Mum – Alf took me to Harrogate for 8.49 train. Arrived in Nch 2.19. P met me. R went to party in evening. Me P A & E went to WW Tramps Supper at church. Heard that Invit Com are going to recommend Mr R be invited till 1979. Felt very depressed about it. 1T 2S.
Roger – Mr Peake’s cats are very ill. Liddell will probably die but Scott may survive. I got my shoes repaired and went to Andrew’s party with Helen. Got stoned. Fortunately mum was able to pick me up.
Notes
Visiting Dorothy Taylor
Mum had been visiting her friend Dorothy Taylor. Her daughter Heather had been killed in a road accident in February, see Chapter 116. Alf, Dorothy’s husband, took mum to Harrogate to catch the 8.49 train to Norwich (Nch).
Tricia Met Mum
Mum arrived into Norwich (Nch) at 2.19pm. P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). She met mum at the station, see Chapter 127.
Party
R refers to me, Roger. Mum noted that I went to a party at night. This was at a time before the period for which I have my diaries. Mum simply noted that I went without giving more details, see Chapter 122.
Women’s Work Tramps’ Supper
In the evening, mum went with my siblings Tricia (P for Patricia), Alan (A) and Liz (E for Elizabeth) to a WW Tramps Supper. Mum used the term WW a number of times in her diary and I believe this represented one type of activities for and by women in St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. It stood for Women’s Work and focused on overseas missionary work. In 1987, it merged with Women’s Fellowship to form Women’s Network. In 2011, this became part of Methodist Women in Britain.
A tramps’ supper involved participants dressing in scruffy “tramp” costumes and eating a simple, rustic meal. There was a charge for this and this raised funds. I have found many examples of such suppers in the local newspaper archive from 1953 to 1995. While some were organised by churches, they were also organised by a range of other clubs and societies.
Rev Ream
Mum noted that she heard, presumably at the supper, that the circuit Invitation Committee (Invit Com) were going to recommend that the current senior Minister Rev Ream (Mr R) be invited to stay on at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church until 1979, see Chapter 124. Mum noted that she felt very depressed about it. She underlined very for emphasis.
Antidepressants
Mum had had severe struggles with her mental health, suffering with depression and anxiety, see Chapter 116. Sometimes, her feelings of depression were triggered by particular things as here. At this point, she was not taking antidepressants every day but, on this occasion, she took one tablet of amitriptyline (Tryptizol, T) at night.
Senokot
Mum noted taking two Senokot (S) presumably for constipation, see Chapter 116. Senokot is a senna-containing medicine for the treatment of constipation.
Scott and Liddell
At this point, I had a Saturday job with Norman Peake at The Scientific Anglian bookshop, see Chapter 119. He had two cats, called Scott and Liddell. From memory, they were some form of pedigree cat, possibly Burmese Blues or something similar. I don’t recall why they were called Liddell and Scott although I am sure it was explained to me! It seems that Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott were well-known for producing a Greek-English lexicon. I am not quite sure why you would name your cats after Greek lexicographers however well-known. But, I suppose it is something a bookseller might do, particularly one with the kind of eccentricities Mr Peake had! I noted that both cats were sick. I thought Liddell would die but I thought Scott might survive.
Shoe Repairs
I got my shoes repaired, see Chapter 125.
Andrew’s Party
I went to Andrew’s party, see Chapter 122. I knew a number of Andrews at school. It was probably not Andrew Smith as, for some reason, he was always known as “Eggy”. Among my friends called Andrew, I think it was more likely that this party was Andrew Ellson’s than Andrew Sheppard’s but I don’t know for sure.
Helen probably refers to Helen Dendy. I recall having a crush on her and dancing with her at a Christmas party. However, I don’t recall that we ever “went out” as such largely because I was too terrified to ask her.
The reference to getting “stoned” probably means getting drunk. I noted that mum picked me up.
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