Mum’s Diary
At Dunoon. Free Day. Went to Strone House – ordered skirt & waistcoat £17,95 – Barclaycard. Had lunch in Dunoon. Booked to go on Paddle Steamer Waverley but it did not come in time so got money back. A & E went swimming. Took A to see doctor about his toe – to let air get to it. E won first prize with “Apron” Fancy Apron Comp. Green crepe paper with frill round & “Dhalling Mhor Service ” on it.
Roger’s/My Diary
Got up about ½ past 10 and did much the same as yesterday. Did some shopping and after lunch watched the tele. However after switching it off while Play School was on I tried to put it back on but nothing happened. I rang Visionhire but as it was 5 o’clock they can’t come till tomorrow. I spent this evening reading & have gone to bed early. It is now 9 o’clock.
Diary Entries
Mum’s Scrapbook
We booked to go round Holy Loch on this but unfortunately it was late in arriving & so the trip was cancelled. This note is supported by one postcard which is labelled “The Waverley – the last of the paddle steamers“.
Notes
Dunoon
Mum and my two siblings Alan (A) and Liz (E for Elizabeth) were away for a two-week holiday at Dhalling Mhor, the Christian Guild place in Dunoon, see Chapter 122. It was a free day, that is I don’t think there were any organised activities.
Strone House
Mum went to Strone House where she ordered a skirt and waistcoat. These cost £17.95 and mum paid with her Barclaycard. Strone House is a large Victorian house overlooking Holy Loch. It currently appears to be a holiday let but, from the 1950s to 1980s, it was a tweed and tartan manufacturer and supplier. This explains why mum ordered a skirt and waistcoat there. On a recent holiday on the Cowal peninsula, my wife and I drove past there in the rain!
Barclaycard
Mum noted that she bought the skirt and waistcoat with her Barclaycard, see Chapter 122. The first time she noted using her Barclaycard was in February 1976 so it was still a somewhat novel experience for her as presumably previously she had either paid by cash or cheque.
Barclaycard was launched by Barclays in 1966. Originally, it was a charge card meaning that the full amount had to be paid off by an agreed date, usually monthly. However, in November 1967, it became the UK’s first credit card allowing customers to roll credit balances over. Apparently, it enjoyed a monopoly as a credit card until the introduction of Access in 1972, although there were other charge cards, such as Diners Club and American Express before that date.
Lunch in Dunoon
Mum noted having lunch in Dunoon but did not say where this was or what she had, see Chapter 122.
Paddle Steamer Waverley
Mum had booked to go on the paddle steamer Waverley but it did not come in time so she got her money back. This is the only thing included in mum’s scrapbook for the day. It includes a postcard of The Waverley which continues to operate. First launched in 1946, it has operated in preservation since 1975. When we were in Bute, in June 2026, we saw notices of available sailings on the Waverley but our visit there did not coincide with these.
Swimming
A & E refers to my younger siblings Alan and Liz (Elizabeth). They went swimming as they had the previous week on the Wednesday which was also a free day. On that day, they had also gone on a drive to Toward. Initially, from the way the entries were written, I assumed mum was referring to a swimming pool in Toward. However, although there was an outdoor pool in Toward, it was a private pool built for the lady of Castle Toward and, by the late seventies, it was disused and derelict.
It therefore seems likely that they went back to Dunoon for swimming. While Dunoon Lido was still open, it had largely declined as a swimming venue. It seems likely that they went swimming at Dunoon Indoor Swimming Pool/Dunoon Baths on both occasions. This had opened in the sixties and featured a spectator seating gallery. It is still functioning as part of Riverside Swim and Health Centre although, because of its age, there are plans to replace it.
Alan’s Toe
A refers to my younger brother Alan. Mum took him to see a doctor about his toe. They were advised to let the air get to it. I believe this was an ingrown toe nail and Alan had trouble with it from this point. He had various treatments culminating in surgery in February 1977, see Chapter 116.
Fancy Dress Competition
E refers to my younger sister Liz (Elizabeth). She won first prize in a a fancy apron competition. It was made, presumably by mum, with green crepe paper with a frill round and “Dhalling Mhor Service” on it, see Chapter 122.
Same as Yesterday
I noted that I got up about 10.30 am and did much the same as the previous day. This involved shopping, presumably for food, see Chapter 125, and watching TV.
Problems with the TV
However, there were problems with the TV. I think I was following the Olympics but I switched off when Play School came on. After Play School would have finished, I tried to put the TV back on but it would not switch on. So, I phoned Visionhire but, as it was 5 pm, they said they could only come the next day.
Based on a TV Guide for the day, I was right that I was probably watching the Olympics as Olympic Grandstand had been on from 2 pm until 4.25 pm when Play School started. However, I am not sure what I wanted to watch once Play School was done at 4.50 pm. There was no further Olympics coverage until 6.15 pm so I must have wanted to watch “Speed Buggy” unless I planned to watch “Hogg’s Back” on ITV.
Visionhire
We were renting the television from Visionhire, see Chapter 128. It was our first colour TV, a Philips, which we had got in March 1976.
Visionhire were a national TV rental company, formed in the fifties. They merged with other companies in the eighties to form Boxclever that continues to operate. In the 1971-2 Kelly’s Tradefinder, Visionhire were one of nine TV rental companies in Norwich at that time. They had branches at 4d Castle Street, now Castle Street Optometry, and 28 Magdalen Street.
They had had the branch at 28 Magdalen Street since at least 1960 although, at that time, their second branch was at 3 Back of the Inns. It seems that the Castle Street branch opened in October 1965. The Big C Cancer Charity appears to occupy both 26 and 28 Magdalen Street now although their address is given as the former. The location where they were based in the Back of the Inns seems to have been incorporated into the entrance to Castle Mall.
Reading and Early Night
Given that I could not watch the TV, I spent the evening reading, probably reluctantly, and had a very early night, noting that I was in bed by 9 pm!
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