Mum – Work all day – nice. Went to give blood – but wasn’t “good enough” – took sample for tests & will let me know. Pastoral Sub-Com at night. Mr R hopeless as usual. Andrew came back with me & took grant form. He says I should claim relief against tax for capital outlay. Should I ask him to do my accounts properly each year?
Roger – Was very tired this morning and didn’t get up till ¼ past 8. At lunch-time played football. After school came home & had a bath. You are only allowed 5 ins of water due to the water shortage. After tea did my German homework them watched TV.
Notes
Back to School
RAE refers to me (Roger), my younger brother Alan and my younger sister Liz (Elizabeth). Mum noted that we started back at school. My older sister Tricia had already started back. 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.
I noted that we did nothing very interesting but I commented that I never felt really bored.
Mum Worked for Mr Ashken and Mr Stephens
During this period, mum worked as part-time medical secretary for the private practice of two surgeons, Mr Ashken and Mr Stephens, see Chapter 121. This practice was based at 41 Newmarket Road. She worked all day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and half day on Fridays. On this occasion, as it was Wednesday, she worked all day. She noted that it was nice.
Donating Blood
Mum went to give blood. see Chapter 116. She had been a blood donor for a number of years. However, I do not recall her ever noting this in her diaries before this period. I did find her blood donor card among her papers. This shows that she gave blood ten times between 1969 and 1981. However, there was an eight-year gap between April 1972 and May 1980.
Mum noted that she was told that her blood “wasn’t good enough”. I am not sure why she did not give blood between April 1972 and April 1976. There are many reasons why a person might not be able to give blood. The reason in mum’s case seems to have been that she was anaemic but she appears to have taken it personally! I wasn’t able to give blood when we came back from Africa in 1998. At that time, a history of travel in areas that were badly-affected by HIV was enough to be refused. Unlike mum, I simply accepted this and I don’t believe I have given blood since.
Mum was told they would do further tests and let her know. My suspicion is that the copper sulfate test that they use(d) for detecting anaemia raised concerns. Essentially, this involved putting a drop of blood into a vial of copper sulfate. If it quickly sinks, the person can donate blood. If it floats or sinks slowly, the person is not allowed to donate blood and has further tests to determine their haemoglobin level.
Pastoral Sub-Committee
Mum went to a pastoral sub-committee meeting at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. She noted that the senior Minister, Rev Ream (Mr R), was “hopeless as usual“. Among mum’s many complaints about Rev Ream, she considered that he chaired meetings very poorly.
Andrew Wright
Andrew refers to Andrew Wright who mum knew through church. I assume he was a member of the pastoral sub-committee. He came back with mum and took the form that was needed for Tricia, my older sister, to apply for a university grant, see Chapter 120. Andrew, who worked as an accountant, had offered to photocopy it for free for mum.
Accountancy Services
Andrew advised mum that she should be claiming tax relief for any capital outlay and I assume this related to the typing and duplicating equipment she had at home, see Chapter 121. This made her wonder if she should get him to do her annual accounts. However, I am not sure she ever did.
Football at School
I noted feeling very tired in the morning so only got up at 8.15am which I assume was late for a school day. I noted playing football at lunch-time, see Chapter 118.
Water Restrictions
I noted that I had a bath but that I was limited to five inches of water because of a water shortage. As far as I can see, there was a lot of talk of water shortages because there had been a very dry winter. However, while people were being urged to save water, for example, by only taking shallow baths, enforceable restrictions only came in later that year, see Chapter 129.
Homework
After tea, I noted doing my German homework, see Chapter 118.
TV
I also noted watching television but did not specify what I watched, see Chapter 122.
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