… feeling absolutely exhausted and unenthused for several months. I got v. worried and trotted along to my doctor, had x blood tests done and the outcome was I ought to get more exercise and move away from my sister (she is a very dominating sort of person).
Funny you should remember X and her pink and mauve sweaters because when I think back to those days that’s what I remember her wearing – must have made a big impression! I remember X and her suits and that young one that came in our last year or so with the scruffy heels and how I remember her writing ‘Silence is Golden’ on the board and not really appreciating it then. Believe me with three children I certainly do now!!
He has settled wonderfully [at school] and is eating like a horse and working hard – and has also made friends with the other newest boys, so that is good. His first letter was all about playing marbles with his friend who lost his best one down a drain, so they held a funeral service over the drain which was quite an inspired idea!
In Musicianship we spend most of the time clapping hand rhythms!
The mock courts were quite funny. In our one, one of our lecturers was the accused (5 murders to his name) and he played the part v. well. We had exhibits 1-6 each being a trophy he’d taken away – head, hand etc. (made out of potato dipped in jam) except the last which was the thing he’d done it all with – bottle opener. He was sentenced, needless to say, to a lifetime of teaching German!
I lost one of my stud gold earrings down the bath plug recently and a local sold me some for $9 which was so cheap, as another man said they would cost $76. I queried as to whether they really were 9 ct gold, as if not they could infect the ear. The man was quite hurt I should question his honesty, and said if they did ‘bring them back’. I have had a cauliflower ear which took ages to clear up so when it did I put my old gold one in it, and one of his in the other ear, whereupon that ear got infected so I did take them back. He didn’t seem too put out and gave me some that cost $2 more with a ticket on them stating 9 ct gold, so I now hope for the best.
X gone v. with it – went shopping on his own and came back with emerald green tight cords and a voluminous padded bum freezer like yours.
X’s wife has upped and left him – taking the girls with her. She’s evidently into women’s revolution (and has put on 300 lbs in 3 years – I can’t believe she was right but even if she’s now 300 lbs it’s more than vast).
I think the last straw was his borrowing a large amount of money at high commission without telling her. Sadly he’s a born liar and I think always has been.
Isn’t it a hoot about X remarrying – I had a lovely long letter from her last week. I have met her new husband and he’s a dear – she says, ‘he’s 70, alas, but then I’m no chicken’! She’s terribly happy and her family delighted.
I really am glad for X he didn’t have to go on lingering like that – there’s still an empty space in the house tho’.
I gave X a small bottle of Aramis Eau de Cologne for Christmas. Very expensive but the best $12 I’ve spent or ages – it’s the most seductive fabulous pong – have you smelt it?
X has told her if she doesn’t go and ‘do’ the garden at their previous home, he’ll get someone to do it and send her the bill! He’s overseas at present I think.
I can’t say too often how important it is to avoid being vindictive – there are invariably 2 sides to every argument. You can try but there will be a lot of frayed bits – SO SAD.
What a productive night – we’ve frozen 1/2 the self-seeded crop of broad beans, ‘done’ the ginger beer, and now I’m writing to you while he cleans the shoes – if we carry on like this we might even reach the elusive goal of ORGANISATION!!!
Did I tell you about the sheep with a head at both ends? The maternity wing of the farm was next door again for a while and one day I saw the head of a lamb arrive. Nothing else happened and the ewe went on grazing in-between pawing the ground a bit, so I phoned the farmer who came down with his dog and crook and chased the poor thing round and round with the lamb twitching its ears and apparently quite interested. Eventually he caught a leg and the ewe dragged him flat on his back, quite some way, (he’s a tidy weight and rising 70) but he couldn’t get it out, its leg was caught. Then his wife drove up the drive immaculate in white and he expected her to join in the tussle as her hand was smaller. She v. reasonably declined until she’d changed, so he drove the poor thing up to the house, where she managed to get it out just when they’d decided they’d have to kill the ewe, so all was well.
I should have written back much sooner to thank you for your amazingly kind offering but I was so taken aback I haven’t been sure what to say!… I find this so hard because I don’t want to deny you pleasure of giving but I really would feel bad about accepting such a generous gift when we’re not desperate. I hope you understand and aren’t offended. I really appreciate it.
Then we went to X for more pressies and a lovely Christmas dinner… I made the mistake of forgetting to ring and thank her – despite thinking of it several times at inconvenient or impractical moments – and she rang saying she hadn’t slept for worrying she’d done something to upset us! Oh dear – I felt so guilty.
Disaster! In Feb. I wrote an answer to a Christmas card from the old lady with our surname whom we met. Promptly by return I had a letter with various photos of her family, the cathedral and a plate painted with the family arms. I shoved it in my writing case and forgot all about it – until last week when I had a very distant little note, more in sorrow than anger, supposing that since I ‘hadn’t bothered’ to answer it, she had ‘presumed too much’. Oh dear – we haven’t actually established any kinship, any more than with the one who lives down the road, but I felt very guilty, and a large portion of humble pie has been posted this morning!
I’ve cheated, I’ve cheated, I’ve cheated! Your exciting parcels arrived today and having seen the label – for the first time ever I just couldn’t resist opening my birthday present – I know I shouldn’t have. (‘To err is human but isn’t it divine’!) It’s a gorgeous ‘pack’ and I’ve left everything I’d planned to play with it all day – with X popping in at intervals asking humbly if he could have a cuppa or dinner early cos of choir. Thank you very much.
Thamk-you formy lovely PResent. It is very usefulto keepmy bits in I hAd A nice Birthday PARty 8 children came. It is very Hot here. 33 c to day. We Have Twoswims. A day aT SCHool to keep cool. I can swim A wHole lengtH of the pool. I Have Swollen glAnds In myneck but no sore throat I have a croaky voice and some medcine to make it better. Our doctor. and Na-rse people to play with. I have draw you a buHergly with My super. inks. Hope you are well. Lots oF love
I’ll certainly see if I can get a ‘frugal cooking’ – I’m so idle about my cooking I think it’s pretty frugal anyway – but we weren’t tonight which was a little shaming as it’s Ash Wednesday. We had pancakes for lunch as I forgot them yesterday – cheese ones first then lemon and honey – and as X’s last night home we had chicken legs with sauté potatoes and pear, nectarines and cream – now it’s on paper I think I am more ashamed of it! But it was very nice!
I felt absolutely flattened and a head threatening. I left their coffee ready and went to bed after dinner – and quite stupidly took half a pound of Continental chocs to bed with me – the result was a roaring migraine for 24 hours (not helped by the fact it was self-induced!!)
She’s my bete noir, thoroughly ungracious and unattractive, poor dear is huge, practically as broad as she’s long, and I suspect a lot of behaviour comes from this, foolish of her as she has super hair and could look quite attractive if she lost about 4 stone, but eats and eats, even Weight Watchers failed as she didn’t keep to the rules.
Christmas didn’t do much for the figure, I’ve gone up to 12 again, however now the kids are back at school I’m back on egg for breakfast, yog for lunch, no spuds and fresh fruit – ONE day I’ll be that elusive 9 1/2 stone – don’t know when tho’!
She’d just finished a 4 day fast too and she looks ‘as different again’. I hope it inspires her to keep up more exercise and less temptations in the food line! I might well take heed of that myself too, I was looking at some old photograph albums t’other day, and was amazed how much better I looked when I was half a stone lighter – and 10 years younger!
We’ve just had a celebration tea with homemade meringues and lots of cream (I’ll start slimming Monday!) Has everyone gone bran mad in England? The doctor said I should eat 6 tablespoons for breakfast – I think I should have worked up to it slowly – it did disastrous things to my inside! I am baking wholemeal bread tho’ – I’d forgotten how simple it was – far easier than going to the village for it.
Poor old X; I am sorry that she is so unable to do things for herself, which she must hate. As for sitting round in a big room with everyone else, while the radio plays bright music, I can just imagine it, as we went to see an old lady in a home near here a year or two ago, who had to spend all her time doing just that. Ghastly, and as you say, it was a great mercy that Y did not have to suffer it, or Aunt Z either.
We had a pretty dreadful evening on Saturday when we were asked to go and play bridge with two of the more elderly bridge club members in one of the ‘rest homes’ in the village. To begin with, when we got there we were shown into a little lounge with a bridge table, two chairs, and two two-seater sofas. We managed to arrange those, but it wasn’t a good idea. I had one of the sofas and could barely see over the table. One of the OL [?=old ladies] had all my spare cushions under her, which gave her a commanding position, but a considerable instability. She was obviously going to slide at any moment to the floor. However there were two more chairs in the garden outside the window, and they were quite dry, so we solved that problem. That only left her habit of chattering the whole time. It didn’t seem to affect her play, which is very good, but it ruined my already feeble memory of what had been played. Add to that, that the other OL is well known as an awkward cuss, who can turn a remark into an insult as soon as look at it; eventually after about an hour’s play my partner said to her, ‘I wish you would stop accusing me of cheating!’ I don’t think she realised that that was what her conversation had been sounding like. I hope we shan’t be asked again – and on the whole it seems unlikely.
THank you for The birtHbay PreSEht. I got a gLibEr to Make, a FiLm for my view-MaSter and Mr. Snow: A book. THey Are ALL LoveLy.
Thank you for the nice Mr. Bouncy. I like Bouncing on Him. one of my top teeth Hasz come out. and I Have another woBly one. I wish you a happy Christmas. Love form …
Thank-you very much for the weights fishing scissors and strap for my goggles I went snorkeling at the sea today and had lots of fun the weights will be useful for fishing here because I will be doing quite alot of warf fishing and the weight will sink my hooks to the bottom and the scissors will be useful to cut my line instead of having to bit it of. I got lots of other lovely things for my birthday like a chain a bow and arrow two Peter Devlin books a revolving earoplane and lots lots more. [Does the revolving earoplane clean wax out?!]
I do greatly appreciate the weekly Guardian: I won’t say I read every word – for some reason the extracts from Le Monde attract me less than the rest – perhaps I have a deep prejudice against the rationality of the French or something. But the English and American bits contain so much good writing that it’s a joy apart from safeguarding us from insularity! Not to mention the crossword and the bridge articles which weekly confound us with the brilliance of other people’s memories and powers of deduction.
thank-you for the crystal garden it looks most interesting. Sorry I am writing so late but I had to go to camp. At camp Mr X our teaCher fell out of his canoe twice. I was able to do archery and canoeing. I got a lot of nice things for my birthday I got a army tank for my action man. Hope you are well.? Last night we got our new table with the money that Y left it is an oak table. I am in std four this year
Thun you for the whoonsy thinG and I will wear my jersey at school.
The magnifying glass and book ware interesting. I injoyde looking at it. and thank you vrey much. We are going to a ci5rcus in three weekes I am looking forwards to seeing the trapeze. christmas day was fun
Thank you very much for ‘Nobody Nowhere’ which sounds an interesting book to get stuck into, and for the nice photo and your card. … We have just had the morning post, which included a small square parcel for me, which proved to be a piece of Turkish Delight, rather squashed and not really my favourite thing anyway – sent me by X for my birthday. So that is another letter to write before lunch, besides the one I planned for Y.
Did I tell you X’s remark when Y went on looking for a good place to picnic for rather a long time? ‘This road is just like God, it goes on and on.’
We were challenged to croquet within half an hour of arrival on a very ‘sporting’ course. About my third turn I aimed at his ball, missed and went into the border. ‘You twit,’ said he in exactly the tone he would have used if addressing his brother. I said, ‘I question whether that is an appropriate way to address a great-uncle, even though I agree with your opinion.’ (You can talk to him like that if you want to; he has a remarkable vocabulary and turn of phrase for his age.) ‘Oh,’ said he, ‘I do apologise’ as it might be someone who has trodden on your toe in the underground by mistake.
I hope the kids don’t remember Christmas, by their comments! X at 8 p.m., ‘I hope I get more presents next year. A bike’s not much’, and Y on opening the wheels and axles I got him to make a go-cart,’ Thank you daddy, did you get these at the dump? Little buggers!
‘Mummy can I have some soil to make goblins for my dolls’ picnic. You know – like the ones daddy made?’ Shades of cannibalism? Not a bit … after much deciphering we worked out that the key words were foil and goblets.
Filed words 