April 7 1954

7th April. 1954

Box 330
Ottawa R.R.1
Ontario.

Dearest Mummy,
See!! How did you know that we would get a house all of a sudden like! But this time we really surpassed ourselves – saw it Wednesday night at 9 p.m. & moved in on Friday!! So as you see the whole thing happened less than a week ago & already we are settled in & feel as if we’d been here for ages! In my last letter I told you that we were putting an ad. in the paper for a house – very alluring we thought “N.R.C. professional wishes to rent unfurnished 2 or 3 bedroom house or bungalow with garden before June 1. East side within 15 miles of Château.” We were most intrigued to see if we got any answers at all & in the end we got four- one at $125 a month; one at 135 a month; this one we took & one more after we taken it so I got no particulars, so we felt we got our money’s worth very satisfactorily! We got the phone call about this one on the Wed. evening as I told you & it sounded so good that we got a sitter & went to see it at once & then took it on sight! It is on the Montreal Road, but right out past Eastview & then past the city of Ottawa limits. I have a vague idea that you & Cec came a drive along here once & if you remember there is a great big N.R.C. building – very modern – & we are about a 1/2 mile further on. The house is about 2 yrs. old & is right on top of a hill (the highest point in the county) & has a wonderful view- it has a lawn & flower beds & lilac bushes in the front & at the back a kind of stone terrace & then quite a steep hillside down to some meadows (all snow, ice & water at the moment!)- an acre of land altogether. The house is white stucco with black trim & is very modern looking – it is actually semi-detached but the other half is twice as tall, so the whole thing looks a little odd!!

I have drawn you a plan so you can see how it is inside- the living quarters are all upstairs as it were & in the basement is a huge garage – washroom – shower room & toilet- cold storage room & big room that the owner used as a work room as well as a furnace room – & all beautifully clean as it is an oil furnace thank goodness. There is a water softener as it is a hard water area, & everything is as convenient as can be. The owner, Mr. Scott, is a very nice man – he has built another bigger house within sight of this one & he & his wife seem such a nice friendly couple & ready to be so helpful. This is a “restricted” building area (all houses must cost more than a certain amount) & there are all sorts of wildly modern looking efforts within sight- one with all glass on one side- one long & low- one built in a kind of deck out one side with no supports underneath – all very odd & interesting! Just about opposite us is a queer angular wood & glass house & one of Mrs. Hughes’ daughters lives there – I haven’t met her, but Mrs. H. is coming to introduce us one day, so I shouldn’t be lonely!
Inside the house is very nice – the kitchen is a dream – so many lovely cupboards & a beautiful modern stainless steel sink! The floors are all inlaid linoleum tile, which is nice & easy to keep clean & it is wonderful not to have to rush madly up & downstairs for bathrooms etc. I say bathrooms, but as you’ll see we have no bath- just a shower downstairs. Cec & I love it of course, but we are going to get a little bath for the children till they get used to it – in the plan something has gone wrong with my proportions as it (the bathroom) isn’t really nearly as big as I’ve made it look! The decoration is all nice & new- some of the colour is funny though! The sitting room walls are a very pale grey–blue with a peach ceiling & one yellow wall! The children’s room has one raspberry pink wall, 2 cream walls & one pale blue, while the spare room has a dark blue ceiling, one orange wall & 3 cream with a blue & orange floor!!! We are paying $100 a month which we don’t mind as we feel it is just what we want & we are getting our money’s worth.
As you can imagine, we had a hectic time moving at such short notice. Mr. Labelle had made an agreement with us only the week before that we could leave at a moment’s notice if we allowed him to change the house. The only way he could get us out was to have his parents come in at & he’s not supposed to change it or re-let or anything within a year, but he said he thought he might make it into 2 apts. as it was too big for his parents & we didn’t care! Now he says he is going to have his parents in the sitting room; someone else in the kitchen & dining room; someone else in the 2 front upstairs rooms; & someone else in the 2 back!! Can’t you imagine the slum it will be in a short while!
Cec took Thurs. & Fri. off & as Claire came on Thurs. we packed etc. & then on Fri. the movers came at 2:30 & we were all here at 6.0. Linda & Charlie went down to Phyl Douglases’ for the actual furniture moving but actually thought it was all very exciting & fun! On the Sat. Claire went & cleaned up the old house & Cec went & helped & I sorted out here, so really it was a funny birthday – I bet you didn’t in your wildest dreams imagine that!

We agreed to pretend Sunday was the day, so on Sunday I got my breakfast in bed & cards from my family & a big bouquet of tulips! My present is to be a new dress & hat which I shall choose later when there is more time! Thank you so much for my lovely dress from you Mummy – I really do like it very much & so does Cec. The material isn’t my usual type, but it is pretty, I think, & in the summer green & white always look nice & cool. It is a bit big I am afraid, but I think I can fix it without too much trouble. It needs about 1-1 1/2” taken in under each arm & the little jacket is very loose – you must be deluded about my boost thinking of me as a nursing mama or pregnant as it’s no outside in grapefruits now! I think I will take in the jacket down the front where the buttons & b’holes are as the neck is too big altogether, but then I think it will look lovely & I am longing for nice weather to wear it. I think the jacket in white was such a good idea & will look very nice – the covered buttons are natty too. Thank you very very much, Mummy. Thank you also for all your nice birthday letters – I won’t answer them at the moment as I am quite disorganized as to where everything is & also it is getting near bedtime & I am yawning my head off. For my birthday on Sunday, I made a cake & we had roast chicken for dinner so it was quite a celebration & I think we all had a lovely day.

You would laugh at your little grandson if you could see him tucking into his meals! He loves to eat (not greedy though!) but will eat anything we have & is much more adaptable than Linda. Yesterday we had Spanish rice for dinner & then pineapple pie & he loved them both whereas Linda toyed with mashed potatoes & a piece of meat & had banana for dessert. They both went for the birthday cake in a big way – Charlie saying “Mo’- mo’ ” every time he finished a little bit! He says “Oh dea’!” now & is actually walking around in a very careful slightly crablike fashion!!
Since we moved we have had every kind of weather! Snow & mud as we moved- icy cold over the weekend- 2 mild days & a mad thaw & floods of rain & cold again tomorrow! However when spring comes it should be lovely & already the children like to go outside – there is a little girl of 4, Pauline, next door & she is very eager to be friendly with Linda.
I must stop now & go to bed. This letter is all house & I’ll try to write of something else next time! Lots & lots of love from us all – Cyn.