5, Brunswick Gardens
London W.8.

Monday, March 15^th 1965

Dearest Machi,

Just to give you an idea of our life I will describe today. I left home just before nine to have a few moments at the pattern counter before I was to meet Joan BT, and we found a few suitable things. Then it seemed Miranda was at the dentist close at hand, so we waited for her - etc. Luckily finding something that pleased us all didn't take too long and I was amused when Joan said how very tiring shopping was and we'd better hurry up and finish and relax with some coffee. Anyway, the jest of the story is that I arrived home, having waited at a supermarket and got enough food for lunch, to find Phil's room in total disorder, his one wall nearly finished being painted bright red, the window washer here, and Hugo anxious to go forth and he did, bringing back lengths of underfelt and sound-proof tiles with which he was to "do" Phil's door, so that when he listens to TV and I listen to music on the gramophone we don't hear each other.

I had left Joan saying I would go straight back and cut out the little boy's shirt (in the end I offered to make the shirt and not the pants, as her poor friend is a working girl and was to be given only a weekend in the country to make both the pants and the frilled shirt) but as I am much more particular than Phil about straight lines where the red wall meets the white, I had to help him out. Mrs Roscoe came. Much cleaning, laundry going, drier, washing machine, and Austin the window cleaner in and out, yellow underpillow cases being bleached in bleach - lunch cooked, eaten and cleared away in the middle of all this, coffee served to Austin. Oh me. I was up here ironing seams in Ellen's dress right after lunch, and Phil and Hugo insisted on stopping all work and having a game of chess, but I'd got nowhere when there were demands to come help elsewhere. Jennifer came in after her work. Finally Hugo drove both her and Mrs Roscoe home, and we've finally finished supper and it's nine o'clock and Hugo is off to work all night. Two walls have been painted; one red and one white. The curtain discarded and the inside of the deep window painted red instead. All pictures came down of course, and much washing of wood work, but the sofa cover and all cushions which have to re-sewed into their cases haven't been done yet.

I went last evening to see the little girls, and ran into a tea party with birthday cake for some six kids of varying ages - all cousins, and three sisters being the parents, with nursery books of Kate Greenaway dresses they wanted for the wedding. One mother leaves London within a week, returning April 24th, and the other goes away for a fortnight, so I think I must get something fitted before that. When I left Joan BT today she was to look for her dress for the wedding, and tonight I hear she has everything, including her hat!

They apparently had quite a time yesterday. Hugo was working until after four, but that was the day they had to go to the church and work out the hymns and so forth that would be used in the wedding, and see what it sounded like on the organ. Mr Bulmer refused a hymn Hugo and Jennifer wanted because it was written by Martin Luther. They finally found other words - but it seems each and every one of them have very definite ideas about everything, and consequently have quite a time about it all. The boy who plays the organ won't play anything he doesn't like. Hugo wants what he wants. Mr BT is adamant about his ideas - so a happy time is had by all. Joan BT said to me today she wanted to get everything finished (therefore her dash to get her own outfit all in one day) and go away to the country and come back only a week before the wedding.