Lansdowne Crescent: Chapter 10
…Last August was a very hot month, just the right weather for enjoying beach life at Shoreham, where the family had a bungalow. Frank made friends with some children in the neighbouring bungalows, and eventually could hardly shake them off; when he said good-bye to them at the back door, they immediately ran round the bungalow and appeared at the front, and followed him to the sea when he went to bathe…
Jean Day’s story concerns the lives of people living in the same crescent in a provincial English town a hundred years ago.
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Last August was a very hot month, just the right weather for enjoying beach life at Shoreham, where the family had a bungalow. Frank made friends with some children in the neighbouring bungalows, and eventually could hardly shake them off; when he said good-bye to them at the back door, they immediately ran round the bungalow and appeared at the front, and followed him to the sea when he went to bathe. The outdoor life and freedom from restraint was much appreciated by the boys, who hate conventionality. I sometimes tell them that they make a convention of unconventionality.
When I read for the first time the lines, ‘Why do you walk through the fields in gloves, Oh, fat, white woman, whom nobody loves, Missing so much and so much?’ I really thought that Pete must have written them, they were so expressive of his sentiments. He also detests affectation or gush, and has no use for anyone who puts on side. Charlie has, too, a sweeping contempt for platitudes, and such a remark as 'It is a cold day, but will be warmer when the wind drops,' almost makes him foam at the mouth, to use his own expression.
No one who spends much time with our family could fail to be struck by the brothers' appreciation of and desire for their sisters' companionship; to paraphrase a cynical remark, we are more like friends than brothers and sisters. This is to a certain extent most noticeable in Charlie, as he is very reserved, and does not so easily make new acquaintances as the other two; he dislikes a push of people, but is quite sociable, and with those he knows well is a most entertaining companion. His brilliant intellect shows itself in many small ways: he is a fine bridge player, he revels in mathematical puzzles, which he never fails to solve, and in written games his contributions stand out from most others.
If I seem to concentrate my writing on the boys, it is because we girls lead such uncomplicated and repetitive lives. We all are still doing what I wrote that we were doing last year. Margaret and I have our jobs in the town, Beth is teaching music, Carrie is helping and getting ready for her wedding, and Janet is at school.
And the neighbours too, are boring in their lack of excitement in their lives. I almost feel as if I should make up some great drama in the neighbourhood to make our lives seem more exciting. But perhaps it will happen all by itself next year.
Our Christmas letter from Muriel tells a bit about her family.
Christmas letter – 1911
Dear Jessie
Here it is time for another chance to review the year behind and plan for the one ahead.
We have been settled in Ipoh now for almost a year. Harold’s job is much more demanding, as he now oversees all 3 mines as well as managing the one here at Tanjong Rambuttan, Ipoh. So I see him even less than I did last year. But we have made a few friends. And my best friend, Anna Roberts has just had her first baby, a daughter she has called Mary – so I am now in the position of being able to give advice rather than desperately seeking it.
Jan is very advanced for his 13 months. He can walk and say a few words. He is into everything, and we have to be very careful that he doesn’t pick up the many poisonous berries that flourish nearby. He and I have such fun, playing together, and he is advancing so quickly it won’t be long before he and I can have a real conversation.
You say that Carrie and Tom are getting married next summer. You will have to take careful notes of all that happens to send to me. I so wish I could be there again to celebrate with you all.
You asked in your last letter if there were any other babies on the way. The answer is no. I still hate this climate and very much want to move to a more pleasant way of life before we increase our family. As pleased as I am with having a child, I know that if I had another here, I would be as worried about him surviving as I was about Jan. I have asked Harold to consider moving to South Africa, and although he can’t really leave this post for another year or so – as jobs are usually on two year contracts here, he would need to know where to apply and what the situation there might be like, so at least we are thinking about it.
Love to all from Muriel
Shortly after that we had another letter from Muriel:
I have the most wonderful news. Harold has applied for a job in South Africa, and it looks as if he will be successful. I am so looking forward to leaving Malaya, and South Africa is such a wonderful place. We stopped there for three days en route here, and I was captivated by it. The place we are going is in Cape Town, in the Western Cape and the tin mine is at a place called Devil’s Peak. I have been learning all I can about South Africa since he first applied.
The actual area we will be living in is called Vredehoek, and the earth dam and other mine workings are on Prospect Hill. It will be a different process than that we are doing here in Malaya, in that we will extract the tin from crushed ore.
We will be sailing on the RHS Sanseon and will land first at Durban and then go on to Cape Town. It is cool in Cape Town, due to the cold Benguela current from Antarctica in the Atlantic Ocean west of the city. However, Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate. In summer it is usually pleasantly warm. It seldom rains in summer, and only briefly when it does.
The winters are cool and wet, but the temperature hardly ever falls below 50° F.
I can’t wait.
Much love,
Muriel
