Grandad – Still very cold. E & D visited Mrs Cooper in the afternoon. Arthur & Rose came after tea till 10.00.
Mum – Woke at 4.30am with streaming cold. Dripping all day. Took Lemsip, Anadins, Karvol caps at night. Roy rang but did not mention my letter of Sunday – he just asked me to fetch Roger.
Notes
Grandad Commented on the Weather
Grandad commented on the weather just to say it was still very cold.
Grandma and Auntie Dolly Visited Mrs Cooper
E refers to my grandmother Ethel May Cecilia Parkin. D refers to Dorothy Rose who we knew as Auntie Dolly although she was my grandmother’s first cousin. Grandma’s father (Charles Cirket) and Auntie Dolly’s mother (Lois Rose née Cirket) were siblings. Auntie Dolly visited grandma and grandad often coming by bus from where she lived in Bedford to Norwich bus station, see Chapter 122. She had arrived on the 2nd.
Grandma and Auntie Dolly visited Mrs Cooper who was a friend of grandma’s through the women’s meeting they both attended at Drayton Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. She was mentioned fairly often in grandad’s diary. Grandma had known her from at least 1967. She showed photographs of Africa in January 1969 and grandma visited her in hospital in 1973. Auntie Dolly had visited her with grandma on previous visits in September 1968 and August 1974.
Arthur and Rose Elsegood Visited
Arthur and Rose Elsegood were good friends of grandma and grandad’s. They quite often came to visit, see Chapter 122. On this occasion, they came after tea and stayed until about 10pm.
Mum Had a Streaming Cold
My impression is that mum often had colds, see Chapter 116. On this occasion, she described a streaming cold which was “dripping all day“. Her standard cold remedy over this period was to take a Lemsip and two Anadin. On this occasion, she also used Karvol capsules at night.
Lemsip is a very well-known British branded cold remedy containing paracetamol and phenylephrine hydrochloride. First produced in 1969, this medicine is still available today. Most well-known is the orginal hot lemon drink but various products are now available under the Lemsip brand.
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.
I recall Karvol capsules (caps) from my childhood. They contained a combination of aromatic oils which could be squeezed on a pillow to help you breath and sleep when you had a cold. While they smelled strongly, my recollection is that the smell was not unpleasant. They are no longer available in the UK because of concerns over the use of one of their ingredients, chlorobutanol. Similar alternate products are available though.
Dad Asked Mum to Pick Me Up
Roy refers to my father Royle Drew. Roger refers to me. Dad was living in London at this time, see Chapter 114. It seems I had been to visit him in London and dad wanted mum to “fetch” me. I assume this meant collecting me from the station and not driving to London. I was still only 14 at the time but I think I would have travelled on my own by train with dad taking me to the station in London and mum picking me up.
Mum did not say explicitly in her diary that I went to London but she did note that I was looking forward to going in her diary entry the previous Friday. Also, although she refers to a letter to dad, written on Sunday, she does not refer to writing or posting it then. I don’t know what the letter was about.
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