17/01/1917 HMB
My Dearest Mother
Oh how cold it is. We have snow and frost and rain and sleet by turns and damp fog squeezed in between. I hope Heals have sent our stuff off: we are dying to have it.
We have got our stove (paraffin) now we call it “stuffy” as it stinks somewhat. However it warms our little dog kennel nicely. I don’t suffer from the cold except for chilblains, but those are very tiresome: my left foot is absolutely blobby with the beastly things and, as you know, I never have chilblains at home. However electrical treatment is excellent for them and so I am now giving myself a dose of electricity every day.
Tim has been seedy off and on: the flu has played Hades with her liver and it is taking a long time and very careful diet to get her right. My leave is due in a few weeks, but I shall apply for it a bit later and try to get leave for the end of March or the beginning of April. It will be decent weather then and I shall be able to go about a bit and prune the roses!!
We are forcing bulbs with fair success in the sechoir. The sechoir be it known is a big hut full of stoves and drying linen. In it under the windows I have a shelf which the hospital carpenter put up for me. It is about a yard wide and three or four yards long. So it is almost like a greenhouse and we find it awfully useful.
I hope M and the child haven’t been falling about any more. Poor thing she seems to be having a rotten time just now with her movings.
I was intensely tickled at your description of Vear. And he used to be such a cautious person about his health too!!
Do what you like with my investments: I have got £10 to send you home: £5 from your and Father Christmas money and Uncle Charlie’s cheque. I gather from Father that he is going to transfer my bigger stuff into the new loan. Can’t some of the smaller investments go too? or is that not feasible?
I went up to No2 on Saturday, the day I got Father’s communication to call on Colonel Grant-Thorold (Harry I suppose) and found he had left for England on Thursday: so I expect he is going on well.
I must stop now or this will miss the post.
Best love to you both
Your loving Dorothy.
About Alford 