Mum’s Diary
Took Panadol in am. Had breakfast in bed. Had hair set in am. Did shopping after at Downsway & in city with Alan. Went to work in aft. M. S. in – lot to do. Brought Mr A’s accounts home to do. R rang. Tired again – bit depressed about slowness of getting better. Mr S. said calcium could be caused by drugs but also said calcium could cause duodenal ulcers as well as stones. Finished Alan’s Aran jumper. 1 Mog 1 Tryp 2 Senakot.
Roger’s/My Diary
Polished the bannister & swept the stairs after I’d had my breakfast. A cup of coffee. Walked to Biggin where I tried to phone dad but he wasn’t there & that attempt cost me 16p. Carried on, tried to follow a footpath but lost it & ended up going down a hill followed by a herd of cows.
Joined the High Peak trail and followed that to Longcliffe where I used a toilet in a garage as the pub which was marked wasn’t there. Carried on along the road toward Grangemill and on the side of the road I saw a mouse which was about to walk underneath a moving lorry but I guided it back into the grass. At Grangemill I went in a pub where I had a sandwich & got some beermats. Unfortunately I got something in my eye & when I got here it was very sore but 2 guys from Newark Ross & Neil helped me by cooking me a meal. Phoned mum, dad is going to pick me up tomorrow outside the Y.H.
Notes
Paracetamol
Mum had had surgery for a renal stone at the beginning of August, see Chapter 116. She was still recovering and was experiencing some pain. She noted taking paracetamol (Panadol) in the morning (am).
Breakfast in Bed
Mum noted that she had breakfast in bed. This again probably reflects that she was recovering from surgery. It is possible that she made breakfast herself and took it back to bed but it is also possible that one of my siblings made breakfast for her.
Hair Set
Mum noted that she had her hair set in the morning (am),
Shopping
Alan refers to my younger brother. He and mum went shopping both to the Supermarket, Downsway, and in the city, see Chapter 125.
Downsway
Downsway was an East Anglian-based supermarket chain. Apparently, Downsway was the first supermarket to open in Norwich in St Stephens Street in about 1968. However, based on my copies of Kelly’s Directory and Tradefinder, it seems that Downsway was originally known as Downs and, from at least 1967, had stores both at 14-16 St Stephens Street and in Earlham House on Earlham Road, where there is a Co-op now.
This Earlham House address was very close to where we lived in College Road and it is this supermarket that mum and Alan went to. I do remember there being a supermarket there but did not recall its name.
Based on local newspaper coverage, it appears that Downs/Downsway opened on Earlham Road in October 1965 and was also open in St Stephens Street by August 1966. In October 1971, Muhammad Ali appeared at the St Stephens Street branch of Downsway promoting Ovaltine. Downsway, however, closed their city centre store in March 1973 because of poor car parking but continued with their store in Earlham Road. In 1976, 47 of its stores were bought by Fine Fare although the Downsway branding was maintained for some time.
A Fine City
Mum usually referred to shopping in Norwich city centre 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.
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 Friday, she worked in the afternoon (aft) only. Mum noted that Mr Stephens was in and there was a lot to do for him. As a result, she brought Mr Ashken’s accounts home to work on them there.
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! On most occasions, I did not note this but did this time.
Tired and Depressed
Mum noted she was tired. She often complained of tiredness at this time. Partly, this was just a reflection that she was getting back to her normal busy schedule less than a month after major surgery. However, it was a recurring complaint and also reflected the interaction between her mental and physical health, see Chapter 116.
Mum also struggled with depression and anxiety during this period, see Chapter 116. On this occasion, she noted feeling a bit depressed about the slowness of getting better. While she often could identify things which made her feel depressed, this was not always the case. In this case, I am not sure she was recovering particularly slowly. It is possible that mum underestimated how long it takes to recover from major surgery. It is also likely that she was maximising elements of her recovery for dramatic effect!
Hypercalcaemia
Following her surgery, mum had been found to have high blood calcium levels and she had been referred to renal physician Dr Jack Pryor for this, see Chapter 116. While Mr Stephens was correct that drugs could be one cause of hypercalcaemia and that hypercalcaemia could cause complications in the area in which he worked, that is duodenal ulcers, this intervention was probably not helpful as I don’t think any of the medicines she was taking were associated with hypercalcaemia and it gave mum more things to worry about!
Alan’s Aran Jumper
Mum was an extremely accomplished knitter and she often made things for herself and others, see Chapter 126. On this occasion, she finished an Aran jumper for my brother Alan. I think I probably had heard of Aran jumpers but I did not know much and certainly did not know that they originated from Ireland and not the Scottish island of Arran.
Medication
Mum noted the medication she was taking including one tablet of nitrazepam (Mog for Mogadon) for insomnia, one tablet of amitriptyline (Tryp for Tryptizol) for depression and two senna tablets (Senokot) for constipation.
Correct Date
While it is not perhaps remarkable that I managed to record the date correctly and without amendment, it was the first time I had managed to do so since Tuesday 17 August. I must have lost track of the days while on holiday.
Hartington Youth Hostel
I had stayed the previous night at Hartington Youth Hostel, see Chapter 122.
Polishing the Banisters and Sweeping the Stairs
At Hartington youth hostel, I polished the banisters and swept the stairs after I’d had my “breakfast” which I claimed was a cup of coffee! I think coffee for breakfast is entirely plausible as it is something I did for many years when younger!
Chores
This requirement, of guests doing a job or a chore, was one of the things I recall from our early youth hostelling experience, see Chapter 92. Apparently, they were phased out in the eighties.
Biggin and Attempting to Phone Dad
I walked to Biggin where I tried to phone dad but he wasn’t there. There is a red telephone box on the main road in Biggin and I wonder if this was the phone box I used. It appears that it no longer contains a telephone but has been repurposed to tell the parish’s history. However, at the end of 2023, the village magazine/newsletter described this as a work in progress.
I noted that this attempted phone call cost me 16p! I assume I tried to phone dad at work as if I’d phoned him at home, and he hadn’t answered, the call would not have cost me anything. Presumably, I spoke to someone and they looked for dad and could not find him. I think a standard call at that time cost 2p so 16p was a lot and I would have had to keep putting coins in the machine! This was all to no avail as I did not manage to speak with him.
Followed by Cows
I carried on walking. I tried to follow a footpath but lost it and ended up going down a hill followed by a herd of cows. Interestingly, I remember an incident of this nature but it may have happened more than once!
High Peak Trail to Longcliffe
I joined the High Peak Trail and followed that to Longcliffe where I used a toilet in a garage as the pub which was marked wasn’t there.
This is interesting as I have cycled the High Peak Trail relatively recently and was not aware I had walked on it in 1976. I suppose I must have picked it up somewhere to the west of Pikehall close to a farm marked as Upperhouse Farm on the Ordnance Survey map.
Currently, there seem to be a number of industrial sites in Longcliffe but I cannot see a garage where you could buy fuel. I have not found any details of a pub but presumably if there was one in Longcliffe it closed prior to 1976.
Grangemill
Then, I carried on along the road toward Grangemill and on the side of the road I saw a mouse which was about to walk underneath a moving lorry but I guided it back into the grass. At Grangemill I went into a pub where I had a sandwich and got some beermats, which I collected at that time. I believe this was the Hollybush Inn. This pub may have closed temporarily after the former landlord left in July 2025 but it seems to have reopened.
Arriving in Matlock
Unfortunately I got something in my eye and when I got to Matlock it was very sore. I recall this happening. I think whatever I got in my eye scratched my cornea so it was very painful even though there was nothing in it. However, overnight, it pretty much cleared up with having my eyes closed and rested. Thankfully, two guys from Newark, Ross and Neil, helped me by cooking me a meal.
Arranging to be Picked Up
I phoned mum and noted that dad would pick me up the next day outside the youth hostel. I am not sure if mum already knew this or she agreed to contact dad on my behalf. However, I think the former is more likely. I suspect dad may have told mum this in case I phoned her. I doubt mum would have made such an arrangement with me without first having agreed it with dad.
For me, this broke a cardinal rule I had for dealing with my parents after they separated. This was that I dealt with them directly, never discussing one with the other and never dealing with one through another. However, the practical difficulties of seventies’ phone communication left me no alternative. I could not have texted him like I would now and I don’t believe he had a home or office answering machine. I am sure mum would have been delighted by this as it would have reinforced her views about dad’s unreliability and her indispensability!
Matlock Youth Hostel
At that time, the youth hostel was in Matlock Bath. This was located in an old vicarage in Brunswood Road and operated from 1956 to 1983 when it was replaced by a hostel in Bank Road in Matlock which itself closed in 2007. The building was then used as a Probationary Service office and is now a private house. For more details of this hostel, see Chapter 92.
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