Mum’s Diary
Alan & I & the Papworths went to Lincoln & Epworth with Costessey &
Bowthorpe churches. Left 8 am. Got back 9.30. Nice day. P did washing. Roy took E out – just returned for meals & Roy took R & E out in evening – not back at 10.45 pm. 1 T. 1 Mog. 2 P. 2 S. Had 4 P during day.
Roger’s/My Diary
A very slow day today at work and consequently it was a very boring day. I didn’t have any lunch as I owed mum 30p & by not using the 30p mum allows for my dinner I pulled even. However I still have no money as I bought 2 Beatles books for £2.40 which is how much I get paid. This evening went to the dogs with dad & Liz in the car and won 29p!
Notes
Epworth Pilgrimage
Alan refers to my younger brother. He and my mother went with the Papworths and people from two other Methodist churches, in Costessey and in Bowthorpe, to Lincoln and Epworth, see Chapter 124. They left at 8 am and got back at 9.30 pm. Mum commented that it had been a nice day but did not give more details.
Described in “Christian Viewpoint“
The trip was described in some detail in an article in the local press in a regular feature entitled “Christian Viewpoint“. It was written by MC who I believe was Rev Malcolm Carter, a local Methodist Minister with whom mum was friendly, see Chapter 124. He described visiting Epworth, the birthplace of the Wesleys, as the nearest thing to a pilgrimage within Methodism. At that time, it was visited by around 8,000 “pilgrims” per year. In Epworth, it was possible to visit the Wesley family home and the graveyard where John Wesley famously preached on his father’s tombstone as he was not allowed to preach in the church because the then incumbent thought he had “too much enthusiasm“!
The Papworths
Frank and Nancy Papworth were friends of mum’s through St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. They are mentioned fairly often in mum’s diaries. Nancy, in particular, was involved with mum in various church women’s activities.
Epworth
As noted above, the village of Epworth is known in Methodism as the birthplace of the Wesleys. Currently and historically in Lincolnshire, it seems it was in South Yorkshire at the time of this visit.
Lincoln
Epworth is about 30 miles from Lincoln, the county town of Lincolnshire. I suspect the group went there as it is a lovely city to visit and it would have been en route to Epworth which was clearly the main focus of the visit.
Costessey Methodist Church
There is a Methodist Church in Costessey and the building was erected in 1963 and opened in 1964, see Chapter 90. There is a detailed history of Methodism in Costessey on the My Primitive Methodists website.
Bowthorpe Road Methodist Church
Originally opened in 1974, this church is now the base for the Chinese Methodist church in Norwich, see Chapter 79. A new extension was built in 2018 but it was built out of position so there was a possibility that it would need to be demolished. However, it seems that that fate was averted in 2020. Mum quite frequently attended this church during this period, see Chapter 124.
Washing
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). Mum noted that she did the washing, see Chapter 126. I am not sure why Tricia did not go on the trip to Epworth. She quite often helped mum with practical tasks such as washing particularly at this time as mum was still recovering from surgery that she had had for a kidney stone at the beginning of the previous month, see Chapter 116.
Dad Took Liz Out
Roy refers to my father Royle Drew and E to my younger sister Liz (Elizabeth). My parents had separated in 1973 and, at this point, dad was living and working in Birmingham, see Chapter 114. He was however visiting us for the weekend. Dad took Liz out for the day but neither mum nor I noted what they did. Mum noted that they just returned for meals. I am not sure how mum knew this as she was herself out all day. I suspect she probably heard from Tricia when she got back.
Greyhound Racing
Mum noted that dad took Liz and me out in the evening and we were still not back at 10.45 pm. I am not sure why mum picked this time. Somehow, I don’t think she could have specifically agreed this time with dad as she had herself only arrived back at 9.30 pm. I suspect it was just a time by which she thought we should have been back!
Tense Decisions
I recall that there was an underlying tension when dad visited as the conflict between my parents was still very raw and bitter. Mum, in particular, seemed to want us to side with, and do things with, her even when dad visited. I think Liz and I, in particular, tended to fall foul of this as we both prioritised doing things with dad when he was with us. On this occasion, I was somewhat exempted from any acrimony, at least during the day, as I always worked on a Saturday.
Tricia, I think, tended to “side” with mum. Although she did not go with her to Epworth, she did do the washing which mum would have appreciated. She also did not go out at night with dad as Liz and I did.
Alan somehow managed to get on well with both parents. In this case, I suspect he had committed to the Epworth trip before he knew dad was visiting. So, I imagine he just stuck with the plans he had. Going with mum on a Methodist pilgrimage to Epworth would have gained him a lot of “Brownie points” with her!!
Mum’s Medication
Mum noted the medication she took that day, see Chapter 116. This included amitriptyline (T for Tryptizol) for depression, nitrazepam (Mog for Mogadon) for insomnia, paracetamol (P) for pain and senna (S for Senokot) for constipation. Mum noted that she took two paracetamol at night which meant she had taken four across the day in total.
Saturday Job
At this time, I had a Saturday job at the Scientific Anglian bookshop, see Chapter 119. I noted that it was a very slow day at work today and this meant that I thought it was “boring“.
Totting Up
Much of my diary entry is taken up with maths relating to my cash situation! I noted that I owed mum 30p but I was able to repay her by not using the same amount she gave me to buy food. As a result, I considered that I “pulled even“. I would have been paid at the end of my shift and I noted that this was £2.40. However, I spent this on buying two Beatles books! I did end the day 29p up having won this amount at the greyhounds. From memory, I think this was unusual as I think I usually lost money, probably given to me by dad, whenever we went to the greyhounds.
Lunch or Dinner
Based on my family’s working class background in Nottinghamshire, we tended to refer to our meals as dinner and tea. However, given that we had moved to Norwich in 1960, and possibly because we were becoming more middle class, that usage was changing and family members sometimes, and perhaps increasingly, referred to a midday meal as lunch, see Chapter 92. I guess now I would rarely refer to dinner as, depending on who you are talking to, it can be confusing. So, now I refer mostly to lunch and tea, although I guess I might occasionally use dinner if we were going out to eat in the evening.
On this occasion, I used the terms lunch and dinner interchangeably. I noted that I saved the money mum had allowed me for dinner by not having any lunch!
Beatles Books
I am not sure exactly what these Beatles books were but I suspect they were music books, see Chapter 125, as I was seeking to teach myself to play guitar but not very successfully!
Greyhound Racing
In the evening, dad, Liz and I went “to the dogs” that is to see greyhound racing. Dad was a fan of greyhound racing and I recall going quite often with him as a child and teenager. As a child, he recalled that many miners had whippets and they used to involve them in rabbit coarsing.
Popularity of greyhound racing has declined since a post-war peak. In the 1940s, there were over 120 tracks across the UK whereas now there are around 20. Reasons for the decline included concerns about animal welfare and the availability of off-course betting.
I am pretty sure we would have gone to the track in Yarmouth. Yarmouth Stadium is located on Yarmouth Road on the southern edge of Caister-on-Sea. Opened in 1940, it continues to host greyhound and banger racing. Other tracks I went to with him included in Hackney and Perry Barr in Birmingham.
Car
I noted that we went to the greyhound racing in “the car“. Dad did not have a car at this point. However, he had come to Norwich in a work, Norwich Union, car and I assume we used that, see Chapter 127.