Grandad – Stayed in bed all day. Jim rang to say a B was very ill. Amy said Tom was ill so auntie said to Renie tell Ethel we will all go to Heaven together.
Mum – Painted some of kitchen ceiling in am. Made curtains for kitchen in evening & cut Patricia’s long skirt out. Very depressed in evening.
Notes
Grandma Was Keeping Grandad’s Diary at This Point
Grandad (Gordon) was not very well at this time, see Chapter 116. I think this means that grandma filled in his diary for him. The evidence for this is the change of handwriting but also that, sometimes, she referred to him as Gordon and not as “I“. Grandma completed grandad’s diary quite a lot when he was sick, see Chapter 113. However, she was not always consistent. Sometimes, she referred to herself in the first person and grandad in the third person while, at other times, it was vice versa. On this occasion she referred to grandad in the first person and to herself in the third person (as Ethel).
Grandad Stayed in Bed All Day
Grandad was not very well and he stayed in bed all day as had been recommended by Dr Eve the previous day, see Chapter 116.
Bertha Seville Was Very Ill
Jim refers to grandma’s cousin Frank Seville. Although his first name was Frank, he was almost always known as Jim as his father’s name was Frank. As children, we knew him as Uncle Jim. He phoned to say that his mother Bertha Seville (a B and auntie) was very ill, see Chapter 116. Bertha was grandma’s maternal aunt being the younger sister of her mother. As grandma’s mother died in 1937, see Chapter 23, Bertha had become a kind of mother figure for grandma. Renie refers to Jim’s wife and Bertha’s daughter-in-law.
Tom Wilson Was Also Ill
Tom and Amy Wilson were good friends of grandma and grandad who visited them regularly once they had moved to Norfolk. Amy had told the Sevilles that Tom was very ill, see Chapter 116. so this led Auntie Bertha to remark that they would all go to Heaven together.
Mum Was Decorating the Kitchen
Mum had recently completed decorating the bathroom and was now decorating the kitchen, see Chapter 126. She painted some of the kitchen ceiling in the morning (am) and made kitchen curtains in the evening.
Mum Was Also Making a Long Skirt for Tricia
Patricia refers to my older sister Tricia. Mum was making along skirt for her and cut it out in the evening, see Chapter 126.
Mum Was Very Depressed in the Evening
During this period, mum had severe struggles with her mental health, suffering with depression and anxiety, see Chapter 116. I believe she was on the tricyclic antidepressant doxepin (Sinequan) at this point. On this occasion, she was very depressed in the evening but I am not sure what, if anything, triggered this.
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