lindacostain

July 29 1950 Air Mail

Mailed August 1, arrived August 8. Worth the extra stamps?

803 Granger Ave.

Sat 29th July.

Dearest Mummy,

My Epic is growing to such immense proportions that I will have to send it by sea- it is 13 pages (both sides) and still not finished! So I am writing this A.M. so that you will get our news, and also to say thank you so much for our cable on our Wedding Anniversary – it was sweet of you to send it & both Cec & I were so pleased to get it. Poor Cec got quite a fright, as he arrived at the house to find a tag on the door for “Lt. Costain” saying there was a telegram at the office for him (they won’t leave telegrams here unless signed for) so he had visions immediately of the Navy calling up Reserves, & was so relieved when he dashed to a phone & found it was your nice message. We discovered that the code for the rate you sent it, was LT & it was just in front of the name Costains, so that was how the Lt. emerged!

We got quite a lot of good wishes & it was lovely! Amy Stainthorpe sent a card, & your nice one, & a very pretty one from Auntie Muriel, also one from Cec’s family which was sweet, & we also got letters & good wishes from Denis & from Anne. Cec & I gave each other cards of course, which were funny! His to me had 2 cats dressed as people – it was so sweet! It was our “Paper Anniversary, we discovered, so I gave Cec, Churchill’s 3rd book “The Grand Alliance” & he gave me “Tom Sawyer” which I requested! He also gave me a card table which we needed badly, as we have no table in the sitting room, & it is so inconvenient at times. Also the desk is very small & awkward for Cec to work at, as he can hardly get his knees under it. So I was delighted, & Cec said that it was instead of flowers as it would last longer & anyway the top was made of paper! (i.e. compressed cardboard stuff – red- with grey painted metal frame & legs.)

We had a nice day, & in the evening we invited the Sutherlands over & had a bottle of champagne! We all got quite jolly & had a nice time!! I didn’t get any flowers from you on the day, but this morning Gunborg drove me down to the “Farmers Market” which is held on Sat. A.M. on the other side of the town. I had the loveliest time & felt nearly as if I was back in Cambridge market again – except that it is held in a big shed place, but the stalls are the same kind with fruit & vegetables & flowers & eggs & chickens etc. I bought 2 pretty bouquets from you – one of pretty little button zinnias- pinks of different shades – & one of those browny-orange daisies, fine bluey–mauve spiky flowers & asparagus fern. They look so pretty & thank you so much, Mummy honey – they look nice & homey garden flowers & it is lovely to have them again – even nicer than a florist’s bouquet- they only cost 50¢ so we’ll just pretend you bought them for me!

I haven’t told you much that we have been doing lately, so I’ll bring you up-to-date now. I don’t think I ever told you about the Physics Dept. Picnic which we went to on 12th July. The whole Dept. went- about 200-250– & the Faculty wives did the food. – everyone paid 50¢ & then the wives brought various things. Gunborg took salad, & I took lots & lots of carrot sticks, celery, radishes & sp. onions (we were told what to bring.) I got out of work 1 hour early & the S’s drove us out to the lake- little Mary came too as Anne & Kirstin are at a camp & children were allowed to come. The Lake was quite nice, with tables, benches etc. under the trees. Cec has sore eyes so didn’t bathe, so I didn’t either, & it was funny because the beach was fenced off & you had to pay to go on, so we didn’t but stayed by the picnic tables in the shade! Cec played baseball, & I chatted to people, & finally about 6:30 we ate. They had two serving lines & you filed past & got cold meat, green salad, potato salad, carrot sticks etc., rolls & butter, coffee and afterwards ice cream – it was good! Then we sat around & after a while had a little cricket game & left just as the mosquitoes arrived- I got a few bites which still tickle!

We had a plethora of picnics that week as on the following Sunday Mary & Arthur Dockerill asked us to go a picnic with them. They said it was much nicer if you went early as it wasn’t so crowded, so they came for us about 10 o’clock- great effort for us on a Sunday! They have just bought a car (the 2nd one- the 1st they sold as it was a 2 seater) & although it is 2ndhand it is very nice & new looking – cost $800. We drove out to a lake about 25 miles away & it was very pretty. It had tables etc. on the beach- not fenced off this time! – & so we bagged one & left our stuff then went to the bathing huts, (1 for women, 1 for men) changed & had a bathe. The water was quite nice, but the beach was a bit pebbly underfoot where it was shallow & then it suddenly got deep. After that we changed again, as it wasn’t very comfy in wet things – we sat in the shade all the time & there was a nice breeze, so it was very pleasant. Arthur & Mary had brought a primus stove, & they had eggs & beans & we had ham & bacon & we cooked them all & had a wonderful feast! They made tea & had bread rolls, & we had brought iced lemonade & some cake, so altogether we ate & ate & had a lovely time! We took a picture, so I hope it comes out.

Afterwards we just lay in the shade & by this time it was getting more & more crowded. Some people A & M knew arrived & they had a little boat with a motor, so Arthur & Cec went for a ride & brought back some water lilies for us – lovely white ones. Arthur took Mary & I for a little ride, but by this time I was beginning to feel very hot & a bit sore, so we decided to go home (about 3 o’clock) & anyway the place was by now just about crammed full, so we were glad to get away. Neither Cec & I had been in the sun at all hardly, but we both had quite a case of sunburn, & my neck & Cec’s arms have been peeling since.

It was when he was bathing that Cec first felt his shoulder. It was quite painful all the rest of that day and night, then on Monday felt better, but by Tuesday was bad again & then was so bad Wed. that night that he was in pain the whole time & just couldn’t sleep. I went along to the S’s in the morning & they rang their Dr. & he recommended that Cec go to the Hospital & see a Specialist in that line, so he did & it was bursitis. The pills, as I said, made him sleepy & dopey, but resting did him good too & I’m glad to say that it is much, much better now & he doesn’t feel the shoulder except when he raises his arm.

On the Mon. before this though, we met Jessie Forsyth (Cec’s friend Pete’s sister) after work & had an early dinner & went to the pictures to see Betty Hutton in “Annie Get Your Gun”. It was quite good, but of course Cec and I liked the play better. The Wed. evening Dr. S. came around & asked us to come along & meet an English couple they had staying overnight with them. Cec’s shoulder was hurting, but we went along, & a couple called Ramsay were very nice. They are in Ottawa, he working at the place Cec will eventually go to- & they had been down for a trip through the western states in their little Austin with their 1 year old daughter! The baby has been very good & enjoyed the trip!

Cec stayed at home the rest of that week & most of the next & the rest & sleep did him a lot of good. We had a quiet weekend at home together-I had to go to the dentist at 9:30 on Saturday a.m. & slept in till 9:10, but made it just the same- minus breakfast! I did the chores, but it was very peaceful & I felt better for the rest too. (Still more visits to the dentist for my tooth.)

Last week we didn’t do anything except having the S’s in for our Anniv. except that on Thurs. & Fri. Ann Arbor had Bargain Days!! All the shops had sales & I got a BARGAIN! I had decided previously that I might try & get a navy blue summer suit to travel to Sask. in, as I had nothing suitable, so during the lunch hours at the beginning of the week (Cec was at home) I toured the shops & was so disheartened. All the suits had pencil slim skirts, & when I tried them on I bulged fore & aft!

So I gave it up, but on the Bargain days I was touring around looking, for the fun of it & went to a Teen Age Dept. in one store & on a small rack I found a dark green unlined, grosgrain suit- size 9- reduced from $12.95 to $9 to $7 to $4!! So I thought, well, I can but try! – did-, & it fitted me perfectly! Cec likes it & everyone who has seen it thinks it is nice! It has three-quarter sleeves, self covered buttons down the front of the jacket, & unpressed pleats at the side of the skirt.

On Sat a.m. I went to the Farmers Market as I told you & bought gr. beans & asparagus & corn on the cob & new pots. & baby carrots & rasps! We had phoned Jessie Forsyth during the week & asked her if she would care to come & spend the weekend with us to get away from the Woman’s Residence for a while & she was delighted, but couldn’t come till Sat. night as she was going to Detroit to meet a friend of her fathers. So she came late Sat. ( it is now Monday!) & slept on the sofa in the living room, which pulls out into a bed, & we had quite a lazy day yesterday – sleeping late – except that I washed & cooked a big dinner & it was so hot I nearly melted! In the evening I had a girl Ronnie from the office & her husband Jim for sandwiches etc. & we had fun- Ronnie is a nice girl- funny & interested in everything, but they are just here for the summer. Jessie left with them & they all seem to enjoy themselves.

Today the heat & humidity has been terrible & everyone has been 1/2 dead! Me included! I couldn’t sleep it was so hot & finally slept with the fan on, but it was a scorcher – hope it isn’t like that tomorrow – Detroit & the Ball Game! I am excited about it!

Just got your nice letter of July 24 today – so glad to get it & that you are having such a lovely time. Will answer it in my Epic which I will try to finish tonight & send by sea.

Cec sends his love & says to be a good girl, with lots

& lots of love from

Cynnie.

July 29 1950

I think this note must have been included with the mystery items Carol couldn’t get in St. Vincent.

803 Granger Ave.

Sat 29th July.

Dearest Mummy,

I am truly sorry that I have been so busy long in sending this stuff. I hope this is right, and the kind of thing you wanted- if it is, let me know & I can get more.

My only excuse is that I am so busy I just don’t seem to have time to squash in 1/2 the things I want to do. When your letter came asking for the things you wanted, I intended to get them soon & send them to you, but before I began work we didn’t seem to have much money at the moment & since I did begin I have just rushed so that I didn’t realize how long it was since you asked me. I have got the rubber bands & will send them separately & also the fine white cotton for Auntie Moo, but the rubbers (galoshes) I thought of waiting & getting when we are in Canada as we will be going in 2 weeks, & we are trying to conserve our U.S. dollars!! Cec of course, isn’t teaching now, so he is only getting the $150 from Canada & as $80 of that goes on rent, it is nice that I am getting some too. We find we spend more now that I am out to work with occasional lunches & bus fares etc.-also buying food that is quick to prepare & not not more economical stews etc.! Food prices continue to go up too.

Would you like to hear our skedule?! The alarm goes off at 6:45 & I get up (gradually!) shower, dress, get breakfast & when it is cooking, wake Cec who showers after breakfast. Then we eat & I make sandwiches if we are taking lunch (we usually do, but when Cec was at home with his bursitis I ate in drug stores) and make the bed then dash out for the 7:55 bus! I get to work a minute or so after 8 & work till around 10, when we go out for our 15 mins (or 30!) for coffee! Then work till 12, & an hour for lunch. At 1 we’re back at work again, & then our break between 3 & 4- all the girls are so nice & I always go out with one or two of them & we chatter & have a good time! They all enjoy teasing me about English & I enjoy making cracks back! At 5 o’clock I dash out & meet Cec & we get a bus home at 5:15- it goes a great roundabout way & is very crowded so it takes us 20 mins or more, whereas it goes directly into town in 5 minutes. When we get in I begin dinner, & we finally eat about 6:30 or so, then I read the paper when we drink our coffee afterwards, & at last wash up! I usually have washing or ironing or shopping (on Fridays) or socks or something & before I know what Cec is chasing me to bed! You’ll be glad to hear that he is strict about my bedtime!

Must stop now & write you a proper A.M. letter!

Lots and lots of love from

Cynnie.

I have to say, Cyn’s schedule details just make me so grateful that when I worked thirty years later, my husband got up and shared the chores morning and evening with me!

July 22 1950

Best Wishes from both sides of the family- cable from St. Vincent, card from Saskatoon!

Got a nice letter & card from A. Moo Saturday. 22nd July.

Dearest Mummy,

We have had so many lovely letters from you this week – and here I haven’t written all week, but we have been having quite a time, as I will tell you. Your letters are so nice & today I got your two latest (continued) from Bequia with the sweet little anniversary card and your good wishes for our 1st anniversary on Wed. Thank you very, very much honey – we love them all. We got your other letter from Bequia earlier this week & one you’d written before you left & one by sea, which was lovely as we had been without news for longer than usual. We are so happy to know that you are having such a heavenly holiday & although we wish we could be with you too, reading your letters is nearly as good, and it sounds just lovely. I do hope Brenda’s snaps come out well, as I would love to see you being uncivilized in bare feet! Cec & I enjoyed reading about your doings so much, & laugh over your jokes like sitting down in the mud & having a “numb – – – behind!” As soon as I finish this I am going to start right in & answer all your letters in one huge go – I have been promising myself to do it for weeks & ages but I truly have so little time now – that is my only grumble, as I really like my job, & enjoy it – I am also sending the adhesive plaster for your pore feet, & the rubber bands & will tell you about the other things in the Big Letter! The reason I am writing this is that I can see it will be so long I’ll be writing it for days!

And I want to get this off to explain the delay & the slight upset we have had, which is that my poor little husband hasn’t been well. Last week he got the same eye infection he got about this time last year in Cambridge, which made him feel pretty miserable, then this week he got a terrible sore shoulder & arm which got so bad on Wed. night that he couldn’t sleep & was in pain all night. So Dr. S. took him to the Hospital on Thurs. morning & the Dr. says he has Bursitis & gave him a prescription to take & some pills in case the pain was acute again. He has been easier since, although he can’t use his arm at all & it still hurts, but the pills just about dope him & he sleeps most of the time! He likes that!!

Will tell you all about everything in my letter- I’m beginning it now! Lots of love from Cyn. [Cec’s handwriting] Still kicking & enjoying my leisure now. Just an old crock, rheumatism you know.

Love Cec.

June 22 1950

Here is the missing letter, where Cyn is telling her mother all about getting a job, but misdated so I posted it out of sequence! I believe this was written on June 22nd, not July, mostly because of the contents, but also because there are two other letters dated July 22nd which I’ll post after this one. I should be reviewing my material in advance- apologies.

22nd July. [actually June] 1950.

Dearest Little Mummy,

It seems ages since we’ve heard from you, but I hope that it is just that you are busy having a good time, and not that you have more cold or sore throat.

Well, since I wrote last week, what do you think? Your daughter has become a wage earner again! On Monday, while Cec was away, I cleaned up the flat & then in the afternoon ambled down to the Administration Building of the University, thinking I might get a job to begin in a week’s time, or next month or something! However, they said would I like a temporary job, so I said yes, and off I was sent at once!! It is in the Institute for Social Research, which is a Dept. of the University, & that first afternoon I was sent to a Dr. Katona, & typed part of a book he is writing on Economics etc.! Since then I have gone each day & have had all sorts of different jobs, & enjoyed it very much really! After typing for Dr. Katona for 3 days, I was shown how to type stencils, then how to use an electric typewriter! It has the same keyboard as the usual one, but you just touch the keys instead of banging them, & instead of each letter taking the same space, the thin letters like i only take 2 “units” as they’re called & the fat ones like m take 5, so the finished result is very neat & looks more like the page of a book. I typed a great long article on Atomic Energy Control on that on stencils, then learnt how to work a mimeographing machine & stencilled off 100 copies of the article. Another day I learnt how to use a dictaphone, & typed the minutes of a meeting from one, so I have been having fun!

The hours are 8.30 – 12.0, and 1.0 – 5.30!! I get paid .85¢ an hour which works out at about $34 a week, which is nice! The first couple of days I worked solidly through, with no breaks & was fair wore out, but I am in an office now with two girls who have initiated me! and I take a break of about 20 minutes or so in the morning & 1/2 hour in the afternoon. There is a room in the building that has a machine with choc. bars, & a machine for coca-cola, & a machine for coffee!! You put your nickel in, & out pops a paper cup & in shoots a stream of coffee & you press buttons for cream & sugar!! The 2 girls are Florence, who is the Office Manager’s secretary & is going to have a baby in Aug. & Lois who is an account clerk & is coloured & is working her way through college. Quite a number of the girls are coloured & it is quite a change for me!!

Cec got back from Columbus safely on Tues. evening & all last week we had our lunch in a drugstore, but this week we have been taking sandwiches etc. & eating them in Cec’s room in the Physics Building as I am quite nearby. It was Cec’s birthday on Friday & I gave him a new key case & an attachment for his camera, so that he can set it, then dash round & get in the picture himself! His birthday spread right over the weekend, as on Sat. we went to the theatre & saw Shaw’s “Getting Married” with Cedric Hardwicke & Arthur Treacher which was very good, & had a big dinner of roast chicken & strawberries at home, & on Sun. I made his birthday cake!! I had a real busy weekend what with cleaning & one thing & another!

Dr. S. was in Columbus with Cec, but didn’t get back till Sat., so we went along & kept Gunborg company on Wed. & Fri. evenings & on Sunday they invited us & the Simpsons & Dockerills & showed us some of their coloured movie films which were lovely.

It is getting late now & I am so sleepy (my early rising!) so I will stop & go to bed. Cec has gone to work this evening & will probably be back late, so I am not going to wait up for him. With all my toiling I have never managed to write that letter answering yours yet, but I’ll do it sometime. My love to Auntie Moo- and lots & lots for you-

from

Cyn.

P.S. Sorry this is a dopey letter – it is v. hot & I am sweltering!

P.P.S. Cec advanced me $10.00 & on Sat. I bought myself 2 prs. nylons, 1 navy blue summer skirt & 1 white pique blouse!—

July 5 1950

When Cyn discusses housework, I am always struck by the importance of the chore of ironing. She does seem to buy cotton dresses, sensible for a hot summer, and my father Cec wore a white shirt and tie every working day, but I seem to remember handkerchiefs and sheets and goodness knows what else needing ironing. There is no letter telling about her getting a job, but it is clear that now she is working, she is facing the perennial problems of the working woman, combined with a conviction that the housework is HER job!

Pete and Lu Forsyth have featured in both Cyn and Cec’s letters before, since not only was Pete at university with Cec in Saskatoon, but also was a Radar Officer like Cec during the war. This letter introduces his sister Jessie, as well as new friends that Cyn is meeting because of her job. She keeps in touch with old friends too- Joan’s wedding was remembered on the day, and a cable sent off to the Egans sailing for Australia. And family is always mentioned- Carol and her sisters and nieces reuniting in the West Indies, and Cec’s sister Lee having a baby boy in Canada. Soon the letters will be covering Cyn and Cec’s holidays, when they go west in Canada so Cyn can meet her in-laws!

5th July, 1950.

Dearest Mummy,

For the first time since I began working I have caught up with my ironing! I am so pleased with myself because each week I had a dribble (or more!) hanging on till the next week & tonight I finished it off!! What helped the hitch in the first place was that I changed my laundry as the 1st one wouldn’t remember to collect the things regularly & the 2nd laundry thought it was a “flat” wash & brought back 8 shirts rough dried to add to my other ironing! Woe was me!

Yesterday was the 4th of July & so of course I got a holiday, much to my delight!! We slept late (need I say!) and then I did housework till I told Cec I had a halo extending for feet & yards! I cleaned both rooms thoroughly – did the hall & stairs- cleaned the bath & scrubbed the kitchen floor! Despite the hard work we had a nice day & I quite enjoyed the change of occupation! Thank goodness it has got a bit cooler, but by the time dinner is over I can’t get any energy to clean so I leave it for the weekend & then with the shopping & cooking & one thing & another it is a regular scramble, but now I am caught up I feel fine!

When I wrote last week we were both wilting with the heat, but it got better by Wed. & has been nice but cool ever since. We had a visitor to dinner last Wed. Do you remember Cec often talking about friends of his at home called Pete & Lu? We met them in Montreal when we came thro’ & saw their little baby girl. Well, Lu wrote to us a little while ago & said that Pete’s older sister Jessie (a teacher) was coming for a Summer Course at the University here, so we got in touch with her last week. She met us in town & we brought her home with us for dinner & she seems very nice. I had a cold meal- cantaloupe, a chicken mould with an hors d’oeuvres (in Joan & Ray’s dish) of salad veg. and bread sticks & butter, then afterwards strawberries & cream on little sponge cakes & coffee – Good?! It is so strange to think that you can’t get chicken now, because at the moment they are much cheaper than meat- the cheapest meat (hamburger) is 64¢ a pound & steaks etc. are 99¢ a pound or more- whereas chickens are 39¢ a pound or 49¢ according to type, so we have one most weeks & enjoy ourselves! Now that I’m at work all day I can’t go shopping with Mrs. S. on Fri. afternoons, so instead the wife of a fellow who works with Cec, called Peters, takes me with her. They live close by, & have 2 little girls & have just bought a house which they are painting & fixing up themselves. The girl’s name is Mary Jo, & she & her husband are very nice. Anyway, Mary Jo calls for me about 8 o’clock on Fri. evening & drives me downtown to a big “Market” called Packers & we buy in our week’s stores. I think I am doing pretty well to have two huge paper sackfuls, & 1 boy to help me carry them out, but Mary Jo always has to have 2 boys & they can’t even carry her stuff to the car, but have to drag it in a little cart!!

Cec had to go back to the Lab. once or twice last week, as he was running some machine, so on Thursday evening I took my washing around to S’s & Gunborg & I had quite a chat & a cup of tea over the kitchen table. Anne & Kirsten are going to a summer camp for girls for 3 weeks, so she was sewing name tapes on, so I helped her, & then Dr. S. came in, & he was rushing to get an article done to send off, so I typed the end of it for him! On Sat. evening Cec & I called around to see them for a minute on our way to the drugstore to get a milk shake, & they were so interested in the idea, that it ended in us all getting in the car & driving into town together. We went into an Ice Cream Parlour & sat in a booth & had milkshakes & hamburgers! Gunborg & I felt very hilarious & said it was because we were having such a wild night out! We do enjoy being with them tho’ & they are such fun – we are planning to all drive into Detroit one evening & see one of the big baseball games. Cec is always listening to them on the radio & I am beginning to have a slight notion of what they are about!

On Sunday Jessie had asked us to come & have dinner with her. She is staying at one of the big women’s residences for the University & they were allowed to invite guests on Sundays. The place was over on the other side of A.A. & no buses on Sundays, so we borrowed bicycles from the S’s. Cec was fine on Dr. S’s, but I found Anne’s was just too high for me, & oh! my seat got sore!! The residence was very new & comfortable, & we had a good dinner, with Cec the only man in the whole dining room but we sat at small tables, so he didn’t mind!

On Monday morning we began a new time at the office- 8 instead of 8:30 in the morning, so that we get out at 5- lovely at 5, but oh dear- 6:45 AM!!! We had a cheque from A. Ettie for $15 as a present from her & the girls, so we bought a nice little electric alarm clock for $5, & counted the electric fan as the other part of the present, as that cost $10. Wasn’t it sweet of them – and we couldn’t have had 2 more useful presents – remember, I said I’d ask her for one or the other? I’m afraid she got tired of waiting for my letter, but I wrote straight away & thanked her. The clock is nice- square with a cream plastic case & has been very effective as to alarm up to date! I was so pleased to hear from A. Ettie about Monie & Owen going to England & her coming out to St. V. I hope she keeps well and gets her permit all right to come in September. (Did Margs ever get to the W. I. In Feb? I never heard.) Won’t you all have a good time chattering together!

Did I tell you that I had to go to a dentist as the filling came out of one of my teeth? Well, the hole was so big, he is having to take out the nerve & I have been 3 times already, & he was ever so cruel the time he injected me & took the nerve out! However, it seems to be O.K. now & I hope he’ll soon have it finished. He told me it would cost $30 or $40, so isn’t it a good thing I have a job!!

It is Saturday, by now & I am sorry I didn’t get this letter finished earlier, but I just didn’t seem to have had a minute. I was writing on Wed. evening & went to bed as I felt sleepy, & I didn’t tell you how we finished celebrating the 4th July! Just after dinner Gunborg came to invite us around that evening, as Dr. S. had just left for Buffalo for a meeting & she was feeling very lonely. So we agreed to go later as Cec had work to do. When we arrived, she had her “Cocktail Recipe” book out, & we mixed one we all liked the look of & then sat & chatted, but although we only had 2 drinks each, they must have been very potent, as we ended up the evening feeling very cheerful!

On Wed. I remembered to send a cable to Mary Egan who was sailing from Tilbury on Thurs. I shudder to think of what their last few weeks must have been like with the packing & children & everything!

On Thursday. I invited one of the girls at the office home to dinner with us. Her name is Miriam Krauss & she began working there just after I did as secretary to one of the men. She is rather like Irene in appearance (blonde- German descent) and is just 22 & out of College. She is engaged to a fellow in College who hopes to be a Dr. & they are going to get married next month, but in the meanwhile he is up in Northern Mich. at his home, & she is in a room here (as her home is a little way away) & feels so lonely, so I am sorry for her! Her father is a minister, & her mother doesn’t want her to get married this year, so I listen & give a good advice! But she seems a nice girl & enjoyed her visit. Last night I went shopping with Mary Jo & today I don’t seem to have done much at all. I baked a fruit cake & some shortbread biscuits as I thought they would be nice to take for our picnic lunches. Did I tell you we took them each day now? If it isn’t nice we eat them in Cec’s room in the Physics Building & if it is we eat them on the “Campus” which is like a little park around which the university buildings are built with grass & trees & benches. We take peanuts for the squirrels too & have as much fun feeding them as feeding ourselves!!

This letter will be way overweight if I’m not careful – so I’ll stop now. Love to Jeanie etc. (by the way Cec’s sister Lee has a little baby boy too! All Costain babies seem to be boys this season!) and A. Moo–

With lots and lots for my Mummy

from

Cyn

P.S. This letter seems very disjointed – don’t know why!

June 26 1950

Monday, 26th June.

Dearest Mummy,

I wrote to you last Wed. or Thurs. & said that I hadn’t heard from you for quite a while, & then on Fri. I got your letter dated 13th June, and on Sat. another one dated 6th June! Wasn’t that silly to get the first one last? But we were so glad to get them & loved hearing your news & were so pleased to know that Dr. Muriel had cured your sore throat & hope it keeps quite better.

This isn’t going to be much of a letter, as it is getting late & I’m tired, but I wanted to send you these few pictures we had. One of them was taken during our last weekend in Cambridge, when everyone came to eat up our remaining tins- remember? We had just got our beer mugs from Frank etc. so are displaying them proudly – but don’t we all look funny?! We think Frank must be playing with the Magic Mummy – we can’t imagine what else it could be that he is so engrossed in!

The rest are of our flat- the house taken before the leaves came out on the trees, but now it looks quite different & you can hardly see it for leaves. It was difficult to get any decent view of the inside as the rooms are small, but at least you can see our lovely big fridge!!

My exclamation marks would be at the idea that this is a BIG fridge!

Since I wrote last week we have been having the most terrific heat & humidity & it has left us both limp & exhausted. The flat was hot & in the evenings although we opened every window, there wasn’t a breath of air. On Fri. I got my first paycheque of $23.80,

so on Saturday we went to town & bought a fan & it was a blessing all weekend. I also bought a pair of red sandals & a grey & white cotton dress- the material is grey & has white lace (three strips) across the bodice. You will think I am doing nothing but buy dresses, but you must remember that of all my others the Mitcham’s navy blue with white spot is the only one that fits!!!

We went to the pictures last week to see “Father of the Bride” with Spencer Tracy & Elizabeth Taylor, & it was quite amusing. On Sun. morning we called at the Sutherlands’ & got invited to a lovely cold lunch on their porch, so we had a nice cool afternoon. Thank goodness today there was a breeze, & the forecast is cooler for tomorrow. I am still working& no one has told me to stop yet, so I must be some use!

Cec is busy, but sends his love – mine to Auntie Moo & lots & lots for you

from

Cyn

June 11 1950

A word of explanation about Cec’s work: in the 1950s, the word ‘microwave’ was not in everyday use as the short form of reference for the microwave ovens we have in our kitchens- in fact, it was only in use among physicists. Cec’s experience with early radar during the war led to occasional work with naval research in England, as he did his degree in Cambridge. At the University of Michigan in 1950, he was still doing his Cambridge Ph.D., but had followed his professor, Dr. Sutherland, to Ann Arbor and was now doing research in the field of microwave spectroscopy. The conference in Columbus was annual event that Cec would attend in the future as well.

Sunday. 11th June.

Dearest Little Mama,

I am a Grass Widow today as Cec has gone to Columbus, Ohio, with Dr. Sutherland for a Microwave & Infra-red meeting. Dr. S. is staying for the whole week, but the thing that interests Cec is on Monday, so he will drive back with another man on Tuesday. I am glad, as it seems so queer & quiet! They set off this afternoon & already it seems ages & ages although it’s only 8 o’clock- I have been eating my dinner in installments – I had cold meat & salad at 6.0, & then coffee, & now have just had a plate of ice cream! Actually it was supper as we had dinner in the middle of the day before Cec left. Talking about widows, remember the draught being a little wind from the bottom of the widow?!

I have just been writing to Nan, to thank her for a nice long letter & a picture of Sandy. Sandy looks sweet & chubby now – she said she was sending you one of the pictures too, so you’ll see him, & I put it on record that now I think he is a bonny baby!

I sent Nan’s birthday parcel off late, so last week wrote her a note to tell her it was on its way. I went & forgot & put a 3¢ instead of a 5¢ stamp, so had it returned for the 2¢ postage by the very mail her letter came, so I kept it & sent it off with a longer letter today.

I wrote to Miss Lefroy a while ago, & have been quite good about writing letters, but must write to Denis & Dorothy now about their son! Won’t Winnie be tickled to bits? I wonder if he is a red-head? I bet Denis is pleased with himself, and it is lovely to know that there is a little Bobby – I hope he is as sweet & nice as his namesake. I wish we could begin our family too, but we must just be patient and wait until we are at least nearer the time for going to Canada, because besides the difficulty of the money to pay expenses here & it being so much more expensive, Cec will have enough to cope with all his work this coming year, and also I’d like it to be a Canadian & to have a home instead of this little flat. I don’t know why I suddenly begin writing about having a baby, but so many people seem to be doing it!

When I wrote last weekend we were just going to Toledo, but I didn’t get quite up to date in that letter, so I’ll go back a little to Whit. weekend. Not that it was kept as Whit. here – I never heard it mentioned, but Tuesday was Memorial Day & a public holiday, but it didn’t make much difference as Cec went to work as usual. On Mon. afternoon I went to tea with Mrs. S. and she had invited Joan Simpson with Christopher too. We had it in the garden & Mrs. S.’s birthday present had arrived- it was a chaise-longue! A garden one – a sort of armchair-sofa with padding etc.- very comfy. Apparently, it was a family joke with the S’s- when Dr. S. came home in the evening & asked Mrs.S. what she had been doing all day, she used to say “Oh, I’ve been lying on the chaise longue, reading a French novel & eating chocolates!”, so now Dr. S. got her the chaise longue for her birthday.

Mrs S. was saying that next evening she was having a dinner party for 12 people- how it had grown & grown out of control, & she was now horrified! So I said could I help her at all in the afternoon & she was most grateful. I went along on the Tues. afternoon & helped her make salad, & a relish tray & other odd jobs & we had a great gossip! I told her that I thought Joan Simpson was a wet weekend & she agreed with me! As she is so dull & no sense of humour, & can talk of nothing except her own family! Mrs. S. is great fun – we are nice & catty together & have the same opinions about people – With her, people are either wonderful & charming, or else she sees their faults, but if they’re nice she doesn’t see anything wrong with them, & she tells you quite candidly what she thinks!

On the next day, Wednesday, the Dean of the Graduate School, & his wife, Mrs Sawyer, who comes to the Physics Teas, had invited all the Physics Dept Faculty & their wives out to a picnic at their cottage on a lake some miles from A. Arbor. Dr. & Mrs. S drove us up – I wore my new checked cotton dress – & we got there about 5.30. It was lovely, sunny but cool, & the cottage was really a proper house right on the Lake shore. It was too cold to bathe, but some people were out sailing, & some got baseball bats, but there were too many trees to play baseball, so Dr. S. & Cec & I got up cricket, with a tree as wicket & a baseball bat & ball! It was great fun & everyone was most enthusiastic & I played wicket keeper & had a lot of fun! We had a wonderful dinner- baked ham, hot rolls, salad, corn etc. then cake, ice cream & strawberries- for about 60 people! Mrs Sawyer had 2 coloured girls helping her, that was really marvelous, the way she did it. Then we played more cricket & got bitten by mosquitos! By the way, there was some goodstuff called “Shoo Fly” which had no smell, but kept them away if you rubbed yourself with it. I thought if you wanted I could get you some, as you said you got bitten. After we left Dr S. drove us around by another lake & it was lovely moonlight, so we had a really nice time altogether.

The only sad thing was that our energetic cricket made a Mrs.S. Cec & me, so stiff the next day, but we recovered! Also, I lost a filling in a tooth, so rang up a dentist one of the Physics wives told me about, & he put a temporary filling in & I go later on to have it done properly. He was quite a nice oldish man- not black & sweaty like your friend!!

On the Sat. afternoon we went to Toledo as I told you. Til & Lois came about 4, & we got there & had a lovely dinner of ham, macaroni & cheese, corn, green salad then rhubarb pie. We just spent the evening gossiping & Til & Lois & Cec looked at television & I looked at magazines! It was wrestling, & rollerskating etc. & I was bored with it, so I much more enjoyed the magazines! On Sun. we got up latish, & then Lois was going to drive us to see her Aunts, when we found the car had a flat tire, so a man came from the garage & changed it while we waited. We then went & had a nice drive & saw the Aunties, & then came back & got dinner- fried chicken, mashed potatoes, asparagus, tomato salad, and then strawberries! Cec did some of his marking & then off we set home & arrived here about 6.30, & Til & Lois went back. They will be driving down to Alabama this weekend & I hope are doing all right as they were going in the tiny car! It uses so little petrol etc. the whole journey would cost them $5!!

We had quite an uneventful week, except that Cec got a horrid cold, & felt so rotten he stayed in bed on Wed. It was a scorching hot day & by afternoon, the flat was so warm, as there wasn’t a breath of air, so he got up, & in the evening we went round & sat on the S’s porch & had a nice drink with them & chat & it was lovely. Thursday was even hotter, & Cec didn’t go to work as his cold & throat were still bad, & we both felt just limp with the heat. Thank goodness, there was a storm on Friday & it has been lovely and cool since.

On Friday I was to go to the University at 1:30 for my typing test. When Cec came home for lunch he said would it be O.K. if Ned (the fellow he shares a room with) and his wife Phyllis, came to dinner that evening. We had asked them earlier in the week, but with Cec being away from work, it had made a mix-up, so I said all right, as I didn’t think the test would take more than an hour & I’d have time to shop & cook. So off I went- arrived at 1:30, & tottered out at 5 o’clock!! I was horror-stricken! There were 4 other girls & myself, & first of all we had a 1 1/2 hour intelligence test! It was about 6 or 8 sheets & each sheet you had so many minutes to do- one was spelling – some right some wrong & you corrected the wrong ones; one was grammar; one was punctuation; one was sums– floored me; one was sorting out things etc. etc. Apart from the arithmetic, I got on O.K., but it was hideous! Fractions & so on, that I’d forgotten all about! The next test was typing- first, copy exactly just an ordinary typed sheet; second copy sheet of itemized figures etc. in columns; third, type a freehand letter with various inclusions; fourth, compose & type a letter to a person on a certain subject you were told about; and fifth, type a page & correct punctuation, spelling, capitals etc.

When it was all over, I waited & saw the dame, who told me my test was all right, but it was too late to have any interviews then, so I’m to go back tomorrow! Looks as if I might be working!

Anyway, when I finished the test & saw how late it was, I phoned Cec & said cancel the dinner, & instead Ned & Phyllis came later & played bridge & had drinks. I was worn out with all my efforts, & we were pretty lousy after no practice, but it was fun.

It is getting late now, so I must stop & off to my lonely bed!! (and squeaky!) Next week I am going to begin another letter & answer all of yours I have accumulated & will either send it by sea or send it next weekend.

My love to Auntie Moo, & the cousins,

with lots & lots for you

from

Cyn

P. S. Cec’s Mummy was asking for you in a letter the other day & said she’d always meant to answer your lovely letter & asked for your address, so that she still could. I sent it to her, but she is just as bad as her son about letter writing!!

June 2 1950

Friday. 2nd June. 1950.

Dearest Mummy,

I seem to have got in such a muddle over writing to you lately, & we have done so little that I can’t even remember from my dairy when & what happened. However, I shall go back to my old plan of writing at the beginning of each week, as you now have an airplane service, & will keep up with myself. This letter I’ll tell you what we have been doing & on Monday I’ll answer all your letters.

I have lots & lots of things to thank you for. 1) your letter posted on 23rd May which arrived on Monday 28th. 2) your letter posted on 16th May which arrived on Sat. 20th. Monday seems to be the day your letters usually arrive, but that one just managed to get here sooner- last week’s was a great surprise as I didn’t expect one for another week, but it is lovely that there is an extra mail now. Both Cec & I love your letters & get such a kick out of all your doings- of course we are wildly muddled up with all the relatives already, but we have great fun over them! I hope your cocktail party was a great success- also the games! But I’ll answer your letter properly next week. 3) the Burny Sugar Cake which arrived very quickly, just a few days after your letter telling me about it. Thank you very, very much, Mummy! I love it & crunch away & then have to puff to cool my tongue! Cec doesn’t really like it & the Sutherland children get a sort of painful pleasure out of nibbling tiny little bits, so I get it mostly all to myself! 4) The Picture Post with the dear little bear! We enjoyed seeing him so much & think he is so sweet – thank you for sending us his pictures.

Tomorrow is Joan Cox’s wedding day. We got her invitation this week & wished we could pop over for the occasion. She wrote & told me she’d like something to adorn herself with, giving sizes, but by then nothing would have arrived in time with Customs & what not, so I sent her a smuggled pair of nylons by air mail to arrive for the wedding & will send something else later. I wrote her an A.M. too, so we aren’t going to send a cable– too expensive & as usual we are hard up!! Did she tell you that the Lock’s baby was a girl? We heard today from Merle, Cec’s elder sister & she has just had her baby- a third boy!

She says the other two wanted a girl who would do the dishes! But that that he is sweet.

I got bootees & mitts with blue ribbons so I was right!! Actually I have just sent them, as we have sent 4 prs. of Cec’s trousers home for Carmen & I put the baby’s things in a back pocket. Both prs. of brown tweed pants & the fawn gabardine & grey pair he got his 2 summers in France are all too small- middle & length- he says they have shrunk!!

Now to go back to our doings- way back, just after I last wrote- Cec & I went shopping in town & had such a good time with ourselves! We got Cec a summer suit, as he had nothing cool to wear & it has been quite hot already. It is a bluey – grey material, & he looks nice in it – he wore it to teach his class one day this week & the students whistled at him & asked him if he was going to get married! It has two prs. of pants, so he is getting the other pr. to wear as slacks. Then we got me a cotton dress – black, red grey & white checks, trimmed with black along the bottom, cap sleeves & yoke. I have had to bequeath 3 of my cotton dresses to Anne Sutherland- my boost boosting out! So I have very few. We saw a wonderful thing that we are going to get with Marie’s wedding present money – it is out of stock at the moment, but more are coming in. It is an electric waffle iron- oblong- to cook two waffles at a time. When you don’t want waffles you can fix on flat plates instead of the honeycomby waffle ones & use it as a grill for eggs or bacon or hamburgers, or you can use it as a sandwich toaster! We are panting to get it & have a go at it!!

That evening we met Mary & Arthur Dockrill at 7:30 & went to the big University Gymnasium which was reserved for the use of faculty & families on Sat. evenings. (Closed now) It is a marvellous place with a huge gym – badminton courts, squash courts, swimming pool etc. We went in the gym first & I didn’t do a thing though the others played around, then we went to change for swimming and darn me if I didn’t split my bathing suit!! It was the one I got in America- white with purple orchids on made of silk jersey & I suppose the material was pretty rotten by now. Anyway, when I heaved it over my fat seat, it just went z-o-o-o-o-p! Mary seemed so upset at my saying I wouldn’t go in, that I toiled all the way home, & not risking my French one (tight in the beginning!) took the yellow playsuit with red roses on & finally swam in that. Cec & Arthur in the time of my absence has been playing paddle ball- a bit like squash, so by the time our swim was over, Cec was crawling with exhaustion! I had a lovely bathe in a rubber ring floating gently around! Afterwards we all went to a drug store & had a cup of coffee & as Dr. & Mrs. S. were out to dinner & I’d said I’d look in at the children, we bought them each a popsicle (frozen water ice on a stick!) & went & gave them to them in bed & read them a story! We were very popular! Next day & for about 3 days afterwards Cec couldn’t lift his arm above his shoulders & groaned like anything!

Did I tell you about the Sutherlands loaning us a bookcase? It is an old one they had in the children’s room in England & didn’t intend to bring with them but it got packed up with the other things. There was no room for it here, so it was lying in the attic & Mrs. S. said we could take it & paint it & do what we liked. So I spent two days filling in holes with plastic wood, sandpapering, & painting two coats of grey to match our sitting room walls & now it looks so nice & makes an enormous difference to the appearance of our room. It looks like so-

Charming, don’t you think?

I did all this very violently because on the Wed (next day) we had Mary & Arthur to dinner & we wanted it all to look nice. We brought the table into the sitting room, & I had the green linen table mats, green candles & a little bowl of sprays of lilac & it looked pretty. The menu was: – Tomato juice: Fried chicken & gravy- mashed potatoes- corn- green peas: relish dish of radishes- carrots sticks – celery curls: lemon meringue pie: coffee & it was good! They hadn’t had fried chicken before so it was new to them. We had a nice evening & we all enjoyed ourselves talking. Mary has a part-time job as Lab assistant at the Univ. now – that is what she did in Cambridge. She took a job packing in a laundry for a week 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with 1/2 hr. for lunch! It was good pay but she was nearly dead! I am still hoping for my typing job & go for a test next Friday- oo-er!

Do you remember my telling you about going to Toledo & to the Atkinsons etc. etc.? Well, we have been all muddled up. I suggested 3rd June or 10th to Mrs. A. & arranged to go to Til & Lois on 27th May. However, Mrs. A. couldn’t manage 3rd, as it was a big Masonic “do” & as schools finish on 9th, she found everyone would be going away or gone by the 10th, so finally we all decided to postpone it till the fall! Then we phoned Til & said we’d go to them for the weekend of the 3rd as that suited them better, as Lois finished at the Airport on 31st May, so would be freer. After that was all arranged Cec discovered that he had to invigilate his students’ Physics Exam on Sat. morning, so now instead of going on Friday afternoon Til & Lois are coming to collect us on Sat. afternoon & Cec is taking along his papers to mark! Til & Lois leave for Alabama on 10th & will spend most of the summer there, so we won’t see them again for a few months.

We are sitting waiting for them to arrive now, so I will stop & write you more on Mon. when I get back. We are taking down the presents to them that I got in Cambridge as this is the 1st time we’ve been down since our trunks arrived! By the way, how did everyone like your presents? Tell me!

We had another letter from you today (Sat 3rd) written last Mon. so I am scrambling to get this off as I feel guilty! Thank you heaps for yours –

With lots and lots of love

from

Cyn

[Cec’s Handwriting]

Dear Mom,

Cyn has left me more space than usual! I’ve got my exams to mark, grades to do & then I’ll be free to work for a few months.

I was a bad boy last week. I went back with one of the other boys to the lab in the evening, started an experiment we couldn’t leave & got home at 7 a.m. Poor Cyn was frantic but she should have gone to bed & slept. She’ll know next time. (I hope.) She was a good girl not to tell you. Bye for now. Stay sober!

Lots of love Cec.

Cyn’s favourite sweet from St.Vincent was called, in the family, Burny Sugar Cake, because it was- is- a cake of crystallized sugar flavoured with ginger and so ‘burned’ fiercely. I shared her fondness for this, (along with chocolate milkshakes) but unfortunately the only time I tried to bring some back from the West Indies with me, the strands of ginger embedded in the sugar cake got mouldy- it is street candy, not commercial, and doesn’t travel well!

The cheques Cyn and Cec got as wedding presents in America are added to her wedding present list: in the previous letter, she mentioned Aunt Ettie, who gave them a cheque for $15 and the electric fan she had hoped for was bought, along with an electric alarm clock. I remember the waffle iron Cyn is looking forward to getting- a great heavy appliance that lived in a cupboard and didn’t make an appearance very often, but definitely made good waffles. Hugh’s present has not made an appearance yet, but is very generous- a Sunbeam Mixmaster that was a staple in Cyn’s kitchen and survived constant use for decades.

And speaking of money, in the account book she kept at the time- rent $80 a month, as was their monthly food and housekeeping bill- the letter mentions Cec’s suit- $31, and her dress- $5, although in June Cyn spends $20 on more clothes and Cec’s birthday present. Cec’s pay seems to be $240 a month, and in July there is a new entry: Cyn got a job, and their money situation eased a bit!

May 19 1950

I was puzzled by the difficulty Cyn was having getting a job, since I would have thought she was, even with only English credentials, capable of being a supply teacher and she would have had glowing references from the administration in Toledo, where they had offered her a job in 1947! However, my husband reminded me that she was now married- possibly in Ann Arbor women teachers had to be single? It seems very strange to me now, and my teachers in elementary school a mere 6 years later were married women, but that was Canada. (Mind you, the Catholic school board that my husband started his career at in the early 70s fired their married women teachers if they got pregnant, although that changed in his second year teaching.) However, it could be that Cyn just did not want to get involved with the uncertainties of supply teaching.

The pictures that Cyn refers to in this letter, from the Toledo visit Cyn and Cec had made, were perhaps the product of the camera that printed out the photos immediately, most of them already published with the letter describing that visit- except for the funny one included to make Carol laugh. They are printed on solid stock, and did not stick in the scrapbook like the other photos!

[This letter is typed on onionskin paper in red, very hard to read.]

May 19, 1950.

Dearest Mummy,

I am practising my typing, so thought I would see how many mistakes I could make for you! Actually, Mary Dockerill told me last week that she had got a form from the University to apply for a job, so as I was in town I trotted in and asked for one too. Not only did they give me one but invited me to fill it in there and then, so I did, and handed it over, and was politely informed that if I cared to wait a few minutes their interviewer would see me. I was quite overcome at this speed, but waited and was interviewed by a nice woman who told me that they had some clerical jobs and that if I cared to work at my typing and then come in and take their test, I had a chance of getting one. So Cec got me a typing book, and every evening I have practised for an hour. This is extra as I have just finished my hour, but thought that it would help my speed and also get lots onto a few sheets so that I can send the pictures as well. I am cross about my speed because one evening I got as fast as 50 words a minute, and since then I haven’t been able to get quicker than 45. Very annoying!

The pictures I am sending are the ones I told you about when we were in Toledo last. On Wed. evening Mr. K. called me for a telephone call, and it was Til. I hadn’t heard from them since we were there last, but she was ringing to say they had been busy, but that she was coming to Ann Arbour with a friend Cecile the next evening and would call in to see us. I remember that I have the days all mixed up now- it was Mon. that Til called, and Tuesday at about 6 o’clock she arrived and stayed for about an hour while Cecile was busy in town. We had coffee as she wouldn’t have dinner, and she told us that both she and Lois have been so busy, she giving as many as seven concerts a week. She was looking very tired, and also Bill has left for Panama now and I think she would probably be upset with that. Jan is to follow him later. They finish school on June 9, and are going down to Alabama straight away, so we are going down next weekend to see them, as they will be away all summer. Cec has been very busy as I told you, but on Wed. he gave his paper to the Group and seemed to feel quite pleased with the way things went. Anyway, it is over now, so he has a little breathing space and we thought we would go to Toledo while we had the chance. The Atkinsons you know, have been asking and asking us when we can come for a party they want to give us – a sort of welcome back for me, I gather, and of course we have been putting off and making excuses! However, I felt we couldn’t do that forever, so I wrote and said how busy Cec had been and that he was still so busy that we felt we couldn’t get away for a whole weekend, but would love to come through for a day, and suggested two Saturdays, whichever suited them. So far I haven’t heard, but I told Til to keep it dark that we were coming to stay with them! Oh dear, isn’t it difficult!

With Cec being so busy, and my typing activities we have done very little since I last wrote. At the weekend I went and babysat with the Sutherland girls on Sat. evening, and then when Dr. and Mrs. S. came back they insisted on collecting Cec and bringing him over for a cup of tea, and we had quite a gossip and a lot of fun.

[Switch to typing in black ink.] deRe Mom, just a few lines too show you that I can tipe as good as your dotter, but it is harder two spell. lots of LOVE cEc. [Back to red ink, with reference to O. Douglas, ‘The Setons’] Fish lawffed! And me too! My chubby hubby had a lot of fun doing that! On Sunday we celebrated by going to the Drug Store and having a chocolate milk shake, which is practically my favourite amusement! No wonder I am still spreading. I tried on my summer dresses this week and I am now a sad woman – I have proof of what I suspected! My pink and black is too tight to do more than bust over my bust, and my tussore is tight over the ‘ips. The latter I am going to try and let out but the other one is beyond hope. I asked Mrs. S. whether she thought Anne could wear my things and so she is going to try them and see, because the pale turquoise one with the buttons is very short now and also my blue corduroy suit is short and tight, so if she can wear my things she might as well have them. Really, I have had all those things three and four years now so it isn’t too bad. Cec is mad because the trousers he got in France last year and also the ones he got the year before are not only tight around the waist but have shrunk at the cleaners so we are making up a parcel and sending them all to his young brother!

What do you think? Yesterday morning we had a card and check from Marie and Sam Dorman! The card was “A little late for your wedding” and Marie wrote on the back that she had waited till we came over here and had just got our address, and as she didn’t know what we would like she was sending us a cheque. It is for $15 which seems a huge sum to us at the moment and we are so excited about spending it! We are going to town tomorrow to see what we can get and we are rather hankering after a waffle iron if we could get one!

I had a note from Auntie Ettie asking us what we would like and we thought of asking her for a fan as it would be a blessing here in the summer. Another thing we could do with is a clock as the only one we have is my little travelling clock which isn’t very good – Cec’s alarm clock we left beside the bed in Cambridge and Joan has it. I had a letter from Joan not long ago and she is getting quite het up about the wedding now. She was describing her dress to me – it is white lace with a stiff organdie petticoat to make the skirt stand out and sounds very pretty, but Joan says she thinks she’ll look like a tea cozy! She is getting married at Chesterton too, but isn’t having any bridesmaids. They have a nice little cottage in Royston, and are trying to get the one next door so that they can knock the two into one and so make it bigger.

Last night we went to the pictures for the first time for ages. I met Cec after work in town and we had a cup of coffee at a drug store and a hamburger, and then went to see Olivia de Havilland and Ralph Richardson in “The Heiress”. It was very well acted but kind of miserable, but there was another silly picture with Robert Young which was funny. We then walked home and had a huge supper of eggs and bacon and chips!

Looking back I see that I began to tell you about the pictures and then forgot to go any further. Well, Til brought them and now that we see them in the cold light of day we don’t think they are very good, but they are funny anyway. We are sending you the best ones and hope they’ll make you laugh – the Piano Virtuoso will I know!

Remember Pam Holbrow who is now out in Bermuda? I had a letter from her the other day, very tickled to know I’m married and in the U.S. again. She is staying in Bermuda for another year and hopes to take a trip down to Jamaica this summer – she had wanted to make a trip to St. V. etc. on the Lady boats but it was too expensive. Have we any relatives or anyone she could see in Jamaica? I told her we had relatives everywhere but can’t think of a soul in Jamaica!

Must stop now before I go onto another page – hope you and Auntie Moo are having fun! I’m looking forward to hearing from you next week, then will answer both your letters.

Love to Auntie Moo and lots and lots for you

from your

Cynnie & Cece.

May 11 1950

The Campus of The University of Michigan, 1950.

4th May. 1950.

Dearest Mummy,

Cec and I were so delighted to get your lovely long letter on Monday, and to hear all your news. We hadn’t had a letter for over 2 weeks, and I thought you would probably be having a very giddy social whirl, but never thought that there would be an A.M. only every fortnight. By the way, when the postman brought your’s & A. Moo’s letters he rang the bell & asked for the stamps, so we had quite a chat! Also this week (yesterday) your earrings arrived from Basil & thank you very, very much for them – they are sweet, & I wore them today to the Physics Wives Tea & Cec thought they looked lovely. I didn’t have to pay any duty or anything- wasn’t that nice? I finally got a little parcel off to you last week, & must be psychic as I sent a cotton dress as you requested in your letter, & also cheap as you requested!! However, as A. Moo says about her material, no one else will have one like it! I am so glad that A. Moo liked the material – please thank her for her letter to me.

Since I sent you my huge long letter last week we haven’t done anything much at all, so there isn’t any exciting news. On Sat. afternoon Mrs. Sutherland was going to a Concert & had an extra ticket given to her, so took me along. It was the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra playing, & a “Youth Chorus” singing, & Kirsten was in the Chorus. There was also a man singing, Jan Pierce, who was very good, so it was a nice concert. The Sunday was Mrs. S.’s birthday, but some cousins of hers were coming to see them that day, so as a small celebration she asked us & the Dockrills to a spaghetti supper on Sat. evening & we had a nice time. Cec & I took her some red roses & a funny birthday card about washing dishes & she seemed very pleased.

It suddenly got terribly hot last week & the temp. rose over 20° in one day, so everyone was wilting, but over the weekend there were gales & storms, & now it is cool again. However, all the trees are in bud now & the grass is lovely & green so everything looks more cheerful.

Cec has been working very hard as he had a paper to give the Faculty at a meeting last week & he has another one to give to another group next week, so he is toiling away. I had Mary Dockrill to tea on Tues. & on Wed. we met in town & went to the Library together & had a milk shake!

Mrs. Sutherland has lent us an old bookcase they aren’t using, so Cec has been putting it together & we are going to clean it & sand it & paint it & it will make a big difference to our room. When it is done, I will take some pictures! I have been busy lining shelves & washing china & now have all my kitchen cupboards looking beeootiful! Cec has hung up our pictures & we are so pleased to have all our things again.

I must stop now, but will answer your letter later & send the reply by sea, let me know how long air and sea letters take, will you? My love to A. Moo & Jean & the other girls. Cec sends love to you, with lots and lots from

Cyn

P.S. This is a horrid letter, but I have been ironing & feel fair wore out!!