From Merrivale 13 August 1998

From Merrivale

13 August

1998

Dear Alan, Lorna and girls,

It is freesing cold here and has been for the past few days after having days of 28 so you must know how we are feeling the cold and I can’t wait to go down to Durban tomorrow as poor old Aunty Betty died at the age of 85 years on Friday and is being cremated on Wednesday at 11am so we will go down tomorrow and come back on Thursday.

I didn’t want to move from here because we are doing so much work around the house at the moment or should I sat that Elliott and I are doing all the work Dad is really getting old and seem too sacred to tackle any big jobs on is own so I go ahead with Elliott and get things done at the moment he has just taken down the pine ceilings in Lesley’s lounge as Lesley didn’t want them anymore and they have bought them over here and they are now in my lounge waiting for Dad to put them up in either the lounge or the dining room I have just said to him I hope they won’t be in my lounge for the next hundred years.

He and Neal put in his ceiling in the new lounge in a couple of days it’s not hard work and with Elliott to help it shouldn’t take long to do I hope. I have done our bedroom out so nicely and now want to go and get new curtains as I made some money selling old ones and have also done the bathroom and now Daddy must put the old tiles back on what a job we had soaked all the tiles in the bath and then sat with the scrapper and got off all the old tile adhesive so that we could use the tiles again- you should see what my hands looked like I haven’t been able to knit for a week.  

I took Debbie’s and Lesley’s kids to the dam on Saturday – we didn’t stay long as the bad weather started to come in about lunch time but we did enjoy ourselves and Jonathon was so excited as there was a big carp swimming around but it just wouldn’t take our bait. Nicky is quite used to us now but still wants Debbie to feed him all the time and he will be as good as gold with me until he sees Debbie  then he will throw a tantrum to get to her.

Lesley’s mum goes into hospital and Hazel Lumgair is still having chemotherapy. Ronald has got a new job in P.M.Burg at Nylon spinners and will start next Tuesday I am so happy for him as I didn’t like him going down to Durban every week to that other job also it is not nice for Lesley to be on her own so much. The Collighans are all well I phoned this morning and Jimmy popped in for a few minutes last week he was don on his own getting furniture from Lionel to sell up there.

I haven’t heard from Sheila for a few days but presume they are all fine – Neal has nearly finished the lounge then he can come up and get the dining room suits he will borrow Stephen Holt’s bakkie.

Daddy took Debbie to town today I cry off as Debbie is such a ditherer so she and Dad make affine pair and I stayed and worked in the garden all morning getting ready to get all my seeds in for spring I won’t put anything in yet because if I do as soon as it come up we will get a back frost and that will good-bye to all my seedlings.

I have been doing some mending but otherwise not even much sewing been too busy sorting the house out – Debbie and kids were supposed to come for supper now Debs has just phoned to say that she hasn’t a car as Lionel is busy spray painting her ford as Debbie didn’t like the color I told her she was too fussy as it was a shitty brown and really not bad at all.

Hobart sounds lovely remember I told you about the horticulturist from Tasmania who has been staying with my friend on a rotary exchange well after leaving South Africa he went to Germany on a ski-diving trip and had an accident and is now a paraplegic. My friend was most upset as she said he was such a lovely person and so interesting and that she learnt so much about Tasmania from him. Jolene was telling me that you have oranges and lemons growing in your new house I can hardly believe it as they certainly don’t like the cold.

Well I am going to sign off now as there is a cold breeze blowing down from the roof between the lounge and the dining room where I am sitting typing and has just about frozen my head and hands off of me.

Tons of love to each of you from

XXXX   Dad, Mum & family XXXXXX