Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan and Carol

Thanks for letter and budget from the girls received first post this morning. I see that both Susan and Carol have got the ‘Beatle Craze’.

Yes a mixed bag of weather again this past week and the wind is in the north west today and it is much colder – better than the muggy weather anyhow. Was surprised you went by road to Watford last Monday and not surprised you had fog en route – should have avoided that lot somehow. Noted you got through all right and were back in time on Friday to pick up Susan from school. Presumably car has to stop outdoors at Watford. Evidently working satisfactorily nowadays. No trouble with mine since I put battery on charge for a few hours.

Glad to hear plants did not suffer because paraffin had run out – good job weather of last year not repeating itself yet. Also pleased to hear you are feeling a bit better but take care of the chest – the bronchial/flu attacks can be very dangerous in its effects and I myself am having a difficulty in getting rid of same. Am a lot better but cannot seem to shake It off all together and work outdoors is quite an effort. Mum still under the weather and has same trouble together with ear trouble – popping noises and earache but even this is a little better now.

Anyhow enough about us – sorry to hear that it may mean an operation for June but if this will put her right then it is the best thing to do. Don’t worry about Easter – we quite understand the position and after all it is a bit early in the season*. Actually we were only talking about it yesterday and commenting on the possibility of it being cold and wet. We would rather you were with us when the weather can be more or less guaranteed so that you can get about an enjoy yourselves and feel the change has done you good.

So the girls have been to the shops on their own with their pocket money – growing up fast. I expect they like being able to do this by themselves. They have both sent us some good drawings this week.

Yes I expect you will be glad to finish at Watford – you are on the last lap now. Whatever will the others find to do for twelve weeks? Are they going through the complete course of Work Study?

Very interesting to hear of the identification of individuals with certain jobs and note you may hear something for yourself within the next week or two. Keeps the mind alert in more ways than one. If Ray Mogg does call on you he must take his chance of finding you present but I think he would like to see you again. Assume he is attending the Ideal Homes Exhibition on behalf of his firm – Yatton Furniture people.

Glad TV not too costly to repair and all in working order again but you must have some door handle to play up such tricks. Hope you manage to put right with spare door knob. Pity you could not have included the back door with your lean-to but that would have been a much costlier job. We had this trouble years ago perhaps you remember. Incidentally what was the catapult trouble you mentioned?

Noted re: visit to Geoff’s and reason for postponement. We had an idea they were asking you over early in the year and wondered why you had not mentioned it before. Sorry to hear about Rebecca and hope she will soon be alright again. Have not heard from them or Don lately – the latter is due to write now so may get a line direct from the printers at Taunton.

Noted what you say about Susan and do hope she will improve soon – she is certainly old enough now to know that things are done for her benefit and that she should help by responding nicely. How is she getting on with her lessons at school?

So you proposed to give the car a clean then. Afraid ours has not been touched since before we came up to you. Seems to me that as soon as you have cleaned it off the first time out and you are back again to where you were before these days. Mum was only on about it this morning when we went to library.

So you have no news of Clifford or Woodward. I read in Evening Post late last week of the death of one of our inspectors at Temple Meads who retired on the 31st December 1956. Thompson by name and a very good inspector he was. Always worked on Cecil Newman’s turn of duty.

Yes it is a bit difficult to know how Moore lives in the winter but he takes his car out somewhere most days**.Thought you would be interested in the attitude he takes regarding the land for sale. Incidentally things have developed somewhat rapidly these last ten days and one wonders whether we are coming or going.

Following my last report of the contact between Hawkins and Bushell we hear that on Wednesday the 22nd Mrs Bush called in Hoddell to value her piece of ground but when Hoddell arrived at the house he told her that if she wanted it valued because of possible sale to Hawkins not to bother as Hawkins did not now want it. This news reached Bushell the same afternoon so he went straight down to Hawkins and asked him if this information was true as he (Bushell) had already incurred expense by going to his solicitors regarding same. Hawkins evaded the question and Bushell got no satisfaction from him. Then on Thursday morning we had a letter from Hoddell asking if we had any objections to their developer’s client’s surveyor coming onto our land to make their own survey. This indicated that Hawkins had again sold the ground so I called up the solicitors (Jack Bishop) and asked him what was going on only to be told it was a fact Hawkins had sold the land to ‘the big firm’ who I concluded was Robinsons of Middlesex to which Bishop said yes. I told him I thought we were being taken for a ride and that if it were possible I would call the whole thing off. He said however that I could not do that. No wonder Hawkins when he visited the other houses in the Avenue said he wanted a quick reply as to whether they would accept or not. He never intended to develop the site but was out to buy cheaply from them and sell out to Robinsons at probably double the price but when he saw the householders were not selling without referring the matter to their own solicitors he knew he could not get away with it and washed his hands of the whole lot. Our land has now changed hands from Plumley and Weston to Hawkins and from latter to Robinsons and no doubt each transaction has been a profitable one.

Now this morning we have two letters, one from Hoddell and one from Richardson, Son and Knowles of Rickmansworth (on behalf of Alfred Robinsons) saying the latter’s surveyor Mr Rawbones will call on us tomorrow (Wednesday) to make a survey of the ground. I had replied to Hoddell that I had no objection to the survey being made but that the individual concerned should call on me before entering upon the property for the purpose. In the meantime Bushell our next door neighbour wonders what is going to happen now so far as he is concerned. If he gets the chance he will contact the surveyor tomorrow and show him the piece of ground he has for disposal. So much for that.

Now last Thursday a lorry from Worksop pulled up outside our house in such a way I could not get car onto road. The men offloaded a shed and placed it right up against our front wall blocking our view from front window. The lorry remained in position all day but the men went into Heels’ field and opened up the sewer on instructions from the Council to find out where the blockage was. The Worksop firm had some T.V. gear with them for inspecting the sewer and were there two days. The lorry was taken away at night but brought back again in the morning. I complained to the man in charge who said he would have lorry moved but in fact he did nothing about it so for two days we had to put up with this. The shed remained outside our front wall until Monday morning. It was a tumbledown affair too and when I first saw it I told Mum to come and see the new garage which had been brought us. When the survey has been taken on Thursday I will let you know what transpires.

Mrs Pearson (number 5 Tennyson Avenue) called over this morning and she told us she had already been up to Hoddells and torn them off the strip but I’m afraid it is like water on a duck’s back. Have not seen Cornish or Heel at any time during these happenings but they themselves have been seen talking over the fence.

By the way in this week’s ‘Mercury’ you will see the plan in mind for the new motorway through this area. I see it will pass about a mile away from us as it runs through Kingston Seymour but it will be in the 1970s before it is anticipated it will be available by which time I shall certainly not be interested in driving on it.

[Letter continues Wednesday 29th January, 1964]

*Easter 1964 was the last weekend in March.

**No doubt he has some casual off-the-books gig for the winter months: that would be the sensible approach. My money’s on a bit of pre-Christmas delivery work for someone perfectly happy to pay him under the table!