This letter was actually written in the middle of the previous one, but by a totally different person!
Sunday.
Dear Grannie, I was sick on Friday night but I got better and this morning for breakfast I had toast, tea, egg, milk, honey and juice afterwards. Lindy and Mummy went to Sunday School but I stayed at home with Daddy and played with Niki. Niki was sleeping on Lindy’s bed and sometimes she likes to get into one of our drawers & go to sleep there. Yesterday when I was sick I had my dressing gown on all day but today I put my clothes on. I can put on all my clothes by myself & when we go out I put on my snowsuit & boots & hat & scarf & mittens as quick as a wink and give Mummy a big surprise.
This evening we are going out to have dinner in a restaurant. I love going to restaurants. When Mummy went to the doctor Lindy & I went & stayed with Daddy at the Lab. We saw Lila & Boris & Shirley & Wendy’s Daddy & Santiago & had a lovely time. With lots of love XXX CHARLIE
Charlie was quite disgusted at Linda getting a letter from you & not him (!) so he had to settle down & write a letter too! He told me what to write & drew the enclosed picture – all kisses you see!! I am in the middle of a letter to you & will mail it tomorrow. Love Cyn.
This is the dress she talks about finishing in her letter- cut out from the pattern with a swatch of the material pinned on.
Cyn’s letter opens with her guilty confession that she has anticipated her April birthday and opened the small parcel her mother sent with the West Indian delicacies she’d asked for! The Burney Sugar Cake she refers to (may have just been the family name for it) is a street sweet, ginger (hence ‘burney’) in crystalized sugar, which I love too, but I think her eating it on arrival was a wise move on Cyn’s part, since the last time I brought some back from a St.Vincent visit, the ginger shreds got mouldy before I could finish it! Cyn is obviously still recovering from her miscarriage, tired and resting when she can, and the explanations about the cost of the blood transfusions are a reminder that Canada did not have a medicare system at this point although the federal government passed a bill that year that started the discussion with the provincial governments. It would be another decade before that was settled. A reminder about Cyn’s Father, Dr. Ewing: He, a Protestant from Northern Ireland, had been institutionalized before Cyn had married and she & Cec and Carol had left England, and had since converted to Catholicism. He had been considering being buried back in Ireland, which would have been a problem since his immediate family lived overseas, so hearing that he had changed his mind would have been a relief, and the Newcastle cemetery where his neighbour Mr. Sheedy lay more familiar to them.
Box 330 R.R.1 Ottawa 16th March 1957
Dearest Mummy, What do you think I am doing? Lying in bed eating Burney Sugar Cake & making a PIG of myself! I know I should have kept it for more than 2 weeks yet, but when it arrived yesterday I put it away & then today I took it out again & opened it! Actually I didn’t think you would scold me for opening this one as the other has also arrived, but the mailman put a card in our box to say it was too big to go in & I must collect it from the P.O. I will really keep the next for my birthday – I don’t think Linda would let me open it – she was quite worried about my opening this one, but was resigned when I told her you sent another – she said “My, what a kind Mummy you have!” Haven’t I, though?!! Cec & I had some stewed guavas for dessert tonight & oh – they were yummy! I don’t mind them being stiff or anything – I just love them anyway & I did enjoy them so much. Please tell Doris & her sister (wasn’t it her sister who sent you the guavas?) that they were the nicest thing I’d tasted for a long time – most delicious & delectable! As for the B. S. Cake I can see I’m going to put on pounds – I just can’t resist it & am nibbling away all the time! Thank you very much Mummy for two of my Favourite Foods – I can’t tell you how much I am appreciating them. I am looking forward to my other parcel, but in the meanwhile this is lovely! It’s funny, when I wrote and asked you for the things to eat I thought that the cashew nuts would be the easiest to get & maybe you wouldn’t be able to manage the other 2 & here it was the other way around! I also have to thank you for your nice letter written just last Sunday which arrived this evening. Cec got it from the mail box after Lindy was in bed so I will give her your letter in the morning & she will be thrilled! She has been asking me ever since she wrote if you will have got her letter yet & she will be so pleased to have a reply. Her tooth is still wobbling away! She has had 2 weeks at school without being absent so things are looking up, but don’t imagine for a minute that we’ve all been well for 2 weeks – oh no! Ha! Ha! Cec has had another cold & last weekend he was feeling better so we planned to all go out on the Sunday & have dinner in a restaurant. On the Sat. evening Cec made a pan of popcorn as a treat & Jimmy came in for it & Cec shared it with them so none of them had very much (the children love it now). Then at about 1 a.m. Linda felt sick & from then until about 4 a.m. we were busy! She sicked up a bit & retched etc. but I thought it was just too much popcorn. Sunday she was better, but wan & not eating, so it was just pointless going out to eat & we just stayed at home. However on Thurs. I suddenly got the trots very badly but it only lasted the day & then I heard from Phyl that she had Andy & then Nancy with the same type of thing – just lasting about a day – then Margie had Danny with the same – then last night Charlie got it! He sicked up & had quite a few spells from about 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. & today has slept mostly but been drinking juice & ate a little supper & is all right now I think. Of course, we’d again planned to go out for dinner tomorrow so whether we’ll get or not I don’t know!!
Monday. Well, we did go out for dinner & although Charlie still looked a bit peaky he was full of enthusiasm and had turkey for dinner! He & Lindy had a lovely time – so do I! – and Lindy was most intrigued because it was St. Patrick’s Day & all the restaurant was decorated in green & the waitresses had green hats on – the hostess even had green fingernails! Unfortunately poor Cec has the bug today & is feeling quite miserable this evening, but one good thing is that it doesn’t seem to last long so I hope he will feel better in the morning. I went to S. School yesterday morning for the first time & the poor lady, Mrs. Kuhn, who took my place must have been more than delighted to see me. She has had such a time as not only have I been absent, but Pat Tomlinson also & even Mrs. Dunn who helps Pat, so poor Mrs. Kuhn for 2 Sundays had both classes to cope with! Pat is resigning as she is finding it too hard with trying to cope at home as well as go out to work & the children haven’t been well & she has been quite worn out. I am sorry as she is such a nice girl & I shall miss seeing her, but I certainly think she has been trying to do too much. Yesterday we had 5 teachers there, just for a change, & of course not many of the children showed up! You were asking about Mrs. Martin, my babysitter – yes, I still have her & find her just as good & dependable as ever. She is a staunch Anglican & also teaches at our Sunday school but has the 8 & 9 yr. olds I think. At the moment she is having a worrying time as her husband is in the hospital for a strangulated hernia operation & they also took out his appendix, & she is kept quite tied with her old mother-in-law, so she can’t get out till her husband is home again. He was getting on well though the last I heard. The Dutch woman, Ann, whom I used to have, is also sitting again & was here on Friday evening when Charlie was sick. The children are so different now about sitters- they like to see them & say hello & even had a strange babysitter, a teenager, a week or so ago & never minded. Charlie didn’t make a bit of fuss about Ann staying even when he was sick & as Ann has a little girl, Deenie, in Linda’s class at school (in the afternoon though) she & Lindy had quite a chat. We were out on Friday to have a buffet supper at Willa & Stewart Woods’. They had invited Lu & Pete & Margie & Cy & ourselves, but when we got there we found the Garrets hadn’t come as Margie had this bug too & the 2 little children had had croup & she was pretty worn out. We had a nice evening with a very enjoyable supper & wine, but before the end of the evening what with being tired & the wine I was yawning away! I’d had a busy day as I’d been to Dr Kastner in the afternoon & I’d been finishing a dress to wear & then Charlie throwing up his supper! After we left he sicked up again & then when we were home a few more times. Dr. K. examined me & says I’m to go on with the iron & to come back in 2 months. Apparently he may then have to cauterize me which sounds horrid, but Lu assures me it’s just a little “zing”!! The dress I made I am very pleased with – I like it better than anything I’ve made for myself. It is made of the jersey I bought at the Mill last Fall & I worked hard at it all last week to get it done for Friday evening – & just managed it! I covered buttons & belt buckle & even made bound buttonholes, so I am improving & I was pleased with the fit. Lu was very complimentary & said it looked most professional which pleased me as that is what I always think about her things. Re. the doctor, I told Cec that you thought he should have a check up to & he agreed but said his blood was O.K. anyway as he went to the Hospital a couple of weeks ago & gave a pint of blood to replace one of those I had & of course they tested him then. He will give another later on – Cy offered to, as he is a regular donor, but Cec thought that as it was just 2 he could return them himself. It was $60.00 for blood, but when the blood is returned you only pay for the use of the service etc. about $10 or so. Imagine – no one who has had jaundice can be used as a donor, so I would never be any good! Apparently the bugs still float around in the blood. Cec & I have been giggling over you & the modern artists! I am quite sure we would both agree with your comments. Lindy, by the way, was delighted with her letter, but amused that you thought it was a duck on the pond – she says it’s a fish! Despite your compliments about her picture, she is no artist – she is like her Mama & sticks firmly to houses & trees & nice simple objects! Charlie even more so – he doesn’t try to colour much & isn’t nearly so interested in crayons & cutting & doing things like that as Lindy was. He has enjoyed the cut-out-&-stick books you sent him, but he wants me to help when he does it although he is getting a bit better at it now. You were asking about our dinner at Dr. and Mrs. Narasimham’s – well, it was very nice & not nearly as highly spiced & seasoned as I feared! (The pork chops were were for our lunch by the way)! We began with glasses of juice, then for dinner (buffet style) there was rice (cooked with bay leaves & cloves) a curry of vegetables (potato, cauliflower etc. but not too hot), eggplant fried in batter & another dish I’ve forgotten – also a salad. Afterwards, there was a most interesting dessert – it looked like nice white snow balls floating in syrup! The snowballs were made of the white part of junket sort of, sieved & formed into balls around lumps of sugar, then simmered in a sugar syrup, & then the sugar lumps melt & the balls are hollow. They were very sweet but nice. Phil & Alex’s party some weeks ago was great fun & I enjoyed it. I had a nice sleep in the afternoon & went to it feeling quite rested – most unusual for a Mama! We played one or two games & had a good supper – it was a potluck did I tell you? Everyone took something & I took boned stuffed chickens – 2 small ones – & they were much enjoyed. In talking about the Christmas present list you asked about my Father & I have been meaning to tell you I had a letter thanking me for the children’s photo. I sent him the laughing one & I was so surprised because he really seemed proud of it & taken with them & before he’d shown no interest at all. I shall send you the letter to see what he says, & then last week I got another letter – not so clear as the first, but still talking about the children’s picture. In it he says he has decided not to be buried in Ireland but in the cemetery where Martin Sheedy is as it would cost so much etc. & talking about the children says something about “they could use the money in 20 years time” so I don’t know what he means, but I knew you’d be glad to hear the end of the Irish idea. I will send both letters when I answer them. I also had a short letter from Mrs. Scott thanking for Stephen’s present – they are still in Killingworth & Mrs. S. seems to be getting on all right. I send him something at Christmas as I feel I would certainly do it if Irene were there & now she and Bill are not the poor little fellow needs remembering even more. [Mrs. Scott is Stephen’s grandmother, both his parents having died before he was 3 (he’s 5 at this point).] Lindy’s dress from England was the pink & blue checked smocked one I got Nan to send when she got your jerseys – I think I must’ve told you about it – anyway I saved it for Christmas. Cec smokes a pipe a bit now, but still cigarettes too most of the time. Charlie’s razor isn’t really electric you know! It is just a little plastic thing that goes b-r-r-r as you press it on you & it cost about 35¢! He loves it & always shaves when Daddy does! My pale blue dressing gown was a big surprise – at least I’d asked for a dressing gown, but Cec chose it. I took it to Hospital in a case with me & then they sent the case home with Cec the next day, so on the last day when I was tripping around for routine x-rays etc. (everyone is done) here I was in a little Hospital shift! I was in the Civic [Hospital] by the way – Cec asked Dr. K. about the St. Louis de Montfort & he said “My God no – they’d just let her bleed to death there!”! It seemed very nice to me & people who have been in seem to like it, but they are apparently short of nurses & the doctors all seem to be a bit wary – also it is very French of course. We still hear from Gunborg & Gordon – she wrote me a very sweet letter about the mis. – & they really seem to love being in England again. Their house sounds most palatial & upper crust! I will be very pleased to send you the Memo slate things & the Pancake in your B’thday parcel & also the Scotch tape – I’m glad you told me & don’t forget if there’s anything else just say the word. I must stop now as it’s late & poor Cec has gone to bed – hope his tummy is better in the morning. Forgot to tell you Claire is coming every other Wed. again & I do enjoy having my floors done for me! Cec says I should keep her & I will for a while anyway. Must away – love to Auntie Muriel – hugs from the children & lots of love from us all – Cyn.
Dearest Mummy, As you know, I have been saving all this junk for months to send you, & at last I got it all finished & thought I had better send it A.M. if you were to get it before midsummer! Lindy is also sending you a letter as she was so excited at telling you about her tooth!
Dear Grannie Here is a
picture for you. I have a loose tooth Linda in the bottom of the front
Love and XXOOXX
She & Charlie had colds & Lindy was at home yesterday – I was hoping for a whole week at school for her! However, they are a bit better today but we are keeping them in. I thought you might like to see Lindy’s report & I was so tickled at Cec – he was surprised that she wasn’t excellent at everything!! Actually after we both giggled he explained he was surprised at the “reading & numbers” as we thought she was very quick at them, but on thinking it over she has been absent so much since Christmas when they began doing these things.
I am feeling so much better – quite peppy again & not so tired even in the evenings. I think the Dr.’s remark will probably be true that I will feel better than I have for a long time. Poor Mil, I was so sorry to hear of her horrid time -it must have been trend for dreadful.
We are invited out to our Indian Fellow’s Dr. & Mrs. Narasimhim’s for dinner this evening. They are Hindus – very strict – no alcohol or meat etc. – so we are having dinner now (1:30) (pork chops and & applesauce!) to sustain us for the evening! Will really write a long letter next week, as I am feeling much more like writing now & I have hundreds of yours to answer. Thank you so much for them all. Lots & lots of love from us all – Cyn.
Putting drawings on the fridge with magnets wasn’t a thing in the 50s.
*The S.Sch. sent me a beautiful box of spring flowers.
Dearest Mummy, I meant to write you a long letter, but somehow at the moment I don’t seem to get around to doing things, so I thought I’d write one of these & hope to get going soon. Actually I am feeling much better this week & really like myself again. Before that I was tired & everything was an effort, but on Sunday I suddenly seem to pep up & have been fine since. I still go carefully & rest a bit in the morning & have a sleep in the afternoon, but I get up & get the family going in the morning & Cec is able to go to work at the proper time again. To complicate matters we all got colds last week – Cec & I very wooshy-harooshy ones & the children snuffly, so Linda was home from school & I suppose it sent me back a bit.
However Linda was well enough to go to school on Thurs. (St.Val’s Day!) & all seemed serene, & then on Friday after dinner she was quite subdued & then felt sick & lost her dinner! Sat. she didn’t eat much & on Sun. was better, but on Sun. Cec got a great stye on his eye! Can you imagine!! We were prepared for Charlie to come out in yellow spots, but everything passed over & everyone is well again now – but aren’t we the ones! Everyone has been most kind with calling* & phoning & bringing cookies etc. – Mrs. Rothwell quite embarrassingly so of course, but she really means well! Thank you so much for your 2 Air Letters of 10th – I got them last Friday. We were so sorry to hear of your poor little kittens & chicks dying – Cec says that D.D.T. poisoning affects the nerves so your idea may be possible but he says your vet. should be able to tell you. Our Nicki is a lovely big puss now but still very playful. She loves to go out & play with the children outside & if they are out & she gets shut in by accident she cries & cries till I let her out! What with all our ills etc. I have no news to tell you as we have done nothing & seen no one, but the Douglasses are having a party on Sat. & we’re going so I have something to look forward to! The funny thing is that the one thing I still find an effort is to talk to people! Isn’t that odd? And I usually like it more than anything! But quite a few of the girls have phoned Cec & I should call them back & have a chat, but I keep putting it off – a very peculiar thing for me. Probably when I go to the party I’ll talk my head off!
Charlie said tonight “I think everyone in my family is very cute & very lovely & very charming!” The other night he told me I was charming & then after a little pause “Don’t you think I’m charming too? “!! Please excuse this very dreary letter all about me – will try & be better next time. The cut glass decanters sound lovely & I would love to have them. Dare you send them? Lots of love from us all Cyn.
Dearest Mummy, Well! Well! Everything happens to the Costain’s! And what do you think it was this time? I had a miscarriage. Now I know just how surprised you are & that you’re saying you didn’t even know I was pregnant, and the funny thing is that I didn’t know either, so no one was more surprised than I was!! I feel quite ridiculous like one of these silly females in novels on whom I have always poured such scorn, but apparently I had a normal period after I became pregnant, then last month I missed, but you know I sometimes do if I’m in a bit of a do, like crossing the Atlantic or something, so I just thought I was a bit rundown with the children being sick & thought no more of it – especially as I didn’t feel pregnant – no nausea or exhausted feeling or anything. Then last week my period arrived as I thought quite normally but apparently this was the beginning of the mis. & it began to get worse till at the weekend I thought things were a bit odd but I still didn’t realize what it was – I thought more about the change of life & Aunt Mil’s graphic description of hers!!
Anyway it was all very dramatic – at 12:30 a.m. on Sun. night I was dashed off to Hospital in an ambulance & given a blood transfusion & all sorts of things & on Mon. morning Dr. Kastner did a curettage & cleaned me up & then told me I had been 3 mths. pregnant. I was surprised! I had another blood transfusion on Tues. & came home on Wed. & here I am safe at home & quite chirpy again. I am to stay mostly lying down till next Wed. then I can go out & begin to do a bit around the house & be back to normal in 2 or 3 weeks. I have iron pills to take as apparently in spite of the blood transfusions my blood is still quite low & Dr. K. keeps telling me I bled like a pig! I must say I didn’t know I had such a lot in me! The children are fine & Cec is looking after everything wonderfully. Clare is coming next week for a day to clean & everyone is being very kind. I got a A.M. letter from you in Hospital & what do you think- the diary & your sea letter came last week and yours & A. Muriel’s Christmas cards & Charlie’s books. Thank you so much for them all – I’ll write a longer letter next week – I am still a bit tired. Lots of love from us all Cyn.
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.
Dearest Mummy, I am in the middle of a long letter telling you all about what we got for Christmas etc. but it doesn’t seem to be getting on very quickly so I thought I would write you one of these in the meanwhile. We are practically frozen! We talk of nothing but the weather up here as we are having a terribly terribly cold spell – Ottawa was 38° below zero last night – and Aklavik on the Arctic Circle was 40° above! It has been going on for 4 or 5 days now & no sign of a let up – in the daytime it has been about 15° below zero still although the sun is shining away. I wonder what Monie etc. say when they say “Ottawa – the coldest place” on their T.V. weather charts!! Our hot water pipe into the kitchen is frozen, which really isn’t much, but when you’re not used to it boiling kettles seems such a nuisance! Cec has a heating wire from work & is trying to thaw it out now. I have had 2 nice letters from you – thank you so much. One was an A.M. & one the registered letter with the $5.00 & as we paid Mr. P. by cheque I took your money & bought Lindy & Charlie new Vitamin drops! Thank you very much for it – I hope the batteries arrive safely & won’t take too long. Since I last wrote we have done really nothing – Cec is working hard & went back to work every evening last week & the children have had these wretched colds. I let Lindy go back to school last week as she seemed pretty good & Charlie’s eyes cleared up, but the cold seem to hang around without really developing you know. Charlie didn’t eat well & was sweaty at night & apt to be weepy, then at the weekend Lindy’s eyes began getting bloodshot & sore & she suddenly got very deaf, although her ears didn’t hurt at all. On Sun. I had the same thing with neuralgia & ear ache so I didn’t go to S. School. However, with all these symptoms we decided to take them to Dr. Whillans for their check ups & see what he said, so we went today. The children were both wonderful – not a squeak – even when Lindy had a big penicillin shot in her bottom! They had their 2nd polio shot at school last week with no trouble & are getting quite blasé about shots now! Hooray! Dr. W. said they were both rundown after the measles & that the colds on top had caused all the eye, ear trouble etc. He gave Lindy the Pen. shot as she is so bad about medicine but gave us a prescription for Charlie & thinks the infection should clear up. They have both grown a lot in the year but hardly any weight gain which is bad, but he says they probably lost a lot with the measles. They are both full of beans & v. cheery tho’ so I feel that it can’t be too serious! xx Cyn [And here she runs out of room and has to put the usual good-bye as a P.S. at the beginning.]
This Christmas entry focuses on the presents that Cyn and her friends exchanged and certainly emphasizes what privileged and lucky children my brother and I were, with such a variety of gifts sent to us from so many people. But I want to point out that this practice forged connections, and by this age, Charlie and Linda were involved in some aspects of the gift selection, wrapping, parcels making, and, as Cyn’s letter just before measles confined them all to the house says, she and Charlie were successfully mailing the packages a week before the Post Office’s overseas deadline. Because of their religion, the Russell Costains in Saskatoon did not celebrate Christmas, and presents were not exchanged, so growing up we did not have the same connection as we did to our other cousins- whom we may not have met but were asked to consider when asked what our little cousins in B.C. would like for Christmas. It wasn’t until we were teens that we met all our cousins, and our parents’ friends in England, but we had had years of sending parcels and receiving exciting and different presents that provided an introductory link. But our connection to those Saskatchewan cousins was never strong, which I’ve always regretted. (And Cyn may have acceded to the present ban, but she had included them among her 90 Christmas cards in 1956, and had enclosed the photo of the children that she sent to all the family as a Christmas gift!)
Carol was always interested in Church news and would have been very pleased to get this background information on Cyn’s minister whom she had met on both her Ottawa visits.
This letter is missing its first (and thus last) page so dating it is not possible. It discusses their respective presents, however, so it is written in early in January, after the measles quarantine and the quiet Christmas is over. The existing letter opens on page 2 with Cyn’s appreciation of the gifts that Carol had arranged to be sent by friends in England to Cyn and Cec.
… more than seven years ago or rather sad looking now & this one is very nice – not too thick, which he likes. Last but not least my twin set which I love. It seems such a long time since I had a really nice jersey & cardigan – as I wear them mostly in the house they are usually chosen for their economy & not their beauty, so I do feel luxurious! I am going to buy a good skirt & keep them for best – I will also make up my brown material from the Mill & wear them with it, but they definitely deserve a good skirt! All the family join me and saying thank you, Mummy. We also got your other parcel – you mentioned a book for Charlie’s birthday, but it hasn’t arrived yet, so I gave him one & two of the things out of the parcel then – the little dog for one. The others I put in their stockings – the fan & the kitty needle case in Linda’s & a little boat in Charlie’s (don’t know how to make it go, by the way!) & the white necklace in mine. How clever of Mrs. Y to knit it – it is very pretty. All the little things helped out the stockings a lot- we never seem to find a little things as easy as the big ones. We also got your cards & Charlie his B. card – thank you again.
We were so delighted to get your letter & know that you had got the photographs & liked them. Of course we had great fun keeping them a secret from you as we had them taken in August, so Lindy wasn’t yet five. I wanted to have them taken before she went to school, so that they would still be little children! Once they get to school & begin losing their front teeth they don’t look so sweet! Paul Horsdal, the photographer, is a wonderful man, & as you can see, the children really had a lovely time & enjoyed themselves. He took 12 poses & they were all so good it was really hard to choose. We decided on four we liked best finally & we got for ourselves a big one of the laughing picture we sent you & then the three others the same size as yours so we will have a group! For other people we mostly got the laughing one, & one or two of a more serious one of them together & then some small ones of a profile with Cec likes very much. I was sitting opposite to them & making faces to make them laugh & they looked sweet & I was making the funniest face so he cut me off! We sent to Cec’s family & all the godparents & small ones to Nan, Dottie, Anne etc. so we ran up quite a bill but we felt it was worth it! We are most glad that you got such a surprise & liked them so much – we had been just pining to hear how you liked them! I’m so glad that you all liked the other parcel too – it wasn’t much for you but I’m glad the brunch coat is useful – I hoped it would be. I still mean to send you a scrapbook but haven’t got one yet. I’m glad Doris and Luenda liked their little things – I thought the snowy picture would amuse Doris! Please tell A. Moo that I will write to her but just to let her know that the Canadian money was quite safe. I didn’t give it to the children as they seem to have so much but will save it for their bank account! Since I last wrote we have been entertaining nearly all our friends which was lovely but oh! – I did get tired of washing dishes! Charlie’s birthday, poor little fellow we could do nothing as they were still in quarantine, but I have promised him a party this month instead as he is quite taken with the idea of a party! We had his favourite dinner & a birthday cake & then on the Friday (when quarantine was over) we went down town & saw Santa Claus etc. I was so pleased as Lindy went up & spoke to him this year, for the first time & asked for a dolly. By next year I’m afraid she will know it’s pretend as she has heard a few things apparently from Jimmy & is quite full of questions now! Charlie asked for a doctor’s set & a new mouse for Pussy!! We put up the tree on the Sat. & then on Sunday we had an Open House from 3 – 6 for everyone at the Lab. It was quite fun & quite easy entertaining although hectic in spots! I thought they would be spread out but as Cec said there was a big overlap in the middle! I served tea & coffee & Christmas cake, shortbread, gingerbread men, cookies (Christmas trees, stars etc.) & hot cheese scones & then we had sherry & marsala & other drinks & snack things like potato chips, cheese, crackers etc. Altogether we had about 20 people I think – the Douglases & Ramsays couldn’t come which was a pity but as they have most children & the ones we had seemed to be all over perhaps it was just as well!! All together it was quite a success tho’ I think.
On Christmas Eve I went to Midnight Service & got there early for once & got a proper seat! It was crowded as usual & I didn’t get home till nearly 2 a.m. & what do you think? It was pouring with rain as I drove in & out! I was disgusted – rain in Canada on Christmas. By morning it was snow though & since then we have had it really cold 20° below zero at New Year & just 10° below zero in the middle of the day. We had a nice quiet Christmas day – looked at our presents all morning (will send a list) & in the afternoon the Indian couple, Dr & Mrs. Narasimham & their little boy Prussad dropped in for tea. They couldn’t come to the Open House as they were at a reception for Nehru that day. I got a small turkey (6 pounds) & we had it & a tiny plum pudding & hard sauce & all made pigs of ourselves! Cec went back to work on Boxing Day so Christmas seemed to end quickly, but on the Thursday we had Lea & Wendell & Darryl & Patty Lu to dinner & had a very nice time. Lea seems so well & happy & just delighted with her baby. She is a sweet little thing – all smiles & coos & Lindy is very intrigued. Charlie & Darryl play very nicely together now. On Friday we had Santiago to dinner, then Sat. Ken & Dot Scott came up for coffee & dessert after dinner. On Sunday Lee & Jim & Barry & Dougie came over for dinner & that was very nice too. It was a dreadful cold day & they insisted on coming in the bus but Cec drove them home. Dougie is so cute now – very dimply & still plump & babyish. On Monday we had the Forsythes over. They have just got a car & we were so pleased as now we feel we will see more of them. We invited… [We’ll never know- page 8 would have been on the back of page 1.]
At the top corner of the page in gold ink: Isn’t this pretty? We have been signing our Christmas cards in GOLD! HAPPY CHRISTMAS! xxx Love from us all – xxx Cec, Cyn, Linda, Charlie. and then holly leaves and a decorative border. Plus red dots all over the first page.
Box 330 R.R.1 Ottawa 17th Dec. 1956.
Dearest Mummy, These are not Christmas decorations – they are Measles! Hence this very late Christmas letter. I am afraid that it can’t possibly reach you in time, but I do hope it won’t be too very late as it brings all our good wishes for a lovely Christmas and lots of love. Well – the Measles! Isn’t that horrid? But at least the worst is all over now & the children will be fine for Christmas which is wonderful. Also they didn’t get a very bad attack and both the little dears had it at the same time, so altogether they did as well as they could! It is ages since I wrote I know, but I really do seem to have been busy with one thing & another for weeks so I hope you’ll forgive me. Your nice Christmas letter came on Sat. & thank you so much for it – also Charlie’s parcel – I hope ours reach you in good time to make up for this late letter. I was most amused to hear of Uncle Fred & his excuses over not visiting us. I thought something like that had probably happened & believe me, I feel we would have been very quiet & dull after all the cocktail parties & gaieties! Do ask him sometime if by any chance he sent us a subscription to “Harper’s Magazine”. It has suddenly began arriving each month from the US & we can’t think who our benefactor may be! [Her Christmas Records show it was sent by their friend Lila, who must have told them eventually!] I was tickled about the panties for the girls & Aunt Mil’s glamorous négligée – I wonder if he has brought you something frivolous too. I’m glad that you were enjoying A. Mil’s visit & that she is feeling cheery. I just made my Christmas cakes today – can you imagine! And I was really quite well on with my preparations a few weeks ago! However we have no plans for Christmas at all as the measles interrupted all plans – Lila is going home for the holiday & Santiago is going to the Moores’ so we will even be alone for Christmas dinner which I regret rather – I like to have a party! On the other hand I won’t have to bother whether I’m on time with the turkey or not! The last time I wrote to you was just after Bob Spellar’s visit & that weekend I had quite a sore throat & cold, so I managed to get someone else to take my S. Sch. class & had a nice peaceful time. The next week I was quite busy making my dress (the stripy grey) I’ll try to draw it!
You’ll be glad to hear I got a girdle to wear with it, but I was cunning – I got a nice big size, so it doesn’t slay me! The dress looked quite nice when it was finished & made me look taller as the stripes go up & down, but of course I had the usual trouble with the pattern not being an exact fit & having to make it shorter waisted etc. – such a pest! The Spectroscopy Party was on the Friday & it was very nice – quite talky- talky Cec said, but I never mind that! It was held in a house on the Driveway which is now an RCAF Mess & was very comfortable & pleasant & there was dancing, but most people just chatted – a very sober crowd! Linda was home 2 days that week with swollen glands under her chin! She had quite a puffy swelling & the Dr. said to put on hot fomentations which I did & they gradually disappeared. She was feeling fine & full of high spirits all the time, but it was amazing at the party, nearly everyone had sick children at home. It has been such a fall & early winter for colds & sickness.
The next week I was really busy. We had the Sunday School Christmas Party on the Saturday & Pat Tomlinson, Mrs. Dunn & I had the 5 & unders party on our own. We got $25 to spend & we got paper & made & mailed little invitations in the shape of bells to about 45 children. Then we made cookies for all, got ice cream & milk & I invited the mothers with my tiny ones & had tea for them.
Pat’s children got books as presents & I got jingle bells for mine & threaded them on red ribbons 2 lots for each child to tie on their wrists or shoes. They also got candy canes & we bought figures for a crèche, so altogether we spent our money quite freely! Actually there was quite a lot of work with all the shopping & making things & running around & preparations & so on, but all my children & mothers accepted ( 24 children) so we had a full house. I was glad when it was over though! And the next Sunday was the last S. Sch. before the holidays so I am having a breather now! That week Lindy got her first report – it says she is “a quiet capable little girl & doing very well at school”! I also went down to school & met her teacher, Mrs. Albrant and had what they call a ”Parent Teacher” interview, which was nice, but Lindy is really doing so well we didn’t have any difficulties to discuss! I had a couple of dentist appointments that week – one to clean & one filling & we went to Joan & Boris’ one evening for dinner, so altogether we were on the go. The dinner at Joan & Boris’ was very nice & we saw pictures of Boris’ trip to Europe & a few more details which was interesting.
On the Sat. when the S. Sch. party was I had another wretched cold & both children looked a bit droopy. However, they didn’t seem to be ill, so we went anyway & then that night Linda was sick in the middle of the night! Next day I had to go & organize a few things as it was the last day of S. Sch. but I left them at home & again they seem not really ill, but not really well. [They’d probably infected the entire Sunday School by then anyway.] Mary & Jerry Swalen (Cec’s Fellow from Harvard) had invited us all to dinner that afternoon & we didn’t like to call it off at such short notice, so after much dithering we went & the children were o.k. though they didn’t eat much. However next day I kept Lindy home from school & during the morning phoned Fanni to tell her & she told me Janek was also sick & with a high fever. Then Pat Tomlinson phoned me to say Joanne was out in spots – measles! Janek came out the next day, Tuesday – Charlie on Thursday & Lindy on Friday! Apparently practically the whole kindergarten had it – anyway about 15 or 16 away at once, out of 30! Janek & Joanne & some of the others were very sick though with temps. of 104° etc. for 4 or 5 days, but we were lucky – Charlie had a slight temp. for 2 or 3 days then went to 104 the day his spots came out & then no more & Lindy was just high one day (won’t let me take her temp. the little so-and-so!) & hers was very quickly over. Charlie had 2 or 3 restless nights with me up & down all night & last night Lindy had a bit of earache, but all was calm today & they were up for a bit & are sleeping peacefully now. In the middle of all this – on Wed. morning actually – poor Cec got a bad attack of gastric flu which made him very miserable for a few days. He slept most of the time & went into work a bit on Friday but today was really the first day he felt back to normal. It was very odd cooking meals just for me though for a few days & feeding everyone else clear soup & warm milk! As you can imagine I had myself a busy little time! The quarantine isn’t up until Friday so we are in the house all this week, but I hope we’ll get downtown on Friday to see Santa Claus. I feel so sorry that Linda is missing all the fun at school, but it isn’t so bad for her with all her friends missing it too! Charlie’s birthday is on Wed. of course & poor little fellow he was very set on having a party this year, but I have promised him we will have it sometime after Christmas instead – in some ways it will be better – for me particularly! I am still trying to write the last odd letter or so – which reminds me, I couldn’t send Jane & Bill a card as I forgot to get their address from you, but if you send it to me sometime, I’ll write to them. I wrote our last cards this evening & must turn my attention to cleaning the house. Then Christmas pudding & gingerbread men! I left Cec to cope on Sat. afternoon & went down town & finished off most of my shopping – things for Cec mostly. In my next I’ll tell you what I sent everyone – over 90 cards this year too – don’t know how it grows so! Lots of love to Auntie Muriel and we all hope you have a very nice happy Christmas together. Love and hugs & kisses from Linda & Charlie and much love from us all. Cyn.
Postmark on the back: 11 AM Dec 27, so it wasn’t very late!
A Family History in Letters 