Some of the pictures too big to go in the envelope.
Will send later.
Box 330, R.R.1
Ottawa Ont.
Aug.8th 1956.
Dearest Mummy,
Today is Dottie’s birthday so I guess I can do no better than to begin my letter with her address! Voila! Mrs. K. Wilyman. 67 Belwell Lane. Four Oaks. Sutton Coldfield. Warwickshire. I am sure that she will be delighted with the mats if you send them – they are so nice that I think they would grace the most imposing of houses, so you needn’t have qualms about Dottie’s large mansion! She will probably be just as glad as anyone not to have extra things to wash, and all my visitors rave about mine. I sent her one of those kitchen “spice containers”. It is a little wooden thing you hang on the wall with six little pottery drawers, as it were. Each has a little handle & the name “PAPRIKA” “CLOVES” etc. and the picture of a cock on- they are cream coloured & the cock brown, yellow & a little red etc. Actually each one is a shaker when you pull it out, & I thought they were rather cute – I hope she does!
At last we have real Ottawa summer weather – you know! It has been so cool this summer though that I feel I can’t complain too much & it really has been nothing like as humid as parts of last summer were.
I am enclosing some pictures – not too exciting! Some as you can see at Til & Lois’ – in fact all of them except the one of Gunborg. We have one or two others taken at the Sutherlands but they were very poorly printed so Cec has taken them back to the shop. All the pictures are taken on Til & Lois’ big porch & Linda is very busy threading beads!
I am also enclosing a drawing of Lindy’s which I know will amuse you! Linda calls it her “little boy” & is very proud of it & says I may send it for you to see but you must send it back – I don’t think that’s really necessary! It is getting very faint, but you will see that she has put teeth & fingers & toes on him – the first time she has gone into such detail. And not content with that she has also drawn his little penis, which she thinks is very funny! So do we!
I think I last wrote to you just before our Anniversary – well we had such a nice time. With getting the lamp & curtains etc. I hadn’t got Cec anything, but he got me a darling pair of baby doll pyjamas – blue – and they are very cool & comfy. I must say I look rather funny in them, but they also have a pair of ordinary pyjama trousers as well as the short ones so they will be very useful. In the evening we with Alec & Phyl went to the Klemans & had drinks & then went out to the Island & had a Chinese Dinner. It was very nice & as it was the first Chinese food Gudron & Ben had had it was quite an adventure for them & they liked it very much. When we finished it was about 10:30, so Alex suggested we go across to the Gatineau Club, one of the night clubs over in Quebec & see the 11 o’clock floor show, so off we set & got there to find it was a big night as they had a special star. This was a woman called Lillian Roth – maybe you haven’t heard of her, but apparently she was a big Broadway star in the early 30s [and film star] & then became an alcoholic & was finished. However she joined the Al. Anonymous & got put right again & began once more to try & get going on the stage but found it pretty tough going. In the meanwhile she wrote her life story “I’ll Cry Tomorrow” & it was made into a film & she made a big comeback on one of the TV shows
& is now doing all right. We were quite intrigued to see her & very pleasantly surprised really as she must be in her middle 40s, but is slim & cute & doesn’t look at all ravaged by her experiences! She has a face like Dottie with dimples & although her voice isn’t too good now she has lots of personality & was fun. We were home about 1 o’clock & all felt we’d been really dissipated!!
We had the Klemans over for the afternoon & dinner on Sat. – only 1 1/2 weeks till they go now & we will be so sorry. Phyl & I got Gudron to make a list of their furniture & price etc. & have passed it around to everyone we know & got most of the things sold. We have bought the older boy’s bed for Charlie – they brought it with them from Sweden & it is just a small blonde wood bed with mattress – & we are lending the crib to the Spanish couple for their older boy! We also bought a garden chair & a little bookcase & their radio – our old one is just about defunct! Gudron sent over a bag of toys for the children so they have been having fun!
Last weekend was a holiday weekend – first Mon. in August – & Merle & Dixon [Cec’s oldest sister & spouse] drove up from Toronto on their way home after their Summer School there. [They were doing Teacher Training- with their degrees they could teach during the school year if they did the teacher training courses in the summer.] They were to come on the Fri. & leave on Tues, spending 2 days with Lea [Cec’s other sister] & 2 with us. For some reason I thought they’d go to Carp first, & got the house all cleaned but was going to bake on the Sat. morning, so of course they arrived on Friday evening! However, it didn’t really matter & we had a very nice visit. They went to Carp on the Sunday afternoon & were driving home afterwards – the boys have been in Saskatoon. Cec’s Mom & Dad are coming to visit us all this fall – they are letting their house & going to Merle’s first then to us & Lea’s & to Toronto & Cec thinks they might even go out to P.E.I. where the old farm is just sitting, not being used or anything. Dad has been thinking of moving to somewhere with not quite such severe cold in the winter as he has trouble with his nose & sinuses, but none of us really knows what their plans are.
On the Monday after Merle & Dixon had left Ken called us to say we could come & pick a row of his raspberries so Cec & I went down with baskets & picked for an hour or so in the broiling sun, which as you can imagine was quite unusual exercise for us! The raspberries were just lovely & we ate & picked & picked & ate! In the afternoon I canned 8 pint jars and made just a little jam – 4 or 5 small jars – & we had big platefuls with cream for dinner – yummy! Wasn’t that lovely of Ken? He has been keeping us supplied with wax beans & young carrots & Jimmy’s Granny has been giving us the most delicious young new peas. Aren’t we lucky?
I began this on Wed. & it is now Sunday and we are having such a funny day. Lindy seems to have some tummy bug as her tummy feels funny she says & she doesn’t want to eat, but she is very sleepy & had a long sleep this morning & now is in bed again just lying playing & Charlie has gone to sleep! We planned to drive over to Boris & Joan’s this afternoon to see their new house (they’ve been in a month or so now) so Cec phoned Boris to say we couldn’t come because of Lindy, only to find that Boris took Joan to the Hospital about an hour ago & is now sitting waiting for news!
Talking of this tummy business though, there seems to be a lot about amongst the children & last Sat. night while Merle & Dixon were here Charlie was sick – but I was so happy I got him to the bathroom in time!! He was a bit peaky the next day but recovered very quickly, so I hope it’s the same with Lindy. By the way, your parcel to her arrived last week & we are saving it – it is so funny – Lindy is quite ready to save it for the day, but Charlie is busting to open it!
On Thursday evening it was very hot, so I suggested to see is that we might all go to the Drive-In Movie Theatre! There was a film showing called “The Far Country” with James Stewart & of course we thought of Nevil Shute’s book & thought it might be it so off we went! The children were so thrilled but of course it would so happen that the cartoon was the silliest thing going & the movie turned out to be a shooting cowboy thing about the Klondike! Linda hates guns & bangs etc. so she didn’t much care for it & it really was very stupid, but anyway we went!
Cec is out trying to think up some way of killing ground hogs [large cat size, but solid rodent] – do you know we have 3 or 4 down the hill now & not only do they eat all our flowers but they are eating all the green tomatoes too! We are at war with them!
Cec has tried to smoke them out of their holes, gas them, tried to get poison for them & so far no success. We also have skunks & our dear little chippies [chipmunks] of course. Charlie is very fond of the groundhogs too – when Cec chases them away Charlie will go & call down the hill “It’s all right, you can come out now – Daddy’s gone “!!
Must go now & do something about a chicken for dinner. Thank you so much for your nice long letter about your visit to Jean’s & your dashing around with A. Trix (by the way – when is she going?!! I wonder how your finances are holding out with all the coming & going etc.) I was so pleased to hear about Sylvia expecting – hope everything will be O.K.
Must stop – the children send hugs & kisses & lots of love from us all –
Cyn.
A Family History in Letters 