsed in 1982.

Crete in the 1970s                                                                    Photo: Pam Bailey

My first foreign summer holiday involved a ferry crossing to France and a week in Brittany – like Cornwall with even more sun. My family were completely enamoured with Crepe Suzettes – our standard order always began with deux bananes for my brother and I. We were genuinely shocked to meet a couple on the ferry back who hated them, calling them “creepies.” Nowt as queer as folk!

1978 Top Thirteen

1) Kate Bush - Man With The Child In His Eyes - 07-1978
2) Billy Joel - Just The Way You Are - 03-1978
3) The Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky 02-1978
4) Earth, Wind & Fire - Fantasy - 03-1978
5) The Patti Smith Group - Because The Night - 05-1978
6) Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Davy's On The Road Again - 06-1978
7) Abba - Take A Chance On Me - 02-1978
8) The Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive - 03-1978
9) Blue Oyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper - 07-1978
10) City Boy - 5-7-0-5 - 08-1978
11) Andrew Gold - Never Let Her Slip Away - 04-1978
12) The Motors - Airport - 06-1978
13) Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street - 03-1978

And the nearly made its:
Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good - 08-1978
Julie Covington - Only Women Bleed - 01-1978
Dean Friedman - Lucky Stars - 10-1978
Elkie Brooks - Lilac Wine - 03-1978
The Commodores - Three Times A Lady - 08-1978
The Jacksons - Blame It On The Boogie - 10-1978
The Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love - 10-1978
Raydio - Jack And Jill - 05-1978
John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John - You're The One That I Want - 06-1978
Rose Royce - Love Don't Live Here Anymore - 10-1978
Donna Summer - MacArthur Park - 10-1978
The Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap - 10-1978
Crystal Gayle - Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - 01-1978
Chic - Le Freak - 12-1978
Clout - Substitute - 07-1978
Yvonne Elliman - If I can't Have You -05-1978
Eruption - I Can't Stand The Rain - 03-1978
Exile - Kiss You All Over - 09-1978
Genesis - Follow You Follow Me - 04-1978
Marshall Hain - Dancin' In The City - 06-1978
Heatwave - Mind Blowing Decisions - 07-1978
Nick Lowe & His Cowboy Outfit - I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass - 03-1978
Odyssey - Native New Yorker - 01-1978
Frankie Valli - Grease - 09-1978
Bill Withers - Lovely Day - 01-1978
John Paul Young - Love Is In The Air - 05-1978

1970s TV Shows

The Morecambe & Wise Show was a comedy sketch show originally broadcast by BBC television starring English comedy double-act Morecambe and Wise. It began airing in 1968 on BBC2, specifically because it was then the only channel broadcasting in colour.
The Two Ronnies was a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett which aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, serial stories and musical finales, many of which had our dynamic duo dressing as women. This willingness to dress up as women was rife in 70's comedy, mady particularly famous by Les Dawson and Roy Barraclough's incorrigible Cissy and Ada - a couple of northern ex-mill workers.

Here are some of the popular British Sitcoms - I've bolded my abolute faves:
Are You Being Served? (’73-’85), Bless This House (’71-’76), Butterflies (’78-’83),
Citizen Smith (’77-’80), Dad’s Army (’68-’77), Doctor in the House (’69-’70),
Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (’76-’79), Father Dear Father (‘68-’73), Fawlty Towers,
George and Mildred (’76-’79), The Good Life (’75-’78), The Goodies (’72-’76),
It Ain't Half Hot Mum (’74-’81), Last of the Summer Wine (’73-’ 01), The Liver Birds (’74-’81),
Love Thy Neighbour (’74-’81), Man About the House (’77-’80),On the Buses (’69 -’73),
Please Sir! (’68-’72), Porridge (’74-’77), Rising Damp (’74-’78), Robin’s Nest (’77-’81),
Steptoe and Son (’70-’74), Till Death Us Do Part(’65-’75), To the Manor Born (’79-’81),
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (’73-’74), Up Pompeii (’75-’91)

And some of the UK Crime Series

Hazell (’78-’79), The New Avengers (’76-’77), New Scotland Yard (’78-’79),
The Persuaders! (’71-’79), The Professionals (’78-’79), The Protectors (’72-’74),
Raffles (’78-’79), Return of the Saint (’78-’79), Shoestring (’79), The Sweeney (’78-’79),
Target (’78-’79), Randall and Hopkirk (deceased '69-'70) , Van der Valk (’78-’79),
The XYY Man (’78-’79), Z Cars (’62-’78).

Popular US Crime Series
Baretta (’75-’78), Cannon (’71-’76), Charlie’s Angels (’76-’81),
Chips (’77-’83), Columbo (’71-’03), Hart to Hart (’79-’84), Hawaii Five-O (’68-’80),
Ironside (’67-’75), Kojak (’73-’78), Longstreet (’71-’72), McCloud (’70-’77),
Policewoman (’74-’78), Quincy(’76-’83), Rockford Files (’74-’80), Shaft (’73-’74),
Streets of San Francisco (’72-’77), Starsky & Hutch (’75-’79)

In 2004, over a million people voted for Britain’s best sitcom, and half of these were broadcast in the 70s. Here’s the top 10:

	Title	Broadcast	Votes
1	Only Fools and Horses	1981–2003	342,426
2	Blackadder	1983–1989	3282,106
3	The Vicar of Dibley	1994–2007	212,927
4	Dad's Army	1968–1977	174,138
5	Fawlty Towers	1975–1979	172,066
6	Yes Minister	1980–1984	123,502
7	Porridge	1974–1977	93,902
8	Open All Hours	1976–1985	67,237
9	The Good Life	1975–1978	40,803
10	One Foot in the Grave	1989–2000	31,410

1977 Top Thirteen

1) The Eagles - Hotel California - 05-1977
2) The Emotions - Best Of My Love - 09-1977
3) The Rods - Do Anything You Wanna Do - 09-1977
4) The Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love - 11-1977
5) Heatwave - Boogie Nights - 02-1977
6) Andrew Gold - Lonely Boy - 05-1977
7) Carly Simon - Nobody Does It Better - 08-1977
8) Santana - She's Not There - 11-1977
9) Queen - We Are The Champions - 11-1977
10) Abba - The Name Of The Game - 11-1977
11) Elkie Brooks - Pearl 's A Singer - 04-1977
12) Leo Sayer - When I Need You - 02-1977
13) Yes - Wonderous Stories - 09-1977


And bubbling under - so many good ones this year - even a couple of novelty ones!

Fleetwood Mac – Don’t Stop - 1977 
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Fanfare For The Common Man - 06-1977
The Commodores - Easy - 08-1977 (Motown)
Elvis Costello - Watching The Detectives - 12-1977 (Stif)
Carole Bayer Sager - You're Moving Out Today - 06-1977 (Elektra)
Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke - 04-1977 (Motown)
Alessi - Oh Lori - 07-1977 (A&M)
Deniece Williams - That's What Friends Are For - 08-1977 (CBS)
The Jacksons - Show You The Way To Go - 06-1977 (Epic)
David Soul - Don't Give Up On Us - 01-1977 (Private Stock)
Meri Wilson - Telephone Man - 09-1977 (Pye International)
Thin Lizzy - Dancin' In The Moonlight - 09-1977 (Vertigo)
The Stranglers - No More Heroes - 10-1977 (UA)
Candi Staton - Nights On Broadway - 08-1977 (Warner)
Status Quo - Rockin' All Over The World - 10-1977 (Vertigo)
Roxy Music - Virginia Plain - 11-1977 (Polydor)
Billy Ocean - Red Light Spells Danger - 04-1977 (GTO)
The Moments - Jack In The Box - 02-1977 (All Platinum)
Mr. Big - Romeo - 02-1977 (EMI)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Don't Leave Me This Way - 02-1977
The Floaters - Float On - 08-1977 (ABC)
Patsy Gallant - From New York To L.A. - 10-1977 (EMI)

70s Men's Fashions

The 70s saw a plethora of different styles for both women and men, the latter including such gems as Double Denim, leather Jackets, curly perms and the ubiquitous platform shoes. Status Quo were avid exponents of the double (and even triple) denim.

The so-called “Peacock Revolution” which started in the 1950s had made it acceptable for men to wear brighter colours, bolder prints and wear their hair long. While the suit continued to be a staple for many men, new, inventive styles were popularized. It started with a hippie 60s hangover – baggie tie-dye shirts and psychedelic prints, then a host of “wash and wear” synthetic materials led to many casual leisure clothes like tracksuits being worn outside of sports.

Bell-bottom trousers, characterized by a high waist, a tight fit through the thighs, and a flare beginning at the knees and extending outward, were paired with suits and wide collar shirts in varying patterns from loud florals to polka dot to checks and everything in between.

In the early 1970s, men’s fashion tried to emphasize a tall, lean figure. Turtlenecks, slim-fitting shirts, and tight-fitting flared pants all worked to popularize the silhouette. The safari suit, popularized by Roger Moore as James Bond, was a popular option in the summer: the light-coloured suit was worn belted and had large patch-pockets and came many variations of long- or short-sleeves and trousers or shorts.

Chunky cable knit turtleneck sweaters (often with matching belts or hats) preceded three-piece disco suits circa 1977’s hit flick Saturday Night Fever. As the decade progressed, the dominant menswear silhouette widened as double-breasted suits with wider shoulders and narrower legs and lapels came into fashion.

Right at the end, punk styles, as popularised by the Sex Pistols, emerged. Clothes were slashed and ripped, embellished with safety pins, zips and studs and T-shirts were printed with aggressive anarchistic slogans.

1976 Top Thirteen

Hmmm. At this point I can't decide if the large bias toward the rockier tracks is is more to do with my present-day tastes than 17-year-old me.
But my criteria when ordering the top 13 involves putting myself back in my sixth form shoes and visualising which records I actually bought (or taped from the top 20 run-down on Sunday - come on, we all did it!) and listened to while doing my homework.
Or the ones I danced around the kitchen to while making the evening meal for the family. And of course the ones I danced to in discos.


1) Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded By The Light - 09-1976
2) John Miles - Music - 04-1976
3) Chicago - If You Leave Me Now - 10-1976
4) Abba - Dancing Queen - 09-1976
5) Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town - 07-1976
6) Dolly Parton - Jolene - 06-1976
7) Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon - 02-1976
8) The Four Seasons - December '63 (Oh What A Night) - 02-1976
9) Elton John & Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breaking My Heart - 07-1976
10) Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train To Georgia - 06-1976
11) Queen - Somebody To Love - 11-1976
12) The Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing - 08-1976
13) 10cc - I'm Mandy Fly Me - 04-1976



And the ones I couldn't bear to leave out:
The Shangri-Las - Leader Of The Pack - 07-1976
Leo Sayer - You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - 11-1976
Steve Harley - Here Comes The Sun - 08-1976
The Isley Brothers - Harvest For The World - 08-1976
The Climax Blues Band - Couldn't Get It Right - 11-1976
Bonnie Tyler - Lost In France - 11-1976
Neil Diamond - Beautiful Noise - 11-1976
Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free - 06-1976
Sailor - Glass Of Champagne - 01-1976
The Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything - 06-1976
Robin Sarstedt - My Resistance Is Low - 05-1976
Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music - 11-1976
David Dundas - Jeans On - 08-1976
Tina Charles - I Love To Love (But My Baby Loves To Dance) - 02-1976
Andrea True Connection - More, More, More - 05-1976
Yvonne Fair - It Should Have Been Me - 02-1976
The Kursaal Flyers - Little Does She Know - 12-1976
Manuel & His Music Of The Mountains - Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto De Aranjuez - 02-1976
Paul Nicholas - Dancing With The Captain - 11-1976
Sherbet - Howzat - 10-1976

1970s Sports and Leisure

Sporting Highlights

Obviously, this can't include every sporting event, so I've tried to give a flavour of the ones which seemed to dominate the media - at least in my house, especially on a Saturday!
You couldn’t get away from the all-day, incessant round-up of wrestling and the pools results in “World of Sport” and “Grandstand.” But see how these names take you back!

1970
Wimbledon singles winners were John Newcombe (AUS) and Margaret Court (AUS).
Nijinsky II won the Triple Crown of British Thoroughbred Racing.
14 June, FIFA World cup: After defeat in 1966 championship, West Germany take revenge on England, putting them out in quarter finals. Brazil beat Italy 4-1 in Final.
Henry Cooper (Boxer) won his second BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, beating Tony Jacklin (Golfer).
Commonwealth games – won by Australia with 36 gold, 82 overall. GB 2nd with 27 gold, 84 overall.
World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL)

1971
Wimbledon singles winners were John Newcombe (AUS) and Evonne Goolagong (AUS).
Princess Anne (Eventing) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating George Best (Footballer).
British and Irish Lions defeat All Blacks for the first time in a series.
World Snooker champion was John Spencer (ENG).

1972
Wimbledon singles winners were Stan Smith (USA) and Billie Jean King (USA).
The Great Britain rugby league team won the World Cup, led by the late Clive Sullivan the first black player to captain a British team at any sport.
Olympic games – Munich: Soviet Union top in medals table with 49 Gold, 125 overall GB 12th in medals table with 4 Gold, 18 overall
Among the 1972 Summer Olympic highlights was the performance of swimmer Mark Spitz, who set 7 World Records to win a record 7 gold medals in one Olympics, bringing his total to nine. Other notable athletes at the 1972 games were 16-year-old Olga Korbut, whose success in women's gymnastics earned 3 gold medals for the Soviet Union, and British athlete Mary Peters, who took home the gold in the women's pentathlon, going on to be the Sports Personality of the Year beating Gordon Banks (Footballer).
During the games, Palestinian terrorists killed two Israeli athletes and took nine hostages. After a failed rescue attempt, all hostages and all but three of terrorists were killed.
Winter Olympic games Sapporo, Japan – Soviet Union top medals table with 8 gold, 16 overall.
World Snooker champion was Alex Higgins (NIR).

1973
Wimbledon singles winners were Jan Kodes (CZE) and Billie Jean King (USA).
"Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Jackie Stewart (F1 driver) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Roger Taylor (Tennis).
World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL).
Ajax (NL) win third consecutive European Cup.

1974
Wimbledon singles winners were Stan Smith (USA) and Chris Evert (USA).
Gerd "der Bomber" Müller scored his 14th World Cup goal, a then record, as West Germany won the FIFA World Cup, beating Netherlands 2-1.
Commonwealth games – GB were 2nd in medals table with 28 gold, 80 overall, just 2 behind winners Australia.
The Rumble in the Jungle boxing match; Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's career home run record.
Brendan Foster (Athletics) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating John Conteh (Boxer).
World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL).

1975
Wimbledon singles winners were Arthur Ashe (USA) and Billie Jean King (USA).
First Cricket World Cup organised in England – West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs.
Muhammad Ali beat Joe Frazier in the Thrilla In Manila. Pele came out of retirement to play for the New York Cosmos and brought U.S. Soccer into American mainstream.
David Steele (Cricketer) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Alan Pascoe (Athletics).
World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL).

1976

Wimbledon singles winners were Bjorn Borg (SWE) and Chris Evert (USA).
Olympic games – Montreal Soviet Union top in medals table with 50 Gold, 99 overall. GB 13th in medals table with 3 gold, 12 overall. Highlights included the legendary performance of 14-year-old Romanian female gymnast Nadia Comăneci, who scored 7 perfect 10s and won 3 gold medals, including the prestigious All Around in women's gymnastics. Also featured the strong U.S. boxing team, which consisted of Sugar Ray Leonard, Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, Leo Randolph and Howard Davis Jr. The team won five gold medals and was arguably the greatest Olympic boxing team ever. Lorna Johnstone became the oldest British athlete to ever compete in the Games when she made the equestrian team, aged 69, and HRH The Princess Royal became the first member of the Royal Family to compete at an Olympics when she rode the Queen’s horse, Goodwill, in the three-day event.
Winter Olympic games – Innsbruck, Austria. Soviet Union top in medals table with 13 Gold, 27 overall. GB 12th with 1 gold, 1 overall.
John Curry wins Gold in figure skating to become European, Olympic and World champion and Sports Personality of the Year, beating James Hunt (F1 driver).
World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL).
Bayern Munich (GER) win third consecutive European Cup.

1977
Wimbledon singles winners were Bjorn Borg (SWE) and Virginia Wade (GBR).
After a long wait for an English Wimbledon champion, this was most fitting in the Queen's Silver Jubilee year, and Virginia Wade was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Geoffrey Boycott (Cricketer).
Pelé plays the last game of his professional career in a friendly between the New York Cosmos and Santos FC.
Red Rum wins third Grand National.
World Snooker champion was John Spencer (ENG)

1978
Wimbledon singles winners were Bjorn Borg (SWE) and Martina Navratilova (USA).
Many controversies surround “The Dirtiest World Cup of All Time” in Argentina, Johan Cruyff pulled out for personal reasons. In the final, Argentina beat Netherlands 3 – 1 after extra time.
First Ironman Triathlon. Affirmed becomes the 11th thoroughbred to win the U.S. Triple Crown.
Commonwealth games – won by Canada with 45 gold, 109 overall. GB 2nd with 27 gold, 87 overall
Steve Ovett, unbeaten over 1500m since 1977, was the Sports Personality of the Year, beating Daley Thompson (Athletics).
World Snooker champion was Ray Reardon (WAL) and World Darts Champion was Leighton Rees (WAL).
Liverpool (GBR) win second consecutive European Cup.

1979
Wimbledon singles winners were Bjorn Borg (SWE) and Martina Navratilova (USA).
Second Cricket World Cup – West Indies beat England by 92 runs.
Sugar Ray Leonard wins his first world boxing title.
Sebastian Coe, an 800m specialist, broke three world records in 1979 and was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Ian Botham (Cricketer).
World Snooker champion was Terry Griffiths (WAL) and World Darts Champion was John Lowe (GBR).
Nottingham Forrest (GBR) win European Cup.

Leisure

So what, you may ask, did the women do while their menfolk were down the city every Saturday, or glued to the TV for hours (days) on end? There didn’t seem to be much concept of the “girls night out” back then, so some bright spark invented party selling.A simple concept, it saw groups of (female) family members, friends and neighbours gathering in someone’s home, often with teas and coffees or alcohol on hand, to enjoy a drink, a bite to eat and a few hours of conversation. More than buying and selling the kitchen containers, it was a chance for women to get together with friends and neighbours to catch up on family life, and enjoy some time away from the daily grind.
I believe Tupperware parties were the first - held in 1949 by a single mom in Detroit. They’d certainly hit UK by the mid 70s, and it went on to spawn other sales: pottery, makeup and eventually in the early 80s Ann Summers products.

1975 Top Thirteen

Some real big hitters this year, with Queen and 10CC, but the Glam Rockers are defo giving way and the epic Jive Talkin' foreshadows the Bee Gees chart takeover a couple of years down the line.

1) Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody - 11-1975
2) Helen Reddy - Angie Baby - 02-1975
3) 10CC - I'm Not In Love - 06-1975
4) Minnie Riperton - Loving You - 04-1975
5) Slade - How Does it Feel? - 02-1975
6) Billy Swan - I Can Help - 01-1975
7) The Average White Band - Pick Up The Pieces - 03-1975
8) The Bee Gees - Jive Talkin' - 06-1975
9) Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye - 01-1975
10) Supertramp - Dreamer - 03-1975
11) Leo Sayer - Moonlighting - 09-1975
12) The Chi-Lites - Have You Seen Her/Oh Girl - 07-1975
13) Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) - 02-1975


And, as ever, the ones bubbling under - still the odd nevelty song creeping up on my blind side.
David Bowie - Space Oddity - 10-1975
The Eagles –Lyin’ Eyes – 06-1975
Pilot - January - 02-1975
Greg Lake - I Believe In Father Christmas - 12-1975
Slade - In For A Penny - 12 -1975
The Four Seasons - Who Loves You? - 10-1975
Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing - 11-1975
Andy Fairweather-Low - Wide Eyed And Legless - 12-1975
Roxy Music - Love Is The Drug - 11-1975
David Essex - Hold Me Close - 09-1975
Stevie Wonder - Boogie On Reggae Woman - 02-1975
John Lennon - Imagine - 11-1975
Linda Lewis - It's In His Kiss - 08-1975
The Stylistics - Can't Give You Anything (But My Love) - 08-1975
Shirley & Company - Shame, Shame, Shame - 02-1975
Peter Wingfield - Eighteen With A Bullet - 07-1975
Moments & Whatnauts - Girls - 03-1975
The Bay City Rollers - Bye Bye Baby - 03-1975
Peter Shelley - Love Me Love My Dog - 04-1975
Typically Tropical - Barbados - 07-1975

70s Sweethearts - Linda's Lament

You have 11 days left to pick up the third Calamity Chicks book - Linda's Lament at the pre-order price of £2.22/$2.99.

Here's the skinny:

Almost Famous meets 10 Things I Hate About You with elements of  Queen's Gambit.
How many twelve-year-old girls have toured the UK and Europe with a rock band? Lin thinks she’s pretty unique, but it comes at a cost. Firstly, as accidental witness to the antics of groupies, and secondly when she draws the attention of the band’s creepy manager. She’s pretty sure his daughter never gave those kind of squeezy hugs when she was alive, but if Lin tells anyone, her dad could lose his job.

Her mother’s outrage at an innocent childhood crush results in her incarceration in a super-strict convent school whose first priority is not teaching maths or English, but discipline. When she finally gets to the grammar school, she’s missed her chance with the only person who’s never made her feel fat, ugly or a nuisance, because he now has a lovely girlfriend.

At sixteen, after gruelling exams, the family holidays in Spain, where she meets a local lad with amore on his mind. Carlos is everything she isn’t – slim, beautiful and completely comfortable in his skin – and for some inexplicable reason, he seems to like her. She’s already missed out on one romance because of her unworthiness – should she go against her instincts and succumb to his expert seduction?

This cheeky piece of British nostalgia features plucky girls escaping from hairy situations, several handsome hunks, a whole lot of rock bands, and a couple of nasty villains. Feel free to boo and hiss.

1970s Hair and Makeup

Who can forget the bright blue eyeshadow that went all the way up to the eyebrows, bronze blusher and red lips in the early 70s? Eventually, common sense set in and it got more subtle as they lulled in au-naturel styles before the thick black OTT punk styles at the end of the decade.

Early-mid 70s What were we thinking?

As for hair - a bit of a cop-out, because I need to focus on Linda's last few chapters, so I'll let these awesome pix tell the story. I've included late 60s and early 80s, because they had so many iconic pix.

As soon as I can find it, I'll credit the awesome website who did all the work for me this week!

1974 Top Thirteen

Finally, at fourteen, I was allowed to go to the Friday night disco in my friend's village hall and it felt so-oo glamorous and exciting. Proper grown up with all the older kids, including my first proper boyfriend.
Glam Rock was still around, but for me this was when the soul stuff I loved started turning into disco with Disco Tex, KC and the Sunshine Band and George McCrae's unforgettable Rock Your Baby.
Somewhere in between we had the likes of Cockney Rebel, The Rubettes and Mud. C'mon, own up to putting those thumbs in your belt hooks to do the classic box-step to Tiger Feet.

1) Bachman-Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet -12-1974
2) The Hollies - The Air That I Breathe - 03-1974
3) George McCrae - Rock Your Baby - 07-1974
4) R. Dean Taylor - There's A Ghost In My House - 06-1974
5) Slade - Everyday - 04-1974
6) Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run - 07-1974
7) David Bowie - Rebel Rebel - 02-1974
8) Queen - Seven Seas Of Rhye - 04-1974
9) Golden Earring - Radar Love - 01-1974
10) Ringo Starr - You're Sixteen - 03-1974
11) The Stylistics - You Make Me Feel Brand New - 08-1974
12) The Chi-Lites - Homely Girl - 04-1974
13) Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun - 03-1974


So much good music, I could have added at least half a dozen more.

Mud - Tiger Feet - 01-1974
The Hues Corporation - Rock The Boat - 05-1974
Cozy Powell - Dance With The Devil - 01-1974
Johnny Bristol - Hang On In There Baby - 09-1974
Eric Clapton - I Shot The Sheriff - 08-1974
Cockney Rebel - Judy Teen - 06-1974
Lynsey De Paul - No Honestly - 11-1974
Disco Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes - Get Dancing - 12-1974
The Drifters - Kissin' In The Back Row Of The Movies - 07-1974
Bryan Ferry - The In Crowd - 06-1974
Hot Chocolate - Emma - 03-1974
KC & The Sunshine Band - Queen Of Clubs - 09-1974
Andy Kim - Rock Me Gently - 09-1974
Robert Knight - Love On A Mountain Top - 01-1974
Mud - The Cat Crept In - 04-1974
Alan Price - Jarrow Song - 06-1974
Suzi Quatro - Devil Gate Drive - 02-1974
Charlie Rich - The Most Beautiful Girl - 04-1974
The Rubettes - Juke Box Jive - 11-1974
Santana – Samba Pa Ti - 09-1974
Leo Sayer - One Man Band - 06-1974
Elton John - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - 12-1974
Gary Shearston - I Get A Kick Out Of You - 10-1974
The Sparks - This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us - 05-1974
Jim Stafford - Spiders & Snakes - 05-1974
The Sweet - Teenage Rampage - 01-1974
The Three Degrees - When Will I See You Again - 07-1974
Stevie Wonder - He's Misstra Know It All - 05-1974