Box 330
Ottawa R.R.1
Mon. 12th July
Dearest Mummy,
How awful to be burgled! Like Auntie Moo, I am so glad that it was no worse, and that your valuables weren’t touched, but it is a very scary thought that strange people were prowling around while you were asleep. I am glad to that the police (though silly!) got some results, as you would have felt even more uneasy I should think, if the men hadn’t been caught. Poor Doris would be very upset at losing her materials and other things – it is really pathetic that people should go to such risks for such small rewards, but to them they mean a lot I suppose. Over here, robbing banks for thousands of dollars seems to be the fashion – a larger award for their labours!
Talking of Doris’ losing materials makes me think that in the Eaton’s catalogue there is always a thing which fascinates me- a bundle of cotton material remnants– it tells you that none are smaller than 1 yd. I think & some more of course, & as I see there is one in the new sale catalogue. I think I will get it & send it to you. Some of the patterns etc. may be hideous, but some should be O.K. & you could maybe make some thing for bazaars or give them to deserving people, as well as using some for yourself & your grandchildren, I hope! That sounds as if I expected to get a lot for my money, doesn’t it?!! But anyway it should be fun to see what comes! This seems to be reminding me & reminding me, but bazaars make me think of your asking about little toys from W’worths, which I have been meaning to mention. I am sure I could get some for you very cheaply – do you remember the tiny plastic cars you took to Bill & Janie’s David? They have bags of those & all sorts of wee dolls feeding bottles & rubber pants, shoes, coat hangers etc. When I go downtown I usually bring some small thing back & one day I brought for Lindy a pr. of blue panties for her doll Susie. Afterwards Linda said sadly to her Daddy “Cigarettes for Daddy, a car for Charlie, panties for Susie, but nothing for Linda!”
Although commenting on your burglary, I didn’t say thanks for my letter – both Cec & I read it with great interest – Cec always enjoys your letters unless they tell about a lot of people & then he gets lost! He is back at work tonight – a horrid rainy night – I am sick of the weather – 2 fine days & then rain for a week is what it seems to do – so maddening. I was going to answer your letter sooner, but Cec seemed to have 24 hr. tummy flu over the weekend. He came home on Friday feeling lousy & spent the evening going to the bathroom & finally was sick as well. He had a restless night & felt low all Sat., but a bit better Sun. & today seems to be O.K. again. While he wasn’t feeling well he told Linda he wouldn’t kiss her as he had germs, but would hug her instead, so last night about 1 a.m. Lindy woke crying with a dream I think & I went in to her & settled her again then went back to bed. In about 5 mins. I heard her again & went & said “what’s the matter honey?” “Sob! Sob!” said Lindy “I have a little germ!”
With Cec not feeling well the weekend just seemed to go, but one thing we did yesterday I know you will be interested in- we drove over to see Wendell & his parents! Yes, he is back from Italy- 2 wks. ago & such a muddle the whole thing is- his parents are both old – Mr. Atchison has had one stroke & Mrs. A. has a bad heart & was in hospital 2 mths. with it last winter. Lea had a job as a matron of a hospital in Rosthorn- a small town outside Sask. where is Cec’s brother Russell & his wife live, while Mrs. Costain looked after Darryl. She (Lea) liked it very much, but had to have her appendix out & must have got run down & anyway lost her job; got her migraine headaches again & she just about had a nervous break down. Poor Mrs. Costain had flu, Darryl had bronchitis & what with one thing & or another, I don’t think anyone knows what’s going on. Mrs. Costain was coming a trip this Fall to Merle & family in Port Arthur, then the Aunt and Uncle in Toronto & then to us, but now she has put it forward so that she can travel with Lea & help her. Wendell tells us that they are on their way now – spent this past weekend with Merle & that Mrs. C. will stay in Toronto while Lea & Darryl come here to the Atchisons and Mrs. C. come to us presumably at the end of the week although we’ve heard nothing! Cec says he hopes we can keep it out of the Atchison’s difficulties, but Lea, poor girl, what a situation! & the Atchison household will be most depressing I think – both the old people seem to talk & think of nothing but their illness & weakness etc. & I don’t know how Darryl will manage. Cec asked Wendell what his plans were but he just said he didn’t know what he was going to do! We only stayed about 3/4 of an hour- the big hit with Linda was the piano! She saw one for the 1st time at the Ramsay’s when we were there & Don played a little for her so when she saw this one she wanted to “make music”! She & Charlie sat up on the piano bench & plonked & she loved it! Afterwards she said to me “Why didn’t I play “The Drunken Sailor”?”!! which was one of the songs Don had regaled us with.
The only other thing we did last week was to have Joyce & Les Haywood here on Thurs. evening – they were due to come at 9 & didn’t arrive till 10, so you can imagine how bright we were all feeling by then! They are leaving– next week to be exact – to go to Vancouver. Apparently ever since they came here Joyce has been very unhappy & discontented – I knew that they didn’t seem to be settling very quickly, but Margie says Joyce has been miserable- nothing good in Ottawa etc. until she & Cy were fed up with it – the whole thing being, we think, that in Chalk River, a little place, she was a somebody, & here no one takes any notice! Anyway her people & Les’ are in Vancouver & Les got an offer of a job there (less salary) but they finally decided to go. We have seen very little of them – the once they invited us I was still ill & then we dropped in one night and had a cup of tea, but that was all the visiting we did. The week after Cec came home from Columbus Margie & Lu & I & Joyce & Willa Woods met & had an evening out it – I think I forgot to tell you about it. Lu & I had been talking of this since Easter & we finally organized it & had a good time. We went to dinner at a place called the Green Valley just out of Ottawa (where Joan & Boris had their reception) & just ate & talked. Then a week ago Friday Cy & Margie had Les & Joyce, Lu & Pete & us over for the evening, so that is about the sum total of our meetings with Haywoods. Les I like- he is quiet, but humorous, but Joyce, though nice is very nervy & shrill & highstrung & not nearly as nice as Margie & Lu, so I don’t really mind one way or another about their leaving.
Cec was busy all last week on our back “terrace”, & it really is going to look nice I think. I told you he made the children a lovely big sandbox – the sides are nice smooth round pit props which are lovely for the children to sit on & it is big enough for about 6 children. Then he made & put up a swing for them – it is suspended from the little back porch outside our kitchen door & they just love it! The first few days the screams to get them to give each other turns or come in for meals! There was crazy paving all on the ground there, so Cec took it all up & made a path along the edge of the flower garden & put sand under the swing – most of the terrace part is crushed stone, so the path looks very nice. We have masses of wild red puppies growing all amongst the stones & everywhere – they look so pretty.
xxxxxx from Linda & Charlie. Lots & lots of love from us all.
Cyn.
A Family History in Letters 