January 27 1957

P.S. Charlie’s latest “Mummy – I am in haste”!
Linda’s “Daddy don’t say that – you’re getting me so confused!”

Box 330
R.R.1 Ottawa

27th Jan.

Dearest Mummy,
The last letter I wrote was quite depressing I’m sure, with us all having colds & the weather so cold etc. etc. but by now we are all back to normal. The weather is just the usual Canadian snow & ice – the children got over their colds & are no more snuffly than they usually are & we are back in the routine! Charlie took his medicine very well & looks well & cheery now & is eating well again. Linda continued to be deaf for a few days after her shot, & then one morning when she came into the sitting room she said “My goodness, you have got the radio on loud this morning” & went & turned it down & everything was fine. She was at school all last week, much to her joy, & this morning both she & Charlie came to Sunday School – the first time since Christmas. As Charlie is now 4, he has been promoted into Linda’s class (4 & 5 yr. olds) which Pat Tomlinson takes & he is so proud of himself! He demanded that Linda should sit on one side of him & Joanne on the other & told everyone afterwards that it was much nicer than my class – the games were nicer & the stories better & everything was lovely!! I am very pleased as it was really no good my being his teacher – he just stuck to me & didn’t mix with the other children. By promoting 4 yr-olds I have gotten my class down a bit – under 20 anyway – Pat’s is now up of course!

I had promised Charlie, as he had measles on his birthday, that when he was all well again we would have his party, so the great day is tomorrow. I have lost enthusiasm for the idea by now of course, but we are not being too ambitious but having Joanne & Jimmy & Janek & Phyl Douglas is bringing Andy, so there will just be 6 altogether. We got a book with little invitations to cut out & place cards to make with tiny candy baskets to match & even games to play, so he and Linda have had quite a good time cutting all these things out.

I have drawn a very funny fat donkey & the book provides lots of tails & also gold paper money to hide for a treasure hunt, so I don’t have too much thinking to do! We made the birthday cake yesterday – a marble cake with choc. icing & a blue sea on top as he has 4 birthday candles in the shape of boats. Lila was to come to dinner today, but had flu & couldn’t come so Cec was in the Lab. & found Santiago alone so brought him home & we sampled the cake! But I will cut it into slices & disguise the gap tomorrow!
Thank you so much for both your long letter of 14th & your A.M. & A. Moo’s which came this week. I hope by now the batteries have reached you & that you didn’t run short. You were asking about the colour of my twin set – it is a pretty soft turquoise blue & goes nicely with both brown or black. Last week I made up the brown wool material I got at the Mill in the fall into a skirt – it was quite a squeeze as it was 1 yard of 58” material & I made a plain skirt but with a slight flare

– supposed to be in 4 pieces but I had to make 5 and split one panel, so made the back so:-

it fits very nicely though & I only have shreds left – even the inside of the waistband is pieced out of about 6 bits! Thank you so much for the offer of a skirt for my birthday, but I don’t think I will take you up on it. I think I will get something here as I don’t really think it is worth getting things that must fit from England & the choice of material & colour is so difficult. I am particularly disgusted with mail–shopping at the moment as I got a bill from Harrod’s yesterday for over £4 for 2 shirts I ordered in 1954! I wouldn’t care but I returned one as it was the wrong size & told them at the time I had no bill! Pah!
Actually I hate to tell you but what I really need for my birthday is hankies! Isn’t it awful? I couldn’t possibly buy myself any, so there is a suggestion – nice plain white cotton ones! Actually I also thought that I would love some W.I. delicacies – any chance of burney sugar cake or stewed guavas or cashew nuts? I would just love some & those with the hankies would be what I really really would like! What a lovely idea sending A.G.L. some gorgeous fresh grapefruit – I do hope that you can do it as I should imagine it would please her enormously as well as being a real treat.
Since the very cold spell we have had all sorts of odd things – a few very mild days of pouring rain & then back to subzero again & now just normal snow & cold. All the rain ran down at the back & made a pond & froze so there is a lovely sheet of ice & the children have been having a wonderful time on it – sliding, pulling their sleds – coasting on their bottoms!
By the way it was very sweet of the Miss Finley’s to give you the salt cellar & spoon for me – I could use it as I really have no decent ones except your little silver ones. Should I write & thank them now or wait till you send them? Poor old ladies – I’m glad they are settling down in the Home & will be well taken care of. Talking about ladies, Mrs. Ward went to Montreal to stay with her great-granddaughter for the winter & I was very pleased as the poor old thing – moving from one place to another every week was a miserable life for her & Myrtle always seemed to take no pains to hide the fact that she found her a nuisance. The g-g-daughter has children around L & C’s age & Mrs. Ward is very fond of them so I think she will be happy to be there.
We have done nothing since I last wrote except one night I went to the Scientist Wives with Joan Stoicheff to a lecture on “Art & Creative Imagination”! It was much more interesting than I thought it would be! Do you remember the Swiss bride, Susi Dressler? We met her there and she is very preggy- due in April.
I have been having fun ordering things from the Sales! The children were badly in need of bed linen & I needed towels so I had quite a spree – I ordered yellow & pale blue flannelette- yellow & pale blue sheeting – pillowcases with little flowers on – face towels with blue stripes, yellow stripes & pink stripes, striped bath towels & last but not least 2 red nylon & rayon blankets for the children’s bed! I will make them flannelette sheets & cotton sheets & pillowcases as their beds are smaller than an ordinary size & the idea is that Lindy has yellow things & Charlie blue so they will always know their own. The pink striped towels are for me! The 2 red blankets are very gay & are a special size for what they call “youth beds “so fit nicely & I felt they needed something extra these cold nights & they tuck in well. The pillowcases don’t follow the yellow & blue motif unfortunately as they were out of those colours, so to add to the gay colour scheme Linda will have turquoise flowers on hers & Charlie mauve!!
I must stop as it is midnight & the end of 8 pages. I have a seamail letter to go too so will get them all on their way. Lots of love from us all – hugs from the children. Hope you keep well too – Lots of love Cyn.