Sunday, 4 March 2018
From Bergville 24.12.1997
From Bergville
24.12.1997
Dear Lorna,
As usual, I am late with my Christmas cards, but I still try
to get them posted before Christmas day. This is just an update on our news for
the past year.
Jim is still in the hotel, we had some ups and downs lately,
but we are very busy this Christmas and hope that things will look up in the
New Year.
Tam-lyn went to the UK at the end of May and came back for
Christmas, but while she was there went for job interviews for a job as an Air
Hostess with British Airways. We heard last week that she had been accepted,
and so is going back to London in the middle of January to start her training
on the 29th January.
Regan left boarding school this year and started at the
Technical College at Ladysmith, which is very convenient because he stays at
home with me. He is very keen on his electric guitar, and plays “heavy metal”
day and night. He has a group of friends who come around and play with them.
It’s quite nice having a house full of young kids, but the coffee consumption
is enormous (this means that we seem to wash coffee mugs all day long).
Tara goes to school near us in Ladysmith and she has her own
circle of friends and generally does well in all her subjects (without much
effort). She still has three years to go at High School.
I have passed all my exams for this year, (I have gone
backwards, and I am now doing a two-year Postgraduate Pre-primary Teacher’s
Diploma). It is useful, because we are
opening a training pre-primary school at the College as we are offering a Preprimary
Teacher’s Training Course and I am involved with it.
I am also very busy running a Further Diploma in Music for
qualified teachers to upgrade, and,
apart from my official job, I have initiated an arts department at a local
school for black students and an annual Arts Festival for the youth in the
Ladysmith region which is scheduled for the end of May.
We don’t play very much bridge but I joined “Toastmasters”
this year and have done my first three graded speeches.
I sold the flat and bought a house (trying to upgrade before
our retirement) and we moved in last week.
We haven’t stayed in it yet because we are at Bergville on school
holidays. It is a big old house that needs a bit of work, but it suits us.
As for the rest of the family, we still have the dogs, cat,
birds and ducks (which annoy Jim, because they keep coming into the house and
leaving presents on the carpet for us), and although our donkeys went to live
on a nearby farm, we see them regularly and they had a baby early this year.
That’s a brief 1997 history of the Collighans, so Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us,
Jenny
From Merrivale 26.1.1997
From Merrivale
26.1.1997
Dear Alan, Lorna & Girls,
Thank you all for the money which arrived on Friday. My
first thought was to bank it, but Dad said we must buy a vacuum cleaner as I
haven’t got one & I have to beg, borrow or steal one whenever I need one,
so we will look around for a bargain, which you can always pick up when you are
not in a hurry & have cash in hand.
The garden has kept me so busy I can’t believe the fruit
& vegetables we have had. I have made at least 72 bottles of jam & have
over 50 packets of frozen peaches in the deep freezes. We have been inundated
with baby marrows & we have had celery, potatoes, beans, butternut,
broccoli $ cauliflower. I also dry all my own herbs in the microwave (ours is
just about on its way out after 15 years of good service).
We had a wonderful week in Ballito with the Besters, when we
go away with them Matthew is my boss& has nothing to do with Debbie &
Lionel. Neal & kids were also at Ballito & one night we had a fire on
the beach with marshmallows & marie biscuits then the kids went off on a
crab catching competition & caught 27 crabs. The fishermen hit into a shoal
of milk sharks & we saw them catch at least 20 they let most of them go,
but kept a few for eating.
We have had a wonderful summer with very very hot
Days in the mid 30’s then every afternoon a lovely thunderstorm, so
of course everything is growing like mad. Poor old Elliot can’t keep up with
the mowing. Tomorrow week we are meeting the Hayes at Debbie’s caravan for 3
days & nights then the Hayes will come here for a few days. We will go the
hotel for supper one night & see the Collighans.
Wesley has been here for the
weekend as he was playing cricket yesterday.
Peggy Page (Pike) now lives
in New Zealand.
Went to Greys last week
& the sisters there want to know when we are getting any cuttings of the
paralympics they call Melissa the Grey’s baby.
Must close now. Tons of love
to you all, XXXXXXXX
Dad,
Mum & family XXXXXXXX
Friday, 2 March 2018
From Merrivale 27.10.1996
From Merrivale
27.10.1996
Dear Alan, Lorna & Girls,
At long last I have found some time to sit down & write
to you all. We had a lovely 8 days with the Hayes, it rained nearly every day,
but we managed a swim most days & I played scrabble the rest of the time.
it has rained here on & off for the whole month it is really lovely & the dam is full & the tank
overflowing. I have filled the swimming pool & we have been swimming
everyday.
Jenny & family came for the weekend. We all went to Fay’s ballet concert on Saturday
night at the Hilton College Theatre. Ronald les & family also came & it
poured with rain the whole evening 43 mm of rain. Clinton & Byron were
going to amp at the dam for the night but as soon as the rain began Ronald had
to go down with the tractor & trailer & bring back 2 loads of junk
which thy had carted down to the dam.
the Besters have been here everyday swimming, but the kids
have all had tonsillitis in turns today was Nicky’s day & Debbie bought him
over to swim as he was boiling hot. I think there is some furniture polish on
this paper that’s why its not taking in parts. Neal has spent the whole day
here fixing up a small motor bike for the boys. Byron didn’t want to go to
Durban, so spent the weekend here.
Daddy has a huge carbuncle on the back of his neck & the
muck keeps pouring out. I am still painting mad I have now painted all the
gates from paint from Uncle Stan.
Hope you can read this my wrist is playing up.
Tons of
love to you all XXXXXXXXXXX
Dad,
Mum & family XXXXXXXXXXXXX
From Merrivale 20.9.1996
From Merrivale
20.9.1996
Dear Alan, Lorna & Girls,
You must all be very proud of Melissa & glad that she is
home safe & sound, we are looking forward to getting the video & seeing
some of the newspaper clippings.
We’re having a mixture of weather first hot berg winds &
the temperatures in the high 30’s, then yesterday had frost. The whole world is
looking lovely, but we are desperate for rain. I have planted lots of seeds so
hope to have a nice garden soon. The front is too beautiful with the hedge of
banksia & dog roses in full bloom & other plants in bloom too.
We are going to Durban tomorrow as its Sheila’s birthday on Sunday,
will come home Sunday afternoon as daddy is still working out at Neals. I think
it is getting too much for Daddy , as he & Neal have been building this
cottage on a neighbours farm & they can’t seem to get any labour so have to
mix & carry the dagga themselves & they have been at it for over 2
months& Dad has been staying at Neals & has come home this afternoon
really fed up as Vanessa has taken a job in P.M.Burg so has to take the truck
everyday & Neal has to fetch & carry the boys in our Kombi & we
can’t see how she is making any money
when she has to travel over 100 kms per day & it inconveniences Neal when
he is trying to make some money too. Jenny
has just popped in on her way to pick up Regan from hostel. All’s well there.
Debbie, Lionel, Fay & Matthew went to Itali Game Reserve
on Wednesday & left Jonathon & Nicholas with me & I took them out
to Neal’s for the night & they really enjoyed themselves.
I am busy sewing as I want to take a stall at Laddsworth
fete. We made over R14, 000 at the church fete.
Must close now, tons of love to each one of you,
Dad,
Mum & family XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
From Merrivale 13.7.1996
From Merrivale
13.7.1996
Dear Alan, Lorna & Girls,
Just a hurried note to say thank you all very much on
Daddy’s behalf for his lovely Telefunken CD player & he is very pleased
with it.
We went to visit friends of the Hayes. They were looking
after their niece’s dairy farm at Kamberg with their sister Natalie, well they
had to go home on Saturday as little Natalie was expecting her 2nd
child , so we decided to spend an extra night with big Natalie as she was going
to be on her own. Well we woke up Sunday morning there was snow for as far as
the eye could see & we were snowed in.
That night the power failed & next day we had no water or telephone
, so we were having to melt snow to get drinking 7 cooking water & having
to cook over the lounge fire & we had to stay put until the snow started to
melt & the lights came back on Thursday. The mountains are still covered in
thick snow & it has been bitterly cold.
The hotel was snowed in & they had to feed 90 people on
Sunday & had people sleeping on the lounge floor. It was the worst snow in
30 years & quite a few people died in their cars when they were stranded on
Van Reenen’s Pass, all the roads in & out of Natal were closed.
We were supposed to pick the Besters up at the airport, but couldn’t,
so when someone came to our rescue I got a message through on their cellular
phone.
I am still very busy & just don’t seem to get on top of
everything & now I think we will have to go & stay at Neals for a while
as he & Daddy are building a cottage for one of Neals neighbours then we
want to build ourselves a little 2 bedroom stone cottage out there as well as
Ronald keeps talking about selling up, but I can’t ever see him selling this
place.
Its my day to have Elliot so I spend most of Monday in the
garden with him. I’ve also done a lot of washing, which fortunately has dried.
Well no more space or time.
Tons of love to you all & thanks a million for the
lovely photos.
Dad, Mum & family XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
From Merrivale 26.5.1996
From Merrivale
26.5.1996
Dear Alan, Lorna & Girls,
Decided I had better sit down & write tonight as I think
we are off to Durban next week to get aay from the cold. The Drakensburg is
covered in snow today & its freezing. We had over 1000 mm of rain last week
– the passage was flooded & the dam overflowed.
Nicky had a party yesterday & it was wet & cold
& about 20 wet kids running in & out of Debbie’s house & today
Jonathon had a party & I went over & helped Debbie to feed all the
hungry mouths at lunch time. Regan was there for the weekend then Tam-lyn &
a crowd of friends arrived for a quick visit.
I have quite a few orders for track suits, tops &
blanket coats & I want to get them done before I go to Durbs, but tomorrow
we are going to Neal & Vanessa’s for Byron’s birthday & will spend a
few days there then back on Wednesday as friends of mine want to go to Debbie’s
to see the garden, the atrium is really lovely & the garden is very
colorful still & the azaleas are all out in bloom again. Fay is doing a
project on a famous person tomorrow & has chosen to do Melissa. Congratulations Melissa on making the
Olympics team hope you get at least 1 gold.
Ronald’s not been well so has taken a week’s leave &
they are going away for a few days. Ronald too hard & is very conscientious
& has a very responsible job & is called out all hours of the night to
keep the factory running. I think their factory is the biggest carpet
manufacturer in South Africa. Jimmy was having big troubles in the hotel &
thought he would have to sell, but everything has been sorted out & he is
very busy with a lot of tourists booked in for later in the year.
We are giving Dad a surprise birthday party at Sheila’s its
quite a bind having to take everything to Durban & to try & keep
everything from Dad, there is going to be a big crowd it will be an all day
affair with a family lunch, with all the Thomes , Kennards & Smiths.
Must close now I’ve got a thumping headache & can’t wait
to climb into a nice warm bed. Tons of love to everyone from,
Dad, Mum & family
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
From Merrivale 9.5.1996
From Merrivale
9.5.1996
Dear Alan, Lorna & Girls,
Where does all the time go? It’s now 9am & I have done
nothing & I have so much to do. Daddy & Neal are over at Debbie’s
installing a dishwasher for her I didn’t go over as I am looking after Nicky
& Matthew this afternoon while Debbie has her hair permed. Matthew is so
cute & so outgoing, leaves Debbie & will go anywhere with anyone. He
loves to dress up & always wears a hat & shoes & socks. I really
enjoy looking after him & Nicky, we will have to go to the dam, see the
chickens & Lesley & Ronald’s beautiful birds & goldfish &
Matthew will try & catch a goldfish by knocking it over the head with his
fishing rod.
We have had lovely rain & it’s a beautiful autumn day we
have today warm & sunny 25. I love autumn it really is my favourite time of
the year I loved the autumn we spent in Australia with the beautiful colors of
the trees especially around Bright.
I met Dr Parkes at greys on Friday & he was so pleased
to see me & to find out all about Melissa, he says he uses Melissa as an
example to his other patients & was telling someone about her the day
before we met, so I asked him if he would like one of the newspaper clippings
of her & was so thrilled when I gave him one – he always asks after you.
I think Sherry is going to get married at the end of September
now. I told her this morning she must make it 7th October as we are
going to the Cape for September, then Daddy goes back into hospital on 10th October
for a check-up. Jyan has a flat in Merrivale & they are busy furnishing it.
I like Jyan very much & just hope they will be very happy. Thought about
Melissa yesterday on her 17th birthday. Hope she had a lovely day.
is she in paralympics in Atlanta this year? Haven’t heard from for ages. Must
close.
Tons
of love from XXXXXXXX
Dad,
Mum & family XXXXXXX
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