Mum – Typed & dup all day. P went to school concert in evening. Mended things in china cabinet. Roger got home about 10.30. Rang FR at night. (Tummy pain began I think) added 7.5.76).
Roger – Either didn’t get up as early as usual or the others got up earlier as they were up at the same time as me. Left the camp-site at 20 past 8 and reached Calais at ½ past 1 & had dinner in a self-service restaurant in the hypermarket there. The hovercraft was supposed to leave at 4 but left at 5 and instead of taking ½ and hour it took 1¼ & I was ill. Arrived at Ramsgate at ¼ past 6 French Time which is ¼ past 5 British Summer Time which we are using now and ¼ past 4 GMT. Got back to Norwich just before 10 after we had had a quick meal in a Little Chef café. When I got home mum & Trish were still up. Alan had gone to bed & Liz is at grandma’s (so is Auntie Dolly). Andrew was here as well. Had a bath, watched the end of Match of the Day then went to bed.
Notes
Typing and Duplicating
According to mum’s CV, see Chapter 105, she ran a typing and duplicating business from home until 1975. However, she did typing and duplicating after this date, particularly for the church, see Chapter 121. On this occasion, she noted typing and duplicating (dup) all day.
School Concert
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). She attended Norwich High Schools for Girls. She went to a school concert which I assume related to the visiting school orchestra from Heilbronn in Germany. Mum had been to a concert, at Blackfriars’ Hall the previous day, jointly given by that orchestra and the High School’s own orchestra, see Chapter 118.
Mending Things in the China Cabinet
Mum had bought a china cabinet in September 1956, see Chapter 70, and I recall this from my childhood. Mum gave us this china cabinet which is now in our living room. On 9 April 1976, a shelf fell and a few things were broken. Some two weeks later, mum took the opportunity to mend some of these things, see Chapter 126.
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 rang him at night.
Tummy Pain
Around this time, mum was experiencing tummy pain, see Chapter 116. She added a later note on 7 May 1976 to say that she thought this was the day that the tummy pain had started.
School Camping Trip in France
We headed home from our school camping trip in France, see Chapter 118.
I was not the first up which made me wonder if I had got up later or if others had got up earlier. We left the campsite at 8.20am and arrived in Calais at 1.30pm. We had dinner in a self-service restaurant in the hypermarket.
The hovercraft was supposed to leave at 4pm but left at 5pm. Instead of taking 30 minutes, it took 1¼ hours. I assume the weather was bad as I noted I was sick. We arrived in Ramsgate at 6.15pm French time, that is 5.15pm British Summer Time. I noted that we were now using British Summer Time and that the arrival time would have been 4.15pm GMT.
We got back to Norwich just before 10pm after we had had a quick meal in a Little Chef cafe. When I got home, mum and Tricia were still up and Andrew Wright was there too. Mum noted that I got home about 10.30pm. Alan had gone to bed. Liz was staying at grandma’s as was Auntie Dolly (Dorothy Rose). I had a bath, watched “Match of the Day“, see Chapter 123, and went to bed.
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