Letter from David Donaldson's mother to his elder brother, Ian

Letter from David Donaldson's mother to his elder brother, Ian

Mother writes to David's elder brother Ian who is in Scotland. Contains family and local news. Expresses concern for Ian's welfare.

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EDonaldsonFIDonaldsonIXX0825

THE ELMS,
42, PEAR TREE AVENUE,
BITTERNE,
SOUTHAMPTON.
Dearest Ian
the above is the correct address for once, I have been here all afternoon hunting round to see what I could find for Elizabeth in case she wants it & she gets her house. She is coming down here next week to see D Mallinson, for two nights, & Norman is also coming home for seven days leave, I have told you all this in another letter, but I wrote one letter to the first address you gave me, & Daddy forwarded on
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3 letters to that, & I then sent another Canadian [deleted] address [/deleted] letter to the next address, & also wrote, & sent the photographs (which were very dissapointing [sic]) & then this morning I got your letter with the revised address in, so I hope some of the letters will reach you.
I am sorry you are having such a wet & dreary time in Scotland, I think its either lovely, the most wonderful [inserted] air [/inserted], intoxicating colour & views of the hills & water, or else its quite unutterably dreary, the first time Elizabeth & I went up to Oban it was lovely & the next time Daddy & I went, pouring wet all the time & we walked miserably along
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the roads all the time with the water squelching out of our shoes – I don't wonder you feel peeved at being called back before the others, I think its wretched, & I feel sorry for your pilot, who must be furious at [character deleted] being dragged away from his wife & family
The weather is good in spots here we've had a day's rain which has cheered up the kitchen garden, & provided some more grass for the cows to eat, so we get a little more milk to drink, & now its stormy today -
I have just rung up the Compton
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Arms Hotel to see if they could take us for a week as I hear they are taking visitors again, Mrs Ings answered herself, she was in bed full of ills & sorrows, & no staff, she said if I rang up in a weeks time she would see if they could take us for 3 days with the possibility of extending the visit for another 3 days if nothing went wrong in the kitchen – so we may go there for a week, so we have a slender hope of a holiday
Mrs Fudge now has a searchlight [word deleted] close to her house & hears there is to be a large gun as well, so she is feeling very gloomy
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& nightly expects an aeroplane full of bombs to [inserted] fall & [/inserted] explode on her house; mainly I think because she has just had it repainted all over in green & white. The Gibbards have found a house in Chesil Crescent & are looking forward to giving Mr C notice, so I live in hopes of getting their rooms for Eliza though I shall really miss Brian.
I think I had better look around & find some books for you, something that you can leave behind & not bother to return, I'm thinking you will want some
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clothes forwarded on; you cannot have enough with you to change into when you get soaked, but I'm making up my mind you are going to stay put where you are, which I suppose you are not.
Theres [sic] been a battle going on all afternoon in the neighbourhood & the combatants are now marching past to the sound of bagpipes,
Everyone is well up to date so I hope you are too.
Very much love
from
Mummie