This life afloat is very pleasant, because I have men of great goodness in command, fascinating work to do, & splendid weather to do it in. It’s truly warm, the glass is high, the sea calm. We are “roughing it”, but in a well organised away. We are browning up, not “off” & everyone’s happy. But letter writing is not easy, & BBC writing seems impossible. My duty is 1400 hrs to 0200 hrs daily. A nice shift.

                        I do hope the piece of cloth is really what you like. I find it difficult to envisage a length of cloth as a garment. But it seemed to be worthy of you. Something for the autumn ? A Pram driving skirt. Make Dickie Anne a jersey-jumper of the extra length !

                        The skipper is Edinburgh Scots, & he has his wife living aboard, a Really Sensible Person, Flossie Brooksish, and they have a most gay & solemn little Robert, aged seven, who wears full Scottish regalia on Sundays, & plays soldiers & has 3 boats in his bath. He goes down the Accommodation ladder every morning & embarks on a tug & so to school ! A nice life for the whole family, very comfortable shippy quarters & grand food, sea rations !

                        I expect to have the rear party job, quite fair as I took over. So the family will move on Friday night & I’ll follow with ten on Sunday ! If this weather holds every day at Inverary is worth it. Summer, in March !

                        Do I go to Great Alne or do you come here, next ? I’ll find out how leave is running. I must see & hold you before very long.

                        Splendid about the house. I’m sure that the rent as income & the property as capital is quite the wisest precaution against future contingencies your mother could make. She’ll have 11/-a week, & the house to sell after the war when prices will be up, or so I think. The nearness of the house to Birmingham is a disadvantage in some ways but an advantage in more other ways. Dickie Anne will have a rich grannie yet !! Tell her that.

                        How is the young person ? Still restful, & concentrating on growing up ? He-she’s a very intimate part of the family, without doubt.

                        It’s funny, no not funny, it’s strange how one’s ideas change. A year, no six months ago I couldn’t possibly visualise you as a mother. Now I can, quite clearly. And the most charming & understanding of mothers you’ll be, too. Gracious. How proud & fond of you I’ll be.

                        I’m writing this in the wireless cabin, while the winches rattle & the cargo flows outwards. The Sun streams through the open door & our tea, in containers from the shore has arrived. I must feed my flock.

                        They are fed. We sat on the Hatch combings & ate bread & butter, meat roll & cake & drank tea. Then back to work. Now it’s 23.15 hours on a starry night & all goes well. In 4½ hours we did 49 Ton, an average of 13 Ton per Hour, well nigh a record. A grand crowd. Between 1900 & 2000 we did 17 Tons !!! Surely a record. Bless them all.

                        The stars sparkle tonight, & the ships in the loch are faintly discernible. All goes well.

                        And how is my Candy ? & my Mother in law ? And Mrs A. ? Any Eggs (from the hens I mean)

                        Bless you dearest one, bless you so very much. All my love to you.