P027 193705??
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PORTMANTEAU 027
c/o Mrs Fitz-Henry,
Lusaka,
N. Rhodesia.
18th May, 1937.
Darling Everybody,
There, we've done the last lap of Robinising, and now we've got to just sit and await developments. I am staying with the Fitz-Henrys, she is Colony Commissioner for the Guides, and he is in the Public Works Department, which does all the roads and bridges and builds all the houses and spends a lot of money I believe, and they have been here for seven years, as the P.W.D.was the first Department to move appear from Livingstone, they were in India from about 1922 – 28, but I haven't discovered where yet, he was born in New Zealand, and used to take some of the local boys out tracking and stalking and scouting generally long before the ordinary scouts started.
They are awfully nice, they have a nice house that was built for them so they've been able to make it really their own, as they live here permanently, they have an Alsatian called joy, a dear old lady, and a beautiful marmalade cat called marmalade who is the most important person in the household and really has the most lovely markings and a vast bush of a tale which is permanently perpendicular (there, say that quickly!) And afford the eight and an electric refrigerator and a telephone and – wonder of wonders! – a "pull-and-let-go!"
Noel Griffin is staying at the grand hotel at the moment, but today I went over to our next door neighbour, Mrs Kelly (Assistant Auditor) and fixed up with her to have Nell as a P.G. [Paying Guest] which is very convenient as the hotel is a mile and a half away, whereas here now can just leap over the Euphorbia hedge to do at my shoes in the morning for me! Mrs Kelly is very nice, quite young, with the ducky little 11-month-old daughter called Elizabeth, and it's really rather a good scheme as her nurses just left her and so Nell will be able to make herself useful helping her with Elizabeth – or at least Mrs K will be able to go out quite happily leaving Elizabeth in Nell's care.
Nell is just SPLENDID. Money, you get absolute full marks for your taste, she is just EXACTLY what we want and has been so good and will be just marvellous at Mankoya I know. She was absolutely thrilled with the falls and the river of course, and the giraffe and the baby animals and everything, and on Saturday she came and packed for me at Mrs Jager's so that I needn't bend, and she did a lot of shopping and ordering things and went and told everybody what to do with the cot and the two tin trunks, which have gone straight to Mankoya, and she booked the pews on the train and booked the luggage through, and paid for all the meals on the train and lifted suitcases etc about so that I wouldn't, and arranged me all comfortably and tied up my shoes for me when it was time to get out and did absolutely
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everything, and so willingly and cheerfully, as if she'd been doing it every day of her life, and as though she was quite used to dealing with native porters etc.and she's SO amusing to, and such fun, and I feel that if by any chance either of us does get ill she just won't allow us to get down in the dumps or anxious or depressed; she is longing to get to Mankoya, and so interested in all the animals and is just longing to see some "jungle!" And expects to see an elephant hiding behind every tree – a most entertaining person, and seems to know her job inside out.
And the CLOTHES, Mummy! They really are too delicious, we unpacked them at the Fairmount and had a look at them all, but I hadn't much time then so I wasn't able to gloat over them as much as I should like; we haven't unpacked them yet, I am waiting till Nell comes up here and she can unpack them – I'm MUCH too superior to do such a common thing as UNPACK! Then we'll be able to spread them all out and gloat, and sort out all the ones that our presents to be thanked for. You ARE a darling to give us so many of the things, and Robin is going to look so beautiful in all those lovely little garments of G.'s.
I have started knitting! I am knitting in quite warm a sort of little shirt and pants that button onto the bottom of the shirt, you know the kind. I think I've made it to small, especially if you turns out to be as zonking great baby, which he will be, but now says he ought to be able to wear it at about 3-6 months. When I finished it I'm going to make some callers a size larger in the same wall. Nell is going to make some little smocks with pants that show underneath, and we'll also have to make a whole crowd of cotton and linen crawlers etc for when he gets out of the frocks and nighties. We want to get him into short close as soon as possible, partly for convenience partly because it will be cooler for him, partly because he doesn't want to look girlish in frocks, and partly so that he they won't get worn out and will come in handy for Gillian !!
Well, I suppose I'd better get on to a spot of news, as we seem to have done quite a lot since last I wrote. I've got to give this to Mr Fitzhenry when he goes to the office this afternoon, to post, and we are going to some mothers meeting or other this morning, so I probably won't get it all finished and it will have to Be Continued in Our Next.
Tuesday the 11th.
Elizabeth and J.D.Martin had come into Livingston for a couple of days, so I went and met her at the Fairmount and we had tea and then went along to the A.L.C. to buy my knitting wall, plus Mrs SUGG who is Police and great fun, and they were all foul to me and wouldn't help me a bit because how could I know what a PILCH [British archaic - "an infant's outer wrapping, worn over the nappie"] was or what size Robin was going to be or how much STUFF I need, and all they did was just stand and laugh until luckily Mrs Upton pulled them all together and we at last managed to buy something, and it looks as if it will make enough close to last him till his grandfather.
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then we went on an Boozed at Mrs SUGG's house – I always thinkSUGG must be written in capital letters, it's such an amusing name, she is called SUGG by everybody including all the children of the place, and his name is St John Sugg but he's always called JOHNSUGG just like that. Elizabeth and J.D. are going home this year, and actually, most on Martin like they know the date and the name of the ship they are sailing on! The Gloucester Castle on July 7th. I told her to come and look you all up and she said she'd love to, her parentbirds live in box somewhere so it's not very far, and she said she knows that you would like to meet anybody who had met us so recently and to hear all about us, so I'm going to write and tell her your address and vaguely how to get there – I can't do that about Abbotswood unfortunately! And you'll find her on the doorstep one day. Do ask her to stay, she is such a dear. I'm afraid I don't know her address, but you'll be hearing from her.
On the way out to the Falls Hotel for tea, we saw three giraffe in the game park; we had seen for yesterday, right up close to the fence and looking down at us with their funny inquisitive faces and they looked just as if they were saying "what on earth are YOU doing here, you you funny little thing?" Nell was thrilled to the boots, but unfortunately we couldn't take a photo of them because they were so well hidden by the trees.
That evening just before dinner, Dr West rang up to say that there were some friends of mine passing through on the south-bound mail train, if I'd like to come down to the station to see them – Canon and Mrs Tindall-Biscoe. I knew we knew commander T.-B.but I didn't know of this one, but I went all the same, and there they were, she had lovely white hair and was rather like Aunt Mary Birley, and they had been over to Pax and seen me there five years ago.
They had been in India lately, seeing their various sons and daughters, one lives up in Kashmir and there were there when you were planning to go up there, Dad, and they said they were most relieved when they heard you had given up the idea, as they had a lot of snow and a lot of landslides on the road right up till the beginning of April. Just now they have been up to Mazabuka, on the line between Livingstone and Lusaka, staying with their other son who is the Director of Education of N.R. and now they are on their way home and I told them to come and see you and they said they would. They are a relation of our commander T.-B. who put the flag up at Salisbury and who was on the Llandovery and had a Leg.
And when I got back from the station, they had been listening to the news and two seconds after I'd gone apparently, the news of Dad's Order of Merit came over! Wasn't it a pity I'd just missed hearing it, but oh Dadoie I AM so glad and you are a clever Daddoie to get it.
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Wednesday the 12th May.
CORONATION DAY.Livingston was all beautifully decorated with union Jacks and strings of flags across main way, and coloured lights and long red white and blue streamers, all very gay, and the trees were swathed in tummy-bands of red white and blue. By Jove, I expect London must've been a marvellous sight, wasn't it, with all the flags and the illuminations, and I suppose it was a seething mass of people and grandstands. Wasn't it awful the bus strike being on just at that time, was it all right? It sounded over the wireless as if the whole of London would be in a chaos trying to get about and all the taxes taken and the underground full to overflowing. Most tactless of the bus drivers.
Nell told us that there was really very much less excitement over the Coronation than one might expect, and nobody was half so thrilled as they were over the Jubilee. Isn't it odd, I believe a lot of people were apprehensive and felt that it wouldn't come off, because of that silly prophecy by the silly British-Israelites about "David, the last of the English Kings", is that what it was? Mustn't it be a relief to everybody now that it is all actually over safely, and he really IS king and she really IS Queen, and they ARE so popular, aren't they?
Mrs J. And I went to a service in the morning, at the Barotse centre – a sort of bit of garden with the braised place and used to play, and shady trees and firms and tubs. It was taken by Mr Dudley, in all his robes and a topee! It lasted about half an hour, there were some seats but they were all full when we arrive so we had to stand, but it was all right and I didn't feel a bit dead usually do style about any length of time.
The judge, Mr Francis, came in his criminal robes because they were nice and colourful, and his wig, as he got back to our silence was broken by a shrill voice shrieking out "Oh look, Mummy, there's Father Christmas!" After the service there was a native football match, the Lions v. King George's team, won by the Lions. I didn't go as I'd promised Mrs Dudley to go and stick Coronation stamps on envelopes. They had been sent 8000 envelopes by philatelists and stone-collecting firms all over the world, though mostly London, and had to stick Coronation stamps on and send them off on Coronation Day said they would have the 12th of May postmark on them. There were about 20 people were helping, but I took Nell along to, so we sat in rows of three, first put 1d stamps on (red) the second put 2d on (age) and the third put 3d on (blue). I suppose the beige was a pathetic attempt at white. I think it's rather dull of them to only three different times, they could have had 6d and 1/-and all sorts of exciting things. We got about three quarters of them done, and a lot of people went again in the afternoon, and isn't because I'm a Lazy Woman and wanted to rest,
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and Nell didn't because she bussed over to the falls to try and get us there, it was shut and then she had to wait an hour for the next bus.
In the evening there was a Sundowner Dance at the Fairmount, which lasted about an hour, quite fun. Mrs J.and I went, and all the lovely chiffon, Mummy, and felt so slim, and Mum's aquamarines which were much admired, by Mrs Jagger who has some two and is very fond of them. We sat on the grass was outside the hotel could just see the people's heads as they went round, and little Mayor stood us drinks and made a nice little speech and read the address which he had sent to the King on behalf of the City of Livingston, and then we all drank their healths, & God Save the King. Some people – most people I think – went on to the Falls for dinner and there was a dance there lasted till about three in the morning, but we didn't go.
After dinner we put the wireless on and the King's speech, it was really rather good, didn't you think, but a bit too long, I'm glad you managed to get through without stammering at all, as he does stammer sometimes, doesn't he? It was the first time I'd heard his voice, he'll never be quite like King George V though, but it IS a good plan we've got him and ducky little Queen Elizabeth instead of THAT Edward Windsor and "Queen Wally!" I wonder what they thought of it all – "it might have been us" I expect.
Thursday the 13th May.
While I was consuming my toast and marmalade Jessie rushed in and said there's a puppy waiting for you at the station. It was rather odd, you know I wrote to a place called the Bromley kennels at Umtali, asking them to send us one which Fox Terrier puppy, when it was old enough to leave its mother, and chased a cheque and told them to consign it to the A.L.C. and let us know and be leaving Umtali. Well, heard not a word from them, not even an acknowledgement of the cheque, but when I went to see the A.L.C. about Judy they said they had had a letter from Umtali saying they might be sending off the puppy soon. Then we heard nothing else at all, no wire or anything, and on Thursday morning the Goods Station rang up Mrs Jager and said "I believe Mrs Clay is staying with you, we've got a puppy here for her, and the A.L.C. is shut, and we are shutting in half an hour, is anybody going to do anything about it?" So Jessie rushed off with Mr Jager's secretary and brought the puppy back to stay with us.
She was absolutely minute, ever so much smaller than I had expected, and couldn't have been more than five or six weeks old I should think, and I wasVERY surprised to find that she wasBROWN and white, not black and white like Merry, I'd forgotten that Fox Terriers were ever brown and white and I don't think really good ones are, Abbe, Daddy? Anyway I got used to it after a bit, and she was really SO adorable and pudgy and bone-
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this and looked so very Us-ish that I didn't mind a bit. She was a bit shiver-shiver-doggie at first, sitting on a towel on my bed, but when she had got used to us all she brightened up and Jessie took out into the garden with Bruce the Alsatian and she had great fun jumping onto his paws and biting little blades of grass and leaping round; she seemed as if she had only just learnt to gallop was so proud of her little self, all floppy and puddingy. Bruce was frightfully intrigued, and jumped about, knocking her over and in to her with his tongue hanging out and laughing, and she would roll over and scramble up again onto her feet and rush at him bouncy. I was awfully glad to see her brave and adventurous she was, peering into all sorts of odd corners and not a bit frightened.
And when we put her to bed in the evening just before dinner, she squeaked horribly for about a quarter of an hour and we were terrified she would wake Richard, but luckily she didn't and then quietened down when she realised nobody was going to take any notice of, when we went and looked next she was curled up small in the corner of her box, fast asleep, and didn't hear a sound till the morning. She had a lovely box, with the most ingenious contraption at one corner, just a bit of wood shaped like a corner which used it in between the slats across the top so that there was a little square, separate from the box, at one corner, and in that were a bag of biscuits and hurt in of condensed milk. Then when you took the square out, it became the entrance to, so neat, and that dreadful nails to take out every time wanted to feed her or anything.
So Mrs Jagger said she could stay with us and then take her up to Lusaka with us and send her to the next plane, as I had planned.
Well, on Thursday, went up to Mrs Dudley's again to finish stamping the envelopes, and we finished them all in about two hours, though there weren't so many people there is yesterday.
We went out to the Falls as usual in the afternoon, we went up to fetch Nell and Elizabeth to come with us, but they were both at, and we heard that Elizabeth and J.D. left for Machili again either that day or Friday.
Just as we were going to bed, we Bruce rushing about the garden barking like anything, just thought, oh some stray dog were native or something, but he went on and on as though the Person was skulking around with Malicious Intent, and then when Mrs went to turn the Veranda light she caught sight of an Ominous Figure standing by the gate, so she shouted to him and asked what he wanted, and he jabbered a lot of stuff and she caught was the word "Sesheke", so she came and called me, and it was Peter. I knew G. but sending him down for me, but I wasn't
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really expecting him to arrive till Friday morning the mail barge. He had an awful snitch. He also had a LOVELY letter from my G. in his suitcase, the first since last May-day, terribly exciting, and he slept in the kitchen with the puppy.
Friday the 14th.
Another lovely letter from my darling, and parcel of things had left behind and another letter, and obtaining saying that he wasn't going to Monday after all, so that he would get Sunday morning's mail. So I rushed the puppy up to the A.L.C. and said send this puppy off at once to Sesheke, so they did that, and I haven't yet heard when he got it all right, or whether he's gone or when his going, and I won't get a letter till about Sunday night I don't expect, but it's only Wednesday now, how awful.
I'm going to send him this portmanteau by Mr Fitz-Henry, thourh, as he is going out to meet Law at the River Kafue next Wednesday, and Law will be back at Mankoya anyhow by Saturday and G. ought to arrive there round about Friday or Saturday too, so he'll get it almost as soon as he arrives.
And in his letter he said that the Phibbses don't want the nice little horse, so now we'll have TWO nice little horses which is just what we want! Isn't it marvellous, and AREN'T we a lucky us. He is also trying to get the nice horse-boy, who is genuinely good with the horses, so if he does, the boy will come down to Livingstone to fetch up the new little horse and escort him to Mankoya, which is a great relief, as I was rather wondering how we would get hold a really reliable boy to take him all the way up there. So ain't that just splendiferous.
So I went up and sent the puppy off and took Peter to the hospital to have his snitch attended to, he has apparently got sore throat as well, and then Mrs and I went to an American Tea at Mrs Onions's aid of the St John's Ambulance. We had to pay 1/-to get in, we had to take something sellable with us, we then had to by somebody else's sellable thing for 1/-, and there was a kaross being raffled and a chocolate cake was put up for auction which I won for 5/-. Then they got so party-spirit that they auctioned all the roses on the tables and the sandwiches and scones etc that people had brought! Altogether she made £6. 1s. 6d. Which was much more than she had expected or dared to hope for!
Mr F. is taking this to post now, so I'll go on soon.
Lots of love from me.
