Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan and Carol

Many thanks for the usual budget received first post this morning – more interesting than normally by reason of the fact you have given a lot of details re: the Watford week. A typewritten note from Susan too – must have been a very special favour, perhaps she had been a ‘useful girl’ while daddy was away.

Yes we also have had some very nice days although cold early morning and again in the evening. The cuckoo arrived in this vicinity on the 24th instant has been heard several times since. Mutt and Jeff have been at it again but none of us has heard from the people concerned yet but I feel sure there will be at least one more visit even if only to say proposed deal is off. My opinion is that one of the partners is still indisposed and that they will turn up one day. The money aspect will undoubtedly persuade both of my neighbours to bite.

So you cannot get much out of Carol after one week at school. Is she still as eager to start off in the morning? This might give you a clue. I expect she will settle down soon – always a bit of a novelty to begin with.

Instead of the heater you now require a fan in the attic. The heat must be pretty strong to penetrate the tiles.

Sorry no visit from the Eastcote Timber people so far and hope by this time they have paid you a call.

Yes Don and Joan arrived duly on Sunday but it was a funny sort of day here. The mist hung about the tops of the hills (Church and Wains) all day and the sun did not come through. It was very cold too and Don was glad to get in front of fire where he had his usual nap after dinner. He was most interested about your radio transmitter etc and said if he could have afforded it when he was younger he might have taken it up. He knew someone who – in those days – had a set fitted up.

So you took purse to Watford and watch. Mum noted the point made. Also noted June has been busy in your absence and got on with the painting and papering. Expect she finds time going very quickly and by the time she has had a quick look around it is time to go to the school again for the girls. Was it not a bit strange June the first day or two with both Susan and Carol away? We thought of them several times. In fact we think of you all quite a number of times during the weeks.

You had so much to tell this week Alec that you missed any mention of Susan’s visit to the eye specialist and to the other one for her ears. Hope the report from Susan’s headmistress was satisfactory too. No more hat trouble presumably since Carol has the new beret?

Have you been over to see Mrs Baker lately – if so we hope you put the holiday proposition to her and we shall be very pleased to hear that she can make the journey. Has Peter heard any more from the Police? And what about his car? Hope he has got it going again.

You had a lovely time at Watford etc. by your account. Fancy it being mooted you should do the journey to Lyneham by air at 100 gallons of petrol per minute. I thought you would be going down by train from Paddington to Dauntsey thence by R.A.F. tender to the Air Force station. Your journey by road (somebody else driving) must have been very interesting to you especially the M4 section. You properly had the V.I.P. treatment both at Watford during the week and at Lyneham on the day’s visit. Plenty of brass about both at Watford and at Lyneham and some of these gentry no how to sink a drink or two especially when somebody else is paying for it. The hospitality at Watford was excellent. I remember when I used to stay in London for the compilation of the winter or/and summer train services most of the timebill clerks stopped at the Albert Hotel and it was 2 a.m. before anyone thought of retiring. It was a case of occupying the hotel lounge and drinking and talking all night. Your stay at Watford however was not in the same street as the Albert by the sound of it. You were well cared for there (Watford) as if you had been at the Great Western Hotel. I should think now it is over you are glad to have had the opportunity of experiencing a course there. Good job you took your purse!

Yes I did mention to Don the remote possibility of parting with some of the land here but he did not comment much. Incidentally I told you in a previous letter of the scarcity of plum blossom once again. Now I have to correct this statement. I have never seen so much plum blossom on our trees since they were first planted. It has come out in a matter of days and if only the frost will keep away we should have a bumper crop. Unfortunately there have been slight frosts this week and we are not out of the wood from them for another three weeks.

So the N.U.R. have called a three-day strike for this coming month. How silly and how futile it all is. Now they are at it hammer and tongs in Parliament – best place for any argument but I do not think the government will be deflected from the implementation of the Beeching Report. Looks as if your department will be busy before long then if what Butcher says becomes effective.

The Newmans were to have come down for lunch tomorrow from Bristol but a card received today says Mr Newman is ill in bed again and visit must be postponed. Miss Sperrings (my private secretary at Temple Meads*) however is coming down to tea on Thursday – have not seen her for nearly two years. May get some station news.

Since writing last week I have been making great strides in the garden. Have now finished the plot beyond the hedge and it is practically full of potatoes. Have dug a large piece of the main garden and weeded the ground between the current bushes. Have also put in some beetroot seed. The first row of peas is well through the ground now and a second row should go in soon. The runner beans sown in boxes on the 1st April are now showing through the soil. The grass has been cut twice and on each occasion I have had to raise the rollers because the grass was so long. And more important of all just at the moment I have started to put concrete in the path running along in front of greenhouse and extending to garage. This, as you know, has been in the rough for a couple of years. I’m doing about five to six feet in length per day as it is such hard work. Another two layers will see the completion of the job.

We have had a slight further difficulty with the drains but this was more or less the backwash of the previous clearance – the clay which had got into the pipes had not been completely washed away.

Bushell, next door, has made a sandpit for his little girl and it won’t be long before she is playing about in it.

I have taken all the staging down in greenhouse and started to plant out the tomatoes. The ones I raised from seed are making good growth and ready for putting into their final places.

Our new chairs have arrived from Lewis’s of Bristol and for the time being the old armchairs we had in the dining room are in the shed. The refrigerator is now in service and we are now able to have bread and ice cubes for dinner. Makes a change I suppose.

Had a communication from tax people yesterday to say I had overpaid just under £2 [the equivalent of £50 in 2023] for this year ending 1962 and asking for a rebate form to be filled out. this was done at once and returned before they changed their minds.

*Miss Sperrings was clearly very loyal, as she – together with a couple of male colleagues – was present at Leonard’s funeral in 1986.

[Continues Wednesday 1st May, 1963]