Open Writing

Harold and Muriel Day have had another boy whom they call George King. So far they have named all their boys after their Day uncles but they all have King as their middle name, to commemorate Muriel’s family and of course George was her father’s name and John is Harold’s father’s name too. Here I have copied her latest letter.

Christmas 1913

Dear Jessie,

Thank you so much for the photographs and description of Mary (as we now must call her) and Tom’s wedding. Any little ones in the offing yet? How exciting that they are living in Guernsey, and that you are able to visit them there. How I wish Harold could get a job someplace like that, but at least here in Capetown we have a much more agreeable climate. Our new baby, George King is very healthy and very good. Jan is somewhat jealous now that I have less time to spend with him exclusively.

I am pleased to hear about the progress of your brothers. They were all so much younger that I didn’t really know any of them very well, but, of course, Frank was sociable with everyone so I am not surprised that he continues to make a success of his life. You say he is courting. You must write and tell me more about his new friend. What about Charlie? Does he have a girlfriend yet? I know you always said he was the shy one so it will not be so easy for him as it is for Frank.

Harold is somewhat worried about the rumours of war that we hear occasionally. What do your brothers think? I am afraid that Harold’s brothers are very poor correspondents, so we get little home news from the man’s point of view. I hear often from May, but she says John isn’t worried about war. He is too busy with his new headmaster’s job and they are expecting again too. We had hoped our babies who are cousins would get to know each other, but I guess it is just not to be.

If there were to be a war, I am sure Harold would join up, and that would mean us coming home again to Lansdowne Crescent and staying either with mother, or with Mrs. Day. I must not say that I am wishing for war, but it would be so nice to be home again. I do like this country so much better than Malaya but it isn’t home and I don’t think we would ever live here permanently. Harold and I always said that we would go back when the children got to school age anyway, and Jan who is just over five now is ready to go to school. He does go to a nursery here in the mornings, and he has learned his letters and will soon be reading I am sure.

You asked me to tell you more about our flowers and trees.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is world-renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora it displays and for the magnificence of its setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain just a short distance from us. It was owned originally by Cecil Rhodes who bought it in 1895 and when he died in 1902, he bequeathed it to the people as part of his great Groot Schuur estate. But it took until this year for it to change from a wild and overgrown area to the beginnings of a proper botanical garden.

I particularly like the succulent vygies (Lampranthus) which are very striking with colours varying from icy pink to bright orange.

Among the bulbous plants many of the African lilies (Agapanthus) are just starting to flower. Spikes of blue Aristea major and yellow Wachendorfia thyrsiflora stand tall in the wetter areas. I will try to send you some pictures of these, or perhaps you can find them in the library.

Some of the special trees in flower are the Cape chestnut (Calodendron capense) and the pom - pom tree (Dais cotinifolia) which both get covered in pink flowers.

Our temperature at the moment is between 58º F and 75º and it will be slightly cooler next month. We get about quarter of an inch of rain in November and slightly more in December.

Love from Muriel