From Vereeniging 28.9.86

From Vereeniging

28.9.86

Dear Alan,

It is freezing cold here and I am sitting in bed with the electric blanket on. After we got home from the airport, we had breakfast and then I took the girls for a walk to the river. It was so cold that eventually I couldn’t talk properly because my face was frozen. Stacey was dressed up like a little snowman and could hardly bend her arms and legs.  Jolene says that when she comes through to my room in the morning I must tell her that you have gone for a run. Kevin and Magda came around with their children. They are both quite cute. I want to go around there tomorrow and see his house.

I am quite looking forward to going back to the farm. I need my routine as much as Melissa and Jolene. Jolene also seems to be on a bit of an ego trip at the moment and it is taking me all my self-control not to give her a hiding. As soon as we get back I will sort them out because it is impossible when they are in a strange environment and with too many people around. Stacey seem to be the only one who doesn’t get affected when she is moved around. Aunty Maureen was saying that she was so good that she doesn’t even know that there is a baby in the house.

May came around and she really seems to be very nice. She was also looking nice and she and Patrick seem to be quite serious. Jolene was even feeling embarrassed because she had seen them smooching twice in the kitchen. I even heard her referring to “their house”. She asked me about Australia and was quite enthusiastic about us going which is quite a change.

Some other visitors came around, it was a young couple, and when Aunty Maureen said we were going to Australia the guy was also quite enthusiastic and said how he was thinking of emigrating but didn’t know where to go.

We went shopping with Aunty Maureen and Jolene was so badly behaved, asking Aunty Maureen for this and that until I took her to the side and threatened her with a hiding when she got home and then I realised that it was not her fault that she was asking that way because she was being encouraged and that it would be unfair to punish her. She seems to be very confused and to have lost her sense of fear.

 When we got home from the airport Melissa came straight home and wrote you a letter which is not being sent because Jolene colored in on it but she is rewriting it and Jolene will write when we get back to the farm and she has calmed down  a   bit.

It is Saturday afternoon already and all three of the girls are asleep as we are going to have a braai tonight and some friends of the Hayes are coming. I am going to start packing and getting ready to leave after breakfast tomorrow. I was hoping to post this letter today but now I will have to post it on Tuesday because I don’t want to post it at Jagersrust. They showed Rhodes on TV last night because it had been so cold here and they also had snow. Although it is still cold it has warmed up quite a bit since yesterday.

You must write to me and tell everything about Melbourne like what the weather is like and if you have seen any old friends and give me all the news about your sisters and your mom and dad and what has changed since you left and also if you are getting any news about SA.

We are all missing you lots

All my love

Lorna