May 14 1957

14th May. 1957.

Dearest Mummy,
Not yet 11 o’clock & all my washing on the line! I must admit that the beds aren’t made yet, but I have to go down to the P.O. when I go for Lindy so I thought I would write one of these to you & mail it. I wrote to Dottie & Nan last night & also my father. He now has the bright idea that I should come to England & bring Lindy to see him. What he thinks I would do with Cec & Charlie I don’t know. Then his next letter he suggests we all come back to England to live – they need scientists etc. & over here there may be another depression. So of course I have written squashing all these suggestions so he’ll probably get mad at me again.
Thank you so much for your last letter which came yesterday (written 5th) – mostly about babies, legitimate & otherwise! I see that your May Fair was all over & that you did very well. Perhaps you’re having a breathing space now like us! We are being quite quiet and unambitious now – Cec is going back to work again in the evening a bit & gardening a bit – he has got some tomato plants in down the hill & says if they don’t freeze we will have nice early tomatoes! The seeds in the basement are all sprouting nicely, but the lavendar hasn’t appeared yet – Mrs. Carleton says they have never been able to get the seeds to germinate so I wonder if we will.
I didn’t do much sewing last week but finished a little blue corduroy jacket for Lindy to match her skirt & made a blouse for me out of an old shirt of Cec’s! All Lindy’s last summer dresses have to be let down & Lu has passed me on a few of Leslie’s & they all have to be taken up! Groans! Next I am going to start my white & black dress & I have some black cotton with roses on to make me & Lindy skirts. The sofa cover by the way is made out of the material Dottie sent me from England for curtains in the old house. I got brown fluffy edging & it really does look nice.
I was glad to hear that your vitamins did you good. I go to see Dr. K. on Friday & we’ll see if he gives me any more iron – I feel quite perky now. My hand is fine & although there is a little lump still it doesn’t hurt or prick anymore & I think the lump will gradually go.
We didn’t do anything much last week except have a visiting Englishman, Dr Cruikshank, to dinner & on Sat. evening we went to Teddy & Fanni’s. They had about 14 people & we had a v. nice time.

Sunday was Mother’s Day & all last week Lindy was so excited about it & a secret she had! On Friday she came home with a little parcel & a big picture & ran to hide them in her room till Sunday, but after 1 hour she couldn’t bear it any longer & had to show me! She showed me her picture (of me!) & her gift – a sachet that she had made all herself! Then she said a verse & sang a song! We then hid everything away again till Sunday!! Poor Charlie was quite at sea – didn’t know what a gift (always “present”) or a sachet was!
Lots of love from us all,
Cyn.