Tuesday 23rd March, 2010-03-23
Dear Jeremy,
We moved to the newly built house in Golf Course Road. It was the second one from the end and overlooked the open bush where Jill walked and found the wild flowers blooming after a bush fire. It was a well planned house with windows across the front room and a dining room on the side with a door leading on to a small patio where one could sit and have breakfast in the morning sunshine before it got too hot. The kitchen and small pantry were at the back. There was a door which locked leading down a passage to three bedrooms and a bathroom.
I set to and made us a home once again. The pretty curtain material with blue stripes and pink roses which I had bought in England I was able to make up for the bedroom and I was well pleased with the result. The ground round the house had been cleared so I started to lay out a garden. We went out to an agricultural school and collected some young trees and shrubs to plant.
Though I cannot recall the sequence of the following stories these are the memories I have of that time.
Christopher went out with his Dad on tour again. This time as well as riding his bicycle, it was a new Raleigh, they crossed a river in a dug-out canoe with an African White Father poling them across. Christopher wrote an article which was published in Boys Own Paper. He will send you a copy. He also waded across a swamp holding his shoes aloft and of course there was always the risk of getting Bilharzia a tropical parasite called a fluke which affected the blood. Not a nice thing to get.
Father Tolmey was a White Father who became our friend and would visit when he came to Kasama for shopping. One day he took the children shopping with him and bought Jill a toy cash resister which she chose. She loved playing shop with Celia and other friends.
Another visitor was called Rick. He was an Anthropologist from a London University who was studying the music of the Bemba nation. It must have been over Christmas time as I remember him playing carols on the piano and we gathered round with other friends to sing.
There was also a woman student who was doing some research work amongst the Bemba people. We thought she was a bit weird and was going native as she lived amongst them like they did. This was not something which was encouraged nor approved - after all it was important to maintain standards. As one District Commissioner said or they will be eating out of tins next. Your Father then confessed to me that was just what he had done on his last tour as they forgot to pack the plates.
That was 1959, the year Tim was born in the cottage hospital where I was so well cared for and strict hygiene was paramount. Michael came with me to the hospital while Miss Phyllis Trowse, the local woman education Officer whom we had known in Kitwe looked after the girls. The Matron was on duty and she asked if an African student nurse could be present. All was going well when suddenly the contractions just stopped so Matron called Michael in and went away to make us each a cup of tea.. It was the early hours of the morning on the 8th of August.
Michael came in and as he put his hands on me everything started happening again. As the doctor walked down the passage he heard Timothy cry before he was properly born. The doctor was very amused about this and kept chuckling. A very tired Dad went home to tell the girls and relieve Phyllis Trowse from her nightly vigil.
The girls were delighted. I had given them each a doll with a baby trousseau of nappies and matinee jackets and wraps so they, too, each had a baby.
Christopher arrived home from Silver Rest and I felt badly that I had not been able to bake a cake to welcome him home. So he made his own cake with the help of the cook, Towel. Chris read out the recipe and Towel did the mixing except for the eggs which Chris beat up for him. It was a good cake though he always said when I asked what kind of cake he would like he would answer "A spoilt one". He liked it when it was gooey.
In the meantime Dad had made a small paddling pool on the side of the house and I have a happy picture of them splashing in it keeping cool. I really must find the photos and try once again to attach them to my emails.
Timothy was a happy contented baby and the girls loved him and were always there to help at bath time. Celia has never been allowed to forget the time she was giving him some love as he lay there all pink and naked that he poohed in her eye well nearly in her eye.
All this time Michael would be going out on tour visiting remote schools - More of that next week.
Love you, Mum