Margaret starts at Castle Lane Junior School and relies on Denise while she learns the unfamiliar routines.

A reconstructed diary entry about Margaret’s final day at secondary school and the uncertain gap before her first job begins.

Margaret receives her first weekly cash pay packet and discovers that earning money immediately gives it several destinations.

Margaret begins evening classes in typing and office practice, taking the first formal step towards improving her clerical skills.

Margaret meets Alan at a social evening in Fareham, where careful dancing leads to a telephone call and a first date.

Margaret buys a second-hand portable typewriter so she can practise for her RSA typing qualification at home.

Margaret returns to paid employment as a part-time clerical assistant at Eastbrook Junior School.

The family takes its first overseas holiday, flying from Gatwick to Majorca for a week in a modest apartment.

Margaret becomes Eastbrook’s school secretary and takes responsibility for the records, money and correspondence that keep the office running.

Pauline takes Margaret to an Emsworth local history meeting where disputed dates and incomplete memories prove more interesting than the buildings.