Well, hi you.
I've got the day off I'm supposed to be at work. It's Wednesday, the 5 of December, just a moment.
I'm using this with a mic today because I'm sitting on my holy mess. just just a moment. I'll just save it.
I don't think this seems to be recording as well as it does when I don't use the mic so I just might stop and go back just a minute not testing, testing.
Okay, like I said I don't think it works as well with themic, you get more interference anyway I don't know where to start, but I thought I'd get a tape off to you because I know how depressing it must all be for you after having such a big trip it must be very deflating to come home and end up with hospital and all that sort of thing and.
I should be doing 101 things. Todays Wednesday, we moved on Sunday. Well, we tried to move on Sunday. Sunday was the first time that we'd actually seen inside of the cottage and we the people had gone on Saturday night, John called around here and there was nobody here Saturday night. So we decided that we would.
Moving on Sunday has planned just a minute, Let damn things not high enough now,'ve got it's sitting on top of boxes. Hol on. Here we go again. If you don't set it upright, you've got to sort of lean over because you must walk right into these.
Mikes, or they don't work too well. Anyway, where was I Sunday. Oh yeah. Well, we were all geared to leave on Sunday, but we.
Oh, R went off to church, and we got my on them Sunday school, I'm in.
We came over and took a look at the place, and it really was an awful mess. It was filthy. So, and then the we wondered why the kitchen looked so big. There wasn't a fridge in it. Well, that was our big problem because we had quite a lot of stuff in the freezer at the apartment. So that really did put the thing on it. So anyhow we went back to the apartment and went and picked up reach from church.
At 11 o'clock, men something real funny hat. So I'll div it onto that and then get back onto the what's been going on. Well, we picked Rachel up from, Rachel and Matitland up from church at 11 o'clock, and we were driving down Pas Ferry road towards the cottage. And there was a man shopping down a train. He looked like he was having a bit of trouble. So we went back and we SAT on, we had Bob's pickup truck. So we SAT in a roadway just across from there. and.
We decidedded to watch for a while. Well in the I said, oh look, John, we sit here, that isn't for sure, that tree I land on us or something. Anyhow, we SAT there for a while. Finally jo out. this guy really was attacking this tree with last Christmas' new hackxel, you know and out there with his electric hack or or whatever it was and just getting bananas. So John rushes over with a great long row and was to lasso, at least Lassso round this row this tree, know, And the next thing I see this guy. I mean, we couldn't hear what they're saying, but this guy went over.
P his ladder up against this tree that was almost cut down, but wasn't wouldn't move. And I thought the man's gotd be crazy. And the kids and I were laughing and sitting on the truck because his two kids were out watching all this. And we were saying, oh, well, look out kids watch Eddiedy B Ki kind of thing. I mean, the guy was loopy. So anyhow, apparently what had happened, John said was his little.
Wedges or whatever that you have to cut into the side of the tree was so even that the tree was sitting in a V and just kind of sitting there. I wouldn't go one way or the other. Okay, so John, he puts the rope around the tree and John gets it and ties it around another the rope and comes back up so that he's got a little bit of pull on the damn thing to go in the direction reach the guys got playing for it. And then the guy gets this a big sawre out and into this tree. Well, the next thing down it comes. I mean, it must have been 60 feet tall. It went through the the oh, I naturally, we could see him. he was beside the road.
It went down through the power lines on his side of the road and the other side of the road and it was just like Guy Forks night, there was banging and crackling and every cable on the area went more we just about done and his kids were sitting on a little hill just across the road and I really thought he had gone because it was real close to home All the power poles caught fire.
Oh god, it was hilarious, I thought Jesus what do we do now Well John just picked up his rope and we got them pickup trucking off we went we didn't want to get caught there for the whole day help them out with that. So after there some guys here today chopping down trees and I was just telling the guy about it morning.
And he reckons it'll be over $2000 worth of.
Cost, you know, to fix up Georgia power because we went past at5 o'clock that night on the Sunday night and they had two great power trucks, you know, with those like fire type things that hang off in that the men stand up and and they'd been working there all day where I don't know how many other one arm and band it's working on those. So he'd been in for quite considerable thousands. I'd say to Paul Dis Christmas is over. anyway, So that was that little experience on Sunday.
And then we came over here and we had no beard, you know, and this place was so filthy because we would have been quite happy to live on the floor, but the floor was filthy. And the first thing we wanted to do was tear out the carpets. we came back after all even and Mrs. Eson came over, I don't think she was to impress with the place. but she immediately said that we could do, you know, anything we like. And if we wanted to put up the carpets. that was fine. So it was the very first thing we did ripped up all the carpet. And it was.
You that had animals. and we were just worried about fleas and junks so out that went. And unfortunately, I had thought one of the rooms was not carpeted. and I thought it would probably that the polished floors underneath the carpet would be in better condition, which they should have been because they hadn't been walked on, but these people whoever had been here, had been polishing what am I talking about had been watering their pop plants through the straight through the carpet. So all the beautiful polished floors, you know, very popular here are all very badly stained. and we don't know where the sanding will get up down to rock.
Bottom or not, anyhow, at least they're clean now.
The bathroom was a treat to be admired It had mouled from end to end on the the the shower hit the window ledge. And that was just like it was about to drop off.
And now, let me tell you about it. It's got a lounge and dining room. I'm sitting in the dining room right now with a Spanish arch Harley.
Modern there's a Spanish arch between the two rooms, and it's got a very high stud like about 15 feetops.
Gone, everything's falling over. And it's got a scotia sort of one thirdd of the way up the wall and the very wide skirting boards. you know, there quite fancy ones because it's pretty old big windows and everything. And they've gone the whole hog Spanish wise. And they have painted all the woodwork dark chocolate brown, which is gross over the top of we think four other coats of paint. So it's as thick as chocolate as well. So our first thing is to get gallons of stripper onto all there. Get it down to the bare boards. So we've got a lounge and dining. I think both rooms are about the same size. The lounge has got a fireplace and.
This they was something like 15 by 12 each.
There's two big bedrooms they're really big they're about 15 feet each square and one bathroom in the middle of that and just a little hallway, the four rooms like the lounge and a bedroom and the dining room bathroom and another bedroom we're all sort of inner square, you know, so there's only a tiny little square of a hall just really big enough for one enormous central heating unit and the place is real warm it's really good we have it on about 65 and it's real warmer money in short shoots.
So both bedrooms are really nice, but they've gone the whole hole with the Spanish as a suit and painted everything chocolate brown. So that' was pretty bad. So we're just going right through and cream or yellowy cream, and it's dirty as well. then the kitchen was just a you real thrill. I mean, there was linos there that had been there probably since Be and Jack 20 years ago I think it was four load four layers of something on the floor. But, of course, there was holes right through to the floor in parts. So it was quite hazardous to walk through it was undulating so much. And they had taken with some their tacky little or whatevers that had come off the top, probably carpet square something. And so there's a sort of fuzzy glue lift on top of the whole lot. So up that all came last night. hardboard lios, everything.
And we're now left on the kitchen floor with sort of black glue that probably went under the original linoleum.
And we're about to get that off and get back to the wood floors again the kitchen was once again the chocolate brown and the black hole gold cutter but my tree men that are outside today Mrs. Olson had them here like they come every year anyway and have removed four trees from around this house here and they're still working here they're coming back to prune all the big trees outside of the kitchen window and around the house and branch growing looks like through the roof up.
By the lounge, and they're going to come and fix that up. They were all cute little guys. One just talks and looks like McLeod, the guy on television without his horse. He's six foot sucks and just looks and talks like him.
Anyway.
Then off the kitchen, there's a little which when Beverly and Jack lived here, you know,18 years ago, was a screened off porch, but's now a little room with a sort of a low sloping roof. And that's where the back door comes in as well. The front door goes into the lounge and the back door goes into the sort porch here. and that's upstairs. And to get into the house, there's a sweepwooping great driveway. Oh, you know, real. but I mean, you know, it's like going up to the mansion only it goes kind of around the house to the back door. there's you can't drive up to the front door. And that's what I'm waiting for at the moment. I would I did go out to work this morning. but.
I knew Bob didn't have much work all I'd have been doing was but of training and learning and stuff. So we're just in such a sort of a state here. Southern Bell was supposed to have the telephone on on Monday and they're no better than the post office let me tell you everything was jacked up I picked up my phone and all that. And yeah she just plug it in madam and it'll just be ringing like crazy on Monday So she said now there's a little note attached to the phone And if it doesn't work at 5 o'clock on Monday, you've got to ring this number And I thought well how the hell do you do that. So I went down.
IMC and rang up my Yes, well, very sorry. It'll be on tomorrow.
While I got home here at 3 o'clock yesterday, Mara was here, and I told her to wear very hardy clothing because life was hazardous round here. There was now I was poking out the floor and goodness what she bought me a little red rug.
which had never been used that she doesn't need And I said, well, next time she comes Ill roll out the redcap before her but she was here and she thought it was just hilarious because we had all these.
Tree men chopping down trees. I came in on the new prelude. Of course, I admit to tell you about that. I drive up the driveway in my new car. and I see this man with the tree. Well, of course, after Sunday's experience, I was a little bit cautious about trees. So I said to him, oh no, I'm going to move my car and he said, all right. He sort all right the tree won't be anywhere near it. Well, the tree they were pulling down, wasn't that far from the car, but obviously they were pulling up to fall in the other direction. I said I'm taking no chance of I got out of the car and I put on leave it here and I parked it sort of further down the drive towards theelson's place.
And then I thought I called out to Mara because she was at the front door and see me And I said, I'm going back. I'll hold on there. I'm going back to move my castle. I moved my car out onto the road. I just couldn't stand it.
Next thing was the hell of a band like an earthquake and the trees down sure enough, it fell exactly where they wanted it to, but I just couldn't have stopped the thought of it going through my gorgeous new level car.
Anyhow on the next thing I'm still out talking to the tree man and a little band pter and I says Southern bell I said, you don't look like a Southern bell and he said, no I'm not a Southern bell he said but I've got your Southern bell telephone books and I said, well they're not much used to me because I haven't got telephone yet and he oh well you can read them and I said, well I just about get finished up they don't hurry anyhow because the books here are even bigger and fatter this year they're you I mean they must be three four inches that least anyhow so that's the.
Pages as that and the whites that and now we have a buckhe supplements So that's you know our area here as well and he said you want one or two lots And I said, oh just take one and then I said on second thoughts I'll take two, they make good seats you know we haven't got any furniture and he said well that's a jolly got idea so he gets them out and could hunt them and on and everything And then he sits off down the driveway Oh that's right we were talking to him for a while and he said, oh I've just been to one of the mansions. you know, I'm pointed through the trees.
I don't know whether it was elseson's but probably one next to it or something and he said do you know how many phone books they had and we all said no and he said they had 15 yellow and 15 white I mean go he said they had two telephones by the pool.
But what the hell I do with all those phone books is just beyond me. I mean storage of just a almy problem anyway so then he sets off back down the drive the next thing he comes back again, he said I couldn't really telling you he said Southern bells outside your gate right now So I rushed out and had a lot ands a little man up a pole and he worked there for about an hour and about 10 past five he came in he was black so I couldn't look em embarrassed but he was obviously very upset and sympathetic and didn't know what to say and he said  I'm terribly sorry said I've worked and he said there's nothing wrong at the line out here he said it's an office problem of the telephone and he said it should be on you runung into the office but he said the computer's broken down now and.
It'll be tomorrow before we can get it on. and I said, oh, I you know too bad, so I called them this morning.
And.
Still no joy, they said I told them I was coming home that I'd be here all day not but I need to be if it's an office problem still I await a ring on the telephone nothing's happened it's like about2 o'clock now.
Anyway, the other thing was that when we got here on the Sunday there was no refrigerator and so we had a real problem with that. So we Mrs. Eson you know said while she didn't know where it had gone because there was meant to be once she'd make a few discreet en inquiries as to where it had gone but in the meantime she'd get us one they had one downstairs in the basement of their house, but it didn't have a freezer so that wasn't any good sun in the meantime we bought all the stuff over and put it in the fridge in the summer house and the stove in the summer houses better than this one too I might like be but.
Anyhow then left everything over there. So at the moment we're not kind of using milkcur anythingca it's a long way over to the summer house and it's been a bit nippy. It's warmed up again today. it's 65 today, but we have been down, I think I told you last week it was going down to and yesterday of the day before well like Sunday, too, it was really cold all day, usually if we have a cold night, it still warms up in the day but it was real cool for two days there but it's warmed up again now Anyway, so all the foods over on the.
Summer house and Mrs. Eson called sent Harry over on Sunday night to tell us that she had got a fridge and that it would be delivered on Wednesday. Well then she called again to say that Sears were delivering it so we called them this morning and they said there already left and they weren't in radio communication with their trucks and so that they had 18 on board and probably wouldn't be here before noon but know if nobody was here they wouldn't leave it and with the steps at the back of the house and not being able to get the front I wanted to be here to make sure that they put it in it must be a brand new one, which is very nice we didn't want.
To kind of push for the big appliance type things in the house. you know, she's prepared to pay for painting and everything. But we felt that once she saw that we were prepared to work and that were really gonna to make this place look terrific that she will naturally come across with a new stove because it a lot better. It's a gas stove and it's been real beat. It's awful Monday night I was just trying to clean the top elements. I don't think I'll even attempt to clean the inside of it was so bad and there's a knock at the door was Georgia power So he said I said, oh I'm pleased to see you come on in because I hadn't never used a gas stove and the d thing that I didn't realize there's even pilot like, there' was so much fat on it. the damn things didn't go and he came and I had it all on pieces on top and it was good because he.
What I could take out and scrub and clean and everything without any danger and all that. And we had the smell of gas, which was coming out of the pilot lights, but they were soed up that you know they wouldn't light properly. So he came in and I said to him is this good bad or is this real dirty And you've seen a few stoves and he says this is real dirty. So it was real bad news in the end, I just poured genola on which is always fun because it all bubbles up all a fat and grind And then to save in little nuts onto that lot I scrubbed around with a brush and then because the kitchen floor was such a mess we took the stove over and poured water over it So that it all ran off know which was really one way getting.
And then the floor went because we took it up so that helped clean the top of the stove and we at least were able to fry some chicken.
Anyhow, so that was Monday night we slept on the floor and then last night, we managed to get some bes. This guy sells them. They're the best quality bes, but they' seconds and all that junk. they don't necessarily match. and we've got mismatched like basin mattress, you know, don't match. They all come as seconds from the factory and course they're perfectly good beds and we got a double and two singles for $300. So he just and here they don't use the pig leagues, you know, the Sc and pig leagues that we have at home. they use frames. So you know that was with the frames too. So that really is a pretty good deal. We had looked at the red shield. you know, the Salvation Army, that sort of thing on beds and drawers.
Fast, you know everybody wants those so they don't keep them for very long and they wanted like about 12 bucks for the frame and 17 to 25 for the base And that again for the mattress. So you know, you're up to 70 bucks or something and that's secondhand and God knows who's slept on it and good the knows what So these are really nice brand new ones So we've got beds now I could sit they're very comfortable last night and we've got lots of plans for the house it's all going to be I'm going to get wicker furniture nuts on white wicker furniture so we're gonna to look around for that and get it slowly.
When the place is finished, I'm going to do the kitchen in real bright green, you know, sort of a Kellyelly green and white everything's going to be painted white again and the children's bedroom is going to be all in rainbow is we going to paint a rainbow across the walls.
And they don't know yet, but I have found rainbow pillowcase and rainbow sheets and quilts and everything. So the whole room will be a little rainbows that way we get around, whether it' be pink or blue and all that stuff. you know, so I think it'll look really good when on the bathroom. Hu yes, it's it's got blue and white tiles on the floor. but it's been painted blue. and it's like an iceberg. It's real cold and horror. And it needs a lot going to it. So we're gonna really get into that and do it now. And but by bet, I think the place are lot really good.
Now what happened about the car, We finally picked up the car.
I guess Thursday or Wednesday or Thursday or Oh no we spoke to you. That's right. It was on the. I mean, we made a tape that night. Oh, I don't know. It was last week. It wasn't not Wednesday they anyway, So well that was great. We had that all weekend. And it's really nice. The kids are thrilled with the the moonlight top thing, you know, that opens the slides open and all that and you press a button on had all slides back. So on first fine day, they wanted it up. That was only about 40 degrees. if you please something along with the moonlight roof back, but they thought it was great. theyre all shivering in the back.
And the only thing I'm disappointed with at this point is the radio is no good.s they charge you $300 for the radio  reckon and you can buy pretty good radios here for much less than that, but anyway you're sort of a bit ripped off, but they do fit better when they're bought to the make of the car, but there's a problem with stereo it just ain't it's not going in stereo and it's on the EPM stations.
When you're get an Fm station a little light goes on you know and it flickers if you're not quite on the station while it's flickering all the time, you can't tune it in so it's really bad news now use the radio a lot in the car. So that's about the only problem at the moment I'm going to get a burglarized get a burglar alarm put on it I think I don't know yet the Honda people don't do it In fact they do sweet all once they've sold you the car.
But I don't know whether you've heard them when they go off but they make a terrific noise and you know if anyone one was trying to steal your car in a sort of reasonably public place I'm sure it would deter them, I think they're probably well worth the money just for the sheer's sake of inconvenience, you know and cars getting stolen on as fairly popular.
What else has been happening I did a lot of been doing quite a bit of work I've made my first couple of appliances, they went' too bad the first time you know I from start to finish up with the wire bending and which is the stainless steel part of the retainer and pour the acrylic and I can pour up models are too which is good because we often sometimes get them an unpourled and also know that John's making these models for just a couple of bobs dentist he's doing these study molds.
I'll able to do that too because they're mostly pouring out and doing them very neatly, so I should be able to do that and we'll be able to sit up here properly once we get organised with what would' do them from home.
What because Bob's got his new car at work. He's got the Mazda sports car, which is really nice. Its's dropping it up and thing. And he's just thrilled bit with that. But it came to something like a110 I guess in the end with and he has to pay $ thousand dollars a year insurance, which is just so steep.
I finally was 600 bucks for the year.
And.
Anyway, I don't think we've haven't really bought anything else or done much of. We've written to Ruth An and Jim and said that we decided that we will come to St Louis for Christmas, we thought.
 saying we've moved in on that we moved in early you know we thought we may not be able to get in until the 15th and seeing as we've got in so much earlier, we figure that we can probably afford the time and Christmas falls on a Tuesday which is quite a good day to go up like the weekend before just have the Monday off comeback Wednesday and it should work on pretty nicely and by then we'll probably have had enough of us because we're working you out every night and we'll probably feel like getting away from up for a while.
.
So what else is it.
Oh and my presence from Joan arrived, believe it or not with your letter yesterday, which was the letter that said that dad had had his operation and was pleased and so on and so forth that Joan Ruy called around last night and bought them.
Joan's present came to, but you know she I sort of wrote straight back to her all concerns saying that, you know it hadn't arrived because she said they were birthday presents for heavens above the last birthdays the 12 of June she actually didn't post those all the 22nd of August so you know it really wasn't all that all that long or it's that August September October, November that's three months and she sent them bus sea well it always takes that long.
So that's.
 know about what I have expected, but I naturally assumed that she had posted them a lot early on that.
Anyway.
Well seers have just been and finally got the great big truck down the driveway and have brought in a brand new Canmore refrigerator it's really nice Mrs. Eelson had said she' had yet one but I didn't really expect it to a new one so I think it shows you good faith in us that she's gone out and bought a brand new fridge the bill came whether it was $400 so that's very nice of us so it looks like she won't mind coming up with a new stove as well when the time comes I won't say anything right now but I think she'll kind of perhaps volunteer the kitchen unit.
And that is one of those vanity units in all in one and it's pretty short it's all made of tin which has doesn't look as gross as it sounds but it's all rust and and it's never been put in probably it just sort of sits there and consequently it sort of moves about so that really John thinks needs pulling out to it probably wasn't all that expensive So the guys just put in the fridge and it fits just right everywhere we've lived like at Ruth and Jimmy's and the apartment the darned door on the fridge opened the wrong way and it just about drove me mad and at least this one opens the right way anyway.
 I said to the guy when he was bringing it in which way does it open because I had a choice in the kitchen, there was two places I could have put it.
And anyway, it fits on really good where I wanted it, but these particular Sears models anyway, he said most of their refrigerators now they have holes both sides so the doors can be changed but anyway, it just there's a little thing that can bug the her out of you oh we got reports yesterday too when Marcia was here.
Was really quite funny because the kids came home and roared in the house, Rachel tripped over the steps because there's leads everywhere at the moment and she was in tears and didn't know whether it was about a leg or what, but she lost her report and so she was pretty upset and madeland had her knee had clasped in his little hand and he wanted to explain about the report before he gave it to me and Marsha was an asterics. He was waving his arms around explaining that he didn't say what ones were, which he admitted which was quite funny. he said that twos were fine they were good and threes weren't bad. They went bad. they really went bad, but they just meant that you had to work a little bit harder and he was waving his arms around explaining all this to Mara and I who were in asterics anyway.
He finally let's grasp this report in hands of too many because it was mostly too that there was the odd three in there and he obviously was a bit upset about it and he was just explaining to me that there you was room for improvement so we went over his report with him last night and to each subject and I mean there's about 70 things on it that have got twos or threes beside them every little thing they possibly can do and the way they act and everything and I said well you know this is good report because there's plenty of room to improve and so he was sort of perfectlyly happy with that and said he's going to try harder and I was quite pleased because he gets on pretty well with his teacher anyway I went into school this morning was rage because she was upset about losing hers and she had left it in the classroom and it was okay and the teacher gave it to me very happily and she looked very glamorous today you know these plates.
Die there here you know, more bleach it and make it sort of redish and her teachers got about the best looking head of black hair I've seen around it's not sort of fzzy she straightens it but it always looks nice she must be a fortune on it and she's very attractive I can't remember that you met her I think you meet Maitland's one she's extremely black but she when you get to know her very very nice and.
Anyhow the teacher gave it to me so Rachelach and I went out of the room and we opened it and hers was all ones and a few twos and you know I was really that proud of her and it had on the back Rachel's whole attitude has changed and she's settled down very very well in class and the teachers really thrilled with her she got you and it's an extremely good report but she's not having too much difficulty with the work so that's the main thing.
But I' meant to tell you something about.
.
Oh yeah I went to parent teacher meeting with M Mormon, Maon's teacher and I was having the discussion with her about the vowels and whether or not it's the possibility that Maon could have trouble the vowels sounds because of different accent and that he comes home at night and I pronouncednoun things differently to the way they are pronounced in the classroom and I didn't want to say to her you you know because you're black because the accent are different but I sort of made it sound like it was Southern or American or whatever and she said oh no no she said you know the vowels and vowels and that's that kind of thing and we pronounced the words exactly the same way as you do and I couldn't believe us I said thought tell you you know she was convinced that we speak the same way and I said well just a few little words you know that you may say different.
La you think that she said, oh no, he shouldn't have any trouble or then she went on to say, you know, burst into a southern or black sort of accent about oh no, there ain't no, there ain't no.
There ain't no difference in the way we speak or something, you know and other.
Oh gully I mean they just don't know they're doing it, they don't hear it and just one word for example is more, we pronounce it more and she says Moa, we had Moa for dinner, Moa, I want some Moa.
As Ruthy said, I mean, you know, it does make it a little bit difficult for the children because if he's spelling by sound, that's a totally different word.
And the par and I. And well, I mentioned to her like about par. in that says things are as cute as pie. And that's like a P. And it doesn't even sound like there's an E in the running. And she said, oh, no, we don't say par. She said, that's that's a playground slang. You know, that she doesn't use. but she does.'s just about it. All the black kids do. anyway, I think I'm about to run out of tape. So that was very exciting. It's now probably about three. I'm expecting the kids home And still no southern be because I've been, I'm sitting here surrounded by Christmas cards too, because I want to get them away. And I had hoped to put the phone number and not that it really matters that much. But, you know, I got this sort of thing Im here. And now I'm going.
Thinking the fame is going to be on early in December, it would work out quite nicely that now day by day I'm getting panic stricken but tonight I'm just going to have to get them all finished tonight and get them away because otherwise I'll get coupled up in the rush at Christmas time but.
Well hi y'all, we're on side too, in case you're on the wrong side, well as I was saying, you know, I don't want to leave my Christmas postings too late, but it really doesn't matter.
Anyway, but I just sort of feeling you know it's costing so much to send them that you kind of want to put in the latest information anyway, not a lot you can do about it but this place is going to be really nice, we've really very thrilled with it and I mean it's just such a mess that it's my as I said to Marsha as she said what's like I said well it's going to be a challenge Marsh up I sure a challenge and you know this is the whole thing if we'd come in here and I been kind of recently redecorated well we'd have to live with it but it'll be really terrific by the time we finished with it it's going to be a real asset to the mansion I should think Mrs..
And once the exterior painted, it's a bit late now to paint because we're getting a few frosts and you know the temperatures aren't really warm enough, but we'll get it painted we've got to do the summer house too and she wants the summer house and the cottage down the same as the mansion, which is dark gray and light gray, most of the mansion is in the stone.
I believe the mansion is a replica of ambulance.
house or something or rather Beverly knows the story I must find out and tell you about her but anyway we were in the Beverly went to a meeting at the Ess a couple of weeks ago and it was really funny she was saying that because the house after the fire has been redecorated and Mrs. Eson's done it very modern, it's extremely modern and it's been quite the talk of Atlanta because they're very artistic well know they're involved with the arts and of course all the art people have been very it's been quite a controversy amongst the wealthy I suppose as to how,
ern she's gone and it really is extremely modern I think I might have told you in the grand foya, the grand entrance and it really is huge I mean I'd hate to think what the start is and there's a big double staircase flying up you know real Scarleto'hara stuff.
They have got a bronze which must be 20 foot high, it doesn't seem that big because the room is so enormous and it's like an ochcapon creature and a black suit and hat and works, you know, he almost just needs a machine gun.
It's got an enormous mural of he and her, it doesn't actually look like them to begin unless you sort of figure that it must have been when they saw it but sort of hemon and herd dancing through the meadows kind of thing it really is qua drink but the kitchen is very modern and this huge start again and it's flush, everything's sort of new and flush you know the old woodwork that they tend to have here on the south and it's got, I think the background of it's like white or something but then there's these huge like a purple circle or a red triangle,
I mean just enormous and if there's a door in between it just they paint through the door and all that sort of thing you know it's most interesting that Beverly was sitting up this meeting looking from the lounge and go she knows this house real well I mean they lived in it when it was a southern mansion manneror you know and it was done out in the old overstuffed couches and real cozy sort of.
She said she was sitting looking at a painting and I mean everything in the house is worth a fortune and they into art in a big way so the stuff in the house is probably worth a lot of money and she said that she was looking at this painting and in the painting had clorox or like genolola or something and all sort of household cleaner and that this great big oil painting and she said that I could do with that's what I want to get away from you if I had to sit in my lounge, they't want to be able to see a painting of kitchen sort of stuff and I said well Ben probably Mrs. Elot never sees that sort of stuff that it was a still life of most people would have fruit, she's got clorox.
and liquid lux and all that sort of junk but there's some fantastic I can't wait to really have a good look through the house, it's got huge organ and oh I mean it's just out of this world.
Well amongst all this of course I'm trying to do Christmas shopping and now that we're going to St. Louis I would have had to have sent presents up there anyway because their bounders in presences this way but I really just stumped as to what to buy them and I mean you know what Americans a light that've just got everything and it's not only a matter of what you buy them but you know how much is spend I mean they pinned so much they're also affluent and generous or whatever I don't know mixture of craziness and we had the church they were selling Point City is so ordered a whole lot of those and I gave Ju Ruthie it's her birthday on Friday and I gave one to her she was thrilled because that's it's a Christmas plant it's also her birthday plant you know the point city.
being a December birthday and so I gave here one they gave one to Mara and Beeverly and explained that it wasn't a start a Christmas thy or anything with them.
 you know just generally because they've been so nice to us all and everything, but that we're all going to exchange presents just for the children we're not going to get involved with the adults but the kids, you know, God knows what I'll buy here and.
Hugh and John but we found something for little Christopher he's in St. Louis which we thought might be cute and that was I went out to John's work the other day and oh I had the kids with me they had the day off like last Friday it was.
Teacherss report day or whatever or planning day and John said to the kids " hey where's the radio where's that radio going can you find that radio and the kids looked around looked around and a few minutes later Madeine said there it is and it was a code bottle I'll tell you I've never seen anything more like a Coke bottle in my life and had a little radio on it.
Anyway I thought from Georgia being you know Coke's capital and everything that'll be quite a cute level present for Christopher and he suck so mad just maintenance so I think he'd get quite a lot of fun out of that actually they're quite light and enough've contemplated posting some home because they're very cute little things I'd probably get caught for darned customs duty on the dn things they're only about  eight dollars but you know what the like about customs things and that's sort of something that's well it has got a radio on.
Anyway so that's what I got for him and we got made on a new soccer ball and I found a gorgeous thing the other day which is like a net and you put it over the soccer ball and you put this spoke thing on the ground you know and you can practice your kicks and the ball comes back to you which I thought might save us a little bit we'll be busy with painting John might be able to be out there kicking the soccer ball constantly.
That'll keep Maitland busy and we've got a basketball goal and Rachel started a basketball and so we're going to get her a basketball and I bought a new net to put on you a new red white and blue striped neck to put on the and Mait he said to me the other day because he's all about Rachel keeps telling him Father Christmas isn't true and said he sort of not too sure but anyway he said to me the other day do you think that Father Christmas would bring me a remote control car he really wants once so I think we'll get him that and I'm going.
I Rachelel a very pretty little dress I got her some new clothes the other day, a little pin four a sort of a blue, not a dark blueer kind of a teary blue cordury overalls you know with a little crossover straps and a little pink musky pink shirt and she looks real cute but I think I'll get her a pretty dress she really like to have a pretty dress probably pink known right?
And.
What else?
God knows what I'll get hereugh and John, that really is a very tricky question.
Apart from the fact with all these expenses lately were're running very low on the old capital, but however, we seem to be managing pretty well.
I had a little bit of aside so that when the bank came too and the bank were pretty generous with the amount of money they gave us for the car that as long as we could meet our payments we'll be okay and now that we've got moving in here we've now got no rent to pay so well then to have the telephone which is something like 13 a month.
And the energy, gas and electricity which shouldn't be more than $50 and that's sort of about it except for running the cars and so on and I've told Bob that I'm not prepared to use the Honda to do delivery so I'll use the the Subarahu while we've still got it which we still have but I'm not going to use the Honda to do you know I was doing up to 500 miles a week while that's just I'm just not prepared to do that and as his Mazda is a business car and ensured for a business you know he'll either have to let me use that or if you'll have to frankly do the deliveries himself or get somebody else I mean you know just not prepared to use it I mean you run the risk of 500 miles a week you're on the road a lot more run the risk of you know what and I don't need another one.
So I think he'll probably let me use and he's looking for more business out the mar yet a way rather than some of his accounts are long way because he used to love that much further out.
So hopefully if we get more business near the office'll you know won't be so much travelling anyway oh Beverly's been to say I'm so mad we've been so busy I really don't think I'm going to get to see Annie and she said it was fantastic it's really tremendous Annie and chorus line she went to she said  oh I think I've been locked in the closet she's suddenly gone to the theatre she's off to Oliver her tonight she's been to the theatre three times and about two weeks and she even she's been locked in the closet for too long she's going to spread of wings and get out to the theatre more often.
And she's taking this little girl, Katrina, the Roadary exchange student with her to.
I think I told about the Rosary Exchange student did I she's a friend of Beaver' that they haven't seen in years and she's been staying in Connecticut living there she's going home in January oh that's right we saw here on Saturday oh Saturday was the soccer party which we went to at two o'clock and they had a cake and it was great big cake and had had on up great team and great coach or something and a big soccer ball when we got home at night make said oh I wish I'd had a piece of cake with the soccer ball on they all got trophies oh he was thrilled to Bs he couldn't wait to rush in a show beverley as trophy with his name and a team and everything and and a little plastic of course Kevin and gold looking like bronze little soccer player kicking a ball oh he's thrilled to Bet he's been carrying it around with the maybe son then they got gold certificates from the wire all signed by the coach and the boss of the.
The why and goodness knows well and the photographs are just go just looks like they've been taken in the pitch of night in fact they weren't it was you know the evening but it wasn't dark but the photos are quite dark but I guess it's to bring out the kids more and he those real cut here it looks the same color as a shoot which I guess it is really so I'll send you those photos as soon as I can find them I was just sitting here doing my Christmas cardss and I was doing Robin and Peters and I said inclo photo on then I thought oh god now I better go find the photo and put it in and I' hunted and hunted and probably 20 minutes looking for the photographs evens knows where they are and of course couldn't find them having written on the card that I wasn'tclo them so I may just have to put a little bit more on and say they'll be coming later when I locate them.
The first thing I did when I got on here was to clean out the pantry there's a really nice pantry in the place quite big, a bit like the one we had at Cranwall Street.
And.
So I cleaned it out and on the first night we were here Monday night I painted that out while John left at the floor in the kitchen and I just gave it a coat we only had someat white undercoat, but at least it was clean enough to put down lining paper and at least I've got the food away in the one just put everything in the pantry I won't use the other cupboards until we finished the kitchen but at least we've got it somewhere to put our food.
I'd be interested to know you know Tony Lane, I suppose they're all foot well and Jason's in school already that's really good although only only have a week or two I suppose before the summer holidays but I'd be interested to know in any of the problems that they had or the expenses and freight home of the cars and all that sort of thing the future reference or anything else that they had sort of problems with you know the kind of costs and cur and furniture and that sort of thing what we're thinking now is that especially since we've pulled up all the carpets here and it really of course Ruthy's first thing was you know shes just whip it over and that' a face value thing through you know as long as it looks okay doesn't have to be sort of clean or down stripping down and all that sort of such a marketing into real hard work.
She said oh just paint over that brown you know I mean god it's that damp like you couldn't paint over it again there's that much dirt under it but you know that's Ruthy anyway but since and of course when she saw the floor she said oh it'll be so much easier just to put car but straight down again and I thought sure it would you know but you still got all wet dirt and gunk underneath and I couldn't live with that I'd rather get it all cleaned up and because the heating's so good you know wood floor is really perfectly warm you know it's not like at home where you only heat one room at a time and you feel a lot warm off car but.
 it would be cheap to get car because the cheap junk they sell here is you're going to do a whole house for a couple hundred bucks but anyway as John said there' what they'd put down yeah sure you could do it but what we want to do is get it down and what we're thinking now is that we might invest in you know the Indian rugs in that here are expensive but I'm sure they're a lot cheaper and at home and of course they're very popular here in the south not that I want to do this place up in that style I want to do it up modern with the wicker and everything but although Wiicker' is not modern but you and sort of bright colours and stuff is perhaps buy.
Car carpets that you know will be investments and to bring home I think that type of thing would would be of good investment even if you wanted to keep it it would be something well worth keeping and so we think that rather we'd rather live with no furniture I mean as long as we've got beds and we'll get some desks for the kids the homeware we should better to pick those up around the area just the all school desks and you know I want to write in this too that we can use the tables and chairs in the summer house because all the outdoor furniture you know they've got a mile of it in the summer house and so we could go down and get that if we need it by the weekend if we haven't got a table and so.
 we thought rather than just rush out and buy sort of cheap tables and chairs that we will hold out and buy something that may well be of investment to bring home I can't see any point in cut and just running the milk tables and chairs or anything back any beds or anything I mean it's just a waste of time the costs involved in insurance and just playing freight would be well outweigh any.
You know, it just wouldn't be worth it, but if you bought perhaps a few antiques or, you know, the real truly early American furniture.
Would be pro?
You know well worthwhile so we think we'll kind of hunter around I mean these garage sales have fantastic things and if we just buy our time and watch out the stuff we'll get it as it comes along also as we' bank balance builds up too we kind of stint right now but we should be able to get a few hundred bucks again together get fairly soon and use it for a few furnishings and whilst Mrs. Elsson has prepared to pay for all the paint and everything we don't have any outlay there she's got they own a building downtown or something that has a paint shop on it all whatever we just have to order it all through her and it'll all be delivered so it's not like we've got any outla all in doing the place up and you know this fridge today arriving like this has shown that she's you know.
Got a good attitude about it but we just sort of felt that we wanted her to see that we were prepared to really do it nicely she likes the little cottage she thinks it's cute so I think by the time we finished redecorating it inside and now she's kind of be thrilled to but's up.
Oh the thing too it's got a big verandra on the front you and it hasn't got what Maitland calls totem poles but there is big pillars either in but the sort with the bricks you know up and then a wooden thing up to the roof and the people that have been here one of the chaps the tree chopping guys said you in hipies were living here he said well those our carpets out front when I said no he saidOh they from in the house and I saidy saidOh we're sp and they sure we but they've been barbecuing under the e of the house of course it's all like a sort out there so that all needs three decorating but there's a fairly big porch you know and I can just see a couple of rocking chairs you know how they have rocking chairs down here in the south you see that in the movies don't really believe that that's how they live but you know so well perhaps get some rockten chairs.
Although they're really nice stuff like that's pretty expensive down here.
 get it all secondhand and do it up anyway, I really must get on with something.
.
The could to be home any minute and I've really, I have accomplished a bit by having the day off, but I don't feel like I've done as much as I should have done.
And you know what it's like Kevin Ks under foot you don't really get so much done, do you?
Oh yeah I didn't know as you said in your later I didn't know that you'd had the bill from the Highah hospital, it was quite steep, wasn't at $103 I'm glad the insurance paid out on there and as I said I hadn't had anything from the others so I really don't know what's going on there perhaps it was a freebie I don't know.
But did they pay out on everything else as well?
You didn't tell me that.
.
.
9 o'clock on Friday morning and I'm so late for work now I don't suppose it's gonna to matter if I'm another few minutes while I finish this tape to you so just a moment the reason I'm so late of course is that I was doing Christmas cards until four o'clock this morning and I thought I'll just let the kids and John wake up in time and I woke up at five past eight the kids were out in the kitchen so we rushed around got them off John took them and it's quite handy having two cars at the moment.
And I just sort of got myself, got my egg together.
So I can get these cards posted on the way to work just how much tape if I got lit here there's not that much so keep going right just I wanted to go back over your mail and the other thing was that naturally s them build didn't fix the phone that day but finally we got the phone on yesterday.
I had been calling them and calling them and carrying on and finally when I told them that a government department could do as well as this the phone was on within half an hour that a man called John and the phone was operating so that sort of got them going that must have been the big about the biggest insult I could have made to hope you've had your windscreen fixed up by now mum.
And.
Dad had us up last Friday, that must have been about the 23rd of November, what's the date today?
I always had at least 10 days.
Oh, oh, more than that, two weeks ago, two weeks today.
It doesn't sound.
A very big area by the sound of it.
Well, I guess it is on the foot, but it doesn't seem to be all that large.
WasWhat was the real, you know reason behind it all, I'm interested to know, how's the old boy feeling, I suppose he's still sitting up there telling everybody what to do.
The.
You know, it doesn't sound like the hospital's a very pleasant place to be so perhaps they'll lead him home as long as he keeps his foot perhaps tied to the roof or something, at least he'd be happier at home, I'm sure the drabs around notice you've got drab and then very drab underlined so it must be awful.
U.
Andll say you went out and had a night with David and Dorothy.
The.
You sound like you're quite busy, especially if you've got to do the hospital cooking as well.
The check you got the check from Florida.
Tony and Alinn and have all arrived safely well that's good and I've got oh well I've said that about that before getting Jason under school already, I hope they have some success finding a house.
And perhaps they should do what we're doing probably a place to but it's great fun with two kids, but the children seem to be enjoying it they each night Rachel says once this place going to be finished and I've got news here it's going to take a little bit longer than that.
But we have their room all play.
And I found the linen that I want yesterday for their room and.
But I asked when it would be on sale and all the white sail start on the 26th of December so it'll be half priced then at least so I'm going to wait and we'll get all our linen then furniture too the sales will start the day after Christmas so we should be back from St. Louis by the 27th and I'll shoot down and buy a whole lot of linen and stuff because it's real cheap then.
U.
Yes, children.
Oh Christmas, Ka God, that's the one thing we must hear, you'll have to make us one for next year.
I tried making one last year but you just can't buy the same kind of mixed fruitit that you can at home I could have bought it all individually it's pretty expensive that way you know those packs of gold pack I think it was mixed fruitit I always used that you can't buy that here they used crystallised pineapple and a lot of cherries and that sort of thing and so we really missed Christmas cake I did make one for Beverly and them last year but it really didn't taste quite light with the ones I used to make it home.
And I think I told you that or did I that Ruthie called around and we got presents from Joan from Pur and everything, so that was all great fun.
Last night I spent doing all my cards I've done about 150 cards and they'll all be going off this morning, both New Zealand and America I put in a couple of extra copies of the.
Christmas letter, in case you want to send it to somebody or whatever.
Well, it's Ruthy's birthday today, so we called her up last night when we got the new phone on.
I wish her happy birthday and she's got Jimmy's daughter and so on there and Elliot had just drawn down the stairs naked laughing her ahead off and whittled all the way down the carpet, so things were running meddling around there.
Anyway, Dbne, Jimmy's daughter that lives in Lunchbury, Virginia, she's apparently pushed her grades up at school and she now has a chance of injuring Emory University so she's down here to look into that she's quite keen to go to medical school.
I don't know whether she'd probably live on campus, which I'd say be a great relief to Ruthie, I don't think she'd wanted to be living there quite honestly.
What else did I have to tell you about, oh, I'm going to the dentist on Monday to get my top crowns done?
And the car's going well, the weather's beautiful today, although they say it suffered about 60 again to 65 today, it's going to be but it'll be cool for the weekend they say.
The Iranian situation doesn't seem to have changed much and in New Zealand disaster too we've heard Beeverly was talking to somebody in New Zealand the other day they had a call from Tower I think, and she was told that a lady Rob was on board and that name seemed familiar but.
Who was she and you know, send us some information about the whole thing that's been such a shock to us all here.
And.
Of course it hit the news for a few days, but then we haven't heard what the little box had to reveal, but as I said it hit the news for the first couple of days but after that it naturally took the Iranian situation, took precedence once again everybody it's on the top of everybody's tongues here, they had poles on the radio and goodness knows what.
Whether or not to attack and whatever and then of course yesterday we had the guy that had been interviewed and he one of the hostages and he apparently wants the Shah sent back so that they can be released.
Which didn't sound too bright because I didn't think that Carter is likely to do that now.
They're calling him call handed Carter.
Kenned every time he opens his mouth seems to lose another thousand or two votes, he's really being very silly, the biggest scandal is that the Sha apparently had made a comment that he made less mistakes in 37 years on the throne than Kennedy John Kennedy did in three years as president.
Teddy of course reacted to that with very adverse statements and got himself pretty unpopular, he reacted like a little schoolboy.
Oh I don't know whether I told you that we've got our Christmas tree all set up it looked really cute, it's a six foot high Christmas tree and we've got all sorts of things underneath it and it's got candy canes all over and coloured lights and we bought a few decorations and we've got our Christmas stockings up.
And it really looks very cute. The kids think it's lovely. So we've got it in the dining room with our.
Furniture from the camper on the floor making it into a little couch etc so we're you know really getting quite comfortable now we've got all the floors scrubbed out and clean at least and this weekend we'll get a lot done towards getting the place tidied up and.
Being able to love and having the fridge of course makes a big difference, at least we can eat and have clean food and so on.
I've noticed there's a few roaches here I imagine the place alive with them but I haven't really seen any more than I used to see at Ruthy's house which of course was down in the woods, this one's got a lot of trees around it but it's not so woodsy you know it's on a much higher elevation we actually overlook the tennis court and it's a very pleasant pleasant out the tennis court by the way it's got one of those ball machines so if one goes down there and hasn't got a partner you can at least have a head around with the old machine.
Anyway, our telephone number, of course, is area code 404.
2 three1,4192 and of course it's a direct line to this house so and I don't know what the story is but they have these modular connections now which you just you know go down to the telephone centers, pick up your phones and plug them into the wall and I decided just to get one it's a push button one and.
Because I thought we don't really need two phones. And at the time I got it, I didn't even know how big the cottage was. well, it's actually a lot larger than I had anticipated that it would be. but when we got here we found that there was two telephones from the old system still plugged into the house and nobody had taken them with them. So we now have three telephones, yellow one in the kitchen and we have this white one here in the dining room and a black one and one of the bedrooms and there's modular connections all over the house. So we're very, very well off telephones.
Well the kids are practicing for a Christmas pageant at church it'll be on Sunday the 16th of December and they're all in up the choir of course well be leading it but makelands little classes in it too and I sometime between now and the 16th which is God lo that's only a week away have to make little shepherd costumes out of stripes and things and I don't know I't even read the instructions properly here but I'll have to get my A and a G and get some material and throw them together there and you want them sort of hand stitched around and just in a you know plain shapes so that shouldn't be any big deal.
I really don't think there's anything else that I had to tell you, I just hope that dad's foot makes rapid recovery now with the plastic surgery, hopefully that will heal the whole purpose of the thing is that that will heal quicker than.
than it would have done normally so what is it now we've got still a couple of weeks to Christmas I just hope like hell that he's home for Christmas because it would be so nice for him to to be at home and I'm sure you'd all feel a whole lot happier if he was out of there and back in his little house.
I guess the weather' is pretty nice there now.
Although I gather that the weather was pretty bad during the time of the accident, I heard one report that they hadn't been able to get planes out of Christchurch or something because of bad weather so I guess you must have had a little bit of that kind of early December cold.
Whether before the summer kind of thing.
 the temperatures here are getting down now but it's still very nice sunny weather during the day and so on anyhow I must fly and I'll just post this on the way to work.
 along with the Christmas cards and then get out and do my deliveries for the day.
And hope that you're all foot well.
Enjoying life looking forward to Christmas.
 least mum you don't have a lot of Christmas shopping to do so I hope that that's been a little bit of a help because it must be exhausting going to how far is the hospital from home etc, you know and I guess the Carls Day is a little bit of a concession for Christmas.
.
 we don't even think about things like that here, I really can't imagine what we'd do without a car because you know we travel so far to work back it's about 12, 15 miles I guess from here to work back and you know that's quite common for people to travel that far here as you know.
So.
I just don't know what they do if they get as short of gas as you are at home anyway, they must get on.
You'll take care and I'll get another tape off to you before Christmas so.
We'll see you later on.
Is blaming for his ousster.
Of course, us.
And the first of a series of memoirs to be published, the Shas says that.
That a U Air Force General, Robert Hauser, made an unannounced trip to Iran last January and persuaded the Iranian military to stand idly by while the shah was overthrown.
The name of the memoir is titledHow the Americans overthrew Me.
You you still here, oh, you folks out in Cobb County get a kick out of this since liquor is not for sale in Cobb County on Sunday?
Updated form of bootleggging going.