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and it was a lovely little girl, so he went home and told Albert and he had all 3 up giving them breakfast. Merle had the day off from school that day and he brought them up to see me at the hospital and I said "you have a lovely little sister, what shall we call her?" They said "call her Betty after the chook". I said "well how about Betty Doreen", they jumped and clapped and were very pleased. So that was her name and still is Betty Doreen. Well she was a very good child. When I would bath and feed her of a morning, she would sleep and sleep. I used to check to see if she was still breathing and sometimes I would nearly forget to feed her she was so good. Her father used to take more notice of her than any of the others and as he used to pass by he would say "Betty Boo" and that name stuck to her for quite a while.
Work still going and I am still managing to help, but I would not treadle the machine for about six weeks, so either Ray or Albert would sit on the other side of the machine and treadle while I put the work in and out. It was very awkward at first but we mastered it. I would say stop and start and they got used to it, but I could not work as fast as doing it myself.
Well Christmas is coming fast once again, but little Albert is not very well so I had to call the doctor in. He admitted him into hospital, he has only just turned 2 years and a bonny little boy, and he was stricken with phnemonia, and in those days it was bad. He was kept in the matrons office with a radiator on to keep him warm. Well we spent a lot of time up there, but one day the hospital sent word via a lady that lived 2 doors away, (they had the phone on), for us to go straight up as he was very low. Ray was out so I went straight up, and when l got there they took me in and told me he had just died. They had just put a sheet over him and doctor was talking to sister and he said, "I am sure I saw a movement under that sheet", so he straight away took it off and immediately gave young Albert mouth to mouth resuscitation and sister was there also. His little heart did start again and doctor said, "he must have been going through the crisis and he will be fine now, but he must stay here for a while". Now I must add this piece. The people that took the message from the hospital used to make wooden toys and when I came home they came and gave me a little yellow wooden wheelbarrow and said how sorry they were, but they had made it for his birthday so to keep it, and we are sorry but he will make a lovely little angel, and it was then I said my dears thank you, well love he has come through. Well when he did come home from the hospital he loved his wheelbarrow and took it everywhere. Nanna Wood came over to see him with 2 real flannels made from the real Dr flannel and just like the men used to wear in those days and my dad always wore them.
All the arrangements were made for us all to go to Earlwood for Christmas 1935. We all had a lovely time. Nanna always had turkey, ducks or chooks out of her own yard with plenty of vegetables. Christmas pudding with three pennies (threepences) in with boiled custard, she was just such a wonderful person. I can not honestly remember what each one got for Christmas, but I do know that Nanna always had little bags of lollies and nuts for all of the children, sometimes Arch and Anne's children would be there too and sometimes they would go to Anne's mothers place. They were at this point of time still living at the beach. Well time to leave to go home and Uncle Albert drove us all back to Ramsgate, children all put to bed, we