Tag: Football

September 15 1969

I have the nicest brother.

Brief review to put this letter in context: Linda has just been deposited at university and is feeling homesick although enjoying herself too; Charlie has just started Grade 13 and is involved with coaching a young kid’s football team; Cec (Dad) is away at conferences in Australia and Japan; and Cyn (Mom) has been getting the church’s Nursery School off to a new year, and fixing up the house, which involved Charlie in painting outdoor nursery school furniture and indoor walls and ceilings in his spare time.

15 Sept., 1969
49 Cedar Rd,
Ottawa 9, Ont.

Dear Lindy,
I have just finished reading your letter. First of all, I will dismiss the subject of the football game against Jim in one line.
Next – things around here have been pretty quiet with the exception of Saturday. That is one of the worst days that I can remember.
We had a football practice in the morning, which was exasperating. I had planned to listen to the football game on the radio (Toronto at Ottawa) while painting Mom & Dad’s room. However, I couldn’t find brushes, the roller, or the pan for the roller. Mummy & I chased around the parish for them, but couldn’t find them – we finally borrowed a roller & pan from the Greenwells.
The game was a close one, and gave me several heart attacks while painting the room. There were only a couple of minutes left in the game & Ottawa was winning by 6 points; I was rolling the ceiling – then suddenly I stopped rolling the ceiling, because I had just knocked the pan for the roller full of paint off the top of the headboard and upside down onto the floor. I screeched and Mummy came running, and she began to clean it up. She had her back to me. Then Toronto threw a long pass, got a touchdown (6 points) and it was a tie game. Then they try for the convert (1 point) which would put them in the lead. The convert was good, and I put my fist through the bedroom wall. I was extremely displeased. Mummy didn’t see the hole – she thought I had just hit the wall. I said “I’m going down to the Church to get the polyfilla.” (I had been using it on the slide.) Mummy didn’t know why I wanted polyfilla, but I stormed off to the Church, and she kept mopping up the paint. When I left, there was still 90 sec. left in the football game.
By the time I got back from the church (with polyfilla) Mummy had finished clearing up the paint, seen the hole in the wall, recovered, and told me when I walked in that Ottawa had won the football game (they kicked a field goal [3 points] in the last second of the game). This time I restrained myself because, even if I hadn’t heard it, Ottawa did win.
Murray came over that night, and by the time I went to bed I was 1/2 way to feeling human again. The hole is now patched & waiting to be painted.
Laura & the Greenwells have asked me if “Linda has settled in” about 5 times already, and Maureen about 2 times. I haven’t seen any of your other friends except Joey & I didn’t say anything to her as I was in a hurry.

I hope your day hasn’t been as bad as mine has – hope your profs are O.K. I have to do my homework now, I’ll be hearing from you.
Love
Charlie

P.S. Roller & pan turned up – we had roller & think the Grahams had the pan.

October 4 1969

49 Cedar Rd.,
Ottawa 9. Ont.
October 4, 1969
11:30 P.M.

Dear Lindy,
Hi! (What a great opening). Sorry I haven’t written you more often, but I have been quite busy. Each teacher seems to think we have no other homework to do except their own.
My football team (& Alan’s) plays Blackburn Hamlet tomorrow. If we can’t beat them, we are hopeless.
In my first letter, I outlined the busy Saturday I had when the Argos were playing the Roughriders here (remember?). Well, this day it was the exact opposite- it was great! And you might have guessed, it centres around another football game. I haven’t got anything else in particular to tell you about, so I might as well bore you with today’s events.

I’m doubting Charlie paid this much for his tickets!

Hamilton played the Roughriders here today. I asked Chrystal to the game & she said she’d love to come. After football practice in the morning, I had a quick lunch & set off by bus at 11:45. I arrived at about 1 p.m. (game begins at 2). Chrystal wasn’t ready yet so I met her grandmother (from Victoria) and talked with Lee & Mr. Morris. Lee is in grade 9 & she isn’t finding it too hard. Mr. Morris is being paid by the Navy to take a 2-year course at Carleton & he is finding it quite hard. He said he is taking a course in statistics (probability etc.). & was getting a bit lost. I told him our Math B teacher had just succeeded in losing most of our class (but not ME) in combinations and permutations.
Then Chrystal appeared and we walked from her house down to Lansdowne Park (her idea). It was a good game & we both enjoyed it (Ottawa won 28 – 20). Then we walked back to her house (her idea again, I didn’t mind) & Mrs. Morris invited me to stay for dinner. I said I’d like to & phoned Mummy & she said it was O.K. with her & so I stayed. Then I found out it was Mr. Morris’s birthday. Well, Chrystal went upstairs to get changed & I went & sat in the living room & Mr. Morris came in & said “Did you say that you hadn’t taken combinations and permutations yet?” & I said no, we’d just finished them. (I hope you’re still with me.)
He then said “Maybe you can help me. It’s 9 years since I took the stuff & I have forgotten some of it & I am stuck.” Lee said “Och Daddy, you can’t! “& he said sure I can & we pulled up chairs and went about solving this problem in his book that he didn’t understand. Chrystal came down & seemed rather surprised but didn’t seem to mind. We were interrupted by dinner & it was nice (roast lamb) & everyone was nice & relaxed. After dinner we picked up where we had left off & in a little while I had given him a crash course in comb. &. perm., but it was fun because he had once known it & it was sort of a review after a 9- year holiday for him. (If you don’t get this letter before you come home I’ll be really peeved). However he seemed much happier after we finished & said he understood & that he thought that he was back on the track & would be OK now.
Then Mr. Morris & Mrs. Morris & Mrs. Morris senior (Chrystal’s grandmother) were going to Connaught Raceway in Hull & were going to be late. Chrystal and & Lee weren’t invited. Mr. Morris said that he could drop me within a few blocks of my house on their way or I could stay for a while with Chrystal & Lee & go home by bus. Guess what I said. I figured that my home wasn’t really on the way to Hull [very true] so I said that I’d stay. After a great run-around, they left, but not before Mr. Morris had said to Chrystal & Lee “Charlie is your guest & I don’t want you two to start arguing”. (It’s midnight now).
Before I left, they had had at least 3 arguments, & I found it quite entertaining. After watching the Beverly Hillbillies (I do hope you can read this) I said I’d better go (it was about 7:30). We went outside & talked for a while.
BEFORE going on, I’d better fill you in on a little background. The grade 13’s have rented a part of the Skyline Hotel for a commencement dance (I haven’t found out yet if last year’s students are invited) on November 22 (it’s semi formal for boys, formal for girls). So much for background.
I asked her if she’d like to go & she said gee, she’d love to, but she didn’t know if her dad would let her. So I’m hoping. Then I came home & watched Julius Caesar on T.V.
So it was a good day. Other astonishing facts which I found interesting & you probably won’t. 1. Russ Jackson set a new record today for the number of touchdown passes thrown in a career.
2. Crystal’s grandmother (from Victoria) calls her (Chrystal) Diane (2nd name) because she thinks Chrystal is a far too ‘commercial’ name (you know, in Victoria there is Crystal Everything – Crystal fountains, gardens etc. & WE stayed in the Crystal Palace Hotel.). (She (Chrystal) hates it, Diane, I mean.)
3. I got charged the adult fare on the bus because I had been issued the wrong coloured students card & I was mad & had a minor (very minor) row with the bus driver. (This was before I got to Chrystal’s place.)
So it was a good day, all in all. You might have guessed I wrote you this letter because I wasn’t tired & didn’t feel like going to sleep. Well it’s 12:40 am & now I do. I have to do the 8:30 service tomorrow, so I had better go. See you soon,
Love
Charlie
P.S. Have added in red after reading it over. Hope it is legible, don’t tell me if it isn’t. Hope it doesn’t bore you too much – it was fun writing it. C2.