Grandad – E went to her meeting. Clarrie came but I was not well so E rang for the doctor.
Mum – Shopping in am. Typing in aft. Went to Eliz school at night – not very impressed with her teacher – Mrs Garrett. Went to Guild at Avril’s – she’s engaged & getting married on Dec 6. Envy her but very pleased for her. Roy arrived when I got home. He’s going to sleep on the settee. No teeth in which makes him even more repulsive. He may be moving to Birmingham & says he will be worse off financially. He went out for a drink at 11 o’clock – ?where. Mum rang – dad had a stroke – ?Tues. Dr came in evening. Roy offered Sec job at Birmingham.
Notes
Grandma Was Keeping Grandad’s Diary
Two days earlier, the handwriting had changed meaning, I think, that grandad was not well enough to keep his own diary and grandma did this for him, see Chapter 113.
Grandma Went to a Church Women’s Meeting
E refers to my grandmother Ethel May Cecilia Parkin. She went to “her meeting“. I think this was a women’s meeting at Drayton Methodist Church, see Chapter 124.
Clarence Hodgson Came to Sit With Grandad
Clarrie refers to Clarence Hodgson who was a friend of grandad’s. He came to sit with grandad while their wives went to the church women’s meeting, see Chapter 124.
Grandma Called the Doctor
Grandad was not well so grandma (E) called the doctor, see Chapter 116.
Grandma Spoke to Mum
Mum noted that grandma rang to say that grandad had had a stroke, possibly on Tuesday (?Tues), see Chapter 116. She also noted that the doctor came that evening.
Shopping
Mum went shopping in the morning (am), see Chapter 125.
Typing
According to mum’s CV, see Chapter 105, she ran a typing and duplicating business from home until 1975. She also did typing and duplicating for church. On this occasion, she noted doing typing in the afternoon (aft), see Chapter 121.
Liz’s School
Eliz refers to my younger sister Liz (Eliz). In the evening, mum went to her school presumably to some kind of parent-teacher evening. At this point, Liz was at Avenues primary school. Mum had been to a previous parents’ evening in July and had noted concerns about teaching methods, see Chapter 118. On this occasion, she noted that she was not very impressed with her teacher Mrs Garrett but did not say why.
St Peter’s Guild
In the evening, mum went to a meeting of St Peter’s Guild. This was a fellowship group that she belonged to which was part of St PEter’s Park Lane Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. This group met at different people’s houses. On this occasion, they met at Avril’s.
Avril
Avril was someone who mum knew through St Peter’s Guild, see Chapter 124, which she attended between at least January and November 1975. In November 1975, mum gave Avril a book of Norwich as a wedding present. I wonder if this implies she was either not from Norwich or would be moving away from Norwich following her wedding. As far as I can see, mum did not mention Avril’s surname in her diaries. However, from marriage records, I wonder if she was Avril M Butler which would mean she married Edward L Povey. However, I do not know for sure that this was them. This does involve assuming they got married in Norwich which may well not be the case! Mum noted that she was envious of her engagement and forthcoming wedding. However, she also sais she was very pleased for her.
Dad Came to Stay
Roy refers to my father Royle Drew. He came to stay and mum noted that he was sleeping on the settee, see Chapter 114. Mum made very derogatory remarks about dad which I still find difficult. She saw him without his teeth in and noted that that made him “even more repulsive” in her eyes.
Moving to Birmingham
Mum noted initially that dad might be moving to Birmingham. Her main concern seems to have been that he said he would be worse off financially. Later she noted that he had been offered the post of Branch Secretary (Sec) with the Norwich Union in Birmingham, see Chapter 114. This was a promotion from his position as Assistant Branch Secretary in London but the salary may have been lower possibly because it was a smaller branch and/or because it was not in London.
Dad Went Out Late
Mum noted that dad went out for a drink at 11pm. I am pretty sure she was not happy about this nor that she did not know exactly where he had gone, see Chapter 114.
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