1 April 1958
My dear Len and Margaret
This is Tuesday eve and I’m making a start on your letter. I am not sure if it will go as usual on Friday (Good Friday). I think we will have to mail it on Thursday eve.
We have been to St Peter this afternoon, this was our second visit this year. Uncle John is about the same. The only thing he is trying to stay in bed all day. Aunty has trouble to have him to get up, it would be a bad thing if he started not to get up.
The weather has been colder today. There was a fog this morning which made it feel cold. Now that we are in April we will expect to have some nice sunny weather.
On Good Friday afternoon Kay, Arthur, Jean and little Jane will call in time for afternoon tea. Jean and Jane go back to England on Tuesday and won’t return here before they go to Canada next month.
Well now, I did not finish answering the news on your letter last week, but then I don’t really know on what I spoke, very likely I am going to say things over again, but if I do don’t take any notice.
I had to explain all about your new house[1]to Aunty Blanche. I do think by the sound of it that it is a very nice house. I am wondering if you will have a hill to go up and down each time you want to go out, also is there a shopping centre in that neighbourhood, or if you will have to go to Glasgow when Margaret wants to go shopping! Are the buses handy to take you anywhere? What about the children’s school? Is there a school where you will be living? We will know all these details later. Your rooms are of a nice size, the rooms with the bay windows should be very nice. Len will be kept busy in his spare time looking after the lawns, he won’t have time to leave them go shabby or neglect them.
Yes, it’s a great pity that the rates are so high in Scotland, having to pay £82 per year will certainly run away with some of your money, you can’t do anything about it. Of course it all depends on the condition of your house, if you have a well built house, you must expect to pay. I’m sure Margaret will be pleased to have a nice modern kitchen, with a stainless steel sink unit. Did you come across your next door neighbours to be? If so, do they appeal to Margaret? That lounge green carpet sounds a nice one, if it patterned or plain? It was better for you to buy it if you needed one, it being all nicely fitted and as you say in good order. When you are settled in this house with your furniture arranged, I’m sure you will have a very nice house and no doubt Margaret will like it once she is accustomed to the people and district.
I think it’s a pity you have to wait such a long time for the completion of your office, you say that you will have the use of a room upstairs for the time being, that will mean climbing stairs all the time, that will be tiring after a time, it will be nearly winter before you get the use of the new office which seems a pity, but there it is, you can’t change the impossible. Is this office in the centre of Glasgow? Are the children looking forward to their new home surroundings? Children as a rule like a change in moving to another place.[2]
This is Wed eve
We were very delighted to receive a very nice long newsy letter from Len at lunchtime. We are pleased at all the good news on the letter. You seemed surprised at me in thinking that Princess Margaret should marry Peter Townsend. Well I don’t really mean it in that way. What I do think is that if she intends to marry him at all, she should get on with it at once and get away from the Royal family, because she is making a proper nuisance of herself, at the same time hurting the Queen’s feelings. Margaret is a very stupid and silly girl. I have no more interest for her, at the same time I would like to know how things will end between both of them, time will tell.
Yes, I do think by what you have said that you are going to have a swanky house. The surveyor you say valued it at £7,000 for insurance purposes. He must think something of the house, because that’s a very good valuation. Yes Len, I’m sure that journey back from Scotland must have been a very tiring on and fancy returning home at midnight. Was Margaret anxious? Probably she did not know when to expect you back. Were you very cold when you got back? 360 miles is certainly a lot to do in one day, not much time to lose. That broke your journey by stopping at Mary’s (my mother’s sister in Cheadle Hulme), probably you had something to eat there.
We have noticed that you have fixed April 30th to move from Oxford. How long will it take your furniture to travel to Glasgow? You won’t be able to sleep in your new house on the 30th will you? The furniture won’t be there will it? How will Margaret and the children get there? Will any of the family go with you in the car? Would they stand driving for a whole day? That will certainly be a long day whether by car of by train. What about poor little Roselle? How will she stand it? Though she will sleep on the way, by then the weather is sure to have warmed up, which will make it easier.
We notice that your pension scheme was run by and assurance Co that is now being changed and you will be now running your own fund and your pensions are going to be stepped up, this new scheme is certainly to your advantage and all working well. When the time comes you should have a very good pension, also Margaret should anything happen to you and she was left, she certainly would receive a nice sum. You certainly can all be very pleased about this new scheme, it’s a wonderful thought that when you get old and unable to work, there is living at the end of it. We are very pleased about it all, because it’s certainly a lovely pension.
Well, well, we notice that Mrs Styler[3]has already invited herself to visit you in the summer and remain for a fortnight. She had better give you time to be well settled before she takes her fortnight with you. No doubt this will mean more work for Margaret, is the old lady at all difficult?
You are wondering if Miggie and Charles will visit you this summer. I don’t know if they intend taking holidays, I think Margaret would like to. I will show her your letter so she can see what you say about them going to Scotland. They would probably find it too far, too much travelling.
Oh yes, we know all about the kind of holiday you intend having, well a train coach sounds very nice[4]. Arthur says they are nicer than a caravan, that they are more roomy. This holiday will still run expensive, won’t it? But then it won’t be quite so expensive as staying in an hotel, so long as you don’t find it cold at night in this coach. The children should have a thrilling time in this fashion. They will have their freedom to run about as they wish. £12.10d for the week and in addition to that you have to buy 4 return tickets on the railway from Glasgow to the camping coach, it’s a pity to have to pay all this extra money on return tickets when you have your car. This is what will make your holiday expensive, you see these railway people want to make their money while the summer lasts and there is nothing you can do about it.
You seem to be very surprised at Doreen’s romance.[5]We have not spoken about it yet, we can’t say anything before the divorce is through, which I think will be at the end of this month. Yes as you say that children of that age will mean a great responsibility. I have impressed that on Doreen. She knows it, she seems to think she will be able to manage them, and to train them as she wants to do. I say it’s not always easy, it seems to me that she is undertaking a great responsibility. I’ve told her it’s only when she gets to it, that she will really understand. Of course she’s old enough to know. We can’t do anything about it. The only thing we can do is to wish them well. One thing it’s very nice to feel that we will still have Roselle with us, but again one can never tell what could happen.
You seem to think that the paper cutting from the People was all tripe, I’m surprised you had not seen it on any paper. I don’t suppose you let Mr Cohen see it, it was Father who cut it and told me to send it on.
Roselle is out for a while this evening. Nick has now arrived, he is in the kitchen with Doreen who is pressing the coats of the twins. I hope between both of them they will press them properly. It’s not an easy job.
As I read your letter I was amused that the ragman had called on Margaret at about the same time ours had called here. Poor Margaret only received 3d, half a pound loaf, whereas I received 6d the price of one pound loaf.
It remains to be seen what the weather will be for Easter, the radio has still given it cold and weather for Good Friday and Saturday uncertain. We hope you spend a pleasant Easter.
Lots of love from the family
Lovingly, Mother xxxx
[1] We were moving to Glasgow in May
[2] No idea on what basis she makes this assertion. I hated changing schools, being the outsider, etc.
[3] The Stylers were academics in Oxford and my father lodged with them before the war. They picked up the friendship when we moved to live in Oxford.
[4] Railway companies set up railway coaches in picaresque places. The one we rented was in Benderloch, near Oban, brilliant for us kids to run riot and the weather was great. Memories of a very happy week.
[5] Doreen found love with a man (Nick) with twin girls whose wife had left and gone to the UK.
