»  Letter: Tuesday, March 9, 1976

 

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  Transcription of Letter

From
M^rs J.R. Derbyshire
62, Friars Avenue
Delapre
Northampton
England

To
M^r John Derbyshire
14 Legion Drive
Valhalla  N.Y.
         10595
U.S.A.

March 9^th

My dear Son,

waiting to hear from you once again, its nearly 6 weeks since your last letter! It is bitterly cold here, though dry & sunshiny & I am sitting by the window doing this. Dad is out shopping  I long to get in the garden, but its much too cold yet. Noel wrote to Dad & told him off for being such a stick in the mud, he thought Dad ought to come with me, but you know Dad, he won't budge. I'm busy dressmaking for the great ocassion & trying to take off the stone in weight I've put on the last year, hard work! Now dear, I hate to ask, but if you want to come to the "state of the party" nows the time with the £1 worth less than 2 dollars. Next week I shall pay the rest of my air fare which will be £112, have already £36 which includes insurance.

I will tell you once again my financial situation in case of accident & so that you will know I am not mean. I have £1000 in Bonds with the Trustee Bank, I get £49 ½ yearly interest on these, when I die, I want you to have these, though God knows what it will be worth. I have £700 in Halifax B.S. & propose to take £100 in dollars which is only £50 to bring with me & £50 sterling. I have helped Judith this last year, to roughly £300, but not grumbling about that. I have £500 Savings National Certificates which have to stay 5 yrs (now 1 yr old in June). should then be worth £1000 or so. I would like Tess to have these if & when I die. The interest on the B.S. & Trustee Bonds, plus my hospital pension of £46 monthly pays bills which average £60 a quarter plus any essential necessities & general living. I want to stay as independant as possible to the last, which I hope will be some time yet.! I put my hospital pension into the Trustees & depend on this to buy clothes shoes & any holidays. I shall leave Dad 4 weeks rent & shall have Phone & Electricity Bills around May. to pay before I come.

There's so much I want to talk to you about  The time seems to drag, & I long to see you. Dad has given me £5 for my birthday, so I shall save this buy shoes, now £10 a pair here. I've plenty of clothes which I make as you know, saving a great deal. Judy is also giving me money to buy a dressing gown. She has a fellow living with her, Dad is disgusted but its her life, there's nothing I can do John. It grieves me but there it is. He's a pleasant enough fellow, Cockney, not bad looking & seems fond of Tess & has done a lot in house & garden. I don't think Judy is capable of deep feeling, sex seems the only way she knows of giving, but she's all I've got here & I'm not falling out with her. Allan has applied for divorce  he's living with a divorced woman & wants to marry her. Talks of coming over in July to see Tessa. She is a darling, I only hope all this doesn't harm her, she's nearly 9 & very "knowing". Ah! well. "Fings ain't what they used to be" ^[1]  See you soon. Love you

                 Mother

"How's the Portrait"?^[2]