Drew Family Diaries

Mum’s Diary

Went to see Dr W in aft. Said I was doing well. Could change Lentizol to Tryptizol. Can go to work providing I stop when I’ve done enough. Called in to see Daphne & Mr. S. Went in city in am. R rang. P got sore throat. Got pressure cooker from green shield stamps. Started taking ½ Mogadon at night.

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Roger’s/My Diary

Didn’t leave Ravenstor till late & walked direct to Eyam. Bought a sandwich in a pub & had some drinks. Then after a look round the church, sat on the hill. Got to the hostel about ½ past 3. Booked in, cooked some soup. Then sat talking to and playing cards with 3 girls from Leeds until ½ past 10. Then went to bed. Lights out soon so will have to stop, Going to Castleton tomorrow.

Notes

Dr Welch

Mum was recovering from surgery for a renal stone which she had had at the beginning of August, see Chapter 116. She had been discharged from hospital a week earlier. She went to see Dr Welch (Dr W), her GP, in the afternoon (aft). He said she was doing well and could go back to work provided that she stopped when she had done “enough“.

Antidepressants

From time to time, mum took antidepressants, see Chapter 116. Dr Welch advised her that she could change from a slow-acting form of amitriptyline (Lentizol) to a non-slow-acting form (Tryptizol).

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, she called in to see Mr Stephens (Mr S) and Daphne, the other secretary who worked there, mostly for Dr Batty-Shaw. Presumably, she told them that she would soon be back at work.

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In the City

Mum noted that she went into the city in the morning (am). It seems likely that this was when she got the pressure cooker which she mentions later.

Mum often referred to going shopping in Norwich as going into “the city”, see Chapter 125. Indeed, she would point out to anyone who dared refer to this as going “to town” that Norwich was a city! So, I and my siblings always referred to this as going into “the city”.

Some three years ago, I watched the film “45 Years” starring Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling. They are a couple and are supposed to live in rural Norfolk. However, he referred to going into Norwich as “going into town”. This grated on me so much that I asked about this on the Norwich Remembers Facebook Group. It generated almost 600 comments which is easily the most I have ever had for one post!

Those who commented almost all agreed that going to Norwich was referred to as going to, or up or down the, “city” and never as “town”. Some felt that because Norwich is a city, with a cathedral, it should be clear to everyone to refer to going to Norwich in this way. However, others pointed out that not all places with cathedrals are cities, e.g. Bury St Edmunds, and people in other cities, e.g. Bradford, Bristol, Cambridge, Colchester, Leeds, London, Newcastle, New York and York, sometimes refer to going into town. Colchester is a specific case. It was only relatively recently elevated to city status, in 2022, although it was apparently a city in Roman times but, more recently, has been a town.

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I Phoned

R refers to me (Roger). Mum noted that I rang. I was away on a youth hostelling holiday in the Peak District on my own, see Chapter 122. My suspicion is that the price I paid for being allowed to do this was agreeing to phone home regularly, probably every day! It is interesting to note perhaps that, in my detailed notes of the day, I did not mention making this call!

Sore Throat

P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). Mum noted that she had a sore throat. Ailments such as coughs, colds and sore throats were relatively common within the family, see Chapter 116.

Pressure Cooker from Green Shield Stamps

Mum noted that she bought a pressure cooker with green shield stamps.
Green Shield Stamps were a discount voucher scheme that operated from 1958 to 1991. Shoppers earned stamps from a variety of retailers when they bought goods. The scheme declined when Tesco and others stopped using it in a drive to reduce prices. The catalogue business became cash-only and was re-branded as Argos. The Green Shield Stamp Company was liquidated in 2002. Norwich’s Green Shield Stamp shop was on Prince of Wales Road near the railway station.

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Sleeping Tablets

Mum often complained of difficulty sleeping and, at various times, took a range of different sleeping tablets, see Chapter 116. On this occasion, mum took half a tablet of nitrazepam (Mogadon) at night. From the way she wrote “started taking“, there is perhaps the implication that she was planning to take them regularly for a period.

Date Correction

One feature of this diary entry is that I initially wrote the date incorrectly as 19^th and changed it later to the 20^th. I must have lost track of days as I made these corrections from Wednesday 18 to Friday 27 August 1976.

Ravenstor

I had spent the previous two nights at Ravenstor youth hostel. I had stayed here with dad in the late sixties. Indeed, it was probably our favourite hostel, see Chapter 92. I stayed there again in 2023 when I did a nostalgic walk in the Peak District with my wife.

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Eyam

I didn’t leave Ravenstor until late and walked directly to Eyam, a distance of about six miles, see Chapter 122.

A Pub

I bought a sandwich in a pub and had some drinks. Currently, the only pub in Eyam is the Miners Arms. However, as recently as 1993, there were four pubs in Eyam. However, three of them, the Rose and Crown, the Royal Oak and the Bull’s Head, all closed and were converted to private dwellings. I don’t know which of these pubs I went to.

St Lawrence’s Church and Eyam Youth Hostel

Then, after a look round the church, I sat on the hill. I got to the hostel about 3.30pm.  I don’t believe I ever stayed at Eyam Youth Hostel with my dad as it only opened in 1971, see Chapter 92. However, I am sure I had stayed there the previous year, in 1975, when I was youth hostelling with two friends. When I went to Eyam with my wife in 2023, I had been unable to book the youth hostel so we stayed at Innisfree Cottage Bed and Breakfast.

On this occasion, at the hostel, I booked in and cooked some soup. Then, I sat talking to, and playing cards with, three girls from Leeds until 10.30 pm. I then went to bed and wrote my diary. I noted that it was lights out soon so I would have to stop and that I was going to Castleton the next day. Apparently, youth hostel “lights out” requirements were gradually phased out from the eighties.