Grandad – Had a bad day, went to the toilet every ½ hour from 10.30 to 16.00. Ethel went with Wilfred to see Mrs Davis.
Mum – E went to riding lesson by herself on bus. Margaret came for dinner & tea. P A & E went to JMA Rally – I went for tea. FR rang in evening – I rang back & talked. Very irritable – due to muzziness – in morning. Only took 2 tabs. Got my letters ready for Council.
Notes
Grandad Had a Bad Day with Urinary Symptoms
Grandad continued to be unwell with urinary symptoms, see Chapter 116. He complained of urinary frequency having to go every half an hour between 10.30am and 4pm.
Grandma Went with Wilfred to See Mrs Davis
Ethel refers to my grandmother Ethel May Cecilia Parkin. I am not entirely sure who Wilfred was but he had been mentioned in January 1975 when he, his wife and grandma went to visit Mrs Davis.
Rosa Davis was a friend of grandma’s through the women’s meeting they attended at Drayton Methodist Church. She had lived near the church on Drayton High Road but she moved to Ecking Grange, a care home, in Dereham in August 1974, see Chapter 100.
Liz Went to Riding by Herself on the Bus
E refers to my younger sister Liz (Elizabeth). At this time, she was going riding regularly in Drayton, see Chapter 122. Sometimes, mum took her but, on occasions, she went by herself on the bus. She would have just turned ten.
Margaret Came for Dinner and Tea
I am not entirely sure who Margaret was. Tricia had a school friend called Margaret East, see Chapter 122, It may have been her but I am not sure. What is odd is that my siblings went out to a JMA Rally, presumably in the afternoon, and mum joined them for tea. It seems odd that we would have had a guest for tea under such circumstances! Maybe, she went to the rally too.
My Siblings Went to a JMA Rally
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia), A to my brother Alan and, as mentioned above, E to my younger sister Liz (Elizabeth). They attended a JMA rally and mum joined them for tea, see Chapter 124.
JMA was the Junior Missionary Association which is now known as Junior Mission for All, see Chapter 90. Essentially, the purpose remains the same of fundraising for what are now called the Methodist Church’s World Mission Fund and Mission in Britain Fund. I recall collecting for JMA as a child and have the certificates and medals to prove it! However, by this point, I was no longer attending church so did not go to this rally. I think such rallies took place at the circuit level.
Rev Dowson
FR refers to Rev F R Dowson. Frederick Rodham Dowson entered the Methodist ministry in 1936. He was born in Haxby, York on 5 August 1912 and he died in Selsey on 4 September 2011, aged 99. I believe he was superintendent Minister for the Park Lane circuit from 1968 to 1974. He and mum were close and they spoke and corresponded frequently, see Chapter 114. On this occasion, he rang in the evening. Mum rang him back and they talked.
Mum Was Irritable
Mum described herself as “very irritable“. She put this down to “muzziness” which she was experiencing of the new tablets she was taking. These were the tricyclic antidepressant doxepin (Sinequan), see Chapter 116. Mum noted that she had only taken two of those tablets although she had been prescribed three per day.
Mum Prepared for a Church Council Meeting
Mum prepared letters for Church Council, see Chapter 124. She distributed these letters to Church Council members the next day.
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