Thursday
Chiswick
Dearest,
Thanks for your long and interesting letter from which I gather that you have been bitten rather badly by the spring gardening bug. I’m glad you have got a decent spade and if you look after it – and the fork too – better than I did, it should prove a bargain and last for years. All these things break off at the shaft because the rust from the metal weakens the wood. They should really be wiped and oiled, but as you know, I never bothered at all so I can’t preach at you! Anyway, there’s no doubt sharp new tools do infect you with enthusiasm but be careful not to overdo things. Progress slowly and dig deeply. That is undoubtedly the great secret. All that land was due for a good double digging last back-end and would have got it had I been home, but it is heavy and uninteresting work and tiring on the back, too, so once again – be careful! If you are going to pay special attention to one side I should give it to the left hand side because where the potatoes were should be alright with a good forking over to get up any odd bits of grass I may have missed, but I think I did it fairly carefully when I lifted the potatoes. If I were you I’d leave the blackberries alone. With loganberries and rasps you’ll have quite enough trouble keeping them within bounds. Where are you thinking of putting the gooseberry bushes if you get them? Remember they’ll throw quite a lot of shade on other things. You are probably right about the temptation to get things in too early, but you want to take advantage of the decent weather to do as many short spells in the allotment as you can. Even half an hour’s forking or weeding in the morning and the same in the afternoon every day will make an enormous difference. We didn’t have any luck at all with onion seeds remember. What about those you planted in the garden? Can’t you recognise them? A start like that makes all the difference you know in the real growing and ripening season. Get what muck you can as soon as you can and either add it to the present pile or start a new one somewhere with an eye to its site for growing stuff next year. Well that’s about all on the allotment, but keep me posted with your progress, won’t you? You know I’m interested and I think that, given a spell free of trouble, you may do very well this year. Try giving the greens a lot more muck this time, even if it means fewer plants.
As you will see, I have written to the children telling them of the trip to the zoo. I could probably have written a lot more but the great trouble is trying not to write more to one than to the other – a great restriction, I always find, which cramps one’s style a lot. When the war’s over, we really must go to the zoo at Chester, or wherever it is. We will both enjoy it just as much as the children. The colouring of some of the birds is almost unbelievably beautiful.
I’m feeling a lot better for getting a little fresh air on my day off. There is a warm breeze blowing and it is a lovely afternoon so instead of sleeping I’m going to post your letter and then take the train to Hammersmith and walk back along the bank of the river to a point near the spot where, in peacetime, the Oxford and Cambridge boat race finishes. Everywhere in London seems to mean something, doesn’t it? One day I’m going to have a look at Wormwood Scrubs which is not very far away from here! There’s nothing like having a Catholic taste, is there?
Well, my love, I must be off. I do hope the vapours are improved now. Don’t forget to natter at Rees about it, will you. And tell me all that he says, especially regarding conception. All my love to you, angel.
Ever yours,
Arthur X
Feb 251943