Mum – Took Auntie Dolly to bus at 7am. E came home then – had spent night at grandmas. Took P to dentist at 9am. Went to see M Cook 11.30 – to wait & see if Roy writes in next month. If not to go & see him beginning of June. Talked long time to Andrew Wright in aft (he rang me about P’s moodiness). He is certainly very good with her. He said she objects to Roy coming to stay & doesn’t mind about divorce. Typed & dup a bit in aft. P had university grant form.
Roger – Got up at ½ past 10 & had breakfast washed up and did some spuds. Watched a film in the afternoon & watched tele this evening. Mum took Auntie Dolly to the bus stn at half past 6. Patricia went to the dentist and school. Alan went to the Library this afternoon & BB this evening. Liz went out with Caroline somewhere. School tomorrow.
Notes
Auntie Dolly
Auntie Dolly refers to Dorothy Rose who was actually grandma’s first cousin. She lived in Bedford and she often visited grandma, see Chapter 122. She always came by bus and, usually, one or more of us would pick her up from, and take her back to, the bus station. On this occasion, she was going back to Bedford and mum took her to the bus station. Mum noted that it was 7am, perhaps the time of the bus, whereas I noted it was 6.30am, possibly the time mum left ours.
Liz Came Home
E refers to my younger sister Liz (Elizabeth). She had been staying at grandma’s, see Chapter 122, and it seems she came home when mum picked Auntie Dolly up. I noted that she went “somewhere” with Caroline Douglas who was her friend who lived next-door to grandma at 168 Drayton High Road.
Tricia Went to the Dentist
P refers to my older sister Tricia. Mum noted that she took her to the dentist at 9am. I also noted that Tricia went to the dentist, see Chapter 116.
Mike Cook
Mike (M) Cook was a solicitor with the firm Mills and Reeve who mum hired to deal with issues related to her separation/divorce from dad, see Chapter 114. She saw him at 11.30am and this may have been the first time she saw him about this. He advised her to wait to see if my father (Roy) wrote in the next month. If not, she should go back to see him at the beginning of June.
Andrew Wright
Andrew Wright was someone mum and Tricia knew from St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. He may have held some kind of leadership role within the youth club and/or Spotsoc and, in that capacity, he and Tricia were friends.
According to mum, he phoned her about Tricia’s (P’s) “moodiness” although I suspect that was mum’s wording and not Andrew’s! Somewhat surprisingly, mum commented that he was good with her which seems to conflict with other diary entries she made, see Chapter 114. They spoke for a long time. He said that Tricia objected to dad coming to stay but did not mind about divorce. I am not sure why mum did not discuss this with Tricia directly. I don’t know how much of what mum wrote reflected what Tricia thought given that this was coming to her via Andrew and was subject to her own views and perspectives. In addition, I think my views at the time would have been that I liked seeing dad so was happy when he came to stay although I did not like the conflict this caused. Like Tricia, I did not mind about divorce assuming that mum and dad could not be reconciled.
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) a bit in the afternoon (aft).
University Grant Form
P refers to my older sister Tricia. She was in the process of applying to university and had been offered a place at Cambridge, see Chapter 120. She got a form to apply for a university grant.
My Morning
I had a fairly mundane morning. I got up about 10.30, had breakfast, washed up and peeled some potatoes (spuds), see Chapter 126.
TV
I watched a film in the afternoon and then watched TV in the evening. Initially, when I identified potential films I might have watched, I inadvertently looked up films for the previous day, see Chapter 122! The only film on TV that afternoon was the 1965 Western “Black Spurs” on ITV starring Rory Calhoun and Terry Moore.
School
My older sister Tricia had already started back to school but I noted that I would start the next day. It was not unusual for us to have different term times particularly as Tricia attended a grant-aided school while the rest of us went to state schools, see Chapter 118.
Alan
Alan refers to my younger brother. He went to the library in the afternoon and to Boys’ Brigade (BB), see Chapter 124. in the evening.
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