Friday, 11 September 1992

Dear Nana and Pop

Sorry this is typed but as usual I am running around in circles.

Thank you very much for my birthday card.  With your birthday money I bought a lovely little box of drawers for all my painting equipment, I shall send you a photo, they are really cute.  Jack is pleased because now there are no more tubes of paint and paint brushes laying all over the house.  It was terrific to speak to you both on the day.  I feel quite homesick on my birthday.  Jack tried so hard to make my birthday special but I was so upset that Dad forgot, he rang at 1:30am on the 9^th and promised that there was a card in the post but I still haven’t received it.  I guess his priorities are different now, it makes me very sad.

Jack gave me two lovely new handbags and a sports bag for me to carry my gym gear around in, I also got a new dressing gown and breakfast in bed!

Monday, 5 October 1992

Where have the days gone?  Well Mum has been here two weeks now.  What a surprise, I was told that we were going to the airport to pick up Jack’s Aunty who lives in Australia he said she was coming over for a holiday.  So there I was standing at the airport bleary eyed at 6:00am not really paying attention.  Jack was behind me when he called my name I said “What?” without looking, he called me again and I turned around to see mum with the biggest smile on her face, I squealed so loudly and burst into tears, there were a couple of women who started to dab their eyes and I called out to them “This is my Mum, MY MUM”  Jack roared laughing.  Jack had even organised with my manager for me to have the Monday and Tuesday off work.

We have had a lovely time.  For the first two days I kept pinching Mum to make sure she was really here.

Mum has really got this wedding business down pat.  We have found a hall for our reception, it is a quaint old English hall with big wooden beams through the roof, it really is lovely.  Mum and I have started to make the decorations for the hall and the tables, I will send you some photos.

Mum also seems to have our Australian wedding under control too.  Our Australian Wedding is now going to be on the 10^th of April as Lisa Copper’s wedding is on the 6^th.

I am really excited about it all now, I think I just needed to share my enthusiasm with someone.

I had my first wedding dress fitting last week, Mum came with me and we had a great giggle.  The seamstress is a really nice lady who thinks it’s lovely that I am wearing my Mums wedding dress for my own wedding,  and that the alterations I want to make to it shouldn’t be a problem at all.  So it is all systems go.

It would seem that we may have found an answer to our problem of living with Jane.  I have made an offer on a turn of the century cottage which has been accepted.  The sale is going through and with any luck it may be ours by the end of the month.   Jack will relinquish any equity he has in the house he bought with Jane and she will live there and take over the mortgage.  My own first home, I can hardly believe it!

I have been meaning to thank you for your tips on the apple tree, we have had a lovely lot of apples this year and I found a really yummy recipe for apple crumble, we have eaten apple crumble ‘til we look like it.  The last few are dropping from the tree now, so I will prune soon and hope that next years are even better.

I have started painting pots with Christmas designs and people are placing orders for more so that should mean a little more money I hope.   What with a wedding and a new house to pay for I would need to paint 3 million pots to pay for it all.  Jack has bought me a couple of old wooden chairs from his dads place so that I can paint my designs on them.  It is a big job though and finding the time is difficult, although Jack has started playing rugby again on Saturdays so Saturday has become my “doing time” unfortunately I seem to do more house work than anything.

Yesterday was Sunday and we spent the day at Blenheim Palace which so lovely, they have the most amazing miniature hedges which only stand half a foot high and they formed the most delicate patterns, so now I have the gardening bug again and I want to redo our garden completely although it is getting too cold to work in the out there now, although I must plant my daffodil and tulip bulbs within the next month.

The first geese flew over the house last night honking their little hearts out so I know that Winter isn’t very far away.  I have lived a whole cycle over here in England now, all four Seasons, so it all seems a little more familiar which makes it a little easier, but my heart will never belong here and I will be home for good one day.  Home to have your great-grandchildren, how many would you like? 5 or 6 according to Jack we need 11 for a rugby team.

I had better close for now, please give my love to Granny, take care of each other.   I will write again soon.

With all my love,

Sxxxoooxxxooo