Diaries kept while at Sunnyside

/1-/36 Diaries detail various daily activities - for example, events (weddings, including Iso's wedding, funerals, church services at Hillside and Dens, etc.), shopping trips and walks to Montrose, things she does in her leisure time - sewing, golfing, knitting, reading - along with domestic activities. Isobel also notes any visits, calls or letters she has recieved - from her husband, or from friends such as the Andersons and Rev. Diack (she saw him almost every Thursday for many years). In some, earlier, diaries she has kept track of food she has eaten, and most make note of the weather. In the middle of her 1935 diary she was admitted into Montrose Asylum - "Thur. 4 July: Lunan Bay for lunch. Admitted to Montrose Asylum, bathed and put to bed." Her earlier diaries note more frequent visits from the doctors. Descriptive list: /1 Details daily activities such as visits with Dr Stephens, Isobel Gordons, and Mary, events such as a wedding, church services and hymns [at Hillside], leisure time such as knitting and golf, calls such as with Dr Forbes and Mrs Grant, shopping [in Montrose and Aberdeen], and walks [in North Water Bridge, Hillside, Montrose], 1935 /2 Details daily activities such as weather, visits, such as with Dr Grant, Miss Bird, and Dr Patterson, church services and hymns [at Hillside], shopping [mainly in Montrose], leisure such as knitting and sewing, and events such as her Aunt's funeral and the opening of an infirmary in Aberdeen, 1936 /3 Details daily activities such as doctor appointments, generally with either Dr Shaw, Dr Patterson, or Dr Grant, shopping [mainly in Montrose], leisure such as reading, sewing, and knitting, church services [at Hillside], and walks [around Rosemount], 1937 /4 Details daily activities such as leisure, doctor appointments, generally with either Dr Shaw, Dr Patterson or Dr Anderson, church services and hymns [at Hillside and Den], cleaning and domestics, shopping [in Montrose and Aberdeen], leisure such as golf, knitting, and reading, and food eaten such as leeks with white sauce, beans and dried fruit, and brussel sprouts, 1938 /5 Details daily activities and news such as church services [at Hillside], leisure such as reading, knitting, sewing, darning, and golf, mentions of major bombs being dropped in London, major political advances such as Winston Churchill becoming Prime Minister and Hitler's advances on Holland and Belgium, and shopping [in Montrose], 1940 /6 Details daily activities and news such as sewing and knitting, church services [usually at Hillside], war-related news such as Hitler's invasion of Russia and America declaring war on Japan, shopping [in Montrose], walks [in Montrose and Rosemount], visits, such as to Inverness for two weeks in July/August with her husband (J.G.M.) or to Mrs Valentine's house, food eaten such as curry, white fish, strawberry tarts, sausages, and toast and marmalade, and the weather, 1941 /7 Details daily activities such as walks [in Montrose, Rosemount], leisure such as sewing, knitting, and reading, church services [at Hillside], visits, such as from her husband (J.G.M.), and shopping [in Montrose]. There is a pressed plant in the front of the diary, 1942 /8 Details daily activities such as walks [in Montrose], church services [at Hillside], leisure such as sewing, knitting, and reading, letters from Liz and her husband (J.G.M.), and shopping [in Montrose], 1943 /9 Details daily activities such as walks [in Montrose], church services [at Hillside], leisure such as sewing and reading, shopping [in Montrose], and letters from Liz and her husband (J.G.M.), 1944 /10 Details daily activities such as walks [in Montrose], domestics such as cleaning and ironing, church services [at Hillside], leisure such as sewing, reading, and knitting, and shopping [in Montrose], 1946 /11 Details daily activities such as walks [by River Salmon], church services [at Hillside], leisure such as reading and sewing, cleaning and domestics, visits, such as from Iso, Rev. Diack, and Ethel, going down to Sussex, and shopping [in Montrose], 1947 /12 Details daily activities such as church services [at Hillside], events, such as Iso's wedding, shopping, often for other people [in Montrose], leisure such as knitting, domestics such as cleaning and washing, and visits, such as from Mr Alexander and Miss Mackay, 1948 /13 Details daily activities such as knitting and darrning, domestics such as cleaning and washing, church services [at Hillside], events such as a funeral, visits, such as from Mr. Valentine and Mr. Hay, letters from Ethel and brambling with Betty. There is a photograph of a woman and various newspaper clippings in the front of the diary, 1949 /14 Details daily activities such as shopping [in Montrose], church services [at Hillside], doctor appointments with Dr. Anderson, leisure such as reading and walking, and visits, such as from the Morrisons and Mr. Jeffrey. There are receipts and part of a food office slip in the back of the diary, 1950 /15 Details daily activities such as shopping [in Montrose], letters, such as from Ethel and Liz, church services [at Hillside], leisure such as knitting and walking, domestics, and visits, such as from Mr Morrison and Betty. There is a small newspaper clipping in the back, mentioning Mrs Robinson's funeral. There is also a newspaper clipping about pension schemes in the front of the diary, 1951 /16 Details daily activities such as church services [at Hillside], going to Rev. Diack's small Thursday services, domestics, shopping with Betty [in Montrose], leisure such as reading, knitting and walking, and events, such as a concert and going to Pitlochry Dam, 1952 /17 Details daily activities and news such as shopping [in Montrose], the death of Queen Mary and the subsequent coronation of Elizabeth II, domestics such as washing and mending, leisure such as knitting, letters from Iso and Ethel, and church services [at Hillside], 1953 /18 Details daily activities such as letters from Iso and Liz, domestics such as washing and mending, shopping [in Montrose], events such as the Sunnyside Hospital sports day and watching the Edinburgh Tattoo on television, church services [at Hillside], and letters from Liz and Iso, 1956 /19 Details daily activities such as shopping [in Montrose], visiting Rev. Diack and Mr Easton, leisure such as knitting, church services [at Hillside], and domestics such as washing and darning. There are receipts and a clipping of a newspaper article on high blood pressure and how to treat it in the front of the diary, and clippings on births and deaths in the back of the diary. 1957 /20 Details daily activities such as a visit to Glamis Castle, events such as the Sunnyside Hospital sports day and Matron Hale's funeral, current events including revolts in Iran, shopping [in Montrose], church services [at Hillside], letters from Liz and Iso, domestics, and leisure (including knitting), 1958 /21 Details daily activities such as church services [at Hillside], visits from people such as Miss Comrie, Rev. Diack and the Valentines, leisure such as sewing, knitting and reading, letters from Liz and Iso, and shopping [in Montrose]. There are receipts in the back of the diary, 1960 /22 Details daily activities such as domestics, spring-cleaning and washing, Women's Guild meetings, shopping [in Montrose], church services [at Hillside], visits, such as from Miss Comrie and Rev. Diack, letters from Iso and Liz, and leisure such as knitting and reading. There is a torn-off Christmas present tag and a newspaper clipping in the front of the diary, 1961 /23 Details daily activities such as Women's Guild meetings, shopping [in Montrose], events such as Liz's funeral, letters to Iso and Liz (before her death), visits such as from Rev. Diack and Miss Comrie, occasional doctor's visits from Dr. Anderson, domestics (including washing and ironing), and church services [at Hillside], 1962 /24 Details daily activities and events such as Barbara's wedding, domestics and cleaning, visits to and from Miss Comrie and Rev. Diack, shopping [in Montrose], church services [at Hillside] and letters to and from Iso, Polly, Rose and Deborah, 1964 /25 Details daily activities such as domestics (inclusing washing and mending), letters to Iso and Patricia, visits from Mr. Cargill, Frances, Rev. Diack and Miss Comrie, visits, such as to Edinburgh, church services [at Hillside], and shopping [in Montrose]. There are three photographs of people in uniform and a receipt in the back of the diary, 1965 /26 Details daily activities such as shopping [in Montrose], leisure such as knitting and sewing, letters to and from Frances and Iso, church services [at Hillside], visits, such as from Rosie, David J. and Rev. Diack, and going to Aberdeen with the Fettes. There is a card in the back of the diary with a calendar of 1966 on the inside and useful dates on the back, 1966 /27 Details daily activities such as letters from Iso and Miss Fettes, leisure such as sewing, knitting and reading, visits from Rev. Diack, Miss Comrie and Miss Fettes domestics such as washing and ironing, church services [at Hillside], shopping [in Montrose and Dundee] and events such as the Sunnyside sports day and a trip up to Aberdeen. There are receipts and a newspaper clipping about Scottish mental hospitals in the back of the diary, 1967 /28 Details daily activities such as domestics (inclusing washing and ironing), trips to Aberdeen and Dundee, letters from Miss Fettes and Patricia, visits, such as from Rev. Diack, Miss Fettes and her husband (J.G.M.) shopping [in Montrose], church services [at Hillside], current events, including an international gold crisis, an Open Day, and leisure such as sewing, 1968 /29 Details daily activities such as letters from Iso, Miss Fettes, and Rosie, church services [at Hillside], visits, such as from Rev. Diack and Dr. Lyon, leisure such as reading and rug-making, trips, including to Perth, Pitlochry and Forfar, shopping [in Montrose], domestics such as cleaning and mending, and current events (including President De Gaulle's defeat). In the back of the diary are receipts, newspaper clippings on patients' rights and Roman soldiers, 1969 /30 Details daily activities such as walks with Miss Paton, events, such as Patricia's wedding and Kathleen Marr's wedding or a trip to Inverness in July/August, church services [at Hillside], shopping [in Montrose], visits from Rev. Diack, domestics, leisure, such as sewing and knitting, and letters from Miss Fettes and Iso, 1970 /31 Details daily activities and current events such as the Queen's silver wedding, letters from Miss Fettes, Dawne, Maisie and Iso, leisure, such as reading and knitting, visits from Dr. Lyon and Rev. Sinclair, shopping [in Montrose], and domestics such as mending and washing. There is a small pencil in the spine, 1972 /32 Details daily activities and events such as Mr. Fullerton's funeral and Anne's wedding, leisure such as reading and sewing, letters from Maisie, Iso, Dawne and Rosie, domestics, visits from Mr. Thompson and Rev. Sinclair, shopping [in Montrose], 1973 /33 Details daily activities such as letters from Deborah, Iso, Lionel and Rosie, domestics such as washing, mending and ironing, leisure such as sewing and reading, and visits from Mr. Boath and Dr. Lyon. There are newspaper clippings, a label, prize draw tickets, a reciept and photos of a house and various women in the front of the diary, 1974 /34 Details daily activities such as letters from Iso and Rosie, visits from Rosie and Rev. Sinclair, domestics such as mending and washing, and leisure such as reading and sewing. She seems to have had a lot of bad nights and anxiety, and she broke her leg in October of that year, 1975 /35 Details daily activities such as letters to Rosie, Deborah, Iso and Patricia, domestics such as washing, ironing and mending, leisure, such as reading and sewing, visits from Dr. Lyon and Mr. Paton, events, including a Burns Supper and a Queen's Jubilee procession, and shopping [in Montrose]. In the back of diary is a syllabus for the Hillside and Dun Women's Guild 1977-1978, receipts, and a newspaper clipping of a poem. At the end of the diary she says that 1977 has been a "difficult year", 1977 /36 Details daily activities such as letters to Iso, Patricia and Deborah, leisure such as reading, bus-runs, visits from Dr. Crawford and Dr. Lyon, domestics including washing, and mentions of current events - including amendments to the 1948 health bill and the Lambeth Conference. In the back of the diary is a card with birthday wishes, sent from Clowes, and in the middle is a newspaper clipping with suite prices. Near the front of the diary is a list of her (decreasing) weight throughout the year, 1978

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