大象传媒

C/O Miss Ramsay,
鈥淕濒别苍濒别别鈥�,
Comrie, Perthshire.

20th August 1940

My dearest Annie,

Florence and I are having a most delightful and peaceful holiday here with Margaret Ramsay. This is one of the loveliest parts of Perthshire and there are a great number of walks within my now somewhat limited powers. When Florence and Margaret set out on a more extended 鈥渞oute march鈥�, I sit in the garden and read or just go for a stroll around. We came from Kirkcaldy last Tuesday and have had lovely weather. The first rain fell this morning but is now off and the sun shining. This afternoon we are having a tea party in the garden if still fine. The garden is lovely and very fruitful. There are all kinds of vegetables besides black and red currants and rasps, plum and apple trees and on the south gable a pear tree, a blue plum tree and a Victoria plum tree are all laden with fruit. The pears and Victoria plums are not yet ripe but everything else provides whether cooked or uncooked food for the table every day so we are living on the fat of the land and enjoying it to the full. There are also flowers in abundance to add to the beauty inside and outside the house, already sufficiently lovely in itself.

Florence goes to the Trossachs Hotel on Saturday for a week鈥檚 conference and I return to Kirkcaldy.

Annie鈥檚 wedding is fixed for September 14th so I am waiting north for that but Florence will have to go back on 1st September. Billy McGibbon was married last Monday in Northampton.

I spent a week in Glasgow before coming here and had a day with Mabel. Hamish was at home for his holidays and looking extremely well. They have a marvellous air raid shelter in the garden with every convenience fitted up - as good as in the house. They could live in it if the house were bombed, it is so strong and well built. Don鈥檛 let yourselves get so worked up by letters from Mabel. She gets in a panic and lets the war prey on her nerves too much, I think. She can鈥檛 help it but it is a great pity. No doubt it may be worse yet, but up till now we have been able to hold our own and we must hope and pray to be given strength to stand up to whatever may befall us in the days to come. In this part of the world you would never guess there was a war on at all and yet all our defences are alert and ready when the need arises. We are all living perfectly normal lives and get plenty of food and if some people get less than usual, probably they always ate too much and will be all the better for 鈥渁 stave oot o鈥� their coggie鈥�. We are not allowed to give any news in our letters but no doubt you get some over the radio and from your daily papers. So keep calm and do not worry about us. Hamish鈥檚 school is not returning to Tyndrum in Sept. but to Tarbert Hotel on Loch Lomond, so won鈥檛 be so far from home. I don鈥檛 know if Hamish will go at all, as Mabel and Jamie are doing their best to get him off to America as soon as possible. It was not settled when I was there but they were hoping to hear in a few days. I would not like to risk it without a convoy and that is not guaranteed. A good many children have reached Canada and the States quite safely but it is a risky business.

Margaret Muirhead sailed for India to join her husband there, but the name of the boat was not disclosed and we won鈥檛 know till she cables from the Cape of Good Hope. From there to Bombay will not be so dangerous. I met Aunt Maggie & Margaret in Glasgow and we saw Margaret on to the train for Liverpool. Her mother will be worried till she gets word.

I was so pleased to get a letter from Marjorie when she was on holiday. Tell her I will write soon. Ross loves being here , it is so nice and rabbity. We lose sight of him sometimes and then we hear him yapping in the middle of a field of corn and we know he is on the scent of a rabbit and may not be home for an hour. So we just leave him and he always turns up at home in his own good time.

Our tea party is over. It had to be indoors after all as a gale of wind blew up after the rain.

When I go back to Glasgow I mean to try and see Marjorie and get all her news. I have not heard anything of them since Christmas and I did not call in July as I expect they would be on holiday then. I stayed a night with Aunt Alice. She is very well and was very pleased to see me. She has a gentleman boarder but is not tied as he is away soon after 8 am and not in till 7.30 pm.

With warmest love also to Harold, Ian, Marjorie and your own dear self from

Your loving Mother.

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