Mum – Terribly long & muddled service in am. Good service at night – taken by Spotsoc. Janet Ward told me about a friend of theirs whose wife had left him & could I offer any advice. I told her (after long chat) to tell him to go to work as usual & live a day at a time like Mr Dowson had told me so many times. Roger & A cut lawns in aft. P did not go to Drayton for tea. 1S.
Roger – Got up about ½ past 9 and went swimming. Mum took me in the car but I walked home, got in about 12. After lunch everybody went to grandma’s apart from Tricia who had to go to church early. Mowed the lawns there and had tea watching the tele. This evening did a jigsaw and watched the James Bond film “From Russia With Love“.
Notes
Long and Muddled Morning Service
Mum noted that the morning (am) service at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church was terribly long and muddled. She did not note who was taking the service but, from comments elsewhere, see Chapter 124, I assumed it was the church’s senior Minister Rev Ream. I confirmed this from the notice of divine services from the previous day’s paper.
Good Evening Service
Mum noted that there was a good service at night and that this was taken by the church’s youth society/fellowship. This was referred to as the St Peter’s Over Twelve Society (or Spotsoc/Spot Soc) see Chapter 124. My older sister Tricia (Patricia) was part of this. Although I did not go to church, I did note that Tricia did not come with us for tea at grandma’s as she had to be at church early presumably because she was part of what Spotsoc were doing.
Janet Ward
Janet Ward was a friend of mum’s through church. She told mum about a friend of theirs whose wife had left him. She asked mum of she could offer any advice. Mum told her, after a long chat, to tell him to go to work as usual and to live a day at a time like Rev Dowson had told her so many times.
I don’t know if mum was seen as an expert on “broken marriage” in church and/or if she saw herself in that way. However, there are a few instances in the diaries which indicate this might be the case including this one, see Chapter 124.
This makes me feel uncomfortable and I am not completely sure why! Partly, I think it because it casts mum as the subject here, i.e. coping with something done to her rather than, as I see it, an active participant in a relationship breakdown! In addition, the idea of giving generic advice to someone you don’t know through a third party jars with me. It seems pretty presumptuous as presumably every individual and their situation would be quite different. It would be characteristic of my mother though to assume that what had worked for her would of course work for others!
Sunday Afternoon Tea
As a family, we went to grandma’s in Drayton for tea as was our usual practice, see Chapter 122. However, mum noted that my older sister Tricia (P for Patricia) did not go. I noted that this was because she had to be at church early presumably because she was part of Spotsoc leading the later service.
One thing that was possibly odd was that I noted we ate tea while watching the TV. From memory, this was not something we were allowed to do at grandma’s. I recall eating tea in the kitchen at a table although grandad was allowed to eat his in front of the TV. As a child, this struck me as a great injustice!
Lawns
Grandma had large lawns at the front and back of her house. These required cutting frequently. Following grandad’s death and as grandma got older, this job fell increasingly to us, see Chapter 126. On this occasion, I did this with my younger brother Alan (A).
Senokot
Mum took one Senokot (S) presumably for constipation, see Chapter 116. Senokot is a senna-containing medicine for the treatment of constipation.
Swimming
Rather than going to church on Sunday morning, I often went swimming and did so on this occasion, see Chapter 122. Mum took me in the car but I walked home and got in about 12. I presume I went to St Augustine’s pool which was about 35-40 minutes walk from where I lived.
St Augustine’s
This swimming pool opened in 1961 and was closed in 1997, see Chapter 92. The building was later demolished. For some more great photos of St Augustine’s see here.
Jigsaw
I have never really been that keen on jigsaws but my diary makes it clear that I did sometimes do them, see Chapter 122, such as on this occasion.
“From Russia With Love“
I also watched the James Bond film “From Russia With Love“, see Chapter 122. This 1963 film was the second James Bond film starring Sean Connery. It was directed By Terence Young and it also starred Pedro Armendáriz, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw, Bernard Lee and Daniela Bianchi. It was broadcast on ITV at 7.55pm.
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