Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine

Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine

Writes it was a shock to her that he was starting operations again so soon and would be interested to know how he was getting on with augmented crew. Comments on good weather, her daily activities and catches up with family news. Comments on possible censorship of telephone calls. Concludes with news of arrival of agricultural study papers. gardening and baby's progress.

1942-05-05

Two page handwritten letter

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EValentineUMValentineJRM420505

[underlined] No 32 [/underlined]
Lido
Tuesday May 5th

My darling,
It was certainly a bit of a shock to read from your letter of 3rd that you are starting ops again so soon, perhaps last night. I was so hoping they’d give you leave at the end of your conversion, still if you can knock back a few more hours I suppose it is all to the good. I shall be interested – to say the least of it – to hear how you got on with the augmented crew. Perhaps you’ll ring up this evening.
We are all out of doors basking in the sunshine. When the wind drops it’s almost [underlined] too [/underlined] hot. How remote the snow & bitter cold of January & February seem now. Frances is wearing rompers & an old sunbonnet that is much too big for her – I shall really have to make her a sunhat next.
I was upon the kitchen steps with a pot of paste & a brush trying to stick up the paper on the kitchen ceiling when Dorothy Smith, my erstwhile WAAF, came to call. She brought back my electric bowl fire, which I lent her while we were away, so that was a good thing.
I enclose a note received today from your mother. I’ll certainly ask Ann here for a weekend sometime, but don’t want to commit myself till I know when you are coming on leave.
You are certainly right about our halting telephone conversations. For me of course the main function of the talk is fulfilled when I hear your voice and just know that you are alive & well. Everything else pales into insignificance & I only want to keep telling you I love you, but as there is an RAF censor on your end & may be a telephone girl on mine one hesitates to say exactly what one feels on that subject. But it is funny that we sometimes don’t know what to say at all!
[page break]
The parcel of photos & agricultural study papers arrived today & I shall be interested to look thro’[sic] them. I should think the best test book for you, if we could get it, would be Watson & Moore’s “Agriculture” which I notice they recommended & which I have noticed in other bibliographies. I’ll make enquiries & see what can be done about it.
I must now go & cut the front lawn, believe it or not. There is such a crop of daisies & dandelions on it that it almost seems a pity to disturb them!
Frances is getting quite tanned in the sun and her cheeks look more like peaches than ever! I was glad to hear about you sunbathing & practice with the sextant. Norman taught Vera how to take bearings on the sun with a sextant, while I am left in abysmal ignorance!
I have just found an old silver hand bell of mothers and given it to Frances, and she is blissfully ringing it driving us both mad!
All my love to you, my dearest one. How I long to have you at home for a bit – but when you come I’m going to see that you have a real rest-cure. Good show about Madagascar isn't it!
For ever yours
Ursula.