Mum – Slightly cooler. Work all day. V tired in am. Went to church at night as there had been a break in – nothing taken. Malcolm called in aft – while I was at work. To see how I was. Rang him at night. Told me – again – I might meet Mr Right in Dunoon. I told him I dare not hope for this. But felt more peaceful about it knowing (I hope) that it is in God’s hands & His will will be done.
Roger – It is still warm but not as hot as it has been. This morning I went to school & gave in some text books and had my French Oral. This afternoon watched the tennis while mum went to work and Tricia had an exam. Evonne Cawley bt Virginia Wade in 2 sets easily. Chris Evert bt Martina Navratilova with difficulty in 3 sets. 50 of the hostages in the hijacked French plane have been released, they were mainly women and children. Many people are appealing for clemency on behalf of the 4 mercenaries sentenced to death.
Notes
A Note on the Weather
Mum noted that it was slightly cooler. She had been noting that it was hot or very hot for most of June. This is not surprising as 1976, is well-known for having had a very hot and dry summer, see Chapter 129.
In my diary, I noted that while it was still warm it was not as hot as it had been.
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. I noted that she was at work in the afternoon.
Tired
Mum noted she was very tired in the morning (am). She often complained of tiredness at this time. Partly, this was just a reflection of a very busy schedule. However, it also reflected the interaction between her mental and physical health, see Chapter 116.
Church Break-in
The church mum was referring to was St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church. She had heard that there had been a break-in so she went to investigate reporting that nothing had been taken. I think she probably did this in her capacity as property steward, a role she had only taken on in April 1976, see Chapter 124.
Malcolm Carter
Malcolm refers to Rev Malcolm Carter. He was a Methodist Minister who became mum’s friend and confidant, see Chapter 114. From Merseyside, he served in the ministry there and in Darlington and East Anglia. He was Minister at Court Hey Methodist Church from 1978 to 1986. He was the Methodist chaplain to Walton Prison, now HM Prison Liverpool, for 20 years. I found a YouTube video of him taking a service at Wonford Methodist Church in Exeter in July 2024. When he was in Norwich, he was mainly based at Bowthorpe Road Methodist Church.
On this occasion, he called in the afternoon (aft) while mum was still at work. He wanted to see how she was. She phoned him at night. He told her, again, that she might meet Mr Right in Dunoon, referring to her forthcoming holiday at Dhalling Mhor, the Christian Guild property there, see Chapter 122. Mum commented that she dare not hope for this but she claimed to feel peaceful about it knowing, she hoped, that it was in God’s hands and that his will should be done.
I am not sure how realistic it was for mum to hope to meet “Mr Right” on a Methodist Guild Holiday. If she did, it was likely they might have shared Methodist interests and values. However, the brutal reality was that most of the people who went on such holidays were either couples or women on their own. In addition, mum always took my two siblings with her which did not perhaps create the best environment for meeting a possible life partner! Perhaps predictably, the strategy didn’t work and mum never met “Mr Right” on such a holiday.
O levels
I was taking my O levels at this time, see Chapter 118 and I noted that I took my French oral exam. As I was coming to the end of my exams, I also took some text books in to give back to school.
A levels
Tricia refers to my older sister (Patricia). She was sitting her A levels, see Chapter 118. Like me, she only had to go into school when she had exams. I noted that she went into school for an exam in the afternoon.
Wimbledon
I noted watching the tennis at Wimbledon in the afternoon, see Chapter 123. It was the women’s singles semi-finals. I noted that Evonne Cawley beat Virginia Wade easily in two sets (6-1, 6-2) while Chris Evert beat Martina Navratilova with difficulty over three sets (6-3, 4-6, 6-4).
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