Wednesday
Skegness
Sweetheart,
What a glorious day this has been. Baking hot sunshine, with all the lads sitting out in the sun at every opportunity and me doing the longest day’s work I have done for quite a long time. Two of us had the job of trimming the edges of the lawn between the rows of chalets, which is about 300 to 400 yards long. It took us all day and we had to keep on the move all the time to get it finished. As a matter of fact the C.P.O., whose job it is to supervise all this sort of work, didn’t think we could get through it and was delighted when we did because it is rounds tomorrow. He is a decent old cock and has always treated me very well so it was worth making the effort for him. He has been responsible for me having about three or four lazy days!
Before I forget. I had a letter from Lilian and Eric today. They say they will be writing you soon from their new address in Southport. It was only a brief note, obviously written in a hurry, but Eric says he has received both of my letters which is good news. I hate to think of letters going astray, it seems such a criminal waste of effort, and somehow you can never recreate the same atmosphere in a rewritten letter. I found that the other day when I wrote to Bert and after sealing the envelope realised I had made no mention of his family, a point Ann would have seized upon. It was, of course, quite impossible to have made that a postscript, so I had to write the last two pages again. The result was that I only put in a third of the stuff the second time. I find that normally happens.
I’m not attempting to answer your letters fully until I get to Aberdeen. You don’t mind do you? There is only one more night in Skeg after tonight and we are as bad as a crowd of schoolboys the way we are straining at the leash to be away. We had quite a nice night last night – our final shore night here. Percy and I went into Skegness to see his R.A.F. pal. There is only one here just now, the other being on leave. After we had seen him we bumped into quite a crowd of the young lads out of the class so we stood them a drink or two and then caught a bus to Ingoldmells where we had arranged to meet some of the fellows more to our taste. We had a few gills there and wound up by going into the W.V.S. for beans on toast – my portion minus crust. Quite enjoyable, and we were able to get back in time, but only just in time to check in.
The remainder of our time looks like being very easy. Pay day and rounds tomorrow will do most of the day in. Friday will be spent packing and going through a formal, very formal, medical examination. Will we sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ with fervour at tea on Friday? I asks you! What annoys me is that we leave camp at 9pm and have to hang around Skegness station for about an hour before the train goes, and there will be no chance of slipping across to The Lion for a couple of final quick ones. This business of being herded together and treated like absolute children is perhaps the worst part of all this business, although I can understand why they have to do it. If they let some of us go they’d have to let the lot go and half of them would never come back in time. That is where a few spoil things for everyone and one of the reasons, too, why they don’t put us nearer home I think.
Many thanks for telling me about the garden and I should say it sounds like it was just as well you got it done while you could. I’m glad you have made a start, but don’t go and overdo it, and above all don’t go and tire yourself out before I get home. By what you say you have made a good start. Which peas are you planting? The dwarfs in that cigarette box are the earliest we have. They can be planted in February when the ground is right. Yes, you are quite right so far as I can remember about the parsnips. We did try a lot of thinnings. That is worth remembering for again. By the way, if you are going to make a bonfire, make it on the place where you are going to put carrots and parsnips, that is about opposite the gate. Parsnips should be in soon. I don’t know whether it is worth putting a lot of carrots in. They are always fairly cheap, aren’t they? Would you prefer more beets? And don’t forget that the mustard and cress was not used last year! Have you seen Reg lately? Ask him if he thinks you should get plants of things like cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts etc. If he thinks you should, get hold of Dave and ask him to buy some for you from the parks superintendent. That was where we got them from last year. Remember how we were fed up eating them and giving them away.This year you should have more room for cabbage with all that land free where we had potatoes last year. The thing to do is to concentrate on stuff for the winter and spring. Try to get hold of a lot of spring cabbage, many more than you want, plant them close together. The winter weather will thin them out for you. How did the salted beans last? If they were good right through the winter – ’scuse me a moment there’s a lad playing ‘Danny Boy’ on the stage in the mess, quite good! – as I was saying, if they lasted well I should put a lot of them down this year and pick them while they are young. Concentrate on anything that will grow through the winter or will preserve. That is the way to get the best value from the ground. Time is creeping on and you should have a good idea of what you are going to plant and where you are going to put it. But that is enough of gardening for now. Just one thing more. You might let me know if you ever found that plan I left in the Boots diary. That will give you a good idea of what I had in mind.
Hope the children are better. Do you think they might have to have their tonsils out? Perhaps they will do better when the warmer weather comes. I hope so. I don’t like to think of you having all this worry on your own.
Well, love, I must be off. Give Wendy a pat on the back for being so good. I’m glad to think of her “mothering” you like that. I have thought often how you’ll miss her when she goes to school.
Bye bye pet and look after yourself. I’ll drop you a line tomorrow. At the moment I can’t concentrate here. All my love, sweetheart. I do love you. Ever,
Arthur X
Mar 251942