Letter from Ada to Darling One with family and parcel news

Date: 1943-06-06
Sender: Ada
Recipient: Darling One
Location: Rosemary Cottage, Granville Terrace, Bude Haven, Cornwall
Original scan: 1943-ada-to-darling-one-parcel-family-news.pdf




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Summary

Ada writes to Darling One updating on the arrival and contents of a parcel, family matters including children and their clothes, garden and home improvements, interactions with friends and relatives, weather conditions, and personal feelings about familial responsibilities and reading material.

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Transcription

ROSEMARY COTTAGE
GRANVILLE TERRACE
BUDE HAVEN
CORNWALL

June 6th - 1943.

My own Darling One

It was lovely getting your letter written on your birthday and to know that you had a happy day. All is peaceful tonight so I'll answer it now - but I expect this will be the only letter you will get this week.

I'm so glad the parcel arrived safely and that you enjoyed the contents.

Too bad you lost your May Chocolate - I wish I'd taken the confines and got it for you while you were here. You offered them to me but knowing your dislike of carrying too much stuff I thought you'd better get them in Cambridge.

We use very little bacon when you are not here - wish I'd made you take some of that too.

But I hope the parcel has helped you and now I'll be posting you another parcel at the beginning of the week as Gallaghans is bringing her rations book.
Meat is an difficulty now - but I shall change my butcher & Eastman who, they say, is very good.
Hayelo shoes came - too small of Gillian but full a year or so later. I have Gillian 11 and 13. Hayelo are 12.
I could not get that size when Gillian needed them and she got blisters with her 13 size when they were too big - Hayel has very dainty hands & feet.
The luminal tablets have come from Peeks but not the capsules yet. I've not noticed worms for some time now even after clophen.
I shall probably get Tavistock Laundry & take my things - meanwhile have caught up a lot with the things such as pillow slips, towels etc myself.
A nice letter from Sylvia - she is very faithful - wish she had come here without Anna - but it is no good coming to me for a holiday if you want to meet young men.
We went to tea at the Russells today. All Jock's boyfriends were away so he was rather at a loose end & took up with Gillian - she of course was in heaven - When we left he gave her 7 or 8 butterflies all pinned out nicely & start a collection - also a bunch of flowers from his precious patch of garden that he has fenced off to stop Pat Cooper from touching!

The swing is up and a great success Pettricks did it. They did it in the lower courtyard. A hole in the wall, the beam cemented into the hole. The above gives the idea but the steps are further away and there is plenty of room. We added about 18 inches length to the ropes with some very strong cord Pettricks had.
An iron bar holds the beam in position over the coal house - The children love it - but Gillian rather overdid it this morning - nearly made herself sick.
The wire gauze came and I've covered the mouse cage. There was some fine wire in the tool box and I fastened it to the wires as we netted in all our Myrtle Cottage garden - It reminded me so much of that - I hope the mice do not miss their freedom.

If it weren't for the cats I should have loved to let them have the run of the house.
The kittens are sweet - just beginning to play and are very pretty - three homes for all - Hearn, Patrick & Christobel.

The weather has been very cold & wet again today it has been sunshine but that cold wind from the sea - so we went inland and had a good time in the Russells garden.
I agree with you that our children are paragons compared with any others and I wouldn't swap them for anything - There is something fascinatingly lovely about Gillian tho when difficult - Oh!!! and Penna has the tenderest side to her if she thinks I'm ill.

The trouble with me is I think not so much the children as trying to look after them while my time and strength is called on so much by the house itself - Yet that is not quite it - for now this every minute I'm occupied I don't find the children get on my nerves as they did when training a maid.

It is the job of training maids who are far more interested in escaping their work than I begun to do it.

The children are being sweet now - my calls are replied with "yes mother darling" much more often than not.
Sometimes they ask me to "pretend to be Daddy" then I have to let them go "bonkety bonk".
It is you we need my darling one. I don't know how badly you need us - but we need you tremendously.
However the a fortnight was not long you did impress yourself on both children and this is a great help to me too.
It will be nice having Gallaghan here - she is always a great help here and seems to enjoy herself just fitting into our life.

She says when she goes to her own folk she gets nervous and wants to cry.
Funny how relations affect us isn't it.
I fancy they put on her too much - I mean put their responsibilities on to her too much.
She gets on very well with both the children who are very fond of her.
If the weather is fine we will spend much time on the beach.

Gillian does not seem to find the water so cold this year now does she turn blue.

Perhaps she has grown out of that phase.

Gillian throughly enjoys her music - and is starting to compose little tunes - also trying to read music and doing it very well.

I'm reading John Masefield & Iain Fraser's book - and enjoying both - tho I fall asleep almost as soon as I start reading!!!

I feel I'm falling asleep now this letter - so I'll had better close -

All my love my darling one

Your own Ada

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People mentioned

- Ada
- Darling One
- Gallaghan
- Gillian
- Hayelo
- Sylvia
- Patricia
- Anna
- Penna
- John
- Iain

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Topics

- parcel
- family news
- children
- garden
- butcher
- laundry
- health
- music
- holiday
- children's play
- weather

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Uncertain words / phrases

- Luminal tablets
- Peeks
- clophen
- Hayelo
- Pat Cooper
- Pettricks
- bonkety bonk
- Iain Fraser
- Myrtle Cottage
- Gallaghan

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Archivist notes

- Letter handwritten on headed stationery from Rosemary Cottage, Bude Haven, Cornwall.
- Date from letter body June 6th, 1943.
- Sender signs as Ada, recipient called Darling One (personal).
- Mentions parcel contents, family members, household tasks, children's health and education.
- Contains a small drawing of a swing installation.
- Some names and terms may be unusual or misspellings consistent with handwriting of the period.

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