Grandad – Ethel went to the hospital clinic along with Jessie. I cleaned both mowers.
Mum – Patricia ½ term. She cut hedge & burnt clippings. Think I’ve got a cold. 2 Anadins at night no Trypt!
Notes
Grandma Went to the Hospital
Ethel refers to my grandmother Ethel May Cecilia Parkin. Although grandad referred to a clinic at the hospital, I wonder if he meant canteen as grandma used to go to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital on some Mondays to volunteer in the canteen, see Chapter 88.
She went with Jessie Cushing as she had the previous month. I am not exactly sure who Jessie Cushing was. It seems grandma knew her through the weekly women’s meeting held at Drayton Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. On 4 February 1975, Mrs Cushing came for the afternoon as she had joined the meeting and grandma wanted to see her.
Grandad Cleaned Both Lawn Mowers
Grandma and grandad had large lawns at both the front and back of their house which needed cutting weekly except in the winter. They had two mowers, a cylinder one and a rotary one, see Chapter 126. My older sister Tricia had finished cutting the back lawn the previous day using the cylinder mower. I think grandma had done some of it the day before that presumably using the rotary mower explaining why both needed cleaning.
Tricia Was on Half-term Break from School
My older sister Tricia (Patricia) attended Norwich High School for Girls, see Chapter 118. Her half-term was this week although Alan, Liz and I had all been on half-term the previous week.
Tricia Cut a Hedge and Burned Clippings
As Tricia was off school, she cut a hedge and burned the clippings, see Chapter 126. I assume this hedge was at our house in College Road, see Chapter 102.
I think, at that time, the main way to get rid of garden refuse was to burn it, see Chapter 109. While you do occasionally encounter bonfires these days, they are less common than they were. Broadly, they are discouraged because of the harm they cause and because of the alternatives of composting and recycling. I don’t recall that we have ever had a bonfire here. We do pay £50 per year for a brown bin which allows collection of garden waste.
Mum Thought She Had a Cold
Mu noted that she thought she had a cold, see Chapter 116, and she took two Anadin at night. Anadin is a well-known brand name for pain relief. The original Anadin, first produced in 1932, is a mixture of aspirin and caffeine but Anadin products containing ibuprofen and paracetamol are now available.
Mum Took No Tryptizol (Tryp)
Mum sometimes noted taking Tryptizol or Lentizol, which are both forms of amitryptilline. On this day, she noted that she took no Tryptizol (Tryp). I am not sure why this merited an exclamation mark. I am also not sure if she was meant to be taking them regularly or as required, see Chapter 116.
Leave a Reply