P at school all day. Worked all day. Went to meeting of Past Vis at Heartsease at night. 70 (approx) there from 2 circuits. 19 of them from St P. For once they supported well. John Curry won Olympic Gold Medal for GB in Men’s Ice Skating. Our one & only. 1T 1S.
Notes
Tricia Was Taking Her Mock A Levels
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). She was in the middle of her mock A levels, see Chapter 118, and only had to go into school when she had an exam. On this occasion, she presumably had exams in both the morning and afternoon as she was at school all day.
Mum Worked for Mr Ashken and Mr Stephens
During this period, mum worked as part-time medical secretary for the private practice of two surgeons, Mr Ashken and Mr Stephens, see Chapter 121. This practice was based at 41 Newmarket Road. She worked all day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and half day on Fridays. On this occasion, as it was Wednesday, she worked all day.
Meeting of Pastoral Visitors
In the evening, mum went to a meeting of pastoral visitors (Past Vis) which took place at Heartsease Lane Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. It was a meeting of two circuits and mum noted that there were about 70 people there. Of these, 19 were from the church mum attended, St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church. She thought this attendance was good but unusual!
Heartsease Lane Methodist Church
Heartsease Lane Methodist Church is located to the north-east of Norwich city centre, on Heartsease Lane, close to Mousehold Heath, see Chapter 124. Although it had been an active church, it closed at the beginning of 2023. The church was built in the 1950s but meetings had been held there from 1946, initially in a wooden church and then in a Nissen hut. Prior to that, the church had been meeting in premises on Plumstead Road. The entry for the church in Norma Virgoe and Albert Ward’s book “Through Cloud and Sunshine: The History of the Norwich Methodist Circuits, Churches and Chapels” is under Plumstead Road and Heartsease Lane. Further facilities were added in the sixties and seventies, including a school hall, kitchen and additional rooms.
Two Circuits
There is a detailed history of Methodist circuits in Norwich in Norma Virgoe and Albert Ward’s book “Through Cloud and Sunshine: The History of the Norwich Methodist Circuits, Churches and Chapels“. There was a Methodist circuit in Norwich as early as 1765. This circuit was headed by the Calvert Street chapel once that opened in 1811. By 1825, a Primitive Methodist circuit had been established covering the whole of Norfolk. Another Methodist circuit seems to have been established with the formation of the United Methodist Church in the 1850s after many churches, including Calvert Street chapel, broke away from the Wesleyans.
At the time of Methodist Union in 1932, Norwich had five Methodist circuits. There was one Wesleyan circuit, St Peter’s Lady Lane, one United Methodist circuit, Calvert Street, and three Primitive Methodist Circuits, Queen’s Road, Dereham Road and Scott Memorial. These reduced to four in 1934, two in 1947 and to one in 1978. So, at this time, see Chapter 124, there were two Norwich circuits (East and West) but they would become one within a couple of years.
John Curry and the Winter Olympics
Mum noted that John Curry won gold for Great Britain in the men’s ice skating at the Winter Olympics, see Chapter 123. These Olympics were held in Innsbruck from 4-15 February 1976. As mum noted, this was the only medal won by Great Britain in those Olympics. In addition, it was Britain’s first gold in the Winter Olympics since 1964.
Antidepressants
Mum had had severe struggles with her mental health, suffering with depression and anxiety, see Chapter 116. Mum was on antidepressants. She took one tablet of amitryptilline (Tryptizol, T) at night.
Senokot
Mum noted taking one Senokot (S) presumably for constipation. Senokot is a senna-containing medicine for the treatment of constipation.
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