You will be wondering what on earth has happened to me & that promised long letter all about our Christmas doings- by the time you get it you will be saying “Christmas? When was that?”! But actually one thing after another has come up just as I was settling down to write & the last thing that turned up was ‘flu – which is what I have now! Actually it is just about over and I feel much better today, but it has been such a queer kind- no cold or a sore throat, just aching & chills & a temp. It began on Tues. & when Cec came home from work I went to bed & have stayed there ever since. Cec has kept house & looked after the children & had such a busy time, poor fellow, but he does it very cheerfully & the children are pretty good. Yesterday my temp was up to 103 so Cec called the Dr. & he said it was a type of virus going around & just to drink a lot & take pain pills for the aches & certainly I feel miles better tonight & temp just 99- only hope none of the rest of the family get it.
It seems to be a bad week for other families too- last week baby Peter Garrett had an upset tummy & was a bit sick, but Cy was away & Margy was by herself so I went over & spent an evening with her. We didn’t think Peter’s illness was infectious but perhaps it was flu as Margy has had a stomach flu this week & has been quite upset too. Do you remember Joyce & Les Heywood who are up at Chalk River? Les has just got a new job in Ottawa & they moved down last weekend, so Cec phoned him yesterday and poor Joyce has flu too, so aren’t we a sad bunch?
Last but not least, poor Lee has just had a miscarriage. We feel so sorry for her as she wanted another baby very badly, then on Christmas Day she told me she was expecting in June – actually I had already known for about a month but was very surprised & pleased! As you can imagine in all those apts. together the gossip is colossal & as soon as it’s known anyone wants a baby they are just asked “How goes it?” each month! So Lou phoned up saying “isn’t it lovely about Lee” & then discovered Lee was going to wait until she had seen the Dr. before telling me as she’d told me of 2 false alarms before! Anyway the poor little baby is gone & Lee & Jim must be feeling so sad. Apparently she had a bad cold & touch of flu last week & went & washed the bathroom walls & it was just too much. She began the mis. last Friday but it only happened yesterday.
This is such a cheerless letter & I have so many nice long newsy ones to thank you for, but once I’m not wobbling about in bed I’ll really write a whopper! Lindy wanted to kiss me good night tonight & I said no- better not, as I had germs. So she said “Grannie got germs?” & when I said no she gave your picture a great big kiss & hug! Charlie’s great joy in life is going upstairs – he loves it & is mad at the gate at the bottom! Both of them are sweet & pretty as pictures! and send big hugs & kisses to Grannie- with lots of love from us all.
My. pandemic Xmas jigsaw- nothing to do. with 1954!
7th Jan.1954
Dearest Mummy,
I was going to begin a long letter tonight, but writing this list has taken so long that I know I will get nowhere if I begin. We are bidden to the Herzberg’s tomorrow, so I think I will send this off as it is & write you of all our Christmas doings at the weekend. With having two long weekends of 3 1/2 days each at Christmas & the New Year I thought I would get so much done, but on the contrary – I got nothing done at all, & in between & since I have been scrambling to catch up! Of course we got up later & played with the children more & had visitors & went out, so I suppose I really hadn’t much time left after feeding everyone! The Christmas weather was disappointing with cold but very little snow but by New Year the temp. dropped way below Zero & snow has been snowing down! Everything is lovely & white & pretty & Lindy loves it!
Thank you so much for your lovely letter begun on Christmas Day, Mummy- it was sweet of you to write & I was so pleased you’d got our parcel- I feel I have neglected you over the holidays but will try to make up with a lalaplooza soon.
Lots & lots of love from Cyn.
What follows is Cyn’s Christmas List of presents sent and received, and her comments on them, in chart form. I am going to post pictures of the charts rather than trying to reproduce them- with 4 in the family, it gets more complicated. She doesn’t mention cards, but she sent them off earlier, and hung those they received along the bannister.
The only presents I remember from this long list is ‘Squirrel Nutkin’ for me, (one of my favourite Beatrix Potter’s) and the wooden boat with sailor skittles from the Heslops for Charlie. It was sturdily made and versatile and lasted long after all the other things were lost in memory.
Cec & I are waiting to see the New Year in & atlast I am managing to write to you. Somehow we seem to have had such a busy 2 weeks although we have done very little besides stay at home! Before Christmas I kept saying to myself “I must write to Mummy & tell her about Charlie’s birthday, otherwise I’ll forget all about it in telling about Christmas” & here it is nearly New Year & I hardly know where to begin!
Card from Costain grandparents.
Anyway, most important is that we had a lovely Christmas and to thank you so much for your beautiful & exciting parcel. It arrived in plenty of time, but of course we waited & put it under the tree on Christmas Eve & didn’t open it till Christmas Day. I was so intrigued to see what my housecoat was like & I am simply delighted with it. It fits me quite perfectly & I love the material – it is so soft & silky–feeling & such an attractive pattern & a big change for me as I haven’t ever had a navy & white dressing gown. I think the style is very attractive- Cec makes cracks about the low décolletage of course, but as long as I wear it in front of him & not Dan it shouldn’t matter! Thank you very, very much Mummy dear for such a lovely present & Cec asked to thank you very much too for his expensive cigarettes- he was very pleased & found them most useful over the long weekend.
The children’s presents were all so cute and such fun. Both of Linda’s little dresses are sweet – the pink one with the pretty blue smocking is really lovely & as you remember it is just the nice soft shade of pink that suits her. It is big enough to be still a good size for her in the summer & I know she will look sweet in it. Actually, the dress that everyone exclaims over is the adorable little blue one – it is so sweet & unusual & everyone remarks on how cute it is. Lindy is most intrigued with her “pretty party dresses” & sends a big kiss for her Grannie. She loves her new toothbrush with Donald Duck on, & keeps trying it on her dolls! The two little cow dolls are such fun & she loves them – she doesn’t quite understand the “cow” bit, but likes it that one is a girl & one a boy! I must admit that Lindy plays with all of Charlie’s presents, but that just doubles the appreciation as he loves them too!
First of all, his book for his birthday is a huge success. He loves it & knows it is his & keeps a good hold on it! It is in his bed & he sits up & looks at it & turns the pages like a little old man! You must be a mind-reader to send him a pillowcase as a pillow is to be his first New Year’s present! All the toys are such fun – the funny ball intrigues him greatly & he likes to poke his finger in the holes – Lindy blows the train whistle with great gusto & I love the wee Punch & Judy. A rattle for George indeed! Cec says do you think we’ll be caught that way again??!! But aren’t we glad now we were! Thank you so much for all the lovely things, Mummy – they are all just what we like best & it was so sweet of you to go to so much trouble & send us such a thrilling parcel. I will write a long letter very soon to tell you all about how we spent Christmas & what we did & all our presents etc., but now a Happy, Happy New Year dearest Mummy, to you & Auntie Moo
This is to be my Christmas letter & I do hope that it isn’t going to be late – I know that I have left it much longer than I intended, but the days seem to have just flown & on Mon. what should I do but get what I presume is this “24 hr. flu”. Anyway I was quite sick & upset tummy all day & departed to bed the minute Cec came home & slept till next morning – felt much better & gradually recovered until today I feel fine again. It was so sudden as I was as perky as could be over the weekend & Monday morning & then at about 11 o’clock I wilted! Linda had a little bit of diarrhoea yesterday & isn’t too interested in food, but I hope that otherwise the rest of the family haven’t been infected.
What a way to begin my Christmas letter though! But it is to explain the lateness if it is late, & anyway it brings all our dearest love & best wishes to you & A. Muriel & all the family. I heard from Ruth today (written on the 11th) that they already have my parcel so I hope they will be as prompt with yours. Since I last wrote we got 2 nice air letters from you – one dated 1st & one 5th – and thank you so much for them. I was so glad to hear that Uncle Fred was having such a good time in N.Y. – by now he will be back home again I expect – or at least on the way – & you will all be looking forward to hearing all the news. Both Charlie’s birthday parcel & your big parcel via A. Ettie have arrived safely with no duty. I haven’t opened them yet as I just rush them down to the basement as quickly as I can past Lindy! As most of my shopping has been done through the catalogues all sorts of parcels have been arriving & she can’t really understand why we don’t open them! She is getting quite thrilled about Christmas though, even though she doesn’t understand quite when it is to be or what is to happen. She loves to find pictures of Santa Claus in the mags etc. & quite of her own accord, when we told her about Santa Claus bringing presents & asked what she would like she said, “Santa Claus is going to bring me a little carriage like Richard’s to push my dolly in”! Richard (has a baby sister by the way) has a little “push chair” actually – very small & rickety & we have got Linda a darling little pale blue wicker work pram made by the Blindcraft School, so I hope she is pleased with the exchange!! I am going to make a little mattress & pillow & cover for it & we have got her a new baby doll with a little suitcase with its clothes in it! She is getting much fonder of her dolls now & is beginning to quite enjoy playing with them, but of course she can’t really dress & undress them properly yet. We have also got her a little tea set (she is still a regular little tea-pot & loves her tea) & a doll’s house! The latter is a tin one with plastic furniture – complete for $3.00!! It is so cute tho’ & when we were up at the cottage she saw a sort of cowboy ranch house one of the boys had & was entranced with a little beds etc. so we thought she would love it. Of course we are having the greatest fun of all!
I got Lindy a “Christmas Book” a little while ago to help her understand a little bit about Christmas & she loves it. It has in a very simple little Christmas story with a picture of Mary & the Baby in the stable & as she loves babies she is very pleased with Baby Jesus! There is a carol too about all the animals – the cow gives his hay for a pillow& the sheep wool for a blanket & doves cooing him to sleep etc. & she likes this & talks about Baby Jesus in quite a familiar way – in fact one day she got so familiar she was just calling Him “Jeez”!! I have been singing her “Away in a Manger “& this is her favourite song at the moment & she asks for “Little lord baby Jesus”. She is trying to sing all the time now everything and of course it is the funniest sweetest thing as she has no idea of tunes & just sings the words she likes or remembers, but up in bed you can hear her singing away. Also in the book is the poem “The Night Before Christmas” & amongst other things “Jingle Bells” which also made a great hit – unfortunately she can’t say the word “bell” very well – she says “bewel” & when she sings it sounds just like “Jingle Bowels, Jingle Bowels”!!
Charlie has just lately began to “talk” such a lot. He says “Ma-ma” & “Dada” & “Dinda” quite clearly & gobbles all sorts of complicated sentences! He says “There!” & will shake his head very definitely for “No” if you ask him a question or if he wants it he will give his head a little nod & say “Da”! He understands a lot that you say to him now & he & Linda have a great game of giving things to each other – Charlie will get a little toy & crawl over & give it to Lindy – she says “For Lindy” & then gives it back to him “For Charlie” & this goes on & on! Usually until Linda decides to keep it or gets fed up & then Charlie gets mad & yells! But she is really so good with him on the whole & will run & kiss him & he will pat her & just beams when she plays with him. He is getting very interested in books now – not the contents as far as we can make out! – but he loves to sit & turn the pages & is very careful really. Linda will usually let him look at her books now & although he sometimes will crumple a page he doesn’t tear them, so he will be so glad to get a book of his own from Grannie for his birthday. Lindy has it all decided that Mummy will make a “little party cake” for Charlie’s birthday, so I must get busy & she & I are going to Mr. Dube’s to buy him a birthday card & a present! Actually I am going to dash down town tomorrow afternoon while Claire is here & want to get him a little dish like Lindy’s & some mittens & a little T-shirt. We have got him a little wooden “push roller” with bells in, so think that will do for Saturday!
Since I last wrote I don’t think that we have done anything very much. My Christmas cakes look very nice & as they are mostly cherries I thought that I might put a little one in a small tin & send it to my Father with some mints etc. just at Christmas, so that he won’t get it till after he’s finished the things in the other one. I made my mincemeat last weekend & it looks nice too – I made the full quantity as I thought I might give Claire a jar in a Christmas “bag”. I couldn’t get the green seedless grapes but had to get red ones & seed them – so annoying!
I had Boris & Chris to dinner about a week ago & they brought me a lovely big bunch of daisy chrysanthemums. Wasn’t that lovely? I was so delighted because I really never even think about having flowers in the house now & your gorgeous descriptions of all the lovely flowers you & A. Moo have sound so lovely but so completely “other-worldly” that I don’t even compare them with here! But it was so nice to have them even if they did die in a week with the old heating. We were over at Jim & Lee’s for bridge on the Sat. evening (5th) & last Sat. evening we were invited over by Pete & Lu & they had Jim & Lee there. The latter party was a little bit awkward – at least we felt it so – it was the first time Lu had had Jim & Lee over & we just sat & chatted mostly about people, but the trouble was none of us all knew the same people! The Ganders & Forsyth’s knew people in their apartment blocks; the Forsyth’s & Costain’s knew Saskatoon people etc.; the Costain’s & Ganders knew Cambridge people! So one couple was always left out!! Cec is more convinced than ever that it is better to do something when people come in – preferably bridge! Chris & I played Boris & Cec the other evening and did quite well! Did I tell you that we have invited Jim & Lee & Barry over for Christmas dinner with us? We also asked Chris (he is the Danish fellow) & he may come depending on the Swiss Rudolph who had made some sort of tentative arrangements with him. What Dan is doing I don’t know – we were hoping he would go down to his girl’s but he said nothing so far, so we are beginning to be afraid he’ll be here & we don’t want to have to ask him to spend the day with us! Last year you may remember we invited Chris & Boris to our New Year dinner & at the last moment Dan announced his date had been broken & we had to include him & he quite spoiled the party-monopolized the conversation & brought out silly puzzles till I was fed up with him.
I must finish on this page or the letter will be too heavy as I want to include 2 pictures with our love. They are Lindy’s 2nd birthday colour pictures – with the indoor colour film you got us by mistake, remember? They were disappointing as these two are the only good ones (we used Carman’s flash lamp) & even in these Lindy doesn’t really look like herself. Charlie was in some of them, but has moved each time.
Lindy & Charlie send big big hugs & kisses – Lots & lots of love from us all &
This is the 2nd A.M, so if you haven’t read the first one you should have!
When I last wrote last, did I tell you that Dan’s famous girlfriend, Lyn was due to come up on a visit? Well, she arrived 2 weeks ago & stayed till last Mon. – not with us! We were very uninterested in the whole thing, but finally our good nature got the better of us & we told Dan we’d give a “Tea” for them on the 1st Sunday & he could invite some of the Lab. to meet her. I told him 6 (with us 4 making 10 + the children) and he invited 7 but otherwise it was arranged smoothly!
On the Sat. Lindy & I went down town in the morning – “we girls again”! Did I tell you that she keeps saying “We girls went to a Bazaar & the boys stayed at home”?! We went in the streetcar & had “juice” at the Honeydew & did a little shopping in Woolworth’s & had a fine time. We got Lindy a little book (The Three Pigs) & a little Santa Claus candle & a little squeaking duck for Charlie & she insisted on carrying them all herself & was very important!
Anyway after we got home & fed the children & had lunch & had a little rest it was about 3 & I thought I would begin my baking for the tea next day, when who should walk in but dear Dan & the girl! They sat & sat until I had to give them tea & then stayed until after 6- I had to go & feed the children & even then they hung around. Consequently our dinner was late & then I had to begin the baking & I was clearing away at 11 p.m. I was mad! And the girl! She is tall & skinny & bends in the middle; has blonde hair & very thick lensed glasses; a big nose & no chin or forehead – & Dan talks of her as a gorgeous blonde! Ugh! Also she is completely dumb! Cec & I broke our necks to make conversation & they sat on the sofa & muttered at each other – such remarks as “This is married life – think you can stand it?” – from Dan – so rude – but we think they are a pair. Most American girls, with or without looks, have personality, but she is just a nonentity. The tea on Sunday was fun – Phyl & Alex were there, Boris, Chris & Rudolph & a new English fellow, Dr. Calaman & his wife (Swiss). I had hot cheese scones, sandwiches, shortbread & Pecan Kisses & they all ate lots & enjoyed it. Lindy & Charlie were sweet – Lindy in the pretty white dress Irene sent (just fits now) & Charlie in blue cord. overalls (Margie gave him) & a white shirt- Linda very shy, but Charlie beaming at everyone. Dan began by trying to act the Big Host to everyone, but Cec & I quelled him!
The same evening as our Tea, poor Cy & Margie had such a time. Cy has been doing quite a lot of woodworking lately & got a power saw. He is making beds for the boys amongst other things & on the Sunday evening just went down to make a little bar to keep Peter off the stairs & had such a bad accident. Cut off part of his ring finger on his left hand, part of his little finger & cut the other fingers. They had to rush him to the hospital with a tourniquet on & have an immediate operation. He was in hospital 4 days & is at home now with his hand in a cast. They have had such a bad time lately, we felt so sorry for them – a little while ago they had a polio scare with Tommy but fortunately it was O.K.
Last Fri. we had Pete & Lu for dinner (8 o’clock) I had an Italian meal (+ your red- checked tablecloth & candles) with Mazotti (noodles, pork, mushrooms etc.), salad, cheese rolls, then Zabaglione – (beaten eggs with wine & sugar!) and Marsala wine to drink- yummy! It was a big success! Tomorrow Boris & Chris are coming to dinner – roast pork! Last Sat. we went to Alex & Phyl’s to play bridge & this Sat. to Jim & Lee’s- Claire sits for us.
Must stop & take my cakes out of the oven – they look gorgeous!
xxxs & hugs from your babies- as Lindy would say “I want a big kiss”! With lots of love from us all – Cyn.
I didn’t write last week because I seem to spend so many evenings packing up & sending off parcels & as a matter of fact I just sent the last 2 today! Last Thurs. was supposed to be the last day & I got all of them away by then except Anne’s & my Father’s. The latter has always was difficult & I ended in sending small tins of chicken, salmon & sausage; cheese; grey woollen gloves; 2 packs patience cards & a crossword puzzle book. I have some mints etc. still & thought in a week or so I might send them with a tiny Christmas cake, as he doesn’t like to get too much at one time. My Christmas cakes, by the way are in the oven now! I have had the things for about 2 weeks, but to get such a major operation over with the 2 children around is something, but Claire was here today so I got everything prepared & mostly done this afternoon & then finished them & put them in the oven after dinner. I got 3 square cake tins (big, middle, little) & it filled them all. This year I am making what they call over here a “White Fruit Cake”. Lee made one last year & it was delicious, so I thought it would be a change- it has sultanas, almonds, red & green cherries & pineapple in (some recipes have peel) & Lee’s was so moist & yummy – hope mine are too! Would you like the recipe? Thank you so much for the Mincemeat recipe – I shall make that next week — will make the whole quantity & may give a few jars around.
Talking of Anne’s parcel – it was late because I was sending Janita a tiny “doll in pram” like I gave Lindy for her birthday & I made a mattress & pillow & coverlet for it. Anyway, I had a letter from her yesterday & they have a son – Christopher Jan – born on the 28th & weighing 9 lbs. 7 1/4 ozs.. She apparently had a very quick time as she went shopping in the afternoon- went home, had tea then went to the hospital & had the baby at 7:40 in time for supper! Was writing next day full of fun! She actually mentions Tadek in this letter, so I was pleased!
I have 2 nice letters to thank you for- written on 16th & 23rd Nov.- but I’m not going to answer them this time as I have quite a few bits of gossip to tell you & will have to spread onto a second A.M. as it is! Before I go onto those tho’ I want to tell you about your parcel – I do hope it won’t be late for Christmas, but the difference between sending direct or via N. Y. (quicker was nearly $1.00, so I sent in direct & hope! I sent 2 old shirts & 2 old dresses & don’t give them away without looking carefully in all the pockets as there are 3 presents for a good girl there! Amongst your presents are 2 “multiple” presents – you’ll know what I mean when you see them– & I thought you could keep what you wanted from both & then probably could use the rest as small gifts sometime. Very mysterious!! I sent A. Moo 2 packs of cards, but was very disappointed as I chose such pretty ones in the catalogue & then they sent such dull looking things & there was no time to return them – they are so annoying over their “substitutes”.
I had such a silly sort of cold over the weekend – all in my throat & voice. It has gone into my head a bit now but is much better, but unfortunately Lindy started it yesterday & was quite miserable & this evening Charlie sicked up a little & was quite a bit fretty, so it looks as if it will do the rounds- however it doesn’t seem to be bad. We had snow on Tues. & Lindy was thrilled but it all melted & is much milder now.
Thank you so much for your air letter of the 12th Nov.- it came on Tues. 17th, so I don’t think it was any quicker than usual. I was so glad to hear of Uncle Fred’s surprise trip to New York – I hope he has a grand time & lots of fun – as you say, he certainly deserves it after all his generosity. I suppose that he would stay in a hotel in N.Y. & go out to visit A. Ettie & the girls. If the weather there is anything like here he will have a pleasant surprise – it is perfectly lovely- mild & balmy & sunny – temps. up to 60° in the day & everyone strolling along as if it were April or May! Hope it lasts, but somehow doubt it!
How very excellent & forewarned & forearmed of you to have your Christmas parcels all ready to send by him! I am afraid that mine aren’t doing so well – I was thinking of the dates to send to England & forgot it would probably take longer to you. However, I have got all the things this week & intend to pack & send them this weekend – I thought Lindy & I might go to town on Sat. a.m. for a little snoop around before I finally packed them- otherwise everything is catalogue bought! Lindy & Margy & I went to the Church Bazaar last Sat. – Lindy talks about it now & says “We girls went to the Bazaar”!! Actually Lindy & I were going alone but I told Margy & she asked could she come along, so we had an outing! I made 4 pies (2 orange meringue, 2 coconut cream) & 2 doz. small butterfly cakes – quite a scramble! – & took them in about 2. Actually none of them saw the light of day as Margy asked for 1 pie & other stall holders came & bought the others 2 mins. after I arrived! I was shattered at the price (50¢ each!). We went later, at about 4.0 & looked around but it was really not very alluring! Sat. was the 2nd day of course, so I suppose the best was gone – I got Lindy candy (fudge) which she clutched the whole time, so that when she got home it was one sticky lump! Also a fish at the Fish Pond (I had to do it though!) & she got a little wee plastic train & then at the sewing stall a new apron for myself & 2 potholders! We had quite a nice little tea though & Linda sat up & drank a cup of tea & ate a sandwich in a very ladylike way! Margie is so envious of my daughter – poor Margie!
We had Jim & Lee over for bridge that evening so I was busy, but managed all right in the end. On the Fri. evening we went to Margie & Cy’s & they had Alec & Phyl & another couple Don & Janet to make 2 tables of bridge. We have been talking of having a little social bridge club among ourselves, but Alex & Phyl feel they are in too many things as it is, so nothing may come of it.
I was terribly sorry to hear the sad news of Jane’s father- poor girl, she will feel so miserable, especially without Bill & the boys to help her at this time. It will be such lonely waiting knowing that her father will be gone so soon. I expect that she is glad that she flew to be able to be with him as much as possible, but poor Janie – such a tragic ending to her happy plans for their leave- she has had such a lot of sadness amongst her family.
Jane and Bill Otway in happier times.
It is Charlie’s 11 month birthday today – he is such a cute little fellow – so loving & cuddly & “smoochy”! He can totter along holding by only 1 hand now & says “Daddad” & “Ma ma ma” etc. The great event this weekend is that dear Dan’s girl is coming up! Cec & I finally got browbeaten by our consciences into feeling we had to do something, so have told him we’ll have a tea party on Sun. & have a few from the Lab. to meet her – probably about 10 of us altogether. Will report anon on the results & impressions!! xxxxs from Lindy & Charlie – Lots & lots of love from us all – Cyn.
Map showing the building expansion in the Beechwood area.
31 Acacia Avenue.
Ottawa. Ont.
11th Nov. 1953.
Dearest Mummy,
Today has been a holiday, but Cec went into work this afternoon so it really has seem just like any other day. This morning he put storm windows up & the forecast for tomorrow is “snow flurries” so winter really seems to be upon us – horrid! The storm windows have been really hanging fire for about a month, but Cec has a funny rib which seems to crack every once in a while (in the Navy & at Cambridge) & one day when he was fixing my clothesline he did it again, & it was quite a while getting better, so the storm windows got left – fortunately the weather hasn’t been very cold, so it was all right.
Thank you so much for your letter of Nov. 1st- it arrived last Friday (6th) & in it you ask if the letters come regularly & if so when. They do usually come on Friday-just occasionally on Sat. – & believe me, I owe so many letters that Friday is just about the only day I trot to the mailbox with eagerness! You know the mail comes about 3:30, so both of my little companions are up & around & although I sit down & read your letter right away, I usually have to re-read it after they go to bed before I can take it all in! Linda thoroughly objects if I sit down & read or just sit! I can sit & sew, but if I sit down to rest my weary bones up she trots with a book to “read a story”! When I finally persuade her to go & play with something as I am reading Grannie’s letter she obligingly withdraws a few feet & keeps up a flow of conversation & questions while Charlie grabs at the paper & says “Ba-bab-bab” & likewise! I do enjoy your letters so much though – both news of you & all the relatives & even people I don’t know! – also chit-chat & questions about the babies etc. I am never bored – far from it – & I am just sorry that I haven’t told you more often how much I look forward to them, but each letter I write seems to be scribbled in such a hurry. I think back to the “old days” when I used to ensconce myself on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon & write 8 or 9 letters in a go & although I sometimes wish I could have an uninterrupted day at letter-writing, I still wouldn’t change! When the children are asleep in the afternoon I very often finish off washing or ironing & get dinner ready so that when they wake up I can take them out, then in the evening by the time they’re in bed & dishes washed I really collapse & it takes such willpower to get my writing things out! To you, I can usually babble on effortlessly, but to other people I just sit & try to write & gaze blankly & get nowhere!
Effortless babble- 7 pages both sides!
I felt so sorry for the poor old men with no shirts in your letter & will certainly send an assortment of Cec’s. All his are just about on their beam ends at the moment & so we have invested in 2 nylon ones so I won’t have to iron so much! They have come down in price now & one Cec got a fellow to get in the U.S. for him & the other we got “on sale” from Simpson’s Christmas catalogue & they weren’t much more than a good cotton shirt. They have semi–stiff fused collars and cuffs just like ordinary shirts & you just shoosh them in suds, rinse & hang up dripping & they dry looking smooth & elegant, so I am delighted! Both Cec & I are hard up for clothes as always & don’t plan to buy any just yet! I was laughing at you & Auntie Moo saying “Poor little Linda” when I spent all her family allowance on kitchen things – she, without a doubt is the best dressed Costain! In the last year she has had at least 6 dresses I can think of – 4 prs. trousers- 1 jacket – 1 cardigan – 2 blouses – 1 snowsuit – 1 man-tailored (!) Harris Tweed outfit- innumerable pyjamas, socks, T-shirts etc. etc.! while poor Ma has had 1 cotton dress, 2 cheap skirts & 1 jumper. Poor Papa has done even worse, but little old Charlie boy does pretty well on hand-me-downs from his affluent sister! Actually, she and Charlie grow so they have to have things & believe me, except for her pale blue tweed outfit she is still not the “best dressed child on the block”!!! Charlie is wearing your dear little overalls all the time now & looks so cute in them – he also wears lots of things that Lindy used to wear when you were here too – the little yellow & red & white overalls you gave her & the little pale blue T-shirt- has just about grown out of Bren’s little blue knitted woollen suit & has grown out of the little red slippers you gave Lindy for her 1st birthday! He is wearing Una’s Viyella rompers which are still nice & big for him & is really quite well set up with things Linda is out of, but I can see it won’t last too long as he is growing quickly & catching up. His head is past her shoulder now, & although she is growing too, she is quite small boned & dainty & is even beginning to lose her fat little baby pot belly!! Lindy is wearing the overalls made out of your dress & is very proud of them (I shortened legs & straps a bit) & keeps saying “Grannie made these for my” so I don’t disillusion her. Just lately she has got all muddled up over “me-my-I” although she had them quite right before, but I expect she will get over it soon. Did I tell you that she had made up a poem?!! Just like her Mother but with more sense than “Wriggle my tail”! She likes to get under the dining room table & calls it her little house & she said one day “I’m in my little house. I’m a little mouse.” She can now clean her teeth, take off and put on her shoes & socks, put on panties but not much success getting them down over her fat little bottom! – & get up & down stairs standing up & just by herself – grown-up style!
I have meant to tell you that the yellow sheets you sent for the crib fit Lindy’s new bed beautifully & look very nice on it. She has Til & Lois’s quilt & a flannelette blanket on top of her & stays under the covers quite well now. Even old Charlie is getting a bit better at it & he used to crawl out no matter what we did. They are so sweet in bed together- if Charlie wakes & cries, or cries when we put them to bed you hear Linda talking to him & sometimes singing until he stops & when they wake up they laugh & jump & giggle & have such fun. Dan babysat for us once a while ago & I told him not to bother going in if Charlie woke & cried as he often does & then goes to sleep again. Anyway, he did wake & Dan had to bustle in, whereupon Lindy woke up & looked at him & said “Go away, Dan, go away. It’s all right, Charlie- go to sleep fella!” & peace was restored! To go back to Lindy’s clothes- the little green snowsuit she had last year is handed on to Charlie now, so we ordered another cheap one from Eaton’s so that she could keep her tweed outfit for best. It is quilted nylon, just about the same shape as last year’s & with white fur around the hood & I ordered a size 3 in blue. When it came, they had sent green as the blue is out of stock & we found that it just fit Lindy & no more so we decided we’d have to get a bigger size. However, the green looked nice & we thought that after all it would look better to have her & Charlie “matching”, so we returned it & ordered size 4 in green. When it came it was red! It didn’t seem much bigger & with the white fur she just looked just like a miniature Santa Claus! Also you know, Lindy doesn’t have much colour & the red seems to make her paler & mousier. So back it went again! Today at last we got the green, size 4 & it looks very nice & she is tickled with it – it is big for her, but so much the better.
About my clothes – as I said, I don’t plan to get much & really now the children are small I go out so little that I feel there is no absolute necessity. Thank you so much for your offer to finance a coat or a dress for me from Harrod’s but I’m not going to take you up on it. I still have about £80 in England & could easily get myself some things sent if I wanted, but as you know I never could get clothes to fit me in England & I feel it would be just hopeless to have to try alterations myself. A coat or suit would be impossible & even a dress, when I think of all the taking in on the shoulders & lifting waistline etc. etc. which I always used to have to get done, I just shudder. Harrod’s send me their little catalogue once in a while but although their things look nice it seems far too much of a risk & then there is always duty to pay this end & no chance of returning the things if you don’t like them. I would far rather wait & maybe you could make me or have made for me a couple of cotton dresses in the summer – it shouldn’t be too difficult because I must be pretty much the same size as you now – bustier though!! I hope to get a new dress around Christmas or after, and as for the coat, my red one is still not too bad after cleaning & it’s nice & warm so I don’t care – after all, the only places I go to during the day are to the Grocery store or Mr. Dube’s post office, so I don’t need to look very elegant! In the evening if we go to people’s houses we always go in the car & so I don’t feel I really need a new coat.
One reason we want to be careful & save what money we can is that our lease expires in May & Mr. Labelle has given us our 6 months notice to leave. He wants the house for his parents (so he says) & so can tell us to move, but that means we must find another place, then have all the expense of another move. In some ways I don’t mind leaving here – it is nowhere near as nice as when you were here when we first came – with all this building business at the back & nowhere for the children to play & then having our landlord right next-door acting quite possessively, a lot of the advantages have gone. However, it seems very doubtful whether we will be lucky enough to find another house at such a low rent & although I hate the idea of an apartment after having had a house I would rather do that than pay $110 a month for a house or more. Lee & Jim & Lu & Pete pay $100 a month for their apartments & their rent is to go up to $110 but that includes fuel etc. of course, whereas we pay $200 over the winter for coke. It is quite a problem, But we will have to see what comes up- whatever we get, we will have to buy a stove & a refrigerator so that is something else we must say for. Mr. L is not keeping us to the lease but says we may leave anytime we get a place, so after Christmas we will begin looking. Whether Dan gets married in the New Year or not (heard nothing more of it) we will tell him to find somewhere else as we may move at any time. We certainly wouldn’t dream of having both of them here no matter what happened & believe me, we have at least managed to get him to see that he hasn’t the run of the house & we see very little of him, thank goodness. I don’t feel like extending any hospitality to the girl even if anything does come of the affair – as far as he is concerned I am just a landlady.
I was most insulted to see you say in your letter that I “seem to lose weight easily”! If you only knew the will power & self-control it takes to be perpetually hungrey for even a week! I just kept on my extreme diet for 2 weeks (with breaks for eating out!) but since then have been very careful, no cakes, no cookies, no desserts except fruit (mainly grapefruit with no sugar!) only 1 slice of bread a day, 2 cups of tea a day with 1/2 sp. sugar (1 for breakfast, one for tea) coffee with saccharine after dinner, no potatoes or candy & still I can’t get below 123 lbs. I will have to go on my eggs & grapefruit diet again & try & get down to 115, but it’s cruel! On Tuesday evening Cec & Cy went to the movies to see “The Malta Story” & I just yearned for something sweet, so I was wicked & made a small plateful of chocolate fudge & had an orgy! It was the first candy I’ve had for about 2 months & it was lovely! Of course I diet hard when we are on our own but when we go out or have visitors in I relax & it’s lovely! On Friday & Sat. it is St. Margaret’s Church Bazaar & I got a card about it last week. I told Cec I might take Lindy on Sat. as there is a Fish Pond etc. & also Tea & I thought she would have fun & he thought it was a good idea & on reading the card about the stalls he asked was I taking anything to the Home Baking Stall. I hadn’t thought of it, but called up Mrs. Stewart & she gave me the name & phone no. of the lady in charge of it & I called her. She was just delighted at my offer, poor woman, as only 5 out of 16 people on her list had volunteered & she was doing so disappointed etc. so I said I would make something & take it in on Sat. I thought I would make some pies (coconut, orange etc.) on cardboard plates & maybe some little butterfly cakes in paper cases – I can make the icing different colours & they will look pretty.
You were asking about Claire in your letter- she is about my age I should imagine – half Indian & half Scottish! Her marriage etc. is quite mysterious – in fact Phyl wonders if she ever was married! – but she told me once that she got her divorce 3 years ago & I have gathered that the man deserted her before even the baby was born. Anyway, the little boy, Jerry, was taken care of by the Children’s Aid & in foster homes till Claire could take care of him & now she has him with her & takes him to a nursery school on her way to work every morning & picks him up in the evening. She is just devoted to him & tries so hard to get everything he needs & take care of him well & I feel so sorry for her having such a responsibility- he is a nice little fellow- 4 years old – very dark like her. She has a room in a rooming house, which from her account sounds a bit odd- drunken landlord etc. – but she talks of cleaning her room & making Jerry’s clothes & obviously does her very best. I give her most of my old clothes & various things as I feel she does need all the help she can get. The operation she had was to have all her female organs removed & the treatment she needs or the other op. I told you she may have to have is because it hasn’t healed- reason – going back to work too soon. Poor woman – I do feel so sorry for her. She is very good with children & I like to have her to babysit, but hesitate to ask her too much as it means dragging little Jerry too. I tell Lindy sometimes now that we are going out & Claire & Jerry are sitting downstairs till we come back & she doesn’t seem to worry at all.
You ask how I manage with them both outside now & really we do very well – Lindy is such a good obedient little thing & walks along “Helping Mummy push Charlie” nearly all the time. Occasionally she will say “Lindy running” & trot along ahead for a little way, but she never goes off a curb by herself & always holds my hand crossing the road. I thought I had Charlie all organized on a schedule to fit with Linda – he didn’t seem to want to sleep in the morning & since he had his colds I hadn’t been able to put him out in the pram especially as it is chilly now, so I just kept him up all morning & then gave him & Lindy lunch at 12 & put them to bed till 3. However I found Charlie wasn’t sleeping soundly & was very crotchety when he got up, so the last few days I’ve put him to bed at 10:30 & he has slept soundly till about 12:30 when Linda goes up. Then I feed him & he plays until 3 when she gets up & he goes to bed again until about 4! This way I have one or the other of them up all the time & also by the time Charlie gets up it is too late to go out these winter days, but certainly Charlie seems much happier & they are both better tempered on their own! I’ll just let it go on for a while & see what Charlie does. They are both eating very well just now – Linda is still very funny in some of her fancies but she eats bacon, eggs, cornflakes, meat (sometimes- loves things like wieners, bologna, sausages etc.) potatoes, milk, bread, crackers, bananas, apples, oranges, grapes & still baby applesauce, but will eat no puddings, desserts etc. and very few veg. You asked about why I didn’t make sponge cakes the other day – because my daughter won’t eat it! The only cake she will eat is chocolate cake & she turns up her nose at all homemade cookies & still eats her old Sunwheats!
Charlie has cereal + fruit + milk for breakfast – meat + veg + custard + milk for dinner – cereal + fruit + milk for supper. He loves banana which he has once a day with his cereal & is quite annoyed when he tastes and & finds it’s apple or peaches! He is beginning to eat cookies & crusts with many chokes & splutters, but is awful at drinking out of a cup. I give him juice every afternoon & we always have chokes & spills! Part of the trouble is that he won’t even try to hold a glass or cup himself- he won’t even hold his bottle – lies & holds his ears & lets you hold the bottle!
I must begin & stop now as it is Thursday & after 11 p.m. Tomorrow night we are going to Margie & Cy’s for bridge & on Sat. Lee & Jim are coming here. Last Sat. we had Boris & girlfriend Joan – we still don’t really approve of her – Boris is so nice – friendly & one of those people you feel as if you’ve known for years – she is pleasant but doesn’t seem to have any warmth or personality – strange. No engagement yet, but they seem to be going steadily!
Linda sends big XXXs – every morning while eating egg she has a spoonful for Grannie- one for A. Muriel- one for Grannie’s pussy & we are now beginning to have one for Doris! Big wet loving kisses from Charlie & lots of love from us all-
I thought I would write a long letter to you this week, but what was one thing & another the time has gone & I think I had better write one of these to make sure I get it finished & posted. Thank you so much for your long letter dated 26th Oct.- got it a week ago today – I did enjoy it. I have a feeling that quite a few of the questions you ask I have already answered in a sea letter, but anyway I am going to begin by dashing through & answering them quickly!
2.) Had a short note from Til & Lois- no new news.
3.) Sent a letter of Anne’s to you by sea with news of Cambridge people + Jessie F.!
4.) Jessie Aldridge going to have another baby in New Year.
5.) Anne having a new baby this month.
6.) Joan & Ray had a daughter (ha!ha!) on 17th Oct. – Catherine Joan.
7.) Claire comes regularly now & is v. good, also baby sits sometimes. Poor woman has had to go back to Hosp. for more treatment though & may have to have another op.
8.) No recent news of Lea & Wendy – she & Darryl still in Sask. – he in Italy- studying, not making money!
9.) Haven’t heard from my Father for 6 mths. or more. Have written occasionally & sent a snap of the children. Sent choc. peppermints a week or so ago & will send Christmas parcel.
That I think, is the news in a nutshell! I will answer your letter properly later, but those are the main things you ask. Before I forget, will you please send me your Anna Holmes recipe for Mincemeat with Grapes? You sent it to me at A.A. I know, but I don’t seem to have written it in my book & now I have my own mincing machine I plan to make it. Does it keep well or should I keep it in the frig? Thank you for your suggestion re. my sending your housecoat for birthday & something else now – I’ve been doing my Christmas shopping from Eaton’s & Simpson’s catalogues & as usual it mounts up. However, in this method I can look & look again & cut costs! There is a nice housecoat I want to get you, but it shall be your b. present & I shall send something else now. I think I will send a few dresses for Doris & tuck some things in & only declare things I can’t hide!
Most of Cyn’s recipes from her Domestic Science college days are neatly written, but here the Mincemeat recipe was obviously too close to the mincing machine!
The children had colds all last week & still have runny noses- Charlie at least. It has turned much colder so I have kept them in the house mostly & what a job! They were a bit fretty & miserable the first day or so, but not after that except the Charlie got fed up & bored with not going out. He hardly ever sleeps in the morning now – such a blight! At the moment if you saw him you’d have a fit! He has scraped the skin off his whole nose & it is covered with a huge dark brown scab! He looks as if he’d been in a great fight! Poor little fellow – I took him downstairs when I went to do the washing one day (Tues.) & put him in a large cardboard box in a corner. He loved it & was most amused & Lindy was playing with the water & everything was fine till he got a bit fed up just as I was finishing- stood up & hurled himself out onto the concrete floor on his face. What a mess! He scraped his nose, banged his forehead, & split his lip & of course howled & bled profusely! In about 5 mins. it was all over, but the damage + a runny nose looks most pathetic! I have a joke of Lindy’s to tell you- Mr. Shoesmith from work came to see Dan last Sat. for a minute & later in the day Lindy came running up to me very anxiously & asked “Where’s Mr. Toothpaste?”!! When Cec comes home now she tells him all the bits of news & yesterday she announced “Daddy – I spit – I spit in the basin upstairs!” (Cleaning teeth!) She is so funny & loves to “Talk to Mummy” – the talking being mostly “Where’s Grannie’s pussy?” “Where’s Tania?” “Where’s Baby Andy?” etc. etc.!! She has taken to calling me “Mums” which makes me giggle! She is very much my girl just now & Charlie is Daddy’s boy- he will fret & fuss from 5 on & when Cec comes home you never saw a happier baby!
Sent off the batteries early this week. Same as before but said $2.50!
21st Oct. 1953.
Dearest Mummy,
I feel so full of virtue I could bust! I am sure that my halo is glowing so brightly in the sky that everyone is remarking on the beautiful Northern Lights tonight!! Reasons being
1.) I have caught up with ALL my ironing- the first time for at least 6 months! All Cec’s old shirts, all Lindy’s outgrown clothes, any table linen I didn’t need – just got shoved into the basket during the summer. Since Carman left I have been ploughing away at it & finally today the beastly basket is empty. Even Cec’s old frayed shirts are hanging neatly in “your” cupboard – I shall send a few in a parcel of my old dresses for Doris sometime, so that you can have new dusters!
2.) I finished Lindy’s dressing gown atlast! You remember I made it when I hired the machine-oh, ages ago, but left the finishing off to do by hand. All summer it lay as I felt she really didn’t need it then, but now tonight I completely finished it & it looks cute!
3.) I have taken off 5 pounds since I last wrote & feel fine! Am now 125 & want to lose another 10 gradually. Actually, although it does take a lot of will power, I don’t mind it much & I am feeling so well & energetic! I am not keeping to the very strict diet but keeping it mostly to meat eggs & raw veg. with no sugar & very few starches, so perhaps that may be giving me energy or it is perhaps the weather which is gorgeous. I pram push the children every afternoon & feel it can’t possibly last much longer- Lindy has decided it’s fun to ride behind Charlie so she begs a ride in the pram part of the way & so I am a bit more mobile than when she is walking. We have had no furnace on for weeks & don’t even need a fire in the sitting room most nights.
We are being quite gay these past weeks. Two Sats. ago Mrs. Burrough invited us over, as Betty & Al were home. Al was speaking at a meeting here, so they took their summer holiday & of course Mrs. B was in her element. (She and Mr. B went to Sask. to see them in the spring too!) They had quite a nice party & we enjoyed ourselves- Cec says Betty is getting more like her Mother & Al is going to be henpecked! Then last Sat. was Pete & Lu’s 9th wedding anniversary & they invited us to dinner to celebrate. We took some flowers & had a lovely time – just the 4 of us but nice drinks & lovely food (forgot the diet!) & it was fun. Tomorrow Margie &. Cy have asked us & Pete & Lu to dinner (these are late dinners- 8:30ish) as we had them all last fall & the Forsyths had us all over too. Then on Sat. we are going over to Jim & Lee’s for bridge! I feel so giddy I don’t know where I am! It is lovely though as we seem to have been nowhere for so long & I was beginning to feel all work & no play. Claire babysits for us now quite a bit (brings her little boy & he sleeps on the sofa) & I feel so glad to leave the children with her. She is very good- comes regularly now (was here today- goody! goody!) & works so hard.
Margie & I went to the Movies last week – saw “The Moon is Blue” & laughed! Sent our husbands the next night as a reward!
xxxs from the babies & lots & lots of love from Cec & me – Cyn.
A Family History in Letters 