Letter Seven
20/12/22 16:03
My dearest Bunty,
Such news I have for you my dearest friend! But you shall have to wait a bit for that as I feel I MUST respond to your last letter first of all, you have made me most distressed.
It sounds to me as if there is far too much excitement going on with you these days; lunch in the Peers Dining Room is usually my treat for you when in town, but as long as you had a nice time, dear. I know you are usually tied to the house with the Baroness these days. I am glad however that she is able to get up and about now after her bad attack of gout. Such a disease it is! I remember when Sir Hector had his last attack after that 1951 claret - I did warn him and it took an age to go down. I am sure he has not learned his lesson but Cook is now very careful about nuts and rich things in her cooking these days. You have to ensure that the food you make for the Baroness is plain and simple from now on, goodness you may even be looking at a short trip to the South Coast before long if she is recuperating so fast!
I have personally preferred Hastings, but I believe that is not what it was in our day. Brighton has such an air of seediness about it for ladies of our persuasion and I have never enjoyed the whirly-gigs on the Pier there. I should prefer to be sitting with a good book in a lovely hotel being spoiled with afternoon tea of the highest quality rather than spinning around on some contraption.
Back to you again. This letter is all about you I can tell. I am concerned that the gentleman you met at the Albert Hall is not a decent sort. A man of his age and deportment sounds like a scoundrel, and it is a good thing that your Post Office book has next to nothing in it these days. That lack of funds will test his mettle I think. The South is filled with easy-going chaps out to take a lady for all she has. I read the Telegraph you know and am 'au courante' with what is going on in the courts these days. Be careful my dear.
We had the most wonderful news from the Colonies the other day. Alexander has managed to meet up with Little Flora in Bundaberg. Where do these strange names come from I ask myself? They are planning Christmas in New Zealand and then hope to meet up later in the Autumn in the South Seas before coming home. I do get so confused with the opposite seasons in the Colonies. Sir H takes it all in his stride, I guess it was all those postings overseas after the War. Little Flora has been working in a bar of all things! Can you believe it? A Deerestalker serving! How Daddy spins in his mausoleum to hear of this. It is fun she says, but I am not so sure it is proper for a Lady, even a young one such as her, to be serving the hoi polloi in some backpacker hotel miles from the ballet and opera. Still, you have to loosen the traces on a horse to let it roam free, and more so with one's children. Such a prize they are as one advances in years and I feel sorry for you being so childless with little humour or family joy before you in the years to come.
Still we were gladdened to hear that the children will be coming back to Scotland in the Springtime. Alexander was not forthcoming about the young lady I mentioned to you in a previous letter. 'Just good friends' was all he would say on the matter, but I am sure I heard a longing in his voice. Oh to have a child married does age one so! I am not looking forward to becoming a grandmother at my age, I shall no longer be able to avoid the question of my advancing years when there is a really young Deerestalker running about and calling out for Granny (not Nanna, as that reminds me of the dog in 'Peter Pan') so questions about age cannot be avoided.
I must go now as I hear Sir H raising his voice in the hallway. Heed my advice about your gentleman 'friend'.
Your ever friend, Flora
This story first appeared on www.panetwork.co.uk in 2004
Such news I have for you my dearest friend! But you shall have to wait a bit for that as I feel I MUST respond to your last letter first of all, you have made me most distressed.
It sounds to me as if there is far too much excitement going on with you these days; lunch in the Peers Dining Room is usually my treat for you when in town, but as long as you had a nice time, dear. I know you are usually tied to the house with the Baroness these days. I am glad however that she is able to get up and about now after her bad attack of gout. Such a disease it is! I remember when Sir Hector had his last attack after that 1951 claret - I did warn him and it took an age to go down. I am sure he has not learned his lesson but Cook is now very careful about nuts and rich things in her cooking these days. You have to ensure that the food you make for the Baroness is plain and simple from now on, goodness you may even be looking at a short trip to the South Coast before long if she is recuperating so fast!
I have personally preferred Hastings, but I believe that is not what it was in our day. Brighton has such an air of seediness about it for ladies of our persuasion and I have never enjoyed the whirly-gigs on the Pier there. I should prefer to be sitting with a good book in a lovely hotel being spoiled with afternoon tea of the highest quality rather than spinning around on some contraption.
Back to you again. This letter is all about you I can tell. I am concerned that the gentleman you met at the Albert Hall is not a decent sort. A man of his age and deportment sounds like a scoundrel, and it is a good thing that your Post Office book has next to nothing in it these days. That lack of funds will test his mettle I think. The South is filled with easy-going chaps out to take a lady for all she has. I read the Telegraph you know and am 'au courante' with what is going on in the courts these days. Be careful my dear.
We had the most wonderful news from the Colonies the other day. Alexander has managed to meet up with Little Flora in Bundaberg. Where do these strange names come from I ask myself? They are planning Christmas in New Zealand and then hope to meet up later in the Autumn in the South Seas before coming home. I do get so confused with the opposite seasons in the Colonies. Sir H takes it all in his stride, I guess it was all those postings overseas after the War. Little Flora has been working in a bar of all things! Can you believe it? A Deerestalker serving! How Daddy spins in his mausoleum to hear of this. It is fun she says, but I am not so sure it is proper for a Lady, even a young one such as her, to be serving the hoi polloi in some backpacker hotel miles from the ballet and opera. Still, you have to loosen the traces on a horse to let it roam free, and more so with one's children. Such a prize they are as one advances in years and I feel sorry for you being so childless with little humour or family joy before you in the years to come.
Still we were gladdened to hear that the children will be coming back to Scotland in the Springtime. Alexander was not forthcoming about the young lady I mentioned to you in a previous letter. 'Just good friends' was all he would say on the matter, but I am sure I heard a longing in his voice. Oh to have a child married does age one so! I am not looking forward to becoming a grandmother at my age, I shall no longer be able to avoid the question of my advancing years when there is a really young Deerestalker running about and calling out for Granny (not Nanna, as that reminds me of the dog in 'Peter Pan') so questions about age cannot be avoided.
I must go now as I hear Sir H raising his voice in the hallway. Heed my advice about your gentleman 'friend'.
Your ever friend, Flora
This story first appeared on www.panetwork.co.uk in 2004