---
category: "8"
changed: "2019-09-11T15:20:55.000Z"
comment_count: "1"
created: "2013-10-04T13:42:00.000Z"
featured_image: "Muriel 1951.jpg"
images: ["Janet 18mths.jpg","as ayoung man.jpg","Thomsons Falls.jpg","N. Frontier view.jpg"]
ix: 21
nid: 17
original_author: "Muriel Stokoe"
path: "tcontent/muriels-letter-kenya-setember-1951"
title: "Muriel's Story - an insight into her first 2 years in Kenya"
type: "article"
uuid: "659006cc-0b2f-4163-a675-e31837498cb4"
---
#### Letter no 1 sent in 1951

I have had a lot of questions from Mother recently so I thought that while I was answering them I would make a few copies so that the Stokoes and others could have all the same news without my having to write it all again. So I will put all the general news first, then add personal bits to separate people at the end. I'm not sure what I've written about already, so if you come to a bit you know, just skip it! I'll put it under headings to make it clearer.

#### First, Janet.

I expect I have said a good deal about her already! Anyway, she is quite a little girl now, not a baby any longer. She has grown a lot recently, and is quite tall for her age, but not so chubby as she was. Her hair is quite long, too, and just curls a bit round her neck. It is still very blond. She is very active, and a bundle of mischief, tearing about all over the place and climbing onto everything. She talks all the time, but still no proper words, mostly a language of her own. At least, all she says that is recognisable is still just “Mummy”, “Daddy”, “Gone”, “Look at dat”, “Pin” and “Joseph” (the house boy). Her 'Janet' language is very expressive, however,and she understands nearly everything that it said to her, both in English and Swahili. I suppose learning the two languages together slows things up a bit for her. She comes out with the odd Swahili words occasionally. She feeds herself well, and has a good appetite, sleeps well and has 14 teeth and some more coming. She is not very well house trained yet, however she is improving in that respect. She is very intrigued with the new baby in the house next door to ours – Charles Morwood. He is about 5 weeks old now. She keeps running off up the garden on her own to see him when he is out in his pram, lifts up the mosquito net and peers at him intently, gingerly touching any part of him that is visible outside the blanket. She is most upset if he screams. (She would be thrilled with a baby brother of her own now, I'm sure, but one doesn't seem to be very eager to put in an appearance! We are still hoping) ... she is still very fond of her books, they keep her amused for hours. She knows all the animals in her rag book by their noises, not their names. She turns the page and makes the appropriate noise (Moo, wuff wuff, miaou etc are all very well but what happens when you come to a giraffe!) she is trying to learn the names of those in Mother's rag book. We hope she'll be able to see some of them before very long. We did go out into the game park one morning, but there wasn't much about – we saw a giraffe and gnus and gazelle and zebra, but she is a little young to take much notice of them yet. We have been looking after the Hesketh's little dachs. Puppy, “Muffet” for the odd weekends while they have been away and Janet and her get on like wildfire – Janet treats Muffet somewhat roughly but she doesn't seem to mind, and in return she (Janet) gives her (Muffet) nearly all her tea (if we don't stop her). There are so many dogs about the place now of all shapes and sizes – they are all very friendly, and Janet now goes up and embraces all dogs round the neck most affectionately when she sees them – which is all very well but one day she may come across a 'kali' (bad tempered) one. I must send some drawings of the D.O.Y. dogs to Mother so that she can make another rag-book of them! Janet loves Muffet so much that I am thinking about trying to get one like her next year. Dachs are good dogs to have out here, because of their size (they travel in cars easily) and their coats are smooth (they do not collect so many ticks and things) J would certainly love an animal of some sort.

#### Second, Stan.

He is very fit, and has been working very hard this holiday on his Swahili. He took the Preliminary oral exam at the beginning of the holidays, and passed, and now he is trying for the 'Standard' at the end of this month (written and oral). You have to pass this exam before you get any increments if you work in the Government here – it is really quite a complicated language when spoken correctly – most people speak 'Kitchen Swahili' a kind of equivalent to Pidgin English, which is understood but sounds awful to anyone who knows the proper grammatical constructions. They speak the genuine Swahili at the coast, I believe. It is closely related to Arabic. It is very complicated to learn, because all the subjects, tenses, prepositions etc to the verbs are appended at the beginning of the verb, so that it is hardly recognisable at all by the time you have finished with it! This also makes it very difficult to look anything up in the dictionary, because you have to decide first where the real word begins and how much of it is prefixes etc. For example take a word like 'nitakapokikula' which means 'when I shall have eaten it' (relating to food): 'ni' means I, 'taka' – 'shall have' (future tense), 'po' – 'when', 'ki' – it (relating to food and his has to agree) and 'kula' is to eat – the stem of the verb. I don't know if this is strictly accurate but you can see the sort of thing. Some of it is most involved. However, our Stan is really slogging away at it and has a good chance of passing, I think. He has until next march to pass so he has time for another shot if he fails this time …. He and some others have been going into town for conversations with an Arab Sheik all this week for practice.

Apart from all this studying, he has had a couple of games of golf with Harry, and finds he is quite proficient at it – now he is keen to play more, but it is out of the question in term time. Term starts again on Monday, and it looks like like being an extremely busy one for evryone. We are really short staffed here now and it will be even worse next year.

There are no new staff definitely appointed yet, and we need about 6! If the new buildings are completed in time (which looks doubtful) and the proper number of new boys can come next year, there is just a chance that Stan may be given a junior house. If he does, it will be quite a feather in his cap, as he is the youngest member of staff. He is very much hoping that this comes off, as it may help him to get onto a higher salary scale next tour (after our leave). At present he is only an 'Assistant Master' and all the others (bar one) are 'Education Officers' which means their salaries are slightly higher now, but more important, the top salary is about £300 higher. If Stan does not manage to get transferred to this scale, it will mean he will be on his top salary by the time he is 35, and that will be £815 p.a., which isn't very much for out here, where the cost of living is so high, especially if we have children to educate, it will be practically impossible to manage unless I work all the time. School fees are quite considerable, especially for boarders. So, Stan is going to try for this transfer, and the Headmaster says there is a good chance of his getting it, especially if he does good work as a Housemaster and teaches some classroom subjects. He is at present an Assistant Housemaster, and works very hard at it – takes games every night, and so on. He is also going to teach a little junior English this term. I think he is looking forward to that.

#### (Muriel)

As for me, I am still working in the school office, and shall probably keep it up till the end of the year at least. If there is a chance of getting a Matron's job next year, I may take it, as it would mean less rigid hours, and I could be with Janet more, also I would get free meals in school, and no work during school holidays. (In the office there is quite a lot, and I am only entitled to three weeks holiday in the year.) I hope I shall be able to do this, but a lot of staff wives want Matron's jobs, naturally, as it is so convenient to have a job on the spot, and they are all short of money,even those on higher salaries than us …..As I told the families, I had to have three days in hospital in July to have a bit of tidying up inside, but it wasn't really unpleasant. I went in the new Princess Elizabeth Hospital for Women in Nairobi, where everything is new and comfortable (Dunlopillo mattresses etc) and where I was looked after very nicely. I am quite looking forward to going there if I do have another baby! Of course we have to pay for this, though – 36/- a day, of which the Government refund 15/-. You have to pay your own Doctor's bills, but you can go to a Government doctor for advice and free medicine – I believe they are allowed to charge for operations and confinements. I have also had quite a few visits to the dentist lately, and I am expecting a nice fat bill from him shortly – no free dental service here. I've had 4 fillings, and one very nasty extraction, and now I have a large gap, so I am going to have a small plate. I suppose the whole lot will cost in the region of £20\. Isn't it depressing. (I am giving Janet extra vitamin D, on the dentist's advice, in the hope that she will have better teeth than me! - calcium is lacking in this country) …. So much for my physical state! (And, a propos of that, I have got a thinner tummy now! I still have to get down another inch to get into some of my older clothes though).... I have been very busy lately, when I am not in the office I have been making Janet a dressing-gown (very fetching, in pale blue Viyella spotted in deep pink, and with frills!) and Fatuma a white dress and I have a skirt and blouse to make up for myself, and a lot of other things to mend and finish etc., besides scenery and costumes to design for the school play (they are doing scenes from Henry IV at the end of next month) and the odd puddings to make and so on. I don't do much in the way of housekeeping, except a very little cooking, and cleaning the lavatory! (The boys don't do this) – and shopping, of course. Even then I never seem to have any time to do all the things I want to do, such as starting some oil painting. I wish I didn't have to work, but it is essential that we save some money while I can work. We could just live on Stan's salary if we economise strictly and don't indulge in any luxuries, - our bills, cut to the minimum, come to a few pounds a month less than Stan's pay, so we would have practically nothing for clothes, holidays, emergencies, etc. However, we intend to do this (live on Stan's pay only) for the next six months, and put my entire salary (after we have paid for our new car) into the bank. This means cutting out all drinks except for the occasional beer, and limiting cigarettes, and watching the housekeeping bills closely. One is tempted here to regard as necessities what would be luxuries in England – but it is a temptation as there is so much available in the way of luxuries. The cost of living is very high – butter is 3/2d a pound, and there is no margarine, so it has to be used for cooking and everything. A 2 ½ lb joint of beef costs about 5/6d so we only have one joint a week, as we would in England, and the odd pound of stewing steak, liver etc. Fish is very scarce and expensive, except when lake fish from Lake Victoria is in season. Sea fish is an awful price here, we very rarely get any. A pair of kippers costs 1/6d. Friut is reasonably cheap,what there is of it – local oranges and bananas, which are not awfully good, are plentiful, and so are pineapples (these are about 1/6 – 2/- according to size.) We don't get very much South African fruit, which is disappointing, and we only seem to get oranges for a very short part of the year, and an occasional batch of grapefruit. We have fruit salad (pineapple, orange and banana) about 4 nights out of 7 for pudding, I never know what else to have except jelly or custard, one doesn't seem to want hot puddings here, and there is practically no fruit for stewing, I miss the soft fruit very much – and apples. We scarcely ever see an apple and tinned fruit is 3/- and rather taseless. I never know what to give Janet for sweet – she likes the baby tins of apple and prune, but we can't always get those, and they are expensive too. We get cape gooseberries sometimes, but they are very acid and pippy. We do get a few strawberries, but they are very small and rather disappointing. They do not seem to be able to grow raspberries, blackcurrants or anything like that. We certainly don't get peaches or apricots either, except in tins at about 3/6d or more … Actually, I don't think we get any more variety in foods than you do at home, though, of course, we do get as much as we want of butter, cheese, bacon, eggs etc (the cheese is not usually very good here). I hear the rations have been cut again, its rather hard, isn't it. What a measly littlebit of cheese! We can get chickens for about 5/- each, but again, they are usually rather skinny, and hardly make more than 2 meals. We scarcely ever get any lamb, or even mutton, and the pork is very expensive. We live on beef and chickens. I miss the fish very much. Eggs are plentiful for most of the year, sometimes they disappear during the rains. They cost about 3/6 a dozen, best grade. We sometimes get small native eggs from a 'toto' who comes to the door, for 2/- a dozen. They are fresh and quite good. The vegetables are reasonably cheap, but again, they usually seem rather tasteless, and there isn't much variety – just cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, onions, and usually beans or peas. We sometimes get spinach from the school garden. Potatoes are always rather small, we never get nice enough one to bake in their jackets. We are thinking of trying to grow some of our own vegetables. I think it would be worth while.

Well, all this about housekeeping seems to have come under the heading of 'Muriel' but I thought it might interest you – mother has asked some questions about fruit etc. She also asked about our garden: It is coming along fine – we now have a nice lawn, quite green and wellcovered, and quite a lot of flowers. The verbena and petunia seem very hardy and have flowered well. We also have some small sunflowers, which have bloomed for several months, quite a lot of nasturtiums, pink-flowered creeping geranium, some larkspur in different colours, tobacco flowers, (these grow like mad here) , heliotrope, forget-me-not, canna lilies, and I have some violas and antirrhinums coming on nicely which have not flowered yet. Altogether, we have quite a pretty garden already,some grown from seed and some from cuttings taken from other people. This country is really a gardener's paradise, provided the rains don't fail and you have a hose. Things seem to grow if they are just broken off and stuck in the ground! Its a bit amazing, when you think that nothing was put in before March, not even the grass. The shrubs are coming on well, and we could have bougainvillea, hibiscus and others blooming this time next year, and quite a nice little macracarpa hedge. The garden should be lovely this time next year, for that reason, among others, I should be sorry to be moved out of this house. We've worked hard on the garden, and spent quite a bit on it – trellises, shrubs,etc.

It only remains now, I think, to tell you about our holiday. We left Janet for four days with Mrs Spencer, who very nobly offered to have her – she has three little girls of her own, and Mr Spencer took Stan and I in his new Morris Oxford for a trip around Mount Kenya, and for the first time since I've been out here I saw a bit of the Kenya countryside.

It really is beautiful. I was absolutely thrilled, - living here in Nairobi you really get no idea of it. We went on a circular tour of about 500 miles, stopping three nights at hotels. We passed through all types of country, first going round the Escarpment at the end of the Great rift Valley, where you suddenly come upon the wonderful vista of the Rift spread out for miles and miles below you, it is an amazing sight. Then down and across the floor of the valley – very dry and hot, with little scrubby thorn trees; then up through rolling green farmland with herds of lovely British cattle, to Thomson's Falls, where we stayed the first night. There had been a few heavy storms (including one we met on the road, and had to put chains on the car because of the deep mud) and there was a lot of water coming over the falls – it was a wonderful sight.

The next morning we set off through the wilder game country to the north of the mountain, across to Nanyuki, where we had lunch, then on again and across the shoulder of the foothills, where we had amazing views of the Northern Frontier Province, across towards Abyssinia, absolutely miles and miles of it, a sort of brownish colour,interspersed with queer shaped mountains, mostly dead volcanoes, spreading right away as far as the eye can see (plenty of game there, but we didn't have time to go out and look for any – not much civilisation either!) then we came on to Meru, a tiny place north east of the mountain, for the next night. The country changes very suddenly here, and coming round south of the mountain it is almost tropical – you come along a winding road round all the valley, about 90 miles, with about 90 hairpin bends, crossing dozens of beautiful little mountain streams running down thickly wooded valleys full of enormous cedar trees and thick undergrowth of palms and bushes, with here and there clearings and groups of thatched native huts in the midst of banana plantations. Really beautiful country, so lush and fertile looking. The third night we came back to Nyeri, our side of the mountain, where we stayed at the local 'pub', and came home the next day, back down to Nairobi and the least interesting part of the trip. At Nyeri, which is a lovely spot with a glorious view of Mount Kenya one side and the Aberdare Mountains on the other, we visited Mr Harris's farm – at least the land where he is building a small farm. It is a beautiful spot. He is going to retire there, and grow maize and pyrrethrum (a very lucrative business), and keep a few cattle. (Most people retiring do the same thing here – buy small farms and live off the land – very nice for them, but not so good for the country, which really needs to be developed and farmed systematically on a large scale, not by individuals doing it as a hobby in their old age) Well we came home thoroughly thrilled with it all, and realising how people can fall for this country in big way. You can quite understand what a thrilling life it was for the early settlers, and how they hate life in Nairobi! They used to have to shoot leopards and rhino on their doorsteps, but it must have been an exhilarating life. Some of the farmers made money,others were unlucky – it was a very chancy life, but they must have been tough, and they must have loved the land.

The weather was fine when we went away - opur “summer” just starting, with blue skies and hot sunshine and a “sea-sidey” feel in the air. Well, I really think I must leave off now and go home – I am going a bit cross eyed, so I will finish in personal letters and just say I hope you haven't been bored by the personal details, which are put in for mothers' benefits!"

#### Letter no 2

Easter Monday 1952 (from DOYS Nairobi)

Dear Mother,

I feel very guilty about not writing to you for so long – I just don't know where the weeks have gone to! It seems just as difficult to find time to write now as when I was in the office – I've been meaning to write for ages. The end of term is usually pretty hectic, even the Matrons have a lot to do – all the bedding to collect and send to the laundry, supervise the storing away of mattresses, and so on (86 mattresses and the the relative number of sheets and blankets, for the two houses in my block).

A couple of weeks before the end of term we had house plays – Stan was responsible for two, because he was producing the Delamere play (“The Dear Departed” - quite amusing) and helping one of his Prefects produce the Junior play, which was a silly thing all about buried treasure, and the whole House (35 of them) were in it. All the little ones were pirates, wearing their pyjama trousers and games jerseys and coloured hankies on their heads – they looked quite colourful on the stage, especially as they had all given themselves moustaches, beards, black eyes, scars, tattoo marks, and so on, with black ink. They had a fine time, as you can imagine. Some of them are so small, they are really quite children; they are all twelve or thirteen years old, but some of them really do look such little boys, especially in their pyjamas, In contrast, the Head of the House, who is sixteen only, is about six feet tall and proportionately well developed! He made an impressive Pirate Chief, with all the little ones as his crew. The Delamere play was quite well done, and everyone enjoyed it. Two of the boys made very good women, with borrowed clothes and a little stuffing ! I did the make up and a good time was had by all.

On Palm Sunday, the School Choir (which includes some of the staff and some borrowed soloists) did Bach's St Luke Passion. Dominic Spencer is a keen musician, and he trained them. They worked very hard at it and it went off very well (though of course not quite like the Alleyn's choir! - the school isn't up to that standard yet.) Stan is in the choir, Mrs Spencer says he has a very nice voice, but he needs to learn to read music. He thoroughly enjoys the choir. I wish I could be in it too! - I may insist on being in it next year, even if I don't exactly help I think I could promise not to hinder, because they are hoping to have a go at the 'Messaih' and I know that so well... Stan has been going to rehearsals every Sunday night during this term, so that has been another night on my own. During term time we wives don't see much of our husbands, although they are working on the spot. -there is always something happening, games duties, house duties, plays, meetings and so on.

This Wednesday, when all the boys had gone, we had a staff party down in the new boarding block. We had dinner first, then dancing in the new common room (which is one of the few rooms in the school that have parquet floors instead of red concrete). The Head is very keen on Scotch Reels, the Dashing White Sargeant, and all those, and he had everyone doing them, the men stripping off their dinner jackets and dancing in their shirt sleeves, some with braces and some with trousers tied up with scarves or ties ! It wasn't exactly dignified, and extremely warm, but quite fun. I should think the boys would have had a laugh if they could have seen some of them galloping about and puffing and blowing. Now that our Staff is up to about 30 strong (including Matrons) some of them are 'not as young as they were'. The Head himself is a very good dancer, though he looks a lot older than his forty five odd years.

Last week was quite an exciting week (for us), as we also had a party of our own on Saturday, for my birthday. We thought it was about time we did, as we haven't had once since we've been here. We made quite a lot of preparations, and I cooked sausage rolls and cheese straws,and made dozens of “toasties”. About 20 people came, and it all went off very nicely. You will be glad to hear that it was a very sober party, and not nearly as much liquid refreshment was consumed as we had catered for. I think that usually happens at that sort of party – people are too busy chatting (and in this case eating) to drink very much. So it didn't cost as much as we'd expected. Janet was a little angel for once, and slept all evening without stirring, in spite of considerable noise. I had my hair cut and curled, and made myself a dress of grey coat-taffeta, which was quite a success, though it only cost about 50/-. (it would have cost at least £15 if I'd bought it) Everyone seems to approve of my hair short – I'm going to have it permed at the end of the month.

The most exciting piece of recent news is that the Art Master is unexpectedly leaving this term, and as a Relief could not be found, I am going to teach Art for two terms! I am very thrilled about this, its what I've always hoped might happen, of course, but never really expected it. Its not absolutely definite yet, but I think it must be as we had the dinner party as farewell to Mr Roberts, and the school presented him with a silver tankard, so it would be a bit silly if he didn't go now. I don't know yet what salary they are going to pay me, as I have no actual teaching qualification, but it should be more than I get as a Matron, I hope. Anyway, even if it isn't, I am still very pleased and it will be a jolly interesting experience, and I have much more confidence about teaching now than I would have had ten years ago. I'm quite sure I can manage as well as 'Taffy', who is really a woodwork instructor and has had no art training at all. Unfortunately, the school has no art room as yet, pnly a temporary classroom with not much space and a rickety floor, but it will at least be fun. I hope I shan't have any trouble with discipline – I think I will be all right as long as I can keep them interested, and that shouldn't be hard, there are so many aspects to art that Taffy hasn't touched on and that they could have a go at. About twenty boys are taking School Certificate in December in Art, the others can do what they like, there is no syllabus to be followed. And School Certificate Art is very simple ….This will help me make an effort to produce more of my own work, too. Stan has bought me a very nice big easel and some more brushes and paints, and I am definitely going to try and do some oil painting this holiday. I want to do some portraits. I've done one or two in pastel, one of Pam was quite successful, but the others not so, - I need more practice, but I'm pleased to find that I’m not really any worse than I was when I left the Art School. Kate Spencer wants me to do her three little girls in pastel, I do hope I can make a good job of it. Children are difficult, of course, it's the sitting that's the trouble. The older one may be able to sit a bit, but I'm not sure about the others. I shall have to make some preliminary sketches from photographs, I expect. I'll try and do one of Janet, too. I've had her Polyfoto taken, and will sent you some of the little ones with this letter – they are quite good, and I am getting a big one for you later, - they are being done now, as a matter of fact, but I don't know whether I can send them Air Mail or not.

I must go now and see about Janet's dinner, Stan has had her out all morning,

and I expect he's about had enough of it by now – she is a "little angel" and "so sweet" in small doses to other people, but she is a handful in large doses, and can be an absolute little devil! I'm quite sure she's more mischievous than any boy, and always, every minute, getting into some trouble or other, - running off with the scissors, spilling ink on the carpet, climbing upon chairs and getting things out of drawers, eating things, scribbling on the wall, and all the rest … if smacked, she smacks back! If frustrated, she throws herself on the floor and yells, or scratches... but when she is good, she's adorable, talks any amount in English and Swahili, looks at books and is very affectionate. Of course, she is worse with me than anyone, won't let me out of her sight for two seconds, even to go to the lavatory, and climbs all over me if I try to read or sew, demanding attention, wanting to be in on it too. I know this is only natural at this age, but it's very exhausting, especially as she hardly ever goes to sleep in the afternoons now, and is at it all day. Fatuma has gone off today on two and a half week's leave, so it will be good practice for my patience! Stan wants to go off for four days with Harry and Peter Collister on a golfing and fishing trip, - I'm not awfully keen on the idea of being alone with Janet, especially at night, but it seems a bit mean if I object to him going. I wish I could go too, but Janet would be a menace in a hotel. Of course, Pam Hesketh is at work in any case, and has her own friends in town, and is quite please for Harry to go, I think she is having a girlfriend to stay with her, and Ann Collister is one of those tough types who doesn't mind being alone, in fact she says it is a nice change, and means she can read in bed! … Her two boys are four and five, so they are able to be sent out on their own to play quite a bit now. I suppose I must be tough too, but I must say I am happier with Stan around. I hate sleeping alone in the house.

#### 9.30pm

I meant to finish this on the typewriter, but went to sleep after lunch (Janet actually went to sleep today) and then we went out for a walk. The school is very quiet, 9.30pmquite a few people are away.We have a swimming bath now! The filtration plant has not arrived yet, but it has been filled with water for the holidays and not many people will be in it. I haven't been in yet but Stan went in yesterday, and took Janet for a splash – he's trying to teach her to swim. I should think she'll be able to swim by the time we come on leave now that we've got the bath here. The bath, by the way,is not supplied officially, it was paid for by a loan, subscribed half by the government and half by parents and friends – a lot of Kenya people have money. The loan will gradually be repaid over a period of years – about 30, I think - out of money paid by the boys in small fees for use of the pool – 10/- a term or something like that. Its cost about £6,000, I believe. Now they are collecting money to build a squash court.

The weather has been very tiring, we haven't had very much rain as yet. We had two or three extremely hot, exhausting weeks in March – average temperature nearly 90' in Nairobi and hot dry winds. The grass was like hay and the trees were wilting. Then it broke and we had a heavy storm one night, about a fortnight ago, and quite a lot of rain, then another heavy shower or two some days later, then it seemed to pass away again. Everything freshened up and the grass is now quite green, but people are worried that the rains are going to fail this year (last year we had too much of course).I hope we get some as I want to do some gardening – this is a huge garden and at present there is not very much in it. I have dug up two large beds and they're waiting to be re-planted – I have some seeds in boxes, but I was rather late in sowing them this year. As to flowers (mentioned in your last letter) the only things that really won't grow here are the “spring” flowers – daffodils, tulips etc and some of them will grow up in the hills in the cooler wetter areas. Chrysanthemums will grow, I have a few - but they bloom very near the ground and won't grow long stalks. I don't know why.. I must say it will be nice to see the apple blossom and spring flowers again. Thre is nothing quite as 'dewy looking' here – the flowers tend to be bright red or yellow or orange and rather showy. Roses will grow well if cared for, but they need manure and a good deal of attention and they only bloom for short seasons, whereas most of the annuals go on and on blooming. Flowers do get a bit scarce at the end of the dry season. I had a few rather faded zinnias and one or two odds and ends but nothing worth picking for weeks. We're now hoping for more rain to bring new blooms along.

I seem to have 3 letters of yours not answered, which is rather awful, but I've been awfully pleased to receive them. I do look forward to your letters very much... I can quite believe Irene is thin, but I can't imagine Geoffrey being fat – are you sure you're not exaggerating? Irene told me about the basement flat but it didn't sound too bad – in fact, she sounded quite thrilled about it. Are they going to take it? I don't really know what you mean about Gordon 'selling his birthright' – perhaps Irene will tell me about it. It souns rather rash to me, though I don't know.... I wonder if the “Macs” will end up here – I think they would like it. I suppose he has a degree in which case he would be an Education Officer and probably get quite a good salary. There seems to be a shortage of teachers, we have had an awful job getting staff here – we have two women teaching already, Mrs Spencer (who was a teacher before she married) and Mrs Maclennan, who was a Matron, but who has taught French for years as well – she is French, of course. Now there's me – we really are very short-staffed waiting for various specialists. Scientists and mathematicians seem to be particularly scarce. So many people seem to be interested in jobs here, then change their minds and don't want to leave England after all, or go to another Colony. I think quite often the wives don't want to come out here. We have quite a few temporary or only partially qualified people this year, two men had to be transferred here from Primary schools to fill gaps. The Colonial Office seems to do a lot of blundering and putting people off by long delays, etc, making the Education Department and Headmasters here furious.

Stan has read “Last chance in Africa”, he borrowed it from somebody, and I glanced through it but didn't read it properly. I must get hold of it and read it again. I'm glad you found it so interesting.. Also I'm glad you saw “No Vultures Fly”. We missed it here, it only came for a week,and we're hoping it may come back again. We heard all about it, of course. They made quite a “do” of the premiere here. We've only been to the pictures once in months and months. That was to see Bette Davis in “All about Eve”, which was good, but not outstanding.

Now about Janet – I've already told you what a little pickle she is. Physically she's fine, and so far has not had any set backs. She's grown inches in the last year, and all her clothes have become too small. I have been very busy making her clothes: 2 pairs of viyella pyjamas (one piece with flaps) as her baby nighties are at last finished, a clydella duster-check skirt with blouse and two pairs of knickers. I am going to make another skirt and dress for 'best' (pale yellow clydella which was old stock and I got cheap – 7/90 a yard, wheras the new lot was 13/- - what a difference!) I'm also knitting her a jersey (she is wearing the cardigans a lot now and finding them very useful) She is nearly 3 ft tall now (about 35 ½ “) and weights 30lbs. She is fairly solid in the body still, but her legs have lengthened a lot and got a bit slimmer. She is very cuddlesome and attractive to look at. She's not much trouble now over her pot or sleeping at night, though she wets her beds fairly frequently still. She doesn't wear nappies and has improved since she's had her new pyjamas. She refuses to be woken and “potted”, she cries to get back to bed and is so upset at being woken that I haven't the heart to do it. If I do, ten to one she won't use the pot,and only gets thoroughly wakened up and cross. She is occasionally naughty over her food and spits it out, but generally eats fairly well. She enjoys breakfast and dinner, likes a boiled egg best of all – I give her an egg most days now, either for breakfast or late tea – that all right isn't it? She still won't eat tea at 4.30 or even 5 and prefers her supper at bedtime, after her bath, though this is supposed to be wrong according to all the books. I find difficulty in knowing what to give her for supper or tea. She's tired of 'farex' now and isn't awfully good with cornflakes or porridge either, nor will she eat much bread and butter or sweet things – except chocolate which she loves! She likes meat now, and fish, and relishes chicken and is quite good with vegetables as a rule. She also loves tomato, but she's not very good with puddings. As I said before, she talks fluently, can express almost anything she wants to say – in fact is very good at expressing her wants in a forcible manner. She has just started the saying “No” phase, too, and can be very obstinate. She can be quite infuriating at times – I suppose most children are. I shall be glad when she gets to the next stage, of playing with things properly, at the moment she wants to be doing something active all the time and its difficult to know what to give her to keep her quiet. I resorted to giving her scissors and a big sheet of paper the other day (after much pleading) – they kept her quiet half an hour – you should have seen her intent face, trying to cut! I suppose its rather a risky occupation at two, though. She kept opening her mouth every time she tried to open the scissors! Of course she wants every bottle and jar and tube of toothpaste opened and all my make up things to play with, and all the drawers and cupboards turned out, - demanding “Mummy, open it” or “Mummy, in there?” or “'oos that?” I've told her about 'Granny Katherine' and Granny Stokoe' and all the others and she repeats the names, but I don't think she has much idea of what I'm talking about. Its difficult to explain as no-one here has a Granny.

Do make Janet a frock if you'd like to, she can do with plenty of cotton ones as she's grown out of the first ones I made her. I'll measure her tomorrow and give you the measurements at the bottom of this page. I really must stop and go to bed now, its 11o'clock and Stan has fallen asleep on the sofa! I'll try and answer your questionnaire tomorrow, but if I haven't time I'll post this and write again later in the week, when I'm on my own. I know you must be getting anxious and eagerly awaiting a letter. I really must try and write more regularly, I'm always wanting to writ9.30pme!

Much love, and thanks for your birthday wishes, I had a nice birthday and several presents this year but its awful to think of the age I've reached – 34! I can't really believe it – I'll soon be middle aged.

_Lots of love Muriel_