大象传媒

161 Revidge Road,
Blackburn, Lancs.

17th June 1941

My dearest Annie,

The last letter I had from you was in March, so I suppose some letters must have gone astray somewhere. I hope mine have reached you. I wrote while we were in Kirkcaldy, whence we returned a fortnight ago. It was very cold while we were there but only one wet day. Florence went to Brechin from Thursday to Monday and to Comrie from Monday to Saturday, returning to Kirkcaldy for the weekend, having had a thoroughly happy time among old friends. Since coming home she has been as busy as ever and I have been busy too in a different way. Clothes are to be rationed now and everybody is looking over their 鈥渙ld clo鈥� to see how much they can do without!

Florence had an old skirt on the eve of being given away at the door, but I turned it and she wore it to church on Sunday!! All this has a comical side to it. Nobody wonders if they can afford new garments - only will they have enough coupons. Then one day I wanted some wool to finish a suit I am knitting for Billy and the sales girl and I were so busy calculating the number of coupons and getting them cut out, that eventually I walked off with my parcel without paying. Before I had gone far I realised this and went back, to discover that the girl was as oblivious as I was that no cash had changed hands! Florence said, of course that was just like me. But, anyway, we had a good laugh about it.

I did enjoy taking Billy out. He is beginning to talk, but I must say his language takes some getting used to. He puts 鈥渆n鈥� on to all his words so 鈥淒ad鈥� becomes 鈥淒aden鈥� and as he can鈥檛 pronounce 鈥渟鈥� at the beginning of a word he uses 鈥渉鈥� instead. So when he takes your hand and says 鈥渉itten鈥� you must understand he is inviting you to take a seat. He was very fond of Ross and very astonished to find he had 鈥渉airen鈥� and he would feel Ross and then feel his own and laugh. He was also puzzled with mine feeling the same and looking so different. He is a very beautiful boy and tall for his age. He looks more like 3 than 2.

We still have the mother and baby from London and I believe another 800 are coming to Blackburn so that will be another all night affair for Florence. It is a terrible experience for babies to go through. Our little one, Patricia, has improved beyond belief in the short time she has been here. She is a sweet little pet, just 10 陆 months and is quite at home with Florence and me. A week ago last Sunday, Florence was going over to have tea at the cottage with some of her girls and I suggested that Mrs Heath go too and I would look after baby. So she went and I kept baby and bathed her and fed her and she was in bed and fast asleep when her mother got back and there had never been a whimper.

Aunt Maggie is busy too as her house is full of people who have lost their homes. They, however, are well-off people who can afford to pay for their accommodation with attendance. Aunt Maggie does the cooking with Molly鈥檚 help.

Anne is at home now with her mother and her husband has returned to camp meantime. I hope to see them all in Aug. As Florence is going to Colwyn Bay (Wales) with her girls in July, I will likely go north then. Pat & Billy are going to Newtonmore in July and Willie expects to get a week with them there. He did not pass his medical test for the army owing to some slight defect in his heart beat and no-one was more astonished than himself as he has never known anything about it and has always been very energetic. He went to a specialist in Edinburgh and he said he may have had it all his life and it did not need to make any difference in his way of life, but, of course, the army were very chary of any heart trouble as pensions would be due to anyone who cracked up on service. He is still in the Home Guard and doing his bit in that way and there seems no need to worry about him.

Florence and I are going to Burnley to the Polish Ballet on Friday and I am looking forward to it very much as we have not had anything of that description for a long time. I hope it will be fine on Saturday afternoon as the Literary Society are having an outing to Walley to see over an old Abbey there, and I am going with Mary and Leo Collier. Leo expects to be called up in July and Mary will take his place in the Grammar School. It won鈥檛 be easy to start teaching again after being married for 6 or 7 years. Another master, Geoff Mercer, is also joining up in July and Marjorie, his wife, is taking his place. It is even harder for her as she has two small children. We will all miss them as they are our very particular friends along with a few other congenial couples - all members of our play reading circle. Friday of next week we are having what we call a 鈥淢agazine Night鈥� when each one does something on his or her own. I am going to read some of the very broadest Scots鈥� bits from Sir James Barrie鈥檚 鈥淟ittle Minister鈥� and I guess they will love it though they won鈥檛 understand much of it. I daresay I will be able to express the meaning well enough for them to be able to follow the 鈥済ist鈥� of it.

Ross is having a grand time these days. Besides his morning walk with Florence, he is off every afternoon with Mrs Heath and Patricia and he won鈥檛 allow any other dog near the pram. He has just had his coat stripped off and is all shiny and wavy and behaves like a puppy though now 6 years old. Patricia loves him and gives him bits of her biscuit. I usually take him a short stroll in the evening so he is getting plenty of exercise. The only time he is unhappy is when he hears the siren and guns and bombs begin to go. Then, indeed, a miserable dog is he!

Young Robert is still doing a grand job of work as cook in the officers鈥� mess at Kyle of Lochalsh and is a great favourite with everyone. He is a nice lad and I am glad he is so happy.

Willie & Eva are still in Forth St. though Eva hates it and had hoped to move 鈥榚re this. The war prevented that and at present they are as well there as anywhere and have a good basement shelter. I don鈥檛 know whether it is preferable to have the house come down on you or come down with the house. What do you think? I don鈥檛 suppose in either case you would know much about it so you may as well stay comfortably in bed and take a chance. I have already reached the 鈥渁llotted span鈥� anyway and am now into the 鈥渋f by reason of strength鈥� lap and if I continue as I am now it looks as though I may have two or even three! So that long deferred visit may yet materialise.

How are Ethel and Florence getting along? They will likely have plenty of orders when so many are knitting for the forces. I have not heard from Mabel for a while but she is very busy with canteen work and Jimmy with ARP and nobody has time for letter writing.

It is time now to go and get tea ready and I hear Patricia returning from her afternoon in the park. She will be looking for me.

Ross is also looking at me. As soon as a letter is put into its envelope he gets up and wages his tail, as much as to say 鈥淐ome along now to the post box鈥�. He always gets there first and stands till the letter falls in, then he runs on a bit and looks back to see if I will go further. If I turn for home he comes too, quite content.

I hope Ian and Marjorie have a good holiday this summer. Will you and Harold get away at all?

Warmest love to all of you,
Mother.

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