33 The January mail was sunk

Elsinore
March 2, 1918

My darling Norman,
Another letter. I suppose I will not have one from you next mail for I think .....(Indecipherable ship?) down. The January mail was sunk and I suppose all the others lost too. What a time we have had to wait for a line from our dear boys. I hope you have got all my letters before this. I have written one and sometimes 2 in a week. I didn't number all of them.

What is the number of the last one you received? Well my dear boy how are you getting on and how is your health? I hope you are keeping well. I know you like the cold weather better than the hot, but I expect it is a little bit too cold over there, but I don't think it has been so cold this winter as last winter. I never see anything in the paper about it being so cold, but you will be having nice weather now. Mr Cowell ?  says he knows you will be delighted with the weather when the trees are all budding out in their green garb and lovely flowers everywhere. He knows you will be telling about it when you come back. I do wish you were coming now.

I see last night's paper young Whitehead is on his way home. I think they are keeping George Noble there; giving him something light to do. Mrs Noble wishes he was coming home.

Before I forget it Norman, I believe Mr Vale is going to begin work again, so he is getting on fine. He seems so happy. He thought he would never be able to work again. He asked the Doctor this week and he said he thought he could start work, at something light. He saw the Bosses over at the Island and they seemed very pleased and said they would give him something light to do.

Well Norman, I hope you wont forget the 5th of this month and I suppose that is the letter that has gone down - never mind (this will be her 67th birthday!). I will take the bill for the deed that is the worst of it. It is not safe to send anything, only a card or so by the mail. I hope you received the draft all right. I am anxious to know or there's a duplicate and have you got your parcels yet? I don't think it is worth sending them, but tell me when you are writing. You might save my map tin that the cake was in - I couldn't get a tin anywhere to put it in, only that one. Was it any good when you got it? and Illma's pudding - was it good? I hope they were alright.

Well Norman we are getting near Easter now, then end of this month Easter Sunday and April Fool's Day will be Easter Monday so I suppose I had better give your gift to the Church that day and I have one of those Tallit ? bags Mrs Manning gave me one and 2 shillings in it to buy something and make up and sell, then buy something more and so on, but I couldn't do it. I made a bag and Mrs Irwin bought it for 2/6, so I put that in and left the 2 S in so that makes 4/6 so I will put in 5/6 and that will make 10 S and that is all that I can do. I believe some of them have done well. Miss Ward has made over 5.0.0 (5 Pound) and Mrs Allen over 3.0.0. Of course they have a chance of selling what they make. They go out so much and I don't. We have to give them in this month. I believe the Sunday School has done very well out of the last sale of work 27.19.5. and the Rectory fund of 15.15.0 (pound.shilling.pence) and the other fund 5.0.0 so that was not too bad was it. I sent you one of the Parish Papers. I hope you got it all right. Well Norman, a word about ourselves. I think all are well. Claude (16yrs)  has his holidays and our gift for .........and a free pass over the Railways. all right isn't it? He was to have come down here this week but has not arrived yet. Ilma and all hers are well, so are all their friends that I know of. I believe Ivy Wallace and Myrtle have been up to see fred in Queensland. He is getting on well but has a delicate wife, like Ally Connolly, his wife nearly always in the Hospital. I hope you got Clarry's address all safe.

I think Matty Elliot and Jack Story will soon be leaving now. Well I think I have given all the news now. In case ones sCribbles, the fleas are tormenting me. Now my dear darling son, goodnight and God bless you and keep you in the right way, with best love from your Dad and some from your ever loving and affectionate Mother XXXXXXXXXXXXXX