Saturday 3 January 1976

All trees blew down during night at front of mum’s. Went up in am & helped clear most of it – had to pay to have trees removed £10. R went to work after helping. E school hall wall blew in – lot of damage. FR rang in aft – I rang back. P got back about 9.30 instead of 8.34 at night. 1L 2S.

Notes

Trees Blown Down

It was very windy overnight and there was extensive damage. Trees blew down at the front of grandma’s house. Mum went there to help clear up, see Chapter 126. Mum noted that they had to pay £10 to have the trees cleared away,

Work

R refers to me Roger. I went to work after helping mum with clearing the trees at grandma’s. At that time, I had a Saturday job at The Scientific Anglian bookshop and also worked there during school holidays, see Chapter 119.

Damage at Liz’s School

E refers to my younger sister Liz (Elizabeth). The wind had blown down the wall of her school hall causing a lot of damage which would result in a delay to her starting back at school after the holidays, see Chapter 118.

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 phoned in the afternoon (aft) and mum rang back.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-50.png — This is a still image from a YouTube video posted in 2016. It shows (at 0.42) my mother talking to Rev Dowson at an event to celebrate fifty years of St Peter’s Park Lane which was held in the eighties

Tricia Got Back

P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). She had been in Birmingham helping dad to house hunt, see Chapter 117. I presume she came back on the train and her train was delayed, from 8.34 to about 9.30, because of wind damage.

Antidepressants

During this period, mum had had severe struggles with her mental health, suffering with depression and anxiety, see Chapter 116. She was on antidepressants. On this occasion, she took one tablet of long-acting amitryptilline (Lentizol, L).

Senokot

Mum noted taking two Senokot (S) presumably for constipation. Senokot is a senna-containing medicine for the treatment of constipation.

Drew Family Diaries