Two months from now !  Oh dear.  How are you.

                        I’ve just come ashore here, first time for a week.  Its very lovely.  I can of course saying nowt at all of what I’ve been doing, but its been most successful & great fun, ending with an adventure which is stranded me & 20 men here.  Tomorrow we return to a unit.

                        I’m fit, brown & my hair is bleached.  I’ve learned a lot & made new friends.  And the sky is blue, the sea calm& blue & the evening sun shines.  Very hungry.  I have fed, very undated, so I shall soon bath. A call is down to you.  A remote effort, Arran to Great Alne.  For 8 days I have had no word of you !  You none of me.  Awful.  But now we are back to normal.  I had a happy party of men & they’ve backed me up superbly.  I’ve just telephoned the unit & Allan says all is well, the O/C in London, everyone else happy.  They were relieved to know where I was.  We’ve strayed far afield.

                        We are so much I can say there’s nothing to say.  I’ve had so many experiences & much shipping life.  Even slept for 3 nights on a chart room table.

                        I wonder how many letters will be waiting for me at Coatbridge !  The first thing I do will be to read them.  Eagerly.  When I come upon several I open them all & put them in order of dates.  Five letters in my pocket sustained me this week.  I had four days of great luxury & 3 of exciting hard living.  A fair proportion.

                        Oh, I’m worried about the bi-carb of soda.  Are you sure that too much is good for both of you ?  Can you have a subtler drink ?  Milk of Magnesia ?  Will you give it your careful consideration please ?  Do be so very careful.

 I’ve written a daily letter to you, all out of date now.  I’ll send it later.  I must be sure It’s all non- censorable material.  This is a How-de letter.  The Lord knows when it will arrive. Speed it.  I hope the call gets through.  Hell of a delay I expect.

                        The men, who were hungry & soiled are being lavishly entertained by the Navy, fed & washed & bedded down. Bless the Navy.

                        Bless you, Dear one, & Candy & your Mother.  I have a Ponds V. for you, & a cold cream, & a cold cream for Mother Anne.  I’ll parcel them from Coatbridge.