1933 December
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Rd.
Calcutta.
Dec 6th 1933
My darling Annette
I am taking a short rest on the sofa, in the course of a long and very busy day, which started at 6 o’clock this morning – and because I am lounging, with my feet up and a cushion at my back, I am writing by hand instead of useing the typewriter.
So Christmas will be over when you get this – I hope you all got through it successfully without without over-eating! I wonder what you are going to do for my “treat” this year.
There’s a postscript to your last letter in which you say a little friend of yours wants to know how you say good-night in Hindustani – The answer is comparatively simple – You don’t! – The only thing you say and do is the “salaam” in just the same way as it is used as a greeting – or if you happen to be a Bengali – the “namushka” which is the same sort of thing – only with the two hands put up to the centre of the forehead – as I think I remember teaching you to do when you met Indian ladies, in the days when you were a small girl in Jalpaiguri.
If you are a noble child and get up early to do stomach reducing exercises you will be a daughter absolutely after your fathers own heart! He does an enormous range of exercises in the mornings now, especially the “tummy wagging” ones, which made us all laugh so much. I stick to the same half dozen, which I can do mechanically, without any thought – Sometimes if I am very busy thinking of something else, I find I have gone on and done the same exercise two dozen times or more! However its no harm, I suppose and the more the exercise the thinner the stomach!
I had a great St. Monica’s talk on Monday evening with Mrs. Marr – once Hilda Cameron who was at St. Monica’s a good many years after me and was secretary for the Overseas Branch of the O.G.A. for some years.
All the rest of my news, such as it is will go into the family letter
Best love, my darling
from
Mum
From HPV to Annette
Calcutta
Dec 6th 1933
My dear Annette
Did your Christmas go off with the necessary snap? You’ll have to put in a lot of tummy reduction twisters for that. By all means touch your toes upon the ground behind your head this side and that while lying on your back. I cannot do it. Dont you still do your heel toe together and up dancing business? what better for the system than classical dancing? I feel almost moved to buy a book and start on it myself.
Richard is a curious bird. Fancy his making copies of heads. Yet I painted on wood a head of Ibsen from a small caricature in a book years ago. More like mapping than painting. Curious too how one thinks to be curious all things that one hasn’t thought of doing oneself. Whenever I read a book in which the characters eat oysters, I feel slightly injured. They are always doing it in blood and thunder books. Which reminds me, by contrast, did you ever read the Round the World in 80 days book which you refused as a holiday task. And did you ever follow Kim on a map. I see that they’re putting Kim on the movies. They’ll have difficulty in getting the “unwashen beauty” part across. I rather lost interest in that work after coming out here and realising how he must have smelt. Luckily Bengalis are clean: they bathe daily: but why tell you that. I think of buying a Hindustani book on girl guiding: to get some phrases for common things which ordinary books don’t give. But they might not be there.
I have gone on to the other French gramophone records: by Hugo: three of them. They are in some respects different in accent. But its reasonable enough, I suppose: like the difference between the south and Manchester saying “grass”. The speakers do not articulate nearly so well. 12 inch records these: and less on them than on the 10 inch. The worst of a gramophone is having to wind it. It’s a pity that electrical gramophones cost so much.
Much love
Daddie
From LJT to Annette
14.1 Rowland Rd.
Calcutta.
Dec 8th 1933
My darling Annette
You would laugh if you could see me now. The side pieces of my hair have been done up in little paper parcels – six on either side of my head – ready for a permanent wave, and they stick out rather like the little girl’s plaits in a picture in “Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch” – While I have been writing this the “machine” has been pulled above my head and each little packet attached to an electric wire – so here I must sit still and be baked for the next – I don’t know how many minutes – For tuppence I could fall asleep – in fact I almost need a bribe of tuppence or more to keep me awake. I have been up rather late the last few nights and I have been out to lunch to-day and eaten, U suppose more than I generally do a home.
I hope the cold you mentioned was not anything very serious.
Did I tell you that poor Mrs. Gurner has been very very ill with para-typhoid? She is getting better now, but very slowly. At one time we hardly thought she could live.
Only a short letter this. I am so busy over the Red Cross Ball and other things.
Best love, darling
from
Mum
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Road
Calcutta
Dec: 14th 1933
My Darling Annette,
Your school life seems to have plenty going on in it besides lessons. As a matter of fact that was always the way at St Monica’s when I was there. One never got the feeling that day after day, was going on, each one just like the last, and might easily go on doing so for ever, which was rather what I used sometimes to feel at my day school, and if I felt it as a day girl, I hate to think how dull it must have been for the boarders.
Dad and I have developed, what I call a new vice! Some months ago the doctor told him that it would be good for him to eat some barley-sugar, so ever since then I always have a jar going. Gradually I have caught the habit, and when I am writing or working at something I suddenly feel a sort of longing come over me and I go and get a bit of Dads barley sugar. I have just opened a new jar, and as I pulled off the lid, a lot of splinters flew out into my typewriter, and I have had quite a job to clean them out.
I feel as if my mind is full of too many things just now. I have such a lot of different things on hand. The book, and the Himalayan Club are the ones that interest me most, and I have to be firm with myself to give the proper share of attention to all my good works, and to arranging parties and social duties generally.
I was telling some of the German officers that you were begining to study German, and that some day I must take you to Germany, and they said “Bring her to Keil, and we will look after her, as you have looked after us here.” How funny it would be if we ever did go to Keil, and did see any of them again.
I have been awfully sorry that I have forgotten all my German since I have some in contact with these men, though it is true that they all talked English.
I have not taken a new sheet of paper, because I am not going to write much more. In fact I think I am going to stop now!
Best love, my darling
From
Mum
From HPV to Annette
Calcutta
Dec 27th 1933
My dear Annette.
My hand is shaky. Finding creases above my ribs I became scared of obesity. And after dinner I took a tennis raquet and swung it. Very flabby: I haven’t toughened up since the dysentery. And the effort has made my hand to shake. It is a mistake to get flabby. I daren’t start tennis till some muscle comes back: because to do so would mean strains or tennis elbow. If one is in good training such accidents are less likely. Even dancing needs it: these last two nights (a small dance after Christmas dinner – dinner at Brother Harry’s, dance at the house of one of his senior partners: that was the first night: and yesterday a Ball at Government House) have shown me up. Also I’ve junked golf for the same reason.
We drove along behind a car which had an advertisement on the back. “So and so’s Restaurant Wines: Drinks: Foods.” This made us laugh. Probably it is not funny.
I have got a new job. When I go to it I do not know – nor what pay I’ll get. To bargain about such things is low: “banausic” as we used to say – Richard probably knows the word, for it is Greek. This has astonished Bengalis who have come to congratulate me: and Scotchmen too. It is not certain that it is a matter for congratulation. The idea is to reorganise rural economics. A bit of a mouthful. Can I chew it? Anyhow it may be possible to select the juicy morsels. The fear is that the selection will be done by others: I may be like the Arab to whom by way of compliment Lawrence gave “a loathsome lump of gut.”
At that stage I went to bed. Being sleepy. And now see thoughts have deserted me. It is a holiday: to be spent in going to office. Holidays are bad things – real holidays, I mean, on which one doesn’t work. It is hard to get back to regular ways
Yours sincerely with much love and such
Daddie.
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Road
Calcutta
Dec 28th 1933
My darling Annette,
It was an interesting letter of yours about the school concert. I am glad that you got through your part of the programme without any mishaps. It seems to have been a big show, and it was a long programme, was’nt it?
Thank you for all your Christmas wishes. You timed your letter very nicely, for it arrived on Christmas Day. Several times during the day we added up the time of day, to see how far Highways would have got in their celebrations. Just after we were sitting down to dinner at 8.30 p.m. we thought of all of you, and came to the conclusion that you were all feeling a bit replete after Xmas lunch. I wonder if you were.
I am being constantly disturbed this morning by people settling up various things about the Red Cross Ball. The Red Cross office has been shut over the holidays, and is open again this morning. Its difficult to concentrate on letters home in the meantime.
I am looking forward most tremendously to seeing the photos, which I hope Auntie has had taken of the three of you. I do hope they will be good.
Auntie Winsome made me the sweetest little tea-cosy for Christmas. It is white organdie muslin, embroidered with a flower garden, and the top part untacks, and can be washed. I am so pleased with it. Auntie Winsome certainly sews very nicely.
What do you think I did last night? I was taken to the cinema by Mr Jones, whom, no doubt you remember, and after a great many late nights, and no time to sleep in the day, I kept on feeling my eyes shutting up, and having to jerk myself awake, and at last I went quite to sleep! I was dimly conscious of someone looking at me, and woke up enough to see Mr Jones looking at me with a grin on his face. It was a terribly boring musical comedy, that we were at, and he said, with a sigh of relief, “Let’s go home” to which I gladly agreed.
I have managed to squeeze in some happy moments, correcting the proofs of the book. I was so absorbed in it the other night, that I quite forgot that it was time to go and change before my guests arrived to dinner, until I was conscious that the Bearer was standing in the middle of the room, obviously to attract my attention.
Have you ever done any proof correcting? Its rather fun.
I must write some other letters now.
Best love, my darling
From
Mum