March 3^rd, 1970

Dear Machi and Denden,

It must be more than a couple of weeks since I last wrote, but it's hard to keep track of time as the days just go by and I can't remember what happened the day before. Mrs Dearlove had a fall in Joan BT's landing, and from a Wednesday night till Saturday when her son took her away, her two nieces and I tried to take care of her, but she is so independent, and on the Saturday when I specially roasted a chicken for her she just refused to eat my food and said she didn't like being an imposition. She hadn't slept for two nights with the pain, so I took it upon myself to call her doctor but he was sending her pills by mail, so I phoned again and went to get them. Imagine a doctor not carrying something around. She told us she got upstairs all right, with the wall to hold on to, but fell before she got to the bed and was a half hour on the floor before she could pull herself up. And no doubt the temperature was well under 50^oF.

I really was feeling discouraged and depressed this morning, as I had thought the house was stoppered up and warm enough for me to relax about it - but the north wind has been blowing three days, and there are new places where it comes in as tho' thru' a sieve. The double glazing seems rather irrelevant. I think I go at things too whole-heartedly and wear myself out and then get depressed. Also I had enjoyed a day outside and there is lots that ought to be done, and now this beastly wind, frost, and everything makes it seem winter is far from over.

Hugo and the family were here over the weekend. Lee came for the last two, but he had something in town this one. I don't know what. He has told me more than usual about his skiing, the other people and all, but he doesn't seem to have enjoyed it as much as usual. He is catching up on missed work, so no probate yet. Ivor and Joan were down again this past few days, having returned from their skiing. The dog had been sick (he was being looked after by a village girl) and I had to take him to the vet. I phoned Joan to come right down and take over as soon as she returned, and teeth were removed, but the dog scratches his wounds if left to himself (he has great opened sores on his face) so either Ivor or Joan have to keep him in their laps all the time. Ivor, mostly! Yesterday morning all the good work had been undone in the night so I believe Joan was beginning to think the best thing was to do away with it. He is as old as the hills, and I never liked him.

Well. Such a day as I had yesterday! It is now Thursday 6^th. Claudia phoned a while back and you will probably get her letter before this, as I don't know when I'll go out to the post. I went yesterday just before one - had to send money to Mrs Roscoe, and wanted to tell the women I wouldn't be taking them to church as I felt so unwell and had thrown up in the night. Got undressed and into bed to hear a noise as of a banging door, and found the picture window cracked right across length ways. Put on some clothes, and just stood there almost in a daze, with all my strength against the lower portion which was blowing right in. This was my position for the following three hours except for quick dashes to try and pull forward furniture to build up a sort of barrier, and a frantic call to the builder. He spent from then until after five trying to reach me. Got stuck on the height of the downs coming in on one side, so tried the other direction some six or eight miles away, to be turned back by the police because of a bad accident in which a woman was killed.

After my three hours, a woman who hadn't got my message about church (must have been meant) came by, so with another pair of hands to hold the wind back, we got chairs piled on top of each other, a table and a stool, wedged against the opposite wall and I was able to leave off using myself. There was less than a half-inch gap and snow blew in, but there was no longer the danger of the entire window blowing in. Had it done so I reckon the whole downstairs, and the upstairs hall, would have been blown to smithereens and piled with snow. My shed which is supposed to be an ordinary shed but with a few odd holes about, had three inches of snow on everything in it, including implements hanging on the walls.

Anyway I was very exhausted and slept for twelve hours, though coming down four times in the night to see how things were. The wind stopped about seven in the evening. What a day. I just ceased to think during those three hours and it didn't seem that long. The wind was blowing horizontally. Never saw anything like it; whirling around has made five-foot drifts and mountains, just like pictures of the sand in deserts. The ha-ha is filled right up.

Mr Kimber arrived soon after I got down to this yesterday, and did a noble job of shoring up the glass. He couldn't get it right back together.