18 November 1958
 
My dear Len and Margaret
 
This is Tuesday evening but I must make a start on my writing. There will be no writing done tomorrow unless it’s in the morning. At this stage of my letter the phone rang. Roselle answered it, it was Flo Agnes. I think I had told you that they were coming to tea tomorrow, well the phone message was to say that Reg is down with ‘Flu’. Flo is just now getting over it, though she said she would have been well enough to come but today Reg is down with it. So now perhaps it doesn’t so much matter if this letter is not finished today, but then I will try to advance it as much as I can, so you don’t get disappointed on Saturday.
 
We have been having a few days of what they call a ‘St Martins summer’, beautiful sunshine. I don’t know how long it’s going to last, though at this time of year it’s doubtful if it will last for many more days. Still this little spell has been very enjoyable for all.
 
We haven’t been out for our usual Tuesday drive today. Arthur wanted the car. Kay and Margaret came here for afternoon tea instead. Effie phoned a few minutes ago to ask if we would like to go to them for tea on Sunday. We said we could not go on Sunday, well we don’t like going out on Sundays. I now think we have done a mistake in not going on Sunday because we have to phone them to tell them if we can go on the 7 Dec. So you see if we had gone on Sunday it would have been quicker over, but there it is we are not very sensible in doing these things.
 
Arthur is going away on Saturday. Roselle will be going to stay with Kay the time Arthur will be away. I think he will come back on the Thursday. It would not be very nice for Kay to be alone at night, Roselle will be company for her, not that Rose is really a great company because she always imagines that she hears queer things. I hope she doesn’t get Kay nervous.
 
I’m just enjoying a piece of nut toffee. I have given a piece to Father, I guess he will soon say that the toffee is stuck to his teeth, he may not notice it if he does, because he is quite interested watching TV so the toffee will disappear without him noticing it.
 
Who do you think is declaring himself as Centenier for St Helier, it appears on the EP this evening. Well it’s Rodney Mesny. Well this is the last straw for the Police of St Helier. I don’t know if anyone else will come forward. I’m not surprised that no one with dignity and personality wants to have anything to do with St Helier Police. This does not look very nice for St Helier’s parish, something must be wrong somewhere.
 
On Saturday Dad, myself, Margaret and Charles will be spending the evening at Doreen’s. Kay and Roselle are also invited but Arthur being away, Kay does not like the idea of going out in the evening. She would not feel very happy to get back in the house late, they will not come.
Doreen and her family will be going to Kay on Sunday for the day. We were asked but we are not going. So you see there is two invitations we have declined to go to on Sunday. All being well we will have a quiet day. If it is fine we may go to church in the evening and I guess Margaret and Charles will come for a couple of hours.
 
Last Thursday Roselle phoned Barbara to know how Aunty Flo was. She was having a bad week, she had a change for the worse, she was not eating and the liquid she was taking comes back. She is also in pain, she has now turned yellow, I don’t think there is much hope for her now. The doctor told Barbara that her mother had lived much longer than he had expected her to live. It seems as if anything could happen at any time now, but as I say with Aunty Flo one never knows, she has such a great courage and determination to live. She may yet struggle for some time but between us now that she is not taking food and is suffering it would be a blessing if she was taken and be at rest and free from pain. It must be terrible for her family to see their dear mother in pain. Roselle will probably phone again on Sunday.
 
Our new Lieut Governor and his good lady arrived in the island on Saturday. He was sworn in at the Royal Court on that morning. Crowds were in the Square and also on the pier for the great arrival. Dad was in town, he didn’t bother to see the Lieut Governor although most of his friends were there according to the pictures on the paper. He seems to have a hard face, of course you can’t go by pictures.
 
We don’t hear anything from the Fs, but it seems that the old people and the young people don’t visit each other, we don’t think things between them are too good.
 
The Jersey Mutual dinner[1] takes place on 2 December. Dad as you will know is hoping to go, he has not had his invite yet. The dinner is to be held at the Demi-de-Pas Hotel. I will enclose the annual Report so you can see how the business is flourishing. I will stop for today as it is now 9:30. I will get the coffee ready and then to bed soon and sleep.
 
Now Wednesday evening. Many thanks for the nice letter we received today. We are very sorry that you are all having colds. Where have you all caught your colds? Is your house draughty? We hope by now that you are all getting better, there are lots of people with colds.
 
I notice that Len is still on about my wedding hat. I admit it did not come out very well on the photo, neither did I come out very well, it just happened that way.
 
We notice also that Len can’t digest the red paint on our house. Well I don’t think the name will be put on in red paint, because we have to put it on the centre of the houses, that is half on Miss Le Sueur, our next door neighbour and half on ours. I guess it will have to be put in black, we have not found anyone to do it yet. We hope that both of you will be able to see the house before the paint has lost its brightness.
 
Thanks for explaining the little stretch of sea to the Isle of Skye, that settles our discussion. By what Len says it’s really a very lonely journey going to the North where you went for a fortnight. You are very keen on your work, if it was not so, I feel sure you would not like to go out North again. If you don’t get on in your work Len, I can see it will not be your fault because you are certainly a pusher. I hope the Alliance know the value of your services, but at the same time don’t overwork yourself, you must look after your health, do your work in an easy way. We are pleased that your travels are reaping the business, this is very encouraging for you. Have you got pictures in your office window yet?
 
Len said on the letter that Margaret had looked over it when you had finished and that she thought we would have some trouble to read every word. Well I do find your writing a little difficult at times, but Father always reads it out to me first, then I read it afterwards. In this way I find it easier. Roselle has no difficulty, I am the worst one, but so long as we get a letter we don’t mind the writing.
 
I told you somewhere on this letter that Rodney Mesny would be standing for the vacant Centeniership, I must now alter this. On the EP of this evening and in the late news, it says that Rodney would not be standing. This is on the advice of the doctor, this may be right, but I don’t know. Anyway there is no other candidate at the moment and the nomination meeting takes place on Friday. It seems to me that no capable persons want anything to do with St Heliers Police. It seems to me that the Police is too much of a mixture which may be the reason.
 
Father had another gentleman today to inquire about his plot. He came this AM to see about it. I told him Father was not in, that he would be in this afternoon. I was rather curious to know who he was. He is quite a refined man. I asked him if I could give Father his name. Grant he said, so this afternoon he arrived. He had his blonde wife with him. Father asked him if he wanted to see where the plot was. He said he would be very pleased, so there and then Father went with them to see the plot. Of course Father told him that he could not tell him anything until after the 1stDecember when Mr Coutanche is back. I think he comes back on Sunday. This Mr Grant lives at Longueville Court. Father does not know what he does, he thinks he has something to do with the States and the airport. Father told him that he is not sure if they would allow him to build there, the man said he thought they would do it for him. He must be well up in some work or other. I have an idea that he is an Englishman.
 
Lily and John Richardson came in this afternoon. There was quite a while we had not seen them. They brought me some flowers and eight eggs, these were very welcome.
 
What kind of weather are you having? Do you all find it very cold? Does Margaret go out very much? Has she got any help in the house? Has Mrs Bartrum[2]got her baby yet? We hope you are getting over your colds and try to keep free from them.
Lots of love to you all from us three
Lovingly
Mother  xxx

 


[1]The Jersey Mutual Insurance Company of which my Dad used to be the manager and I think his father before him, still going strong.
[2] Our neighbour in Oxford that Granny met when she was having treatment at the John Radcliffe hospital when we lived there.