Thursday
London
Dearest,
I’ll bust straight off into answering your letters for I now have two of them to answer and there’s a few points to cover. Sorry to hear May is not well again and a rest (?) at Crosby might do her good. No, I didn’t know about Ted Garner. Poor Mrs Garner seems to have run into a bunch of trouble. My regards to her when you see her. Has Ted any family?
I have sent you magazines by this post including 2 ‘Lilliput’, 2 ‘Good Housekeeping’, and 1 ‘Homes & Gardens’, which looks a good market to me for stuff like your wireworm article. Domestic science diploma would be a good handle for ‘Good Housekeeping’. If you are interested in that sort of thing, see brief biogs in ‘Lilliput’.
Still can’t see any steel wool but I’ll get some somewhere soon. As they say in adverts, “Send no money”. I’ll be cross if you do and I mean that! I’ll think you think I’m whining if you ever send money I don’t ask for outright.
Interested to hear about Arthur’s ‘Cavalcade’ success, but 30/- income tax is funny. How did they know he wasn’t on the dole?
Dot is, I believe, coming home for a week on Whit Monday. I think Jack wrote Mother to that effect on Tuesday. Many thanks for the negatives, love.
Valerie’s present behaviour is probably her reaction to the prospect of going to school and she’ll probably settle down well once she’s there. I hate to think of her getting so many hidings as a result of her visits to our place. Anyway, I wish I was at home to cut doll’s sandwiches and put jam on them too!
How are children – young children – to learn to pick their books? The only children’s bookshop I know is in Oxford Street. Apart from that, they can’t walk into a shop and browse round as we can so their choice must at first be made by us and later guided by us or teacher or librarian. Preferably the latter if she’s really good at her job. When I go to Robin’s I’ll try to pump Connie on the subject.
When I said write a letter about yourself, what I meant was how are your thighs these days? I’d love to see you stretched out on the bed with the sun coming through the curtains, or standing on the rug with your arms above your head and breasts well out. Wow! It’s a good job for both of us I’m in a helluva hurry today or I’d have you squirming all over the room. I’m in a merciless mood today! If you are going crackers, what price me. John has cried his eyes out today.
I’m glad to hear the news about Michael and the swings. Hope he gets over his sickness.
About the desk. Use it by all means, precious. If my pen brought the first acceptance of an article, maybe the desk will help with your first book or radio series. Put my stuff together in the drawers – I can easily sort it out later if necessary – and whale the life out of the kids if you catch them at the desk at all.
Skip the birthday ideas for the moment. I can’t think of anything I need – except you – and if I do I’ll let you know. Honest.
Bye for now and ’scuse the haste. I love you very dearly, sweetheart. All my love to you.
Ever,
Arthur X
May 181944