Grandad – Ethel went twice to DMC. Sheila & fam came for tea. I had a poor afternoon re water. Ethel rang Amy, Tom was not too well.
Mum – Decided to buy radio/cassette. E stayed at Drayton. P told no-one else going on MAYC weekend. I fear she will leave church. 1 Triptizol.
Notes
Grandma Went to Church Twice
Ethel refers to my grandmother Ethel May Cecilia Parkin. DMC refers to Drayton Methodist Church. Grandma attended services there twice on a Sunday, in the morning and in the afternoon, see Chapter 124.
We Went to Grandma and Grandad’s for Tea
Sheila refers to my mother Sheila May Drew née Parkin. Fam refers to family. It was our usual practice to go to grandma and grandad’s for tea on Sunday afternoon, see Chapter 122.
Grandad Was Not Well
Grandad’s health was not good. He continued to have urinary symptoms although their severity varied from day to day, see Chapter 116. He had had prostate surgery in January 1974, see Chapter 100.
Tom Wilson (Uncle Tom) Was Also Unwell
Amy and Tom refer to Amy and Tom Wilson who were good friends of grandma and grandad’s from Kirkby. They were known to us children as Auntie Amy and Uncle Tom although they were not related. Grandma and Amy spoke on the phone as Tom was also not well, see Chapter 116.
Mum Decided to Buy a Radio/Cassette
Mum noted that she had decided to buy a radio/cassette, see Chapter 125. Both mum and grandad had been interested in radios and tape recorders for a long time and I recall grandad having a reel-to-reel tape recorder in the sixties. Cassette players became popular in the seventies and remained so until superseded by CD players in the early nineties.
Liz Stayed at Grandma and Grandad’s
E refers to my younger sister Liz (Elizabeth). Mum noted that she stayed at grandma and grandad’s. I think this probably means she stayed on Sunday night as well as mum had already noted the previous day that she stayed Saturday night.
Tricia Was Told that No-one Else Was Going on the MAYC Weekend
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). Apparently, she was told that no-one else was going on the MAYC weekend. I assume this means that no-one else from St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church was going, see Chapter 124.
I think Tricia had attended the MAYC weekend the previous year, see Chapter 107. MAYC refers to The Methodist Association of Youth Clubs which was established in 1943. MAYC weekends were held in London in the seventies and eighties but appear to have been replaced with a youth conference in 1995 which became a youth assembly in 2009.
Mum was concerned that Tricia might leave church. I assume this concern was not over the MAYC weekend specifically but that it reflected a lack of friends Tricia’s age at church, especially as she did have friends her own age elsewhere, e.g. through school and Guides. There were other young people at church but many were quite a lot younger, e.g. my brother’s age (12) and perhaps too young to go to the MAYC weekend this year.
Despite mum’s concerns, Tricia has turned out to be the most consistent church-attender among the four siblings. As far as I know, she has always attended church and still does.
Mum Took One Tryptizol
Mum sometimes noted taking Tryptizol or Lentizol, which are both forms of amitryptilline. On this day, she took one Tryptizol which she spelled Triptizol. I am not sure if she was meant to be taking them regularly or as required, see Chapter 116.