Mum’s Diary
Hair set. Depressed. Typed & dup in am. Called round at Enid’s at 1.15 – gave her some of Alan’s clothes for Matthew & discussed patchwork. Work in aft. JPS in. MHA rang v briefly. Depressed & irritable – worried about money too. 2D 1l 2S,
Roger’s/My Diary
In Politics we compiled a Questionnaire about people’s political views. At lunch-time I played the guitar with Gary. After school had a bit of trouble with the caretaker about using a room for group practice but we overcame that.
This evening watched a good Sci-Fi film then had an early night.
Notes
Hair Set
Mum noted that her day started with having her hair set.
Depressed
Throughout the late seventies, and at other times, mum struggled with depression and anxiety, see Chapter 116. On this occasion, she first noted that she “depressed” and then later expanded this to say she was “depressed and irritable” and also worried about money.
It is interesting that mum here links her feelings of depression with irritability. This was not something she did often in her diaries. However, my recollection is that the main way mum’s depression affected me directly was that she always seemed to be irritable with me, in particular, and I felt she was always on my case! As a result, our relationship was extremely difficult at this time.
Worried about Money
I was very aware that finances were tight and mum was often extremely worried about money. My experiences ranged from qualifying for free school meals to sometimes walking into a room at night to find mum with her accounts/budget in front of her in floods of tears. My parents had split up in 1973 and, at this point, dad was living and working in Birmingham, see Chapter 114. Money and related financial matters were a huge source of tension between them. Dad declined to tell mum exactly how much he earned but he did give her a monthly amount. However, he had recently reduced this amount by one quarter on the basis that one o their four children was now at university and was no longer living at home. Dad did not discuss this with mum, although I think he had intended to. Rather, the last time he visited, he simply left her a note and a cheque for the reduced amount. Mum was livid and I fear we bore the brunt of this as were were within range while dad was safely ensconced back in Birmingham.
Typing and Duplicating
According to mum’s CV, see Chapter 105, she ran a typing and duplicating business from home until 1975. However, she did typing and duplicating after this date, particularly for the church, see Chapter 121. On this occasion, she noted that she did typing and duplicating (dup) in the morning (am).
Enid Tickle
Enid refers to Enid Tickle. She and her husband Ken were friends of mum’s through church. Enid was from Malawi, I believe She and Ken were a multiracial couple at a time when that was not common, especially not in Norwich.
She was a teacher. From at least 1989 to 1991, she taught the reception class at Tuckswood First School. In 1992, she was acting head at Frettenham County First School for six months.
She was an active member of St Peter’s and, in 1969, was a founder member of the church’s playgroup. In January 1981, she was part of a panel in Diss with Rev Lemmon and the visiting President of Conference, Kenneth Greet. In October 1994, she was one of five speakers at a “People on the Move” event. She spoke on the topic of “One World, One People”. There is a video of her and Ken Tickle speaking on the occasion of the church’s 50th anniversary on YouTube.
Mum went to Enid’s at 1.15 pm for two reasons. First, she took some of my brother Alan’s old clothes for Ken and Enid’s son Matthew. Second, she went to discuss patchwork with her. Enid was organising the making of patchwork items for the Young Wives stall at the church’s forthcoming Gift Day. Mum was making a patchwork cushion for this. While mum was a very accomplished seamstress, I think Enid probably had more experience of patchwork specifically.
Gift Day
The Gift Day at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church was held on Thursday 18 November 1976. It raised over £1,900. The Young Wives’ stall raised just over £40, see Chapter 124.
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. She noted that Mr Stephens (JPS) was in and Mr Ashken (MHA) rang very briefly.
Mum’s Medication
Mum tended to note the tablets she took each day, particularly at night, see Chapter 116. On this occasion, she noted that she took two flurazepam (D for Dalmane) tablets to help her sleep, one long-acting amitriptyline (L for Lentizol) tablet for depression and one senna-containing tablet (S for Senokot) for constipation. She had been trying to wean herself off both antidepressants and sleeping tablets but had been advised by her GP to increase them once again because of her current feelings of severe depression.
Politics
I had relatively recently started in the sixth form at the Hewett School, see Chapter 118. As part of general studies, I was doing a politics course which had a strong focus on discussing and debating political views and beliefs. On this occasion, we had compiled a questionnaire about people’s political views. Presumably, our intention was to administer it in the school.
Lunch-time
Based on my family’s working class background in Nottinghamshire, we had 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, some of that usage was changing and family members sometimes, and perhaps increasingly, referred to a midday meal as lunch, see Chapter 92 although we continued to refer to an afternoon or early evening meal as tea. On this occasion, I referred to lunch-time.
Playing Guitar
I noted that at lunch-time I played guitar with Gary Wood. At this time, I was trying to teach myself to play guitar albeit not very successfully, see Chapter 122 .
Gary Wood
Gary refers to Gary Wood who was one of my closest friends at school, see Chapter 118. He and I had a lot in common. In addition to both playing, or trying to play, the guitar, we both later had motorbikes and we both worked at Sainsbury’s in Anglia Square, see Chapter 119. Gary went on both the camping trips I went on to France in 1975 and 1976. He worked at “Le Paradis” in the summer of 1977.
In 1976, Gary won an endeavour prize and, in 1978, the Sheriff’s Prize for Art. In 1978, he passed A levels in pure maths, physics, chemistry and art. He went on to study physics in York. He is a member of the Hewett Facebook group but uses the name Robert Wood. Apparently, Robert is his first name but he used Gary as Robert was also his father’s name. His Facebook page notes that he studied architecture in Rome, Cambridge, Harvard and London, that he has his own architecture studio and lives in France.
Group Practice
I was part of a music group while at the Hewett School, see Chapter 118. This was not something organised by the school. Rather, we did it ourselves. We practised a lot but we never had a name and I don’t think we ever performed! From memory, we practiced in one of the rooms off the open corridor alongside the Upper School hall. Based on my diaries, the group was pretty short-lived from around March to October 1976.
I am not sure what my role was as I could not play an instrument, although I was trying to learn guitar, and I don’t recall singing! I think mostly the others in the group sort of humoured me! On this occasion, I noted that we had some trouble with the caretaker about using a room to practice in but commented that we “overcame that“.
Science-Fiction Film: “This Island Earth“
In the evening, I noted that I watched a good science-fiction film on TV, see Chapter 122, and then had an early night. I believe the film in question was the 1955 film “This Island Earth” starring Jeff Morrow. It was directed by Joseph M Newman and Jack Arnold and also starred Rex Reason, Faith Domergue, Lance Fuller and Russel L Johnson. It was based on an earlier novel by Raymond F Jones. Radio Times described the film saying, “a visitor from another world, disintegrating planets in a distant galaxy and a group of earthling scientists inextricably caught up in things – these are the familiar ingredients of the SF movie, 50s style.“
It was the second in a three part film series called “From Out of Space” which featured science fiction films from the fifties. It was on BBC 1 from 7.05 to 8.30 pm. I had watched the first film in the series “When Worlds Collide” the previous week.
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