Mum – Saw Dr W in am. Gave me Triogesic for sinus. To go on 29th for smear & check up. Went to GTE later. Went to Maundy communion at night. WGBR – as usual. Roy arrived. Asked him (after service) about divorce. He was OK until I asked him to put it in writing. Then he turned awkward – said he would not let me have custody of children. He said he only got £180 per month & that he’d had a drop of £10 a week when he moved to Birmingham. He said that I had told him that my mother & I had searched his room when we were using sep rooms at W Rd. This is not true as I did not mention it to my mother until the Sat after he left. He went out cross. I rang Christine & Malcolm to talk a while. 1S. P said she would not object to a divorce.
Roger – Dropped Val & Sue off in Les Eyzies as we were going trout-fishing to provide food for a barbecue that we had tonight. After dropping them bought some provisions in Le Bugue & had lunch. Went trout fishing & caught 16 all together. I caught 3. Had a barbecue to which Mr Cheeseman invited 3 people whom he knew – Mrs Ivy Lorton, her daughter & her boyfriend. Walked afterwards to a cave above Le Moustier. Then went for a drink at a café & had some chips. Then at ½ 10 started to walk to the camp-site but were picked up by Mr Cheeseman.
Notes
Dr Welch
Mum saw her GP Dr Welch (Dr W) and he gave her a combination of bromelain, rutoside and trypsin (Triogesic) for the sinus pain she was having, see Chapter 116. She was to go again in two weeks for a cervical smear and check-up.
Work for Rev Eddy
GTE refers to Rev G T Eddy who was the Chairman of the Methodist District. Based on her CV, see Chapter 105, mum did some part-time secretarial work for him between 1973 and 1977, see Chapter 121. On this occasion, she went there after having seen Dr Welch.
Maundy Communion
It was Maundy Thursday and mum attended a service at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. It was taken by the church’s senior Minister, Rev Ream (WGBR). Mum described it as “as usual” which was not positive as mum was highly critical of the services he took,
Discussing Divorce
Roy refers to my father Royle Drew. He came to stay with us for Easter. Apparently, after the service, mum spoke to him about divorce. Apparently, he was OK about it until she asked him to put it in writing. She noted that he then “turned awkward” and said he would not let her have custody of the children. They also discussed money which was a major bone of contention between them. Mum wrote that dad only got £180 per month for his work at the Norwich Union and that this had gone down by £10 per week since he moved to Birmingham from London, see Chapter 114.
She also wrote that dad had said that mum had told him that she and grandma had searched his room while they were using separate (sep) rooms at Waverley Road (W Rd). Until I read this, I don’t think I knew that they were sleeping in separate rooms at Waverley Road! Mum noted that what dad said was not true as she “did not mention it to my mother until the Sat after he had left.” I am not exactly sure what “it” is in this context. Mum noted that dad then went out cross. She then phoned Christine and Malcolm Carter presumably to discuss this and they talked for a while.
Mum also discussed the topic of divorce with my older sister Tricia, who was 17 at this time. Apparently, she said she would not object to a divorce.
Senokot
Mum took one Senokot (S) presumably for constipation, see Chapter 116. Senokot is a senna-containing medicine for the treatment of constipation.
School Camping Trip in France
It was the fifth full day of our school camping trip in France, see Chapter 118.
Trout Fishing
We dropped Val and Susan Marjoram (Sue) off in Les Eyzies as we were going trout fishing to provide food for a barbecue that we were having that night.
I don’t know about Val but I believe Susan Marjoram was a vegetarian which would explain why she did not wish to go trout fishing! I spent two days hitchhiking with her and I am pretty sure that she was the first vegetarian I had encountered.
After dropping Val and Sue, we bought some other provisions in Le Bugue and had lunch. We then went trout fishing and caught 16 all together, of which I caught three.
An Evening Barbecue
In the evening, we had a barbecue to which Mr Cheeseman invited three people he knew, Mrs Ivy Lorton, her daughter and her boyfriend. In a Facebook post, Ali Tea (née Alison Walton) remembered her as a wonderful older lady from Gozo in Malta. I presume the boyfriend mentioned was the boyfriend of Mrs Lorton’s daughter.
A Cave Above Le Moustier
After the barbecue, we walked to a cave above Le Moustier then went for a drink at a cafe and had some chips. At 10.30pm, we started to walk to the campsite but were picked up by Mr Cheeseman.
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