18 August 1959. Holidays, heatwave and Black Sunday on Victoria Avenue

18 August 1959

My dear Len and Margaret

Tuesday AM

Here I am sitting to do a bit of writing, just make a little start on this letter. First of all will you please thank Mrs Booth (Mum’s mum) for the nice picture card I received from her yesterday, this will be another addition for my album. Please tell her I will be writing to her one of these days, how long is Mrs B going to be with you? I guess the two ladies are enjoying themselves and that they can manage to have some good weather. I have an idea that your summer has not been over good, which is a pity.

Roselle started on her holidays yesterday. She is starting with good warm weather. I hope for her sake it will continue to be so. She needs some fresh air before she goes back to work. Kay took her and Margaret out yesterday for the afternoon. They went to La Pulente. In the morning Rose went to the hairdressers, after that she took the twins out to coffee, then made a few errands and came home. She has gone to town this AM. She’s going to find Kay and Margaret and they will all go out to coffee at Gaudins I think it is.

Dad still has his rheumatism. Yesterday he decided to phone the doctor to come and see him to find if anything could be done. Dad could not go to town when he was expecting the doctor. He came at lunchtime. He told Dad that he had arthritis in the neck. This is what gives him pains in the shoulders and in his neck of course. The doctor said there was no cure for it, but that electric treatment would ease the pain. He is going to see about having this treatment.

He’s gone to town this AM, in fact he has a big day before him. Yesterday evening, Mr Benest, the acting Viscount called in to ask Father if he could help him out on three inquests, one this AM at 11 o’clock, one this afternoon at 2:30. This one I am not at all pleased about, this is the afternoon we go out. I quite hear you say why can’t I go out without Pa, well I know I can. Kay is taking the girls out, we were to go with them it being our day. I am going to try hard to get out of going, I will have a good rest instead which will do me more good. I have told Rose to tell Kay about it when she sees her in town, but you know Kay can be persistent. Anyway I hope I succeed.

Yesterday afternoon Dad and I went to see Aunt Marie at the Limes nursing home. She was taken there on Friday afternoon, until Uncle and Marguerite come back from their holiday. They left by air on Sunday AM. She seems to be quite comfortable there, she has a very nice room, good food and good attendance. I think it was on Sunday she fell out of her bed, in falling her glasses went one way, her teeth another way. I asked her how long she had been on the floor. About 10 minutes she said, when the nurse came in she found her down beside her bed. They had to be four to put her back in bed. She said they hurt her in picking her up, it’s not surprising having four people to handle her, they can’t move her out of bed unless they are four of them, the poor soul is a tremendous weight.

Now they have put her bed against the wall and table the other side of her bed. I don’t really know what she does to fall, she fell a few times at her home too. You see she can’t help herself, this is the reason she falls, she could very well hurt herself according the way she fell. Her bed at the Limes is narrow. Naturally this does not help her, anyway I hope nothing wrong happens the time her people are away, the doctors have told her that she will never walk again. This is a sad thought for her. I don’t think she has any feeling in her feet, yet with it all she seems pretty cheerful when you go and see her. Her brother came to see her while we were there, he has gone away this AM to Folkestone to see his married daughter, so Aunty has all her people away.

All the family spent the evening on Saturday at Margaret’s, it was a little family party. It was midnight when we got back home. We hadn’t expected to be so late, this is the reason. There was a big boxing match. Arthur was very keen on seeing it, the thing was that it was after 10:30 when it started and finished about 11:45, this match was between an Italian and a Frenchman, did you see it? After two or three rounds Arthur said he thought the Frenchman would give in any time. Wait and see I said. Again they did not think much of him, they thought he was finished,. He might win yet, I said. When came to the two last rounds the Italian could hardly keep himself up. When the last round came, I said this was the vital round, then came the moment to announce the winner. I then started to wriggle on my chair in wanting to know who the winner, all the time I had been for the Frenchman, for the reason they thought he would or could not win. All this made me more for him, now the winner was announced, no one said nuch but I clapped my hands for him. I was the only one of course. After this was over we rose and came home.

I managed not to go with the girls this afternoon, I had a jolly good sleep instead. In fact it was Dad who woke me when he came back from his inquest, it was then going on 4:30. I feel much more refreshed than if I had been out in the hot sun. The girls had a bathe, they found the water on the cold side. They went in and out a few times before they could make up their minds to get in properly.

Kay is going to be rather tied up for the three weeks starting tomorrow, Ron’s boys (Arthur’s grandsons) are coming over to them, they don’t know yet at what time of the day they arrive. They will phone Arthur when the land at the airport for him to go and fetch them. They are getting big boys now and will go on their own to the beach or perhaps to town.

I think I’ve forgotten to say when Dad’s third inquest is to be held. It’s tomorrow, Wednesday, at 10:15AM. When he came back this afternoon he told me that he thought he might be serving on another inquest on Thursday AM.

The headlines on the EP last evening were Black Sunday on Victoria Avenue. A woman was killed by Dr Warren Scott’s car, this fellow drives with terrible speed, the outcome of it came on Sunday. It was to this inquest that Dad was this afternoon, then also on Sunday evening fellows coming back from the Milano Hotel L’Etacq crashed on the Avenue. One was killed, I’m not sure if it was five others injured, some of them pedestrians. The inquest is tomorrow AM. Then yesterday evening another man was killed at St Ouens by a taxi. What is Jersey coming to?

Tomorrow and Margaret will be taking out the twins for the day, we will have Charles coming to lunch.

Now for something else, how do the boys like their new school, how do they like their lunch? I’m sure they both look well in their new outfit, I’m sure they feel themselves big boys, I hope they are going to get on well there. Do they manage the train and bus all right? Susan hasn’t changed school has she?

Margaret, I can’t really understand how you can manage to knit a frock for yourself. What patience you must have, what colour is this dress? Have you worn it yet? Then now you are busy knitting a cardigan for Susan, it should look lovely in the colour you mention. No mistake you have active fingers. Oh on going through your letter again, I notice you have worn your dress and you were unfortunate to spill some make-up on it. What a pity, has it come off without spoiling the dress? You did not wear it on a Friday did you? I guess you will say that it’s time I gave up all these old fashioned ideas, well I’m sure you are right in thinking so.

Oh Margaret please tell your Mother that Uncle John is very much the same, his legs are not good. This is the bother for him. Sometimes he will sit outside in the sun, but again he doesn’t like too much sun. Auntie B does her trip as usual, she generally comes to town once a week for her messages, generally on a Friday afternoon. She is never very long in town, always wants to be back with Uncle, he’s always pleased to see her back. Many thanks to your Mother for inquiring about them.

We notice things are not going quite to Lennard’s liking at the office, they don’t seem to be steady now as they used to be. No doubt the usual business will come back again to normal. Is Len doing better with his food now? How does he feel in himself? Maybe he is a bit run-down and needs some kind of tonic to buck him up.

About the plant that Mary sent you, the way you describe it, I think it must be Balsam. I thought they were annual plants, maybe I’m wrong. Many thanks for saying that if they do well you will send me some pieces of it. What a pity about your pretty clematis coming down by the wind. I hope it will come right again, naturally this disturbed it. Clematis is very pretty, climbing against a wall. This meant a big job to have it back on place and tying it up. Do you still have a man to see to the garden? I guess Len could not do all the gardening, knowing that he’s not too fond of it, do you think any of the children will take to gardening?

How did the boys feel about going to their new school yesterday? Did you or Len take them there for their first time? Susan has not got so far as the boys have to go, has she? How is she doing at school? What kind of occupation is she best fitted for after leaving school, she still has a few years at school, hasn’t she? What is Roselle doing with herself all day, getting up to some mischief at times I suppose.

Dad is at the hospital this AM. I don’t know at what time he will be back for lunch, this inquest may be a long one, it all depends whether all the injured people are well enough to give evidence. His arthritis was rather troublesome when he got up this morning. He said he could not remain in bed any longer, naturally night time is the worst time for these things, I think the more you try to move, the better for your limbs, not leave them to go sleepy.

Roselle left a little while ago. They are going east, I think to what they call Long Beach, in a little café there, this is just past Grouville Common. The food for the day has been prepared by Rose and Margaret, each their lot, they need quite a bit having the twins with them. I think they are going to find it very warm, the beach would not suit me in this hot weather. I will now leave this in case there is something else I want to say later in the day.

Dad’s inquest did not finish this AM., neither did the one of yesterday afternoon, these two will probably come on again next week. He has another one tomorrow AM, the man who was killed on Monday evening. Dad is getting tired of them, he tried not to go to the one tomorrow , but they need him. It’s very warm today 82 degrees  in the dining room, 78 degrees in the hall. I really don’t like this heat. I don’t know how the girls are facing it at Long Beach, they must be roasted. I feel sure that Rose is coming back looking like a beetroot.

We received two lovely picture cards from the two Mims, they are from Lynton and Lynmouth, I think they take trips there from Barnstable where they have been staying, there is already a fortnight today that they went away, time has gone quickly.

I don’t think I can find anything else to say. I think I’ve done very well, don’t you? Hope you are all keeping very well

Lots of love from we 3

Mother xxx