My Dear AraBelle, Well I was very thrilled to receive your letter today so I am answering it straight away. Gee it must have been a beaut blizzard you had to be snowed in for that long. We never have snow here I have only seen snow about twice and then it was a day”™s trip to get there, so to me it is something of a novelty. My but Lonnie has grown, she is a beautiful child too. Our kids are quite well now. I think Annette has forgotten all about her leg now and it is quite normal again, we were a bit afraid it might leave her with a limp. She was three on the 22nd of 6. and we have her a bit of a party, well I was flat out with children all afternoon. I was practically a nervous wreck when they went home, but they enjoyed it. You ask about our house, well we haven’t been able to get it finished yet as we can’t get the tiles for the roof as there have been that many hold ups and strikes over here till I am just about sick of them. We have just about given up hope of ever getting them as we have been waiting five months now for them. We didn’t want to do it but I think we will be getting married and trying to rent a flat, but at the moment there is another strike on and we are rationed on gas. We can only use it for cooking one hour per day and it is really hard to try and cook something in that time, although we are lucky home here as we have a fire stove if we can manage to get the wood for it. Then last weekend there was a transport strike no trams, or trains or buses, it is all something to do with the coal miners as there is no coal for industry and next Monday there is to be a stoppage of work for the day to tray and save coal. So if you think I am full of moans, blame the government, so there. Elaine sends her love to you and so sorry to hear your Mum hasn’t been so well, so am I, she certainly had a rough deal. Bob came up tonight and I gave him your letter, he was pleased so, as he said it was quite a time since he had heard from you so I told him it was his own fault. He hasn’t changed a bit, he is still as thin as ever and he is a bit worried as if the strike goes on he will be put out of work and that is when things are a bit hard when chaps like him are let down. Am so glad to hear about your man. You didn”™t tell me his name, but he sounds like one of the best anyway. You deserve it so if you do tie the knot I do sincerely hope you will be very happy that goes for everyone over here. As I am writing now “A Slow Boat to China” is on the wireless, funny that you should mention it in your letter. I haven’t seen many good shows but I did see “Best Years of Our Lives” it was wonderful. That boy in it certainly knows what courage means. Also saw “The Loves of Carmen” I loved that, but I am just mad about Glen Ford. I really think he is tops. Jack gets quite mad when I go into raptures about him, when we saw the picture the other week, I hung onto Jack”™s arm and sighed and he told me I was just like a teenager but I really do like him, he always seems to get in real good pictures, none of these sissy roles that’s what I like the real manly type. Bob Hope’s Pictures “Paleface and Sorrowful Jones” are here although Paleface has been on some time it was a good show too but I haven’t seen the other one yet. So sorry I haven’t got any photos I can send you but we haven’t taken any for sometime as Jack had his camera stolen out of his car and I haven’t got one so we just have bothered about any. But we were so wild when we found it had gone, it was worth about 10 pounds I am not sure but that is somewhere about $33. I think that mightn’t be much but to us it was, that is second-hand as you can’t buy them new, so we were disappointed about it.
Do you remember me telling you about me being bridesmaid to a friend of mine, it was sometime back well she has had a lovely son and she has called him Ricky he is the most beautiful little thing, he has such big eyes they really are lovely. I am still working at Jack”™s shop and saving my money for my wedding I do wish we could get married as we have been engaged over 18 months now and I have everything ready for my house. I have the material for my frock too, it is lovely white lace and it really came from China as I brought it from a woman whose husband brought it home with him so it is something a bit different from what there is to buy in the shops. But if this housing business wasn’t so bad everything would be lovely. Jack”™s sister and her hubby are building. Their house is at the back of ours, they expect to go into it at the end of the month, but they have had dreadful bad luck as they were building over three years ago and the builder went bankrupt and they lost their money it was a hard blow. They packed all their belongings up and went to board; they put their stuff into a storage place and hoped for the best well they started to build again. Then three weeks ago the place where they had it stored was burnt out and they lost everything, they had five complete rooms of furniture so you can well imagine their loss. It was dreadful for them as they have two kids and it does seem so hard but they have taken it very well and now their house is just about ready and they haven’t got anything to put in it. Well my dear girl here’s hoping I haven’t rambled on too much but it is so long since I have written that I hope this will make up for it. I am truly sorry that I haven’t written but you know how it is, you think about it and that is as far as you get. Well that’s my excuse anyway. But I will try to do better from here on. So until then I will say so long and love to you from your Aussie Pal Audrey Kisses for you and for Lonnie