Grandad – Ethel & Dolly went to DLM. Messrs Hodson & Barnes came for the afternoon. I was not too well.
Mum – Went to Trefriw (wollen mills but we didn’t go round) then 10¼ miles to Llyn Crafnant & to Betts-y-coed. Fun & games at night – better than Monday. Rang garage up from ByC & they say battery is holding its charge – they will refit it tomorrow.
Notes
Women’s Meeting at Drayton Methodist Church
Ethel refers to my grandmother Ethel May Cecilia Parkin. Dolly refers to grandma’s cousin Dorothy Rose. As children, we knew her as Auntie Dolly. She lived in Bedford but was visiting grandma and grandad at this time, see Chapter 122. DLM was how grandad referred to the weekly women’s meeting that grandma attended at Drayton Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. DLM stood for Drayton Ladies’ Meeting.
Mr Hodgson and Mr Barnes
Mr Hodgson and Mr Barnes were frineds of grandad who presumably came to keep him company, , see Chapter 122, while grandma was at the women’s meeting, see Chapter 124. I know that Mr Hodgson’s first name was Clarence (Clarrie) but I do not know more about Mr Barnes.
Grandad’s Health
Grandad’s health had been poor following an operation to try to relieve urinary obstruction on 2 July 1975, see Chapter 116. This was not very successful and he was left with a permanent catheter. However, despite this, he had improved although on this day he noted he was “not too well“.
Plas-y-Coed
Mum and my two younger siblings, Alan and Liz, were on holiday at Plas-y-Coed, a Methodist/Christian Guild Holidays property in Colwyn Bay, see Chapter 122. We had all been there the previous year, see Chapter 106. However, this year, I did not go nor did my older sister Tricia (Patricia). Plas-y-Coed was the Methodist/Christian Guild hotel in Colwyn Bay. It was demolished in 2014 and replaced with homes.
Trefriw
Mum noted that they went to Trefriw. This is a village some 15 miles from Colwyn Bay. Mum noted that there was a woollen mill there but they did not go round. The mill is still operational. In 1973, when mum had gone on a church trip on her own, see Chapter 106, they had visited Brynkir woollen mills which is about 30 miles from Trefriw.
A Walk
Mum then went on a walk, see Chapter 122. This appears to have been a total length of 10¼ miles but possibly in two sections. The starting point appears to have been Trefriw with the final destination Betws-y-Coed. These two points are only about five miles apart. However, mum noted that they first went to Llyn Crafnant which is about three miles west of Trefriw in a different direction from Betws-y-Coed.
They then walked to Betws-y-Coed and it is possible that they went from Llyn Crafnant. However, from the way it is written, it appears that they went to another point and started from there. Mum appears to have left a space to write that place in but she did not subsequently do so.
Fun and Games
Mum noted that there were “fun and games” at Plas-y-Coed at night and these were better than those held on Monday.
Car Problems
Mum had been having problems with the car battery, see Chapter 127. At this point, she had a Simca which she and dad had got in February 1972, see Chapter 110.
The previous day, the car would not start but people staying at Plas-y-Coed towed it and succeeded in getting it to start. Mum ran it to Abergele and back but then arranged for Dingle Garage to charge the battery. It was this garage that mum phoned from Betws-y-Coed (ByC). They told her that the battery seemed to be holding its charge and they would refit it to the car.
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