12 May 2021; Write a Diary Entry for the Archives

You many have never heard of the Mass Observation Archive, but it's been active since 1937, when it started recording what ordinary people all over the UK did on one day, from the moment they work up to the time they went to sleep on the night of the 12th May.

This day was chosen because it was the day of George VI’s Coronation. The resulting diaries provide a wonderful glimpse into the everyday lives of people, and immediately they become a repository for scientists, anthropologists,  historians and sociologists (probably politicians, too), researching countless aspects of the era."

Last year, in the middle of the Covid pandemic they received over 5000 diaries that gave a clear, cross-cultural account of a very difficult time.

Now the Mass Obersvation Archive are recording a single day in the lives of everyone yet again. 

They say "We understand it has been a very difficult year and we were touched that so many people chose to share their stories with Mass Observation. If you didn't send a diary in last year, why not join in this year and tell us about your life now in 2021?"

Here's a snippet of the diary I'm recording.

"I woke up to find I had one dirty foot. My wellie had split yesterday as I prepared the no-dig beds for root seeds and brassica seedlings. As well as spreading a good layer of the lovely compost we'd bought from a local supplier who makes it  from household waste, I'd also had to actually dig one of the no-dig beds because, over the winter, I'd covered it with sheets of plastic taken from the polytunnel that needed recovering. Never known for my common sense, I hadn't realised that clear plastic sheeting wouldn't keep the weeds from growing.

I jumped in the shower, scrubbed my toes, dressed, drank some water, pulled back all the curtains, and, grabbing the car keys as I went through the hall, I put the dog on her lead. Pulling on a less wrecked pair of books, I drove to the  plantation.

 This is a lovely wild area about two miles from our house.  Once among the trees, we are in a peaceful heaven. The plantation hasn't been harvested for perhaps thirty, forty years, and amongst the pines, which attract the high calls of goldfinches, are many native species of shrub, plant and tree, It's a wet place, with runnels of water that babble after rain, and the willows are garlanded with lichen. I heard the song of chiffchaffs, 

willow warblers, chaffinches and dunnocks, one wood pigeon, a wren, a thrush, and a blackbird. Oh, and two woodpeckers competing with each other to drill the perfect hole. 

Luci had a great time too. Although her delight in bird song is non-existent, her interest in small furry creatures gives her at least four times the exercise I get.

I got back to the house and threw my coat over the little bannister (it's a slit-level ground floor) and one of the spindles came crashing out; broken in half. 

I had a quick cup of tea and did some early shopping in the nearest town.The market fruit and veg stall, the garden centre and the health food shop were on my list, but I also popped into the farming stores and bought a stronger pair of wellies. They'd better be stronger; they were three times the price of the old ones.

After breakfast I booted up my Mac to continue with the coursework I'm writing. My husband was already sitting on one side of the office, surfing spindles. He looked up briefly, to ask if I realised there are over two hundred design of bannister spindle, but I didn't really hear him because I had just pulled up the document I'm working on, which had taken me hours to get right, and discovered I'd over-written it – that is I'd used it as a template for another document then saved that other document in its place with its name.  I'm not sure I believe in ill omens, but today is proving a little too star-crossed for me.

So right now, and I'm sitting on the other, rewriting my document, furiously.

Except I'm not! I'm writing this, instead. "

How you write a diary entry is up to you. You can simply recount your day, or reflect back over the past year and look forward to the future and life beyond this year. You can record your lives, your hopes and your dreams. Reflections on the day and on how you felt while keeping the diary are a good place to start. You can be as creative with your writing as you please, but a brief self portrait: your age, where you live, your relationship status, your present job or occupation if you are working and any other information that you think is important to record is a good start. They would like the submissions ideally in electronic form as a Word document email attachment sent to moa@sussex.ac.uk  

You should not include your real name, contact details, or the personal details of the people mentioned in your diary. because the diaries are read and used for research and teaching, they should not include anything that may identify you or others. Clearly, you don't include photos, but I've added mine here for fun.

What you must include, however, is this statement at the end of your diary (If you don’t attach this statement. they won’t be able to keep your diary or make it part of the Archive):

“I donate my 12th May diary to the Mass Observation Archive. I consent to it being made publicly available as part of the Archive and assign my copyright in the diary to the Mass Observation Archive Trustees so that it can be reproduced in full or in part on websites, in publications and in broadcasts as approved by the Mass Observation Trustees. I agree to the Mass Observation Archive assuming the role of Data Controller and the Archive will be responsible for the collection and processing of personal data and ensuring that such data complies with the DPA.”

Good luck with your diary writing!