Mum – Very depressed. Rang & made appt to see Dr W next Thurs. June thought I was mad but I want to cope if I can but need an anchor. Malcolm (C) came in aft. Quite helpful. Went to see Alan’s French teacher (Mr Edwards) at 4pm about possible exchange. Coeliac AGM at night. 9 came!! Sent FR report for Church Mtg. 1S.
Roger – We played 6-a-side football today. We won 4-1. At lunch-time I played cards and generally got bored. After school I watched a german film which was very boring & I didn’t get home till ½ past 6. I spent all evening watching TV. Mum had this Coeliac meeting in the lounge which Alan went to. Patricia went to school for something.
Notes
Very Depressed
Mum had severe struggles with her mental health, suffering with depression and anxiety, see Chapter 116. On this occasion, she noted she was very depressed and underlined very.
Dr Welch
Dr W refers to mum’s GP Dr Welch, see Chapter 116. Mum phoned and made an appointment to see him next Thursday, i.e. in a week’s time. I believe June was Dr Welch’s secretary/receptionist. I suspect that she thought mum was “mad” for waiting a week to see him when presumably she offered her an earlier appointment. Mum wanted to see if she could cope but, having the appointment booked, served as an “anchor” for her.
Malcolm Carter
Malcolm (C) refers to Rev Malcolm Carter. He was a Methodist Minister who became mum’s friend and confidant, see Chapter 114. From Merseyside, he served in the ministry there and in Darlington and East Anglia. He was Minister at Court Hey Methodist Church from 1978 to 1986. He was the Methodist chaplain to Walton Prison, now HM Prison Liverpool, for 20 years. I found a YouTube video of him taking a service at Wonford Methodist Church in Exeter in July 2024. When he was in Norwich, I believe he was mainly based at Bowthorpe Road Methodist Church. On this occasion, he came round in the afternoon (aft) and mum found this quite helpful.
Alan’s French Teacher
At 4pm, mum went to see Alan’s French teacher Mr Edwards about a possible exchange, see Chapter 118. I am not completely sure if that happened or if Alan went on it.
Coeliac AGM
Mum noted that the Coeliac Society AGM was held at night. She noted that nine people came and this merited two exclamation marks. I noted that this meeting was held in our lounge and Alan went.
I am not quite sure how to interpret the exclamation marks. The previous year, in 1975, eight people had attended and mum was disappointed with the turnout. So, a turnout of nine was not much better but it was a reasonable number to host in our lounge. The following year, in 1977, 14 people came. After that, the AGM was held at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. In 1979, 27 people attended the AGM. That was the year mum retired from being the group’s secretary, see Chapter 116.
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, mum sent him a report for a church meeting (mtg). I am not sure if this was a report that mum had typed, and possibly duplicated, for him or if this was the report of a local church meeting in Norwich that she shared with him. From the wording, the former seems more likely but I am not certain.
Senokot
Mum noted taking one Senokot (S) presumably for constipation, see Chapter 116. Senokot is a senna-containing medicine for the treatment of constipation.
Six-a-side Football
At school, see Chapter 118, I noted that we played six-a-side football and we won 4-1. I assume this was during PE as, at lunch-time, I noted playing cards and generally getting bored!
German Film
After school, I noted watching a German film which I described as very boring. I noted that I did not get home until 6.30pm, see Chapter 118.
TV
I spent the evening watching TV, see Chapter 122. I noted that my older sister Patricia had gone to school for something but I did not specify what. Mum did not mention this in her diaries.
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