June 29, 1987. My official last day/night in Leeds. My friends from Tetley Hall certainly made it a memorable 24 hours - right up until I boarded a bus for London. Here are some pictures.
The day began with a train ride from Leeds to York, where we ended up at a tea room ...
... where Kate, Maelie and Lindsey did their best to look sophisticated. Maelie and Lindsey lived across the corridor from me at Tetley Hall. Kate lived at Tetley the year before and became friends with Maelie and Lindsey.
After we had our fill of tea, we headed off to the Friargate Wax Museum. I've learned that the place closed sometime during the late '90s. That's unfortunate, because it means that ...
... no one will ever take a picture like this again - at least not in this particular coffin at this particular wax museum. That's me - wearing makeup and some decent clothes because Maelie, Kate and Lindsey thought it would be really funny if I got dressed up and they didn't (see previous photo). They thought that making me wear a cheap, tacky plastic necklace would make it even funnier.
After the wax museum, we returned to Leeds and lived it up at a bingo parlor called the Top Rank Club. None of us had ever been there before, so none of us knew what the hell we were doing when it came to playing bingo. But, the drinks were cheap and that was really the only thing that mattered.
Finally, we returned to Tetley Hall so I could change into my travelling clothes and get ready for the long trip home. Of course, we managed to squeeze in a few more pictures .. and a few more drinks.
The party continued in Maelie's room where we set the automatic timer on our cameras and then piled on to Maelie's bed. There's Andre (with his face being covered by) John, me (holding a cup of sparkling wine and still wearing the cheap plastic necklace and the t-shirt that I bought the night before at the Genesis concert), Maelie, Lindsey, and Kate.
Ultimately, as we had on several nights before, we ended up in the corridor, shooting the sh*t until it was time for me to leave.
By this point, I think you know everyone except for Nicky in the purple sweater and Anita in the blue.
I called for a cab to take me to the bus station and they came outside to wait with me. I thought that would be the end of it. Good-bye for good. But, it wasn't. Not only did a cab take me to the bus station but, unbeknownst to me, my friends had ordered separate cabs and secretly followed me there. There were more hugs and good-byes and a few parting gifts (a plastic Union Jack and a cheap book about the royal family). Then, I was off.
It may have been 21 years ago, but it still seems like yesterday. Cheers.