May 17 1956

Cyn keeps mentioning the Hazell relatives- so a brief review. Carol (Dearest Mummy) was the youngest of 12 Hazell children in St. Vincent, and at this point she is 62, so her surviving siblings are getting older and some are not in good health. Fred, who lives in St.Vincent, seems to be in hospital. Muriel (Auntie Moo) who is 10 years older than Carol and shares the house with her in St. Vincent, is visiting their sister Ettie in New York. Auntie Trix, who lives in Trinidad, is visiting Carol in St. Vincent as this letter was written, and they are preparing to take a vacation locally. One of Cyn’s stories about her mother’s childhood, with which I started this blog, described how the Hazell family took a holiday and went out to Villa for a picnic- Carol and the younger children sent early in a wagon, the ladies following in a carriage, and the men riding- and prevailed upon the local fishermen to take them over to the fort, and the little boys to climb up and get them coconuts. They bathed, ate their lunch, and returned home tired but happy. [After the Hurricane 1898]
Sixty years later, the journey of five miles does not take as long, and cottages have been built along the water facing Young Island. A Mrs. Edmunds seems to have loaned her cottage to Carol and Trix so they can swim and relax and remember old times, while she accompanies her husband (?) for medical treatment in Canada. [Cyn referred to this plan in her April 20th letter.] There are three letters from her which Carol kept and I will post them next, as an example of the vast web of friendships and letter writing that was so much a part of her life!

17th May 1956.

Dearest Mummy,
Thank you so much for your letters. I got an Air Letter Form & an A.M. letter at the same time just after my last letter & then a very quick letter mailed a week ago & got here Monday. I was most interested to hear all about your M.F. Dinner [May Fair Dinner, probably another Church fundraiser that Carol had told Cyn about earlier, because Cyn mentioned it April 20th] and was glad to hear what a success it was, but you really sounded tired out & it is a good thing it is all over. Cec & I were tickled at your scotch & soda but you certainly deserved it & I’m glad it pepped you up. The whole thing was a big undertaking without much help – you must now sit back on your laurels & have a rest – if A. Trix will let you!
I’m glad that Uncle Fred is improving & hope that he will soon be quite well again. He has had a bad time lately & I hope he’ll take a good rest & get quite better before he begins work again. Poor A. Moo getting a chill as soon as she arrived in N.Y. I will write to her tomorrow. I don’t wonder that she got it though – we are having the most disgusting spring possible. Do you know, there are no leaves on the trees yet. We at long last have some daffodils, but yesterday we had snow & the temp. went down to 26° last night. Isn’t it horrid? I have had a cotton dress on once & just can’t get our winter things put away. I can’t plan what we will take on our trip as I have been making the children shorts & thinking in terms of cool clothes, but if this goes on we will have to take winter woolies. The children’s colds are better although Charlie’s nose still runs, but poor Cec has had a dose this week & every person you meet is the same.

We haven’t done much lately but last week Cec & I went to one evening to see “Richard III” with Lawrence Olivier you know. It was very good as all of his productions are, but Cec & I both agreed that it was spoiled for us, because not long ago we read a book which proved that Richard really was not a villain at all, but a good honest man who didn’t do any of the awful things attributed to him, so of course when L.O. & Shakespeare made him as bad as could be we couldn’t believe it!

On Sat. we drove over to see Lee & Jim in their new house. It is very nice & we liked it very much & they seem happy & comfortable. I’ll tell you more about it in another letter.
On Sunday we went to S. School as usual & in the afternoon we had a Danish Prof. who is at the Council for a few months to dinner. He is at the Univ. of Copenhagen like Chris Möller & Dr. and Mrs. Langsett who were here a while ago & is v. nice. He has 4 children, 2 about L’s & C’s age, & as he is here alone he enjoyed being with children again.
Must stop, but will write a longer letter next week. Lindy & Charlie send hugs & kisses – I cut & washed Lindy’s hair today & she looks cute! Lots of love from us all – Cyn.