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[Page 56]
Now we are up to Christmas 1933 and we are all up at Earlwood and all is well. Everyone was there, and the whole family at home. Nanna had gifts for every grandchild and Albert Raymond got his mattress and pillow for his cozy bye. I can remember that but I can not remember what the other children received. She was the most wonderful mother, mother-in-law, Nanna I have ever known. She was a great person, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. We all had to travel public transport, no cars in those days for any of us. So we all leave Nanna's and go on our merry way home, and things at the camp go on as usual.
I am very busy now with three children and I might let you all know that we have all had whooping cough. No such things as injections in those days but we all got right again. Merle used to like to play in the sand but not Beryl, she used to pick the pig face flowers and eat them, the red berries off the briar bush and one day she was missing and I heard this splatter splatter in the toilet, and here she was with both hands in the sanitary pan. I shall never forget the mess she was in plus everything else, lucky her father was home. "I said clean her, you clean the toilet". Well after that a latch, top and bottom was put on the door. Another time she was with us down the beach while the fisherman were bringing the nets in and low and behold here she is eating a little raw live fish. When I roused on her she ran in the water and nearly drowned. She had a little black and white swimming costume with a fish on it, very appropriate for her. I had some carnations growing and they were in bud today and tomorrow all gone, until one day I caught her eating them. I used to always have a peg in my apron pocket and a kettle of boiling water always on the stove as she used to take convulsions and one morning I was holding her up to wave goodbye to her father and all of a sudden she went stiff. I had to call Uncle Albert to hold her while I got the mustard bath ready. I had already but [put] the peg in her mouth to prevent her from swallowing her tongue. So the wire fence was made more secure.
The golf course business soon stopped because we had no time. We could see we had a flourishing business coming up with the dog business.
Merle was a very good little girl and liked chalks. She had a piece of flat iron she used to scribble and draw on and I would wash it all off for her. She used to love new shoes, they only used to be 2/6 (two shillings and sixpence). A pair to fit a little girl like her, and when she got a pair she used to clear the table from her high chair and climb up on the table and say "new shoes", "new shoes". I have to smile up at her place yesterday, she was 53 [3?] on her birthday and she produced a pair of new shoes but when she would feed herself in the high chair she would mix all her dinner together and when she did not want any more she would turn her plate upside down on her head and say that piles all gone. We used to go up Rockdale of a Wednesday to do the shopping. We walked up and we used to be able to buy a tray of meat at Stones Butchery for 1/- (one shilling) and on it would be a shoulder of lamb, mince, lambs fry, about 4 chops and some steak or a roast of beef, sausages, tripe and some stewing chops. We only had an ice box (not ice chest). One would buy a big bag of potatoes for 1/-, whole pumpkin for 6, onions (3 a bag), cabbages, peas and oh I could go on and on re cost of living.