Tuesday 28th July, 1964

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1964 lettersLeave a comment

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec, June, Susan and Carol

No letter so far this week but with the improved postal position one cannot be far away and perhaps it will turn up tomorrow. Since last writing we have had continuous sunny weather but the atmosphere has been very heavy at times and slight distant thunder. I suppose now the fair is here and the Bank Holiday approaching it will start to rain.

I see in today’s evening paper you have had a bomb scare in London but probably some distance from Liverpool Street. Query were your train services upset.

Weekend motorists for the West of England had another slow crawl on Saturday last and the queues both sides of Honiton as large as ever. Just reaching the peak of the holiday traffic now. Hope you get on better when you start your journey to Exmouth. Guess the girls are very excited in anticipation of the caravan holiday. We have not been out on any long run since our trip to Ilchester and Lyng. Have been in touch with Lyng by telephone (Mrs Marshall’s) and Don was admitted to a Taunton hospital yesterday (his birthday) for observation. When I phoned Joan last night she said he was quite comfortable when she left him and the doctor there said they would be examining his throat on Thursday to start with. Had not heard of any trouble with his throat before but it looks as if they are going to give him a complete works at last to see exactly what is the trouble. He has lost a lot of weight but this could be the result of worrying. Joan will write me again after visiting hospital on Thursday. I forgot to ask his address so cannot write him direct at the moment but is it is anticipated he will only be in there for about a week. Am writing Geoff later to bring him up to date with the position.

Here at home we have been getting on with the equipping of the inside of the greenhouse. Have now erected the staging across the far end for a width of three feet and it looks very good. The middle upright supports are in position and the side pieces in place for keeping the uprights rigid. Next job is to fill up with earth and I have some to cart from just inside the fence put over by the bulldozers of some weeks ago. May not be enough but the levels can be made up as time goes on. The old garage is down of course and Bushell and I are trying to erect same (except for reduced width to 12½ feet) around his existing garage. So far we have the three long sections up i.e. the back and two sides and now having a go at putting up the front section including the swinging doors. Hawkins’ men have made up the approach to our new garage with tarmac and this also looks very nice. I had an old sleeper down for running into garage temporarily and this has now been dispensed with.

Building operations at the back of us is starting next week and there are thousands of bricks on hand already. This morning they were marking out the actual sites for the houses. Nothing further has been done with the pond on the Iron Curtain side of the fence and until they do this I cannot decide on what to do on our side.

I think I told you some weeks ago that Ted Caple had changed his job. Now Ernest has also given up the telephone exchange work and taken a job as postman in Clevedon. Perhaps he thought he might be in time for strike money.

You will be very sorry to hear that Mrs Buxton died last Friday following a collapse. She had however been seriously ill for a long time. Mum thinks she must be about 63 years old.

Plenty of visitors in Clevedon at the moment and as I mentioned before the fair has also arrived. Cornish still very much in evidence but I have not seen him myself. Mum has gone out this evening delivering her round of parish magazines.

We saw Norman Allen with Marion and the children last Sunday evening and he could tell me that for several weeks before Charlie Rust retired Titball was out on the station so-called learning the job for which he was an applicant. Perhaps his turn will come as he is very much younger than John Saunders. A bit of a come-down though to spend the time out there and then for somebody else to have the job. Norman Allen is now Class Two and seems more settled – at one time he was seriously thinking of leaving the railway but had no idea what he wanted to do.

I see Harold Bastin who retired from position as assistant to Hart earlier this year has lost his wife. Apparently they went to Midhurst, Surrey, to live according to press reports. I think he stayed until he was all nearly 65 years of age. Chief inspector Woolway has also retired from Temple Meads and local papers made a lot of it but he was not all that efficient as you may remember. He had however been 50 years at Temple Meads in the parcels and on the station. Will leave off now until your weekly budget arrives.

[Continues Wednesday 29th July, 1964]

Sunday 26th July, 1964

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1964 lettersLeave a comment

[N.B.: a letter from Leonard, presumably dated Wednesday 22nd July 1964, is missing from the collection.]

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad

Once more I have to report we have had no letter yet this week, but can of course reply to your last which was received here last Monday. With luck we shall receive your latest tomorrow. Also with luck things will be back to normal for next and subsequent weeks. As you remark in your letter, there is always something to delay post these days, and the service is not what it was. Unions to these days have little compunction in upsetting the general public to get what they want, in fact upsetting the public by withholding their normal services seems to be the main method of attack. They always try to hold their strikes when they will do most damage – for instance the railwaymen (N.U.R.) at or about bank holiday times or Christmas.*

We are all keeping fairly well here with the minimum of aches and pains. We hope you are both okay too. You remark that the West Country have their usual traffic holdups, and we saw on the TV last night that the big holdups have started for the period just prior, during and after the Bank Holiday. You also say about rain. We have not had any of that for quite some time now, and in fact the weather here has been really glorious. In the city of course it becomes like a grease spot, and it is most unpleasantly humid, but here it has been very nice, and I am glad to say the weather this weekend so far has been extremely good. A bit too good yesterday as during the afternoon I got down to doing that bit of concreting in the front garden. Admittedly it was not a big job come up but unfortunately Peter still had the barrow and, until he turned up when the job was almost complete, I had to cart everything about in buckets and bowls. I have had a look at it this morning, and it looks as if it will be alright. Unfortunately the stuff dried as soon as it laid, and I had to ask the girls to stand in front of it to shade it from the sun.**

Not a bad deal with the foreman to get that lot of already mixed cement. Could have done with that here and would have saved a lot of time and effort. Nice of Hewitt and Aston to come down and watch you at work. Must have been a temptation to offer them a spade or trowel, but might not have gone down well. Perhaps it is the homemade wine they like.

Note the rearrangement of the staging in the greenhouse, and that you now have the light fixed. Gradually getting things done, and by the sound of it the bulk of the work is finished. Of course the garden needs to be dealt with, but I expect you will be doing something towards that in the Spring. Your polythene sheeting sounds okay as a base for the gravel, but is there not a risk of the lower sections of the gravel getting sour? In most gardening books they stress that good drainage must be provided, and were this not so you would have concreted the base in any case, and not need polythene at all.

Cornish still up to his tricks then. Pity he has nothing to do to occupy his time, then he would not be able to get in people’s hair.

Very sorry to hear that Don was so rough and that you had paid a visit under these circumstances. I hope the news is a bit better now, but unless something is done very quickly I cannot see any change for the better is likely. If the summer weather as well as the winter weather upset him then a drastic remedy has to be found or he will not maintain the strength or the will to fight it. I wonder if the asthma is really hay fever or another allergy? If the former then trips out in the country in the car can do more harm than good. Let us know how matters now stand.

I was very pleased to learn that Bushell had passed his test. Many would have given up after so many failures. Perhaps these failures were due to overconfidence – who knows? Anyway he has his license now, and can do his driving openly. Interesting to learn that he has in mind an old type A40. Pretty cheap these days but so are cars of much later vintage. However he knows his pocket best. Had the clutch done on ours this week, and the exhaust secured, and the steering tightened up. The damage created a bit of a draft***, but it was a good job done, and the car feels much better to handle.

Not an awful lot of activity on the building site this end this week although the end house down the hill is growing up fairly rapidly. The drains have been put in and this involved digging a long trench level with the front of our houses. This was very deep and to my mind very dangerous for the children who would not keep off it. A poor attempt was made to shield it at night, but that would never have stopped me let alone a local herbs.

The zinnias in the lean-to are now opening into flower and are magnificent plants, but those in the garden have hardly moved since planted out, and are in fact still only about three or four inches high. Everything else growing quite well both inside and out in the garden.

Went over to the school on Tuesday piloted by Susan to see an exhibition of the work. There were very many miniature gardens in trays, bowls etc. made by the children and lots of cakes, pies, sandwiches, cheese straws etc. Drawings and paintings by the score, and essays and books all over the place. I could not hope to see in detail all there was to see, but it seems a far better display of work than I ever remember seeing at Weston. Paid a call in the science room where a few children were deputed to explain certain experiments with optics, and electricity. One group of girls had Bunsen burners and were showing expansion of metals, while another was showing refraction of light through a prism. Another boy demonstrated to me the conductivity of metal by operating an electric bell from a battery. When he put a piece of metal in circuit the bell rang but when he put a piece of wood or plastic in the bell did not ring. Thanked him for the information.

All the gardens made by the pupils were judged in respect to each year and out of something like 60 of her year Susan got third prize****. She is quite pleased and has written to say so in her letter. The garden was the little one I think she started when you were here by putting a couple of small cacti and some mind-your-own-business in a bowl. Together with a couple of small primulas it has grown quite nicely.

Got a couple of bags of cement for 5/- [roughly £6.25 in 2024 money] a bag last week and together with half a yard of sand at 30/- shillings [£37.50] completed the path in front garden. Had the sand dumped on the grass out the front as could not let it block the driveway. Peter had promised to come over in the afternoon and ring the barrow. Without the barrow I had to move the sand into the garden or the kids would have made sure work of it. This meant putting it into June’s wash boiler***** and carting it in manually. June helped with bucket-loads. No sign of Peter just after lunch so started on the job. Mixed all the stuff in the garage and when ready carted it out in an old washing-up bowl. All the time I had the hose in front garden going full blast to keep stones and rubble moist. As fast as hose was moved stones dried out. I was on the last mix when Peter arrived with the barrow, so let him mix the last one up and took it a bit easier from then on. Feeling a bit stiff this morning, but job now done and out of the way so worth it on balance.

Well that is about all for this week. As I say I hope you are both well and hope that the news from Lyng improves. Love to you both once again. Alec 

*Well, yes, the point being to remind the general public that their services are not only useful but also necessary, and that life would so much more difficult if those services were withdrawn completely. Alec lived a very privileged life and it never seems to have occurred to him that some people had to fight for things he enjoyed as a matter of course – for example safe working conditions, reasonable hours, appropriate pay, pension provision, holidays, etc. etc. etc. None of these would have been available had not some union activist somewhere demanded them, and been prepared to withdraw labour until the matter could at least be discussed.

**If this is true, rather than one of Alec’s silly jokes, it just goes to show what a model father he wasn’t.

***He means it was expensive.

****I won a pen exactly like one of these, which I was immensely proud of. I was recently given another one just like it, but in the intervening sixty years hadn’t seen a similar one anywhere at all!

*****Note that this is specifically *hers* and not a joint possession, or one belonging to the household. Ingrained casual sexism, a real artefact of its time.

Sunday 19th July, 1964

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1964 lettersLeave a comment

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad

Someone somewhere wants a letter from you – sometime, or The Postman’s Lament. That is the unfortunate story this week. Had a feeling we should not get one from you, and in fact have doubts as to whether you received our last one in view of the confusion and delay this end. However will keep putting letters into the pipeline in the hope that you will get a regular supply thereof if somewhat late, and backdated as to news. also as nothing to reply to, the contents are likely to be a bit shorter.

Firstly, as now usual, some comment on the weather. Don’t think I had the hose out in the week, certainly not the latter part. It had been really hot and heavy in the city and in the underground. Spent most of the days in the bath of perspiration, and 10 minutes after bath feel just the same again. Had a violent electrical storm midday on Friday and very heavy downpour for a short time in the city. No rain at Ruislip but looked very much like it in the evening. Had several storms throughout the day yesterday and the rainfall was pretty considerable overall. The lawns are looking magnificent with green and healthy grass, and no cracks visible. The slugs have had a good go in the night and reduced some of the outdoor growing zinnias to shreds. Between the rain storms there have been many fine periods with some heat, and we were able to go out in the front garden and pull all the weeds out quite easily.

Notice Saunders’ job advertised in list this week with the remark that station house is available when present occupation occupant vacates. Assume Saunders was in the station house and assume he will now have to buy one as I seem to remember that the station house was not being used by the incumbent at Bristol. Had a good meeting with Butcher on Wednesday and have now got the job of coordinating the incentive activities of four regions towards the preparation of a common bonus scheme for all the London Parcels Carmen. There are present 551 rounds and they are going to be reduced to some 300, later on the goods men will have to be done. All this has to be done and in working order by October which gives us just over two months to do a job which would normally need almost two years to do by the traditional method.

Nothing much to report from the work front other than to say that under the new organisation we seem to be getting rather more work. Unwin goes on his holidays at the end of this month and of course I follow on his return.

We are all in pretty good nick although Carol has a slight cold which is causing her nose to bleed occasionally. We had her stretched out on her back during yesterday afternoon with a cold flannel and looking rather sorry for herself, but as soon as it stopped she bounced around again until the exertion started it all again, and on ad infinitum. She seems 100% today and we have not had a repeat performance. They both have invitations to a party at Pat’s place (opposite) for her birthday tomorrow.

Not much on radio lately although had a couple of contacts with German and Swedish stations. In mid-summer with so many electrical storms about the bands are full up with atmospherics which at times are so bad that the noise level exceeds the signal levels, and listening is almost impossible.

Things in the garden are moving well. The syringa is now above the fence. The smaller of the two buddleias is almost up to the top of the fence, and a small forest of buddleia plants has sprung up adjacent to the concrete path adjoining the square plot. I shall let them grow as they could be a useful screen at that point. Inside the lean-to, the few zinnias that I kept in the pots are in bud. They are about two feet high and quite a sizeable flower bud already. Those put outdoors have hardly moved from their original size of about three inches. One begonia is flowering well although the flower heads keep dropping off before quite open. It must be the weight of the things. Some of the cactus seeds have germinated in the bowl, and are about half an inch long. This is some long time after sowing as the seeds were put in the bowl when you were here. They do say that some of the types take a long time to germinate. I shall have to get a number of things planted out in the garden before we go away or they will not get any watering.

Had a trip over to Ealing yesterday to get another [half line illegible here] a pair of flannels. After shopping found Peter having a load of sand delivered on the pavement, so had a pleasant half-hour shovelling the stuff into barrow and carting inside. The job we did last weekend has set quite well, and he has not got much more to do. He has been off work for a week as he hurt his heel when training with the Territorials the previous Sunday, and after x-ray they cannot find what is wrong with it. He won’t keep off it though.

Had some Sweet Williams seedlings given to us by Les in the week, and we are now in the position of having more plants than growing space.

The building site has not shown an awful lot of movement since last writing, but it has been cleaned up a little. Water from the storms draining down the hill filled up the footings dug a while ago and perhaps that has hindered some of the work. The surrounds have been levelled and look reasonably tidy, but the surplus earth has been put on the earth dump against Les’s fence, and that looks like being longer than ever before it is cleared. The rain fortunately had made it into mud and that in itself had discouraged the local kids from climbing on it. It does not stop them all together though.

There is an exhibition of work by Susan’s class on Monday and Tuesday evening, and there is a sports afternoon for Carol’s crowd on Tuesday.

I understand that Smallbone is now out of hospital, but did not hear what was found. Saw Notley in the week, and had lunch together. He has had an interview for a job on the Southern as head of Freight Timing Section and the interviewer was Norman Shelley who was with me when I was working at Cardiff. Tony feels he has got a good chance with this one, but if not is well in line for another at Paddington. He is now getting one out of category higher duty pay for working in lieu of a vacant post. Not much other news of the Western Region. Hear someone by the name of Andrews has got Westbury station or control.

We are having a visit from June’s friends Arthur and Vi Barker and their children this afternoon, so this will be a hectic and a late sitting. Hope it keeps fine so they can go on the lawn.

Well little else to arouse much comment this week. I had my car tax renewal through on Friday, but I’ve not seen my licence which was also sent in for renewal with the same post. Post of course is chaotic if at all existent, and can only drive car and hope licence will arrive in due course.

Will close and send this off in the hopes that it will arrive before the next one from here. Love to you both from us all, and hope you are both well.

[N.B.: a letter from Leonard, presumably dated Wednesday 22nd July 1964, is missing from the collection.]

 Friday 17th July, 1964

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1964 lettersLeave a comment

[Continued from Wednesday 15th July, 1964]

Since writing the previous page we have had a letter from Joan to say Don was very ill again – this time with asthma on top of his other complaints and asking if we could run down to see him. I phoned her from Mrs Marshall’s and arranged to go down on Thursday (yesterday). Both Mum and I have been hard at it recently so decided to make a day of it and call at Lyng after lunch. Left here at 9:40 a.m. and went via Wells, Glastonbury, Street, etc to Ilchester where we called at a small public house for a snack and shandy. Then on to Martock and Long Sutton* – where we saw that the station buildings had been demolished and only the edges of the platforms remained standing. Then on to Langport and through Stathe and Burrow Bridge to Lyng where we arrived at about 1:45 pm. Found Don downstairs but very rough. This very hot weather makes it most difficult for him to breathe and he has a machine on the floor in front of his chair working a fan to give him air. Apparently he had a very bad turn on Sunday night and doctor sent for. He turned up on the Monday and again on the Tuesday and calls again today. Joan takes him out in car every evening for a run of about 20 miles but he does no driving himself. Geoff does not know anything of this latest development yet but I am writing him presently. Don does not know that Joan wrote us and thought we had called as we were in the vicinity.

Following the postal strike yesterday we do not expect to have your letter this morning (now 6:30 a.m.) but perhaps it may arrive tomorrow. This one to you will obviously not arrive at number 84 until some time next week.

By the way Bushell passed the driving test yesterday and will now get a small car. I’ve started to put down the concrete blocks for the path edging in the greenhouse and hope to get most of the remainder in today but it is terribly hot working inside this weather.

No more this time but we hope to be able to reply to your letter next week. All our love to you both and lots of kisses for the girls. 

*Properly known as ‘Long Sutton and Pitney‘ – or, in family parlance, ‘Long Suffering and Pity Me’ – this was also close to a signal box which had previously been operated by various relatives (possibly members of the Beacham family and therefore cousins or uncles of Leonard’s). It’s also possible that Leonard had worked here for a time as a young man, although the details of his early career are so far proving elusive.

Wednesday 15th July, 1964

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1964 lettersLeave a comment

750th post!!!

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan and Carol

Not surprising no letter arrived yesterday morning and doubtful if it will turn up today owing to the trouble with the G.P.O. staff. Shall post this as usual but again it is doubtful if you will receive it until some time next week. Nowadays there always seems to be some turmoil in the industrial world upsetting the general routine of business and it is time the authorities dealt with it very severely but how or in what manner is most difficult to say*.

We hope you are all keeping well and now looking forward to your holiday which starts in three weeks. The roads are getting very congested again and I see the West Country have had their usual weekend jams and accidents. Our fine weather seems to have broken for a while and we have had several hours of rain on a number of days but fortunately it did not interfere with the two days (Monday and Tuesday this week) I assisted Bushell to get down the framework and some of the concrete for the garage on his side of the fence. He had underestimated the quantity of gravel and dust and cement required and actually needs a similar lot as used to complete the job. It may take about a week to get this delivered and so activities are halted for the moment. He takes another driving test (his fifth) on Thursday at Weston and if he gets through will buy an Austin A40 – similar to LTA 259** – which he knows is in good condition and which he can obtain very cheaply. So this will do for the time being.

Last Friday (a very hot day) the road foreman on the building site got his men to bring round to the rear of new boundary fence two small loads of ready-mix and I released the chain link fencing to enable them to put it just inside which is in within three feet of greenhouse. Had enough and some over to lay in path in greenhouse and 10/- [£12.50 in 2024 money] for a drink was all that was necessary for the road foreman. As I mentioned it was a very hot day and working inside even with all the windows open was terrible and to cap it all both Roy Hewitt and Bill Aston called while I was at it and sat in the garden seat watching me. Neither of them could have given me a hand in any case but it was difficult to talk to them while wheeling in the stuff and spreading it out and smoothing off. I had to take the door off greenhouse down in the end to properly deal with the path at that end and had to be careful the ready-mix was not fouling the bottom edge of door when it was replaced.

Last Wednesday the 8th the electrical side of the job was finished off nicely and I now have a light with a two-way switch and power point in garage and the power point in greenhouse. Now I have to put in the concrete blocks for the path edging in greenhouse and of course re-erect the staging. This time the staging will run across the back only and I shall then have two long sides for general purposes such as tomato growing. Another idea I have is to put down polythene sheeting and gravel on top for ring culture and then when watering the water will be held by the polythene instead of soaking away and result in less watering being required. Sounds very nice I know but now is the time to think of these things and past experience can be useful when rearranging the setup. On the gardening side I have in about 75 plants of various sorts and have been promised some more later.

Nothing more has been done in breaking up the pond on the outside of our boundary – the man who was doing it has been sent elsewhere for the time being. Quite a lot of the builders’ men are working on the new road immediately the other side of our fence but apart from loads of bricks sat around now actual marking out of sites for the houses have taken place. I think you will see some activity in this respect when you are here. t

10 cwt of Gloco [smokeless fuel] arrived last Thursday morning when we were out shopping and the men took it away again (it comes from Weston) and they left word with the neighbours that we must write and let them know when we should be home to receive it. Took no notice of this idea and surely enough it turned up again on Monday when we were here. For the present we have got it in the three garden frames to keep it dry. Shall not be needing them for gardening purposes until next Spring.

No further news of Don but I wrote both Don and Geoff on Monday (query when they will get letters) so should hear from them later on. Shall probably get an invitation to go to Lyng for Don’s birthday on the 27th. We generally go down then and again when you are with us.

Ran into Cornish last night and had to listen to a lot of rubbish but I got away from him quickly on the excuse I wanted my supper – he had invited me over to see the new boundary on his side etc. He frequently wonders round the back of our garden peering into everything he can see – proper nosy parker.

[Letter continues Friday 17th July, 1964]

*Loosely translated as ‘The lower orders should never try to obtain better pay or working conditions. Instead, they should allow us to exploit them for as long as we choose, and discard them afterwards without a thought.’

**The much-loved old family car.

Sunday 12th July, 1964

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Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad

Hope you can stand the colour of the type, but the black is worn out, and I am now using up the red portion. Many thanks for the weekly letter, also papers etc. Glad to be able to report that the girls are again completely fit. They are busily writing and drawing something for you at the moment. Susan has embarked on a map of the route from here to the Old Church which we hope to enclose. I have a feeling she has left out one or two of the intervening places but she has got both ends right.

Weather is still a major topic. The week has not been all that bad, and have not got caught in any rain, but several nights we had showers, and on some rather more than others. Yesterday was warm and muggy without the sign of sun until later afternoon when it came out for a short while with considerable heat. Managed to cut grass just at that time, and it did feel warm. All night it has rained, and as yesterday when we awoke everything outside was sopping wet. Peter arrived with what will be the last load of earth on Friday night, and of course this has been well watered in by now. While not actually raining now, it is dull and overcast but quite close indoors. Don’t use hose much, but I think I used it once last week and once the week before. It just stops the soil from cracking, and gives a bit of life to plants in border.

Interesting your news of Temple Meads. I thought he would get it, but as has been said with Kings Cross in mind who can be sure? Saw Percy Peyman at Paddington on Monday or Tuesday, and he was cracking on about it. Said he had no idea how to handle the Press, and that they would soon make a mug of him. Nice to have heard from Saunders, and I expect you will hear a lot more as time passes. Must remember to return your letter herewith. As you say no doubt Richings will be after Newton Abbot, but I am not at all sure he will get it. I expect they have a man of their own down there. Collins is well thought of, and is on the spot.

Yes we are General Manager’s Office now, but the immediate title is Work Study Section – Regional Planning Manager’s Office. Our new room was the room previously occupied by our typists. It is a smaller room than our old one but plenty large enough for two. I like the arrangement and cupboards a bit better than the old, and it has a built-in sink which is an advantage. By the way with the dissolution of the Line Managers I suddenly wondered what had happened to Doug Matthews, so looked through the names of management staff in G.M.O. telephone list and found that he has been absorbed into the Regional Planning Manager’s organisation. He is Assistant Freight Terminals. Had his phone number so gave him a ring. He says he has taken over quite a lot of work including some files that are about two foot thick which he was in the process of reading through to find out what was in them in case anything cropped up. He will never change. I find he is on the floor below me.

The redundancy caused by the Line Manager’s Office has been cleverly avoided. By agreement with the unions and staff reps, no notice of redundancy was given to staff the usual period of six months ahead. All possible staff have been slotted in and only a few were left over. Concurrently with this move no vacancies were advertised in the Traffic Department for the same period, and all such filled by otherwise redundant staff. There are one or two disgruntled people left out in the cold, but a few were a bit stubborn and refused to apply to more than one job on the closed lists when they were issued – with the result that, having failed to get the job of their choice, they had no stake in any other either.

Slater is a very nice chap, and I have seen him several times since, and had a few talks with him on phone. Our position is a little difficult at the moment as we cannot act inter-regionally but only through Slater. He is very co-operative however and is acting on our behalf. However Mr Russell and I have to go and see Mr Butcher at the B.R.B. on Wednesday, and maybe the position will be clarified.

Slater’s office is at King’s Cross, and at the moment he has a room over the station, but soon he hopes to move to Great Northern House opposite St Pancras station.

We did not have any more trouble with the coughing and wine has not been needed for that purpose since. I did try some yesterday though. I finished up the last of your parsnip and it had a lot more of the elderberry brandy – very nice. I also tried some of my grape that I made from the stuff you brought up and that was very tasty and strong although it looked quite thin in the bottle. Must have some more today.

Have dealt with the greenfly and aphis on the cinerarias and other plants. I bought a small aerosol spray from ironmonger’s and just press the cap. The resultant spray kills instantly, and does not harm the foliage*. This soon cleared up the attack, and although there may be a few still knocking about in the lean-to, can always give them another squirt if they get too many. This is also of use against ants and other pests of like nature, and I tried it with success on the chrysanths. This soon moved the green and black fly and the ants that were attending them.

Yes aerial certainly doing its stuff. Nothing new to report, but plenty of long distance contacts of the same nature as already reported. Had a lot of cards back from the R.S.G.B. Bureau yesterday – about 30 – and quite a few foreign ones in there including a confirmation from the Southern Rhodesian station in Salisbury and one from a short wave listener in Italy.**

Nice to know you have bought yourselves a new armchair. O.K. your not wanting ours and quite understand now you have the other.

Had not heard that Geoff had trouble with his eye. Can be painful and inconvenient.

Builders making very good progress now. The footings and a few levels of bricks have been put in for the whole row now from our house down to the corner. The builders have cleared the main site behind the houses quite flat and removed the heap of earth that was in the middle of the fields. They are rather slowly now clearing the remaining heap of earth piled up against Les’s fence. The kids have been up there making themselves a nuisance. One day in the week Susan was sitting on the swing when a piece of twisted steel wire with a sharp edge on it came whizzing across and cut her on the hand. These pieces are those used to separate the bricks and there were any amount on the field with the result that the children were using them as ammunition and throwing them in all directions from the top of the heap. I had a go at them and of course ‘it was not us’. Had to go at the night watchman, but they take no notice of him as they can run faster. He walks towards them and they run off only to return when he has gone. It may have done some good as I heard him clearing them off yesterday and we have not had any bother since. The earth is soaking wet now, so that may contribute to peace and quiet.

The birds are working the loganberries as they ripen, and we have found a lot of insects congregating around the bush – mainly flies – and one or two berries have grubs inside. A bit of a doubtful proposition for eating I am afraid.

Re: our office move, quite a lot went wrong. To start with Pickfords’ men who were to do the movement in the offices did not arrive, and the two or three (high ranking management) staff who were on duty to organise found they had to move the lot. Our office is a mess. The furniture was in, it’s true, but just dumped, and papers had been removed from the cupboards. Had we know we could have packed in boxes. The accommodation chap (approximately £2,600 per annum) [£65,000 in 2024 money] had had a most horrifying weekend he and his helpers had worked themselves to a physical standstill. Could not grumble at him for the mess but we had to organise ourselves before we could even start thinking about work. Others were worse off as I went up on the second floor, and there was paper everywhere.

Queensmead School is the last building at the bottom right-hand end of Queen’s Walk. not a bad place either.

Nice to have vegetables given you for a change, and kind of Aston. Your wiring noted as something more for us to see on our visit.

We went round to the school to see an exhibition of the work of the primary children. We had a word with Carol’s teacher, and had look at some of her work. We are told she is doing quite well and well up to the standard of her group. Some of her drawings were interesting.

Only fair that as Cornish had the most money he should be left with smallest garden. I think there was little in the size of the original plots. Have a feeling that if anything Heel had most.

Must measure the coal bunker for you and hope to enclose with this letter. Both sides hold 9 cwt.

Have not bought the timber for the loft yet, but have it in mind.

Mum should not give the cactus seeds too much water as they will damp off. Just keep the surface moist and not [allow] to dry out. Seeds should have been sown on the surface and not below. I have about 30 seeds up and growing well.

Your hall wardrobe sounds nice, hope you can keep woodworm out. And fluorescent lighting as well must be like a picture house now.

So near bottom of page again so will close with love from us all once more. 

*I suspect that this was a new innovation at the time!

**Alec’s lifetime accumulation of QSL cards has been recorded on this Google Map, which shows three contacts in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) and a couple of dozen in Italy.

Tuesday 7th July, 1964

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1964 lettersLeave a comment

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan and Carol

Any thanks once again for weekly budget duly received this morning together with drawings from the girls. Sorry to hear Susan off-colour this weekend but very pleased Carol’s face trouble has cleared up. Hope Susan is better by now. They seem to take it in turns to be ill.

Weather has continued very warm and sunny until today when we have had a little rain and it is much cooler. Looks like more rain tonight. You seem to be using your hose a lot – have only had mine in use on one occasion so far but Mum has kept the runner beans watered by means of the can. The ground is really parched now and the grass turning yellow. Surprisingly we have had no fires on the hill to date although the grass there is also drying up.

There was no snow on the card from the Richings – must have melted en route. No doubt he is back now and knows that John Saunders is at Temple Meads. I guess Richings will try for Newton Abbot. Am enclosing a couple of extract from evening paper re: John for you to see. I sent him a line of congratulations on Saturday. According to paper he must be 59 so is lucky to get post. Perhaps he had to promise to stay until 65.

Yes your proposed Avalon trip seems to have faded to nothing at least for the time being. Notedd you are now part of the General Manager’s staff and have moved into another office. Is this office any improvement from the other one? With the closing of the Line Managers’ Offices I suppose there are a few redundancies about. I had heard of Slater of King’s Cross but of course had never met him. Also had read of his appointment to his present post. Where does he anchor for office?

Pity about your disturbed night with Susan. evidently the cherry with orange is not the ‘cure all’ for every complaint. Did you run the trouble with the coughing to ground? Much better for both girls to be out of doors as often as possible during the summer weather – there’s always plenty of time spent indoors in the winter. We have been waking very early mornings ourselves but not because of illness or disturbed sleep. Generally get up between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.. This morning for instance the man responsible for burning the trees was cutting up the branches just after 5 a.m. and he had started the fire soon afterwards.

Noisy lot of folks living near you apparently. No thought for other people.

Not surprised to hear you have green fly and white aphis on your cinerarias – should have been if you had managed to keep them all the season without any troubles of this sort. The thing is to keep it in check otherwise it will spread to all the plants in the greenhouse. Glad to know ants have disappeared at your end. We have a few knocking about still and there are quite a lot in the garden in various places.

You are doing very well with your new aerial and must be more interesting to you in getting contact with fresh districts. I noticed the press have mentioned John Saunders connection with radio. Wonder where he will live? Perhaps at Weston where his daughter lives. Incidentally I do not think Snow would make such a good job of it as Saunders should. There is also the fact of Snow making an ass of himself in certain company – these items are borne in mind at the appropriate time.

Have not moved any more of the earth that was put over the fence but it was a good job I cleared it away from the fence because the fence erectors arrived during the week and finished off their work.

Thank you June for offer of chair but last Wednesday Mum and I went to Bristol and in Lewis’s we saw an armchair with rock and swivel combined on sale at just over £5 [£125 in 2024 money] less than the normal price so we bought it and same was delivered yesterday. Most comfortable. Shall not require the armchair you have but it was very kind of you to suggest it and also to send down by road services. We bought two other articles at Lewis’s but I will leave Mum to comment on them.

Yes I very much appreciated the help given by Bushell and next Monday and Tuesday when he has two days off I am going to help him put down the concrete surround for the garage in his garden. He also wants some glass for his porch and I shall run him into Weston for it. Glass seems to be much cheaper in there and no waiting for same as at Clevedon.

Still no applicants to view garage and of course I do not now want any as Bushell will definitely have it.

No further news of Don and as you say we should have heard had he not maintained his improvement. A letter from Geoff this morning however says he was away from work for a week because of an insect bite over his right the eye was closed right up for a while but he is better now.

Your builders are making quicker progress with the building than the ones here. Plenty of bricks lying about here but no building yet other than the roadworks. I must say they are making a very good job of this.

Very pleased to hear you have a lot of fruit on the loganberry. Query any insects working on the bushes.

Some move then with Pickfords doing the job. Wonder if anything went wrong?

A night out then for June and the girls at the dancing academy. Where is Queensmead School? Is it the school towards the bottom of Queen’s Walk?

Since last writing I have not done anymore to greenhouse. Have the screeding laid and ready for the concrete and now waiting for the builders’ men on site here to bring some over. Saw the road form and this afternoon and he said he will get it over in a day or two. In the meantime I have cut down the golden privet hedge and grubbed out the roots. All this I pushed over the fence for the builders’ men to burn. Today I have made good the path alongside what was the site of the golden privet hedge. It was very rough and had a jagged edge on the garden side. Took three lots of made-up concrete to finish the work but it had to be done. Unfortunately I then had to dig out one path and under the concrete there were hundreds of stones and other rubble put their originally as hardcore for the concrete. Can remember doing this but never thought I should have the trouble of freeing the garden soil of this rubble later. The alteration gives me about 24 ft x 6ft more garden for vegetables. When we went to Bristol last week (by bus) we noticed that Dr Plant of Tickenham was digging out potatoes and that he had a stall at the roadside. When Mum wanted more potatoes last Friday we ran out there and got them at 6d [62p] per lb. Excellent potatoes and free of disease. Bill Aston has brought around some onions, beetroot and broad beans and another neighbour also brought beans and potatoes. This in return I suspect for various vegetables we have been able to pass to them in previous years. Very acceptable and of course very much appreciated.

Last Wednesday young Victor James came round in the evening to start the preparations for the installation of the electric light in garage and for the heater in the greenhouse. The wires when stretching from the garage to greenhouse were only about 8 ft above ground level whereas the minimum allowed is 15 ft. Decided that the pole (taken down from its original site) should be shortened a re-erected on hedge side of greenhouse in its new position. This will give a rise (from garage) to 13 ft which will be good enough. Have dug the hole 2½ ft in readiness for the next move which will be on Wednesday when Victor comes next. In the greenhouse I have dug out the stones and rubble which formed part of the drive but it was a hot job – the sun shining strongly. Had all the windows open and the door but could only stay inside for a few minutes then out for a breather. Have still to get this rubble outside but the worst part of the job is done.

Last night the builders’ man had the first go at breaking off the portion of pond lying outside our fence. So far they have done very well and are being careful to avoid – if possible – damaging the portion left on our side. We still see a lot of individuals picking the raspberries etc. One man told me he liked the redcurrants so I asked him what about the white ones. Said he did not know there were white currants and thought the ones he had seen next to the reds were not ripe. He soon went back and sampled them.

I had a look over Heel’s side on Monday and must say that both he and Cornish now have smaller gardens than ours. Cornish in particular has a very small piece. Saw him in the distance but just said ‘how do’ and away. Heel’s door of garage will only be about six inches away from the wall dividing road from garden. Looks to me as if he will have to move garage. Am still waiting for rain so that I can get some plants in for the winter – Heel has them waiting for me in his frames.

Shall be looking forward to the show to be given by the girls when they are here. Time getting on now – only five or six weeks to your holiday. I see they are already in trouble with the traffic queues in the West Country. The Honiton bypass is being started in August but it will take two years to complete. It is also anticipated that the M5 from Bristol to the west will not be ready until the early 70s.

Mum has just come in (6:30 p.m.) and said it is raining all right now. May it continue all night. Great cracks are appearing in the ground all over the place. It was however nice to have it dry when grubbing out the hedge.

Yes Alec it looks as if you might have a very interesting job with Slater and progress will be awaited when you have some news for us thereon.

By the way what are the measurements of your coal bunker please? I took them once but have forgotten. Have to get one in the near future for ourselves.

Looks like the bottom of page again so will close with all our love to you both and lots of kisses for the girls. Mum and Dad.

P.S. Pleased to know your intentions for timber for loft – you will have an additional room eventually up there.

P.P.S. Letter from John Saunders enclosed – please return in due course*.

*This has of course vanished from the collection.

Sunday 5th July, 1964

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1964 lettersLeave a comment

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad

Here we are once again with weekly News etc. in reply to yours duly to hand. Thanks once again for letters and cards also the “etc”. sent in aid of the 28th*. Hope you received short hand-written letter from the office. Not too worried about misfiring. This is always a possibility especially if date occurs on a Sunday. I had no doubt that something was in the post and G.P.O. had let you down. It seems as you said that the Weston post is not so good as the Clevedon. Perhaps it could be the volume is greater especially with holiday makers.

Weather has been quite good here in the week without being really exceptional. It has been hot in the city and on one lunchtime – Friday I think – it rained a few drops. Otherwise no rain seen. Had the hose on the lawn a couple of times in the week, and the two gallon watering-can has also been used. Yesterday started very cool. It was warmer by far in the lean-to than outside, and I did not bother to open the windows. It turned out to be not a bad day, dry but not over-hot. Today the sun is well up and every sign of a bit of extra warmth to come. Gather you had a card with snow on it from the Richings. Not so odd that it is daylight at midnight – ‘land of the midnight sun’ and all that – it is light here at 4 a.m. as we discovered to our annoyance this morning. More on that anon.

We have heard no more of the trip on the ‘Avalon’ and that seems as far away as ever. We are now part of the General Manager’s Organisation as from Monday of this week. The complete closedown of the Line Managers (G.E. and G.N.) has now come about. What you say about being resident in London and able to see all the sights is quite true. I suppose we shall go up occasionally later on to see them with the girls, but like you and Bristol no doubt I think it is a good place to keep clear of.

Carols face all right again now. It was quite painful for her, but she was very good with it, and left it alone pretty well. Have not heard Lollipop lately and no sign of activity this morning yet. Other things have taken over I suppose, but we shall be back at it again in the winter no doubt. At the present time they can get out in the garden and that is where I would rather see them at the moment. Carol is busily drawing something for you, and sitting in front of me, but Susan a little off colour is upstairs. While on that subject, and your next re: wine, must mention that we were woken up by Susan coughing in the night. After a while went in and gave her half a wine glass full of cherry with orange, but this did not do any good. (Operated on the wrong subject – Carol more susceptible.) After a while June contributed some linctus, but that did no immediate good. After a short while of this – time 4 a.m. – I got up and made a cup of tea. That did no good except to us as Susan did not get any**. However after a while there was no more sound from Susan and I got off to sleep. It seems that June did not get any more sleep and we were all late getting up. Noticed that at 4 a.m. it was daylight outside. Lots of people were passing in cars presumably going on holidays. This followed the previous night when there was just as much activity in the early hours. People saying ‘goodbye, have a good time’ etc and slamming car doors. Our next door neighbours were chief offenders. 

My cinerarias have all got the greenfly and white aphids but this does not seem to be stopping the growth. Must give them some jollop to get rid of it. Some game that chat wanting to move the fir tree. Would not be surprised if he does not try it. They can do that these days. Even tall forest trees can be moved provided you have a sufficient amount of earth with the roots. This can be done with big earth-moving equipment such as bulldozers etc***. I would not think it worth his while trying it though.

Have had no more ants indoors,but have seen a few outside in the last few days. I think the Menace is over for this year.

Have had more results with the new aerial. It seems to work out quite well. Had contacts with a number of places in this country, Yorkshire and Durham also Brighton, and one near Oostend and one on phone near Antwerp. Also last night had to talk with a chap at Bath. Had tried him before on old aerial with no luck.

Not surprised he [Saunders] is the man for Bristol. Hope they soon settle it. I had a word with Notley in the week, but he did not know who had the job yet. He told me about Smallbone. I think he is the right man for the job all things considered. Probably Snow was a likely one, but he has not done himself much good over the years. 

Glad you have got the earth over at last. Nothing like having enough. If you have not enough it is hard to come by, and I should make sure you have more than enough for possible requirements. June just came in and said to remind you that the wooden chair with backrest and wooden arms is available for you. If you remember it was in the front room for a long time. It was really an invalid chair and quite a solid job. Mum said she would like you to have it, and if okay we can send it down by British Road Services. If you should not want it we shall dispose of it so now is the chance.

Good of Bushell to help with the erecting of the greenhouse. I am sure you are glad it’s up and the main works are now complete. Odd about the lack of response to garage ad. Sounds as if you will get no takers now. It is an ill wind for Bushell, but he has been a great help with all the work.

No further news of Don. You would have heard if all was not well. Note also the work on the houses and the stone etc. Work this end going just as fast. The first houses are well up and they have worked their way right up to the house next door and are putting in the foundations this week, the ground having been levelled.

Making a move to get garden right then by painting the seat. Should have no difficulty in drying out in the greenhouse with all that heat. No comment from Mum on the cacti, but here I find that three of the ones with ordinary leaves to start with seem now to be turning into the same type as we gave you for a cutting last time you were up. Pity if so, but maybe a different variety.

Talking of fruit, the thornless loganberry is absolutely loaded down with berries and some are approaching the ripening stage. There must be hundreds on it. Sounds as if we have more fruit than you. We have a good-looking crop of apples coming on the tree this year – probably because I did not prune it at all this time. There won’t be enough to take coal to Newcastle though, but we must see.

A bit of a game with the pole for the electricity then. You should not have much trouble with the new one.

Well not much to report this end again. We move into our new office down the corridor tomorrow and had to do a lot of packing up on Friday. The whole of the furniture and offices in the building have been reallocated and Pickfords are doing the moving. The whole thing has been arranged like a military operation. There are many buildings involved, some at King’s Cross and some at Liverpool Street. The offices which have to be changed all have Pickfords paper stickers on the door, and all the furniture to removed in the room has a paper sticker on it showing the new office to which it has to go. If some furniture has to stay put there is no mark put on it. Of course all the cupboards in our room are being moved but the desks stay. The result is that we had to turn out all the drawers and put contents into cardboard boxes and label same to the new office. Must not move it ourselves, but leave for Pickfords’ men to remove. Hope it all finds its way correctly so we can start in the morning.

Looks as if the neighbours on the end have a new car. We have not seen the other for some time, and Les has been seen at the wheel of a new small car and showing it off to others. It may be he has borrowed one for the holidays. House is empty next door but we have not been told they were even going.

Susan now down and doing a bit of a drawing for you. Last night the dancing academy were involved in a show at Queensmead School. June got tickets for herself and the girls and I took them down in car about seven pm. Gathered the show would be over at 10:30 p.m. and arranged to call and pick them up. However they got back on foot by 9:30 p.m. which did not surprise me any. The girls say they are going to give you a show when they see you – look out. Of course our two were not involved.

You may have heard that they have recently appointed a London Parcels Service Manager – a chap by the name of Slater who was the former Station Master at King’s Cross. He has to take charge of all parcels cartage in London of all regions and control it. I had to go and see him on Friday to advise on prospect of getting a bonus scheme on a common basis for all men involved. Looks like being a very interesting job. He is quite a nice chap – about £3,000 [£75,000 in 2024 money] per annum.

All things considered it would seem the ‘Avalon’ is out.

Well getting near the bottom again so will close with love from us all once more. 

*i.e. his birthday present

**Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!

***Yeah, people like Capability Brown were moving mature trees a couple of hundred years ago with a handful of yokels and a bullock-cart: this is nothing new.

Tuesday 30th June, 1964

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1964 lettersLeave a comment

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan and Carol

Many thanks for the weekly budget duly received on time this morning together with the covering letter from June and the one from the girls. Very sorry Alec the birthday letter misfired but the fact is we went into Weston that morning (Friday) for a bit more glass. Left here at 8:10 a.m. and were home again by 10 a.m. exactly, the letter being posted in Weston from which point we were sure you would receive it Saturday morning. Alas the Weston dispatch is not so good as the Clevedon. Hope however you had a good day – we thought of you during the day because of course never had any idea you were still short of a letter. Weather – well it has been terrific and heat almost unbearable – no rain since I last wrote and no sign of any yet although the wind is a little cooler this afternoon for stop I suppose it will end up with some thunder. At this time of year your office must be very pleasant to work in but is it warm enough in winter?

A card from Finland this morning indicates the Richings duly arrived there and are having a glorious time – weather good. They are particularly struck by the fact that it is daylight at midnight – it must feel strange to experience this for the first time. The picture card received shows are very pretty scene and quite colourful. They confirmed the colour of the sea is blue -h a very bright blue at that. We wondered if you might have been on the ‘Avalon’ on the night they travelled on same but evidently not so.

Fancy your memory going back so clearly to the 20th June 1928. Actually I thought it was the 21st when we made the move.

I don’t see why Susan should not win a few races if she can get a little practice – must not let the other girls win all the time.*

Carol’s idea re: post card quite sound in one sense – that’s what the address side is for. It is one advantage living in London to be able to visit famous places such as the House of Commons, Westminster Abbey etc. I’m sure Susan must have enjoyed herself in spite of the missing cork in lemonade bottle. Yes it would be very nice to look around some of these places but not this weather. I would sooner be on top of Wains Hill getting the breezes.

Poor Carol – she must have felt miserable with herself with those sores on her lip. Can remember some of these myself years ago and they can be very painful to the touch. Glad to know she is much better now and almost back to normal. How’s Lollipop these days?

Your lawn must have a lot of small cavities underneath for the earth to keep disappearing as you mentioned. Long job to keep on making up with more earth.**

Yes the elder blossom has been very plentiful again all over the country and I was offered some but at present have no time to deal with wine-making. Noted the wine ex-Clevedon going down slowly. I did try the last bottle of elderflower last week and it is still quite good.

Your front path is like a lot of outstanding jobs down here – it can be done some time but other things are more important just now.

Have not seen anymore of the blackcurrant bush seller but he is still with the firm. Several of the men manage to get around to the currants sometime during the day and help themselves. One man even asked if I thought the fir tree (now standing on the other side of fence at bottom of old lawn) would survive if he moved it as he thought about taking it home. Told him he would be wasting his time. The tree is all right where it is but would not stand transplanting. They are triers however.

Back to your cinerarias again. I found that when it was necessary to transfer from three inch to five inch pots they got on better if the five inch pots were lowered into the open ground for the summer. They can easily be taken indoors later in the autumn before frosts are about and of course there is then no need to repot. Always watch out for the aphids though whether indoors or out.

Carols idea of the ants in chrysanthemums excellent and good enough to send up to some of the periodicals. We still have a few dodging about the sink but they get taken care of very quickly.

Thought you would be interested in the Press cutting of the mobile rally at Longleat. The alteration to your aerial makes a lot of difference to reception apparently. Now picking up clients in the west country – perhaps you will contact John Saunders one day. Incidentally I hear he is the man for Temple Meads but confirmation has not yet been published. Bill Aston was given the information by Arthur Ching one day last week when they met in the village. Quite honestly I think he is about the most suitable individual for the job having graduated through the Bristol atmosphere and knows the district and layout very well. If it is true he has the job than the best of luck to him.

Did you say you hope I get the topsoil all right. I had it with a vengeance. It was whilst Bushell and I were doing the greenhouse that he said the bulldozer is putting over earth for you. I tackled this lot late on Saturday and filled up the big flower border on the house side of pond and the big heap did not appear to have been touched. It is still there and will so remain until I can get round to it. Bushell and I had had two full days on the greenhouse (both his rest days) and after getting the extra pieces of glass from Weston have managed to finish off the skeleton of same. Now the interior has to be tackled and yesterday in spite of the heat I scooped out the trench necessary for the path to be laid down the middle. Could only stop in greenhouse for a few minutes then outside for air. Bushell also got me some angle irons for fastening the woodwork of greenhouse to the concrete base. Last time I used ordinary 6 inch nails but either the nails are not so rigid or the concrete blocks tougher but I bent every nail I used and have had to withdraw them. However all’s well that ends well and I think it is safely anchored onto its new site.

Yes Alec the peat question is one I have missed once or twice but I shall get hold of some of the cheap bags from the Shapwick area and can always find room in car for a bag to bring up. Most useful stuff to have on the garden and certainly worth having at the price. Still no reply from any source re: garage advert and I am really amazed that no one should even turn up to look at it. I think I mentioned that Bushell will have it and reduce width to 13 feet which will still give him ample room to move around inside. Shall wait for the builder to make the next move regarding the dismantling of same. He will probably be surprised when told to put the sections over the fence.

How nice to have a neighbour who will pick up Susan and Carol for school – most useful if can cover the winter weather.*** Nice also for you to take them to Horsenden Hill last Saturday. Now we have been there can picture the place when you mentioned it. No doubts about the four girls having a good time****. We like ice creams too and have had several during the past week. Very nice in the evening when work has stopped for the day.

Yes June I expect your mum enjoyed her few days with you and now she is busy getting ready for Peter’s young lady. Nice to bring out the holiday photographs for showing again. We said here only last week when the greenhouse was going up that we should have liked a few photographs taken showing the various stages of work. Do you know I referred to the one taken of the greenhouse to check the manner in which the glass have been put on the roof to make sure it went back in a similar way.

It is now 9 p.m. and the last sentence was written at 6:30 p.m. since when the Hewitts have called to inspect the smaller property. Wondered when they would be leaving but I think they have only got as far as Mrs Marshall’s.

No news from Don this week but until Geoff writes his composite letter shall not expect further news.

The builders here continue to make progress and it looks as if the houses have now been marked out. In the meantime the lorries continue to bring in roadstone for the base of the road.

Ted Caple did not get his part-time job at Ham Green Hospital but managed to get fixed up with some electrical firm in Bristol for a 5-day week which apparently suits him better.

This afternoon Mum and I took the garden seat out of the shed and I put first coat of paint on the same. Tonight it is in the greenhouse drying out. Yes as you say I can put a lot of stuff in the greenhouse out of the way and yet in the dry. Will make room elsewhere until everything is finally back in its proper place – I hope.

Your remarks re: cacti noted and I believe Mum has had success with hers but no doubt will comment in her letter. We are going to pop up to Bristol in the morning to have a look around Lewis’s – a long time since we were there.

So a lot of progress is being made out your end on the new estate – we shall see as many alterations there as you will see down here.

Understand Mrs Aston much better but it is thought the journey to Eastbourne upset her and it took several days to get over at.

Glad you found a strawberry or two when you got home the other night but did I not understand the girls do not like them or have they changed their minds?***** Mrs Hewitt brought round a few raspberries for us tonight. It’s simply astounding that we have not a fruit of any description in the garden just now. I saved some of the currant cuttings but it will be a couple of years before they are any good.

Nearly down to bottom of page against so will conclude with all our love to you both and lots of kisses for the girl.

*I’m all for healthy exercise, but this obsession with winning races – and with being a failure if ones doesn’t – is quite the opposite of healthy IMHO.

**Sounds like a job for a roller, really.

***Umm, no. We never went to school by car at all in case we ‘got spoiled’, but we did have occasional days out with other kids in the area. I’m not sure which family is referred to here, though.

****It wouldn’t have been ‘four girls’ either, as the only other local families I can think of each had one girl and one boy.

*****I certainly haven’t. I find strawberries just too sweet, and would always prefer raspberries or – when I can get them which is rarely – loganberries.

Sunday 28th June, 1964

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1964 lettersLeave a comment

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad

Many thanks for paper and weekly letter duly received. Talk about weather we have done find this last week. Cannot really grumble at all. The last couple of days in fact have been real scorchers and no mistake. Today is a bit cloudy at the moment – 9.30 a.m. – and looks as if we might get a light shower or two. Fortunately the office is very cool and shaded, and one does not know of the heat outside until lunchtime or 5 p.m. Having not been sapped by the heat all day there is still a bit of energy to walk home etc. The previous week as you report was a very much different proposition.

Hope the Richings’ trip to Finland goes off well for them. Nothing like breaking new ground. No further news of our intended trip on the ‘Avalon’, and I am beginning to doubt if it will come off. There is a smattering of politics behind this one.

Thanks for the reminder of your wedding day. Don’t seemed ever to have had it recorded anywhere but I am sure we travelled to Clevedon on that day in 1928.

Cannot see Susan winning any races in the sprint category. She has to carry too much weight for that game. Might be all right for long distance races if she can remember what she is supposed to be doing for a long enough period. Any game requiring a bit of beef and she should do well off. I suggest hockey.*

Carol was very pleased with her glossy photo, but finding space on the back for an address, she probably started to address it to someone ready to send off. I had to tell her that the photo was a souvenir for herself and not to be given away. I think it clicked in the end. Pity you never saw the House of Commons from the inside. Perhaps if we have the energy one day in the recess we might have a trip up there. Can also get into Strangers Gallery to listen to some of the debates. Also Stock Exchange permits visitors and you can watch from balcony.

Suppose Roy and Delph have had their trip by now and must be home or well on the way so. Have not heard if they went, and in fact have not heard from them since we wrote last.

Re: the lawns, we are still losing earth through the stones. The heavy rain although making the grass look good also takes some of the earth down with it. The evidence is the fact that small stones lie on the surface where previously there was earth. This will be a long job to rectify, and can only get over the trouble by laying the soil loosely on the surface. The trouble is that you can never rely on the girls to leave it alone. The best time to do this is in the winter when it is too wet for them to go on lawn anyway**.

Odd to know what was the matter with Carol as Dr was not all that informative. Apart from sore throat of which you heard most of the story, she also had an outbreak of sores on upper lip and over lower part of the nose. Doctors said normally when you get a cold you cannot see the germs at work, but this time you can. No more than that, but the usual jollop, and today it looks almost normal again. It must have itched a lot as the poor kid could hardly leave it alone. No sign of it on Susan or the rest of us.

Talking of wine and elderflower, we saw quite a lot yesterday on trip to Horsenden Hill and thought you could have done with it. I have not got through the wine you brought up at Whitsun. Try to have a glass every time I have Sunday dinner, and the girls have one too, but it does not go all that fast as you can imagine stop.

Good crack about the kids throwing earth. Could have done with it as you say, but not that way. Have not got round to doing any more about the front path. It will not be a big job now as most of the hardcore is in position and the shuttering up. All now required is the material and we are away.

Nothing like buying your own currant bushes. What did the watchman say about it? Have had to give more of the cinerarias away as had far too many here. Cannot say how they will turn out, but I have at least a dozen in pots here, and still about the same number in seed box. Have given all the others away now, but of course if they all grow I suppose two each would be enough for anyone. If I grow them again shall not put in all the seeds at once. My cactus are doing well. The three big ones that put out ordinary leaves at first are now growing their true cactus leaves and are about 1 inch tall. The others are little squat things about a quarter inch high and the same broad. These had true cactus leaves from the start – what you could see of them. Hope Mother’s have come up by now.

I do not know what parts of the town Mrs Webb saw, but she recognised some of the parts from the photos we showed them.

Talking about ants, Carol was in the front garden with me waiting for the others yesterday, and I showed her some ants crawling on the chrysanthemums, and she said that’s why are they are called Chrys-ant-themums. Can you beat it?

Note the situation read the houses near the church. I agree the Builder has come off luckier then he might have expected for a while. Don’t see what the extra three feet are. Note also D-day for greenhouse. By now you will have got it erected and hope everything went off all right. There is no doubt you can put a lot of stuff away for a while in the greenhouse before it is in use again. You must be very glad that job is out of the way. Sorry Mum had to go and buy strawberries, but it is nice to have some. We had two lots last week and I was lucky enough to find some uneaten when I got home on one of the two occasions. They were very good too.

Thanks for the cutting about the mobile rally at Longleat. Trust the hooligans to get in on the act. I expect some of our chaps went down. I should like to go one year. Today there is another at a place down in Essex. There is also one at Dartmouth when we were down at Exmouth.

Some game to find Weston so crowded. We shall get that at Exmouth this time of year of course. Pity one has to have holidays at such a time, but can’t be helped.

Had a chap come round in the week to try to help me put aerial up a bit higher, and add a few feet to it. We got a string over roof and tied wire to it and dragged it over the ridge. Now top of aerial is about 40 feet up. The post at the bottom is still the same height, but that represents the halfway stage now, and a section goes to the insulator on top of the garage, and then to the small back bedroom window, through the house and up to loft. 170 feet in all. It is now too good for reception as get the BBC all over the dial. Had the first contact with the chap in Melksham Wilts on 160 meters and have tried 80 meters and raised a chap in Brighton. Tried 20 meters this morning and got two Germans. It seems to work.

Hope you can get your topsoil all right. By the way if we can get a 1 cwt. bag of peat (if not too large) might be a good proposition to bring back with us in August. Note the road making progress your end. Here the houses are going up quite fast. The garages have been completed, and the lower stages of brickwork have emerged above the ground level for three houses. The big heap of earth has been levelled, but the one nearest to us is still there and drawing flocks of kids. They have to take bricks and things to the top and throw down to smash various things below. Only hope they throw in the opposite direction to us.

Glad to hear that Don is much better or stronger as you put it. I don’t think he can expect to recover in a hurry in this country especially with the changeable weather we’re having just now. Why does he not try a trip to Spain and get some sun? Could also go to Italy or anywhere where he could get several uninterrupted days of sunshine. His time is his own, and I should think that by now he is more or less comfortably off.

Yes I saw the ad in the Mercury and I’m surprised you got no offers. Should put in another – no reasonable off a refused. Penalty of the welfare state and the never had it so good times that no one wants the trouble of taking it down, they would rather pay on the never never and have a new one.

Sorry to hear Mrs Aston not well on holiday. A great pity. I wonder if the air upset her as it quite well might have done. Nice of Heel to offer some plants to get you started again.

We have a couple living just up the road with two children who play with our two, and the woman takes them to school in car each day. Their kids said something about not having been in our car so June asked them if they would like to come on a picnic one day. That day was yesterday and we went to the usual – Horsenden Hill. It was very nice up there. We can get the car almost up to the top in the car park, and it is only a short climb to the very top. We found quite a breeze going and strangely few people about. The four kids had a fine game running in and out of the bushes while June and I had a sit down. We returned to a spot in front of the car for the tea – had a game or two and a trip to the bottom for an ice, and back home again. There was a lot of traffic on the road, and assume at most people went to the sea.

Glad the lawn now reduced so far as the cutting of it is concerned. Note you will be writing again this week, and expect we shall get something through the post tomorrow, in which case you will be hearing from us again in due course. So will close this one with love to you both from us all.

*For the record, I loathed hockey and was never good at any game – although I did enjoy tennis.

**I may have said this before, but calling a patch of scrubby suburban grass a ‘lawn’ is really stretching a point. It was in no sense a proper lawn, handsomely maintained and trimmed with scissors, in the Lord’s or Wimbledon sense. It was a patch of grass for pitching tents on, or riding trikes over, or sitting out on, or siting the paddling pool in the middle of, and as such it was functional rather than decorative. Alec’s priorities couldn’t be clearer: aesthetics above children, every step of the way.