Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 64]
But I must tell you in 1941 we were blessed with another little girl, Margaret Elizabeth Wood. She was born on the 23rd March 1941, and seeing that all baby clothes had been worn out, a new lot was to be had for her, and amongst them all was a whole lot of pink woollies as winter was on its way. She was born at home and I had a midwife come to the house for her. The others all getting older Margaret was spoiled. She was not as good a baby as the others, she seemed to want more attention until one day I discovered that she must have liked music. I had the pram near the wireless with music playing and she was so quiet and good that that went on every day. She slept and laid awake listening to it and was happy until she was hungry, that all soon got sorted out. You can imagine by now the dog rug business came to a halt while the war was on. Also now we have Betty and John at school and they also attend Sunday school.
When Margaret started walking she was a little devil to undress herself and we would pick her clothes up everywhere and where we had them all we would find Margaret. Albert was always wanting to run away from home, so one day I said "alright. I will help you pack. Where are you going? I am running away". but doesn't all children want to run away. Now Merle is 11 years and very good at school. Beryl is 9 and hates school. Albert was not a lover of school either. Betty liked it. had no trouble with it and John. well he would go off with the others and no sooner gone than home so I would take him straight back and perhaps he would duck home at play-time and so back I would take him. This went on for quite a while and suddenly it stopped. there was no more trouble with him and he turned out quite good in the end. Now we are well into 1942. Armistice Day. 11 November 1942 and we have another little girl and we called her Yvonne. Now everybody wanted to know if I had run out of names, and Nanna Wood came to see her. She was born at home too, and Nanna said "well my little one I hope you have closed the gate", and I think she must have done just that, as now we had as I used to say "Seven Little Australians and all lovely children", they still are.
The war is still going on and we are still having blackouts etc. We now have an air-raid shelter in our back yard, well underground. Its not as flash as one that is in the street Thomsons have, theirs are all set up very well and he is a naval man on the Vendetta. A Mr Rattle who lives next door to them is a warden and couple of other men in the street but in our Air Raid I only had tin food and water which I used to change regularly and a first aid kit and a few old blankets, and would you believe it was made under my clothes line. I was like a mountain goat hanging out washing. Eventually after the war it was all filled in.
We are still in those war years and Merle is 12 years in the August and has passed her examination to go to Marrickville Girls High School next year 1943. Beryl is 10 years old and now as the girls turn 10 they got a wrist watch. Albert is now nearly 8 years old and he came home from school with a very swollen face and a very sore ear. I took him to the doctor and he said he would have to go to the childrens hospital in Camperdown. He said it seemed as though it was a Mastoid so we took him to the hospital and they admitted him straight away. It was a Mastoid but it had burst and it all had to be drained, but his whole system was poisoned. It was a Dr Day that looked after him, the poor little chap, we very nearly lost him again. Everyday I went to the hospital, Margaret with me. When they let him come home it took a lot of