From Howick 26.10.86

From Howick

26.10.86

Dear Alan,

By the time you get this letter it should only be a few days until I see you again. In some ways the time has passed quickly but in others it seems ages since I last saw you. I was just trying to think of the things that Stacey could do when you left, to see what she has learnt since she left because she is really quite alert and active. It won’t be long either before she is crawling. We have just got back from Jenny’s and we have been swimming every day there and before that we had been swimming here every day. You won’t believe how much Stacey enjoys the water, freezing and all. Melissa and Jolene are getting a bit restless now and have only just over a week at school. They both thrash around in their beds at night and talk in their sleep and they have both been getting into bed with me at night so I will be quite glad when we are all settled down again. Stacey is the only one who seems to be quite unaffected about everything. She just smiles at everyone and plays happily in her high chair or on the floor and nobody ever hears her cry. Even Jenny says that she is a very good baby.  The only thing that I have noticed about her is that when she sees a man she really seems to scrutinize the face as if she is looking for you. 

We had a good gossip session this weekend with everybody getting stuck into Ronald and Lesley. It appears as if Lesley’s shares are very low and he has been made out to be a very cunning taker. I have spoken to my mom and dad and it seems as if they would be very relieved to get out of the corner that they are in by being bound together on this farm.  It seems the only solution to the predicament would be for Ronald to sell, in which case he is bound by the agreement to give my folks half the proceeds. My mom and dad say that for that reasons alone, Lesley would never allow Ronald to sell. In the meantime, both sides are going to grow more and more bitter and you even see that my mother is not happy about the situation.  To my surprise, sherry has also been very spiteful to Melissa. I think she is jealous because Melissa gets attention and she has been invited to play with friends and go to a party. I have seen her at the bus stop whispering about Melissa to a friend of hers and luckily Melissa being dosey didn’t notice.  She also told Melissa that everybody hates Melissa and when she told me I called and asked her why she was being so nasty to Melissa who would never harm anyone. She even gets beside herself if Melissa and Jolene get anything special for lunch.

Anyway, after all the skinnering, I don’t think I’ll be sorry to be out of it.  Jenny was very pleasant this weekend, and apparently the last time my mother was there, she said that Jenny had told her that everyone must leave me alone because I had had a rough time with everyone picking on me. I must admit, everyone has been very nice to me and no one has put any pressure on me at all.  At the video shop, there is this Australian chap working there which we found out after we took the film “Picnic at Hanging Rock”. Every time that we go there he is very nice and chatty. He even has an Australian Readers Digest World Atlas and he takes it out and we look to see what is where. People still tell stories about someone they knew that went over and came straight back and I have also heard quite a lot about communism but I don’t take anything seriously. My mother keeps talking about when she comes to visit and my father keeps talking big deal and saying that he won’t  come so I said my mother must tell him it will be better if he stays because it will be cheaper.

There is this other Australian chap in Howick who owns “Aussies Recoveries” that we spoke to at the video shop. He was quite a talker and had a lot to say about the unions and so on. He was a truck driver in Australia and says that he could never go back.

Just in case you don’t get another letter from me we will be arriving at Melbourne on flight no TN 459 on 7-11-86 at 23:15. I am not looking forward to it as we are leaving Durban at 1300 on 6-11-86 which means about 26 hours in transit.

Anyway will see you soon.

Lots of love

                Lorna

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