Mum – Went to see Dr W in am. Gave me some Ferrogradumet – in case I need them. Examined me & said all looked healthy so did not do a smear. To go on for 2 months & see how I am – if any trouble he’ll refer me then. Typed & dup off & on all day. Rang Roy to ask where cheque is. He said he’d posted it Wed 8½p. He said he is coming to Head Office on May 7th & “in view of what you said I have told them to book me in a hotel. When can I come to see the children?” I told him anytime.
Roger – School again today, in PE had a run then went swimming. At lunch-time I played football. This evening did some revision and watched some tele but decided to have an early night. I learnt yesterday that Mr Ames’ 5 day old son had died, I have written a letter.
Notes
Dr Welch
Mum went to see her GP, Dr Welch (Dr W), in the morning (am). He gave her iron supplements (Ferrogradumet) in case she needed them. I am not sure if this was because she was feeling tired or because she had not been allowed to give blood. He also examined her and concluded that all looked healthy so he decided not to do a cervical smear. He said she should return in two months and, if there was any trouble, he would refer her then, see Chapter 116.
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) on and off all day.
Phoning Dad
Roy refers to my father Royle Drew. Mum phoned him to ask where her monthly cheque was. He told her that he had posted it on Wednesday, which I think was the previous day. He said he had put an 8½p stamp on it which was the price of a first class stamp then.
Dad also told mum that he would be coming to Norwich Union Head Office in about a week, on 7 May. It seems that they had had a conversation about him staying with us when he visited. I don’t know what precisely mum had said but presumably it was along the lines of her not wanting him to stay with us. As a result, the Norwich Union had booked him into a hotel. He asked mum when he could come to see the children and mum told him anytime,
While I liked seeing dad and having him stay with us, on balance, I think it was better when he stayed in a hotel than him staying with us as the level of conflict seemed less. Nevertheless, dad did sometimes stay with us even after this date, see Chapter 114.
School
I noted that I was at school again, see Chapter 118. In PE, I had a run and went swimming. I played football at lunch-time.
Revision
I did some revision as I was taking exams that summer, see Chapter 118. I was coming to the end of my fifth year and I was taking the bulk of my O levels that year.
TV
Nevertheless, I still found time to watch television (tele) but again did not specify what I watched, see Chapter 122. I did note having an early night.
Andrew Christopher Ames
I noted that I had learned the previous day that Mr Ames’ five-day old son, had died. His names were Andrew Christopher. I wrote Mr Ames a letter, see Chapter 116.
Paul Ames
He was one of my teachers at the Hewett School, see Chapter 118. He taught me social economics throughout years 4 and 5. From my reports, it seems he thought I would have got a higher grade but he was concerned that I had “some difficulty in writing a detailed essay”. I remember Mr Ames fairly well. He was my form tutor in fourth year. In his reports in that capacity, he noted that I was part of the basketball team, a table tennis club and had been made a Middle School steward.
He had been a pupil at Hewett, before it became a comprehensive. He still held some sports records when I was there. From memory, one of them was for 100m but that was broken by a boy in my class, Timothy Fisher. Based on a post on Facebook, it appears that he also taught PE and social studies. It seems that his first name was Paul, the subjects he taught included geography and he died suddenly in 1995 aged only 48. I also came across a school newsletter from October 1976 which noted that Mr Ames had become Head of Humanities. This newletter noted that he had been a pupil at the Hewett Grammar School. Later, by the nineties, I believe he was head of Lower School. I think Mr Ames also features in the video “A Hewett Day” where he is seen (25.17) chairing an inter-disciplinary humanities group meeting.
Leave a Reply