Letter to Mum about Marion and family updates

Date: unknown
Sender: Gillian
Recipient: Mum
Location: Heath House, Lyndhurst Terrace, Hampstead, N.W.3
Original scan: unknown-date-gillian-to-mum-marion-family.pdf




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Summary

Gillian writes to her mother giving updates about Marion's appearance and behavior, including her teeth and favorite activities. She recounts attending a theatre visit and a concert, discusses a brooch from Sylvia, mentions a friend’s baptism, and talks about changes in typewriters at work. She advises her mother to take care and not overwork herself.

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Transcription

Heath House
Lyndhurst Terrace
Hampstead
N.W.3
Monday 25.

Dear Mum,

Well, there's nothing like a broad hint is there?! You certainly have got the hint technique, & to prove it, here's this letter on the paper you sent! I rather wish I had gone to Lord's on Sat. But it was really rather too cold. It was bitterly cold here, so one of the girls & I went to the theatre, & saw "Guys & Dolls," which was really super.

You asked what Marion was like. Well, she's enormous for her age, looks more like 6-8 months old. She's got fairly dark skin & dark dark hair, with a bald patch at the back, touch, where she's been lying & has worn it all away! She is as good as gold, rarely squalling & she loves to lie on the floor & kick against a chair or something. On Sunday she succeeded in kicking both her booties off, quite an achievement & as yet she's got a little button of a sore, but of course it will develop a sensible shape later! (I hope!) Fiona has almost adopted Marion, & simply adores her, & must say

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they look awfully sweet together, Fiona pudding Marion in the pram.

I really must go & see more cricket soon. Each time I've said I'm going to Lord's or the Oval, something unexpected crops up to prevent me from going. It really is the absolute tedium - Saturday I really will go to the Oval to see Surrey play. It's about time I did - but that's the betting, it will rain?!

Wednesday - well I did manage to see 2 hrs of the M.C.C. Pakistan match. Yes, then minute work ended I dashed down to London & got in for the ½ hour before tea, & the 1 or 2 bit hours after tea - Miracle of miracles were there let us in free!!?! So all I had to fetch out for was the scorecard, yet another to add to my collection! It was fine & warm, but simply poured with rain in the evening, but this morning is nice & sunny & I hope it will remain that way!!

Did I tell you that on Sunday Sylvia (one of the girls here) & I are going to the Albert Hall to a concert given by Munch Gjirling, the Danish tenor. He's good, but not as good as Mario, however, he makes a fairly adequate substitute. It is rather a shame that the concert is when it is, as a

friend of mine is getting baptised at Heath St. Sunday evening, & I'd love liked to have seen the service - oh well, these things always seem to crop up at the same time, & to miss Björling's only London appearance this year, as we were very lucky indeed to be able to get tickets!

Pygmalion is on at Golders Green next week, & I'm hoping to go & see it, as it's been one of my favourites (slow plays for ages - ever since I learned on the wireless about 3 years ago, I'd love to see it done on the stage.

Most of the girls are going to see "Paint Your Wagon" at P.G. this week, I have already seen it, when it was on in the West End.

Yesterday we changed typewriters so we don't get so mad to one that we can't use another. I'm sure the one I'm on now & the original one used by Shakespeare & Walter Baines here is the noisiest one that I've ever

actually they aren't too bad, but they are a bit more antique than the ones we've seen using before! I still like typing to music, it is great fun - the only thing is that whenever I hear certain tunes I now think of the typing exercises - "the happy land" & "there's

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now = "Alphabet" & no, as we type the alphabet to it; or "La donna è mobile" now = the home rows exercise - as we have a tinny, very garbled version of it & so on & so forth.

I have just taken to wearing the wooden horse brooch Sylvia sent me from Bermuda. We all seem to go in for foreign imported jewelry, what with Swiss, German or French stuff, so I'm original - I wore that Chinese "Happiness" brooch - by the way, what are the pieces which make it up, for you know what I mean X + Y = happiness, sort of thing. Sylvia (the girl here) knows a tiny bit of Chinese, where she got it from I wouldn't know! & was asking me about the brooch, & I hadn't a clue!

Well, I really must close now as it is almost time to start work.

Do take care of yourself, & don't work too hard, so you pot ruin down like poor Mrs Finch has (she too has no domestic help, as her person has had to have a very serious operation)

Lots & lots of love

Gillian

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People mentioned

- Marion
- Fiona
- Sylvia
- Mrs Finch

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Topics

- family news
- Marion's development
- theatre
- concert
- jewelry
- baptism
- work

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Uncertain words / phrases

- Munch Gjirling
- Walter Baines

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Archivist notes

- Letter is undated but sender address and date day 25th given without month or year.
- Handwriting is mostly clear but some names uncertain.
- Mentions cultural events and specific people with detailed descriptions of family and social activities.

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