Sunday, April 9th, 1944

Darling Joan,

We were all having our midday dinner on Good Friday, when Mummy, who was facing the window, saw the postman outside waving a long envelope and we knew at once that meant a letter from you. Good Friday was an ordinary working day over here, but we have Saturday and tomorrow off as a holiday.

Your letter was dated March 8th, so it had taken just a month to get here, which we thought rather quick for ordinary mail. It started off by telling us what a very changeable day you were having with snow and sunshine all mixed up. That is the kind of weather we sometimes get here in April, but not quite so extreme as you are getting.

Then you gave us your poem, which thrilled us all. We all thought it extremely good, and I expect you were pleased to get it accepted for your school paper. I do hope you will send us a copy.

What a pity that Capt. McCaffrey⁽¹⁾ is in Italy, we were hoping to get a visit from him. I will write to him again; I expect his old address will find him.

The twins are very pleased that you now write a special note on the ends of your letters specially for them. As I write this they are busy writing too. There is a fair nearby that thrills them a lot, and I expect they will tell you all about it. It wasn’t going this morning but they went over there with Dora, Roger and Patsy Gaze, while I was busy tidying up the front garden.

The wide border we are going to fill with flowers this year, it gets very little sunshine and the potatoes we tried there last year were not a success. So we have filled it with seeds of Shirley poppies, clarkias, eschscholtzias (I think that’s right) and flowers of that sort. We are hoping for a very brave display, and a few flowers do brighten things up, don’t they?

Well, Mummy and Nanny are sitting round the fire with a cup of tea and the twins are upstairs with Patsy Gaze playing, so I think I will get out again for a while before tea. It is very dull and every now and again it starts to drizzle, but it isn’t cold.

Lots of love Joan dear
from your Daddy
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