大象传媒

31 Falcon Avenue,
Edinburgh.

19th September 1940

My dearest Annie,

I am staying for two nights with Jean McGibbon on my way home to Blackburn. I leave tomorrow at 10.35 am and as Friday is Florence鈥檚 day off, she will meet me at Preston where I have to change. Florence has been living alone for a fortnight and will be glad to see me back. I waited for Anne鈥檚 wedding which took place last Saturday. I went through to Kirkcaldy on Thursday and stayed the weekend. Pat & Willie went for the day and Eva & Willie Hadden & Aunt Alice were also there. There was some dubiety as to the bridegroom arriving! However he did turn up on Friday so all was well. The journey, normally 8 陆 hours, took 23 hours. His name, by the way, is Albert Kay. The ceremony took place in Church and afterwards there was a lunch in the Cad鈥檕ro - very nice indeed. Edie made both bride and bridesmaid鈥檚 frocks, Anne鈥檚 white lace over soft white silk and Mary鈥檚 (Anne鈥檚 friend) pink lace over pink silk. Anne looked lovely and wore Edie鈥檚 veil and orange blossom wreath and carried a bouquet of white carnations and heather, while Mary carried mauve and pink carnations and sweet peas. All passed off without a hitch.

I left on Monday afternoon and returned to Kirkcaldy to collect Ross and the rest of my luggage. I have had a long holiday and am feeling greatly the better of it. It took me a while to recover from 鈥榝lu but I am fine now.

You will be sorry to know that Robin Young, Edith Anderson鈥檚 boy, has been killed. He was the same age as Billy, 25. It would be a great shock to all of them. Aunt Bessie is very frail now. I called last Friday but no-one was in and I had not time to go back. I had already written to Edith and had a card in return.

Billy is married too but he is away in Northampton so there is not much chance of seeing him while the war is still on! His wife belongs to Glasgow but I have not met her. I am glad he is married as he will once again have a home of his own. Ross is looking hungrily into my face so that means 鈥渟upper鈥�! I must stop and give him some. He is never any trouble when travelling. He jumps into the train and finds a seat for himself and makes friends with all the other passengers in no time. A dog is a grand introduction to strangers and you find yourself em鈥漛ark鈥漣ng in all sorts of queer conversations and tales (very tall) of other canine friends.

I had a p.p.c. from Ian, please thank him. I hope he enjoyed his trip and returned home safely. Willie received your birthday p.c. with signatures added and was very pleased. He is very, very busy and often out at night as he is a member of the 鈥淗ome Guard鈥�. Beds will bye and bye become museum pieces and future generations will gaze at them with awe and marvel that once upon a time people lay down and became unconscious for so many hours every night - 鈥渟trange custom of these barbarians; how far we have progressed鈥�!

I wish you could see Billy - he is a lovely child and I was very sorry to leave. He is not walking yet but stands up holding on to anything near. Sometimes he forgets and lets go and down he flops. He can creep fast enough and Ross followed him all over the house. Perhaps he (Ross) thought this was a new kind of pup to be carefully guarded!

I fully expected Jean would return with me to Blackburn for a holiday, but she has changed her mind and is afraid to travel so far from home. However I may have Anne down for a few weeks as Bert had to return to his unit on Monday morning. They spent the weekend at Largs and that was all the time they had together, poor dears. Young Robert did not get leave at all and is at Cardigan, South Wales.

Ernest and Lysbeth & Muriel are all well. They have spent their holidays this year in their garden and very nice too. I always think people with lovely gardens go away and leave them when they are at their very best and thus miss a lot of the fruits of their labour. Ours is very accommodating and postpones blooming till our return. Florence wrote to inform me that our sweet peas were now in bud! Date 5th September!

As beds are still in vogue I had better get to mine and procure a measure of rest, lest the sirens call us thence. We are all quick-change artists these days and 鈥渁ll the world a stage鈥�.

I will write again after I get home.

Warmest love to you all from

Mother.

Did I forget to remember your birthday in my last letter? If so I now wish you many happy returns with love.

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