34 Aug. 22nd /45 Okanagan Mission B.C.
My dear Tony
Mary [?] and Anne went off to Vancouver last night and expect to be away about 10 days. They felt they would have a good chance to look at the scenery this time if they have to sit up all night! There was a nice moon too if it was not too smoky. It has been rather bad here today. There are several fires in the Nelson district. We have had no rain since June and everywhere is very dry. However we hope it will hold out another few days as we have planned a trip to Summerland tomorrow to choose some new glads. and the next day Archie [Stubbs] and Beryl [Archie’s fiancee] are getting on with their furnishing. Last week they bought a bed and a carpet and yesterday settled on a second hand chesterfield suite. They are only getting absolute essentials now as the camp is pretty small and nice things are very scarce. They spent Sunday down there laying the linoleum and trying to fix a leak in the water pipe assisted by Mr Haverfield and today Daddy and Archie spent a long afternoon there tidying up outside. Next Sunday Daddy and I have been invited to supper with Mr Haverfield and Beryl. He is really quite a father to her!
We heard from Dick [Stubbs] last week, he says the R.A.F. are letting him go about Sept 1st which should be a step in the right direction. He didn’t know what the R.C.A.F. would do about it, but thought he ought to get home this year. It is easy to see his letters are no longer censored by the remarks he makes about his officers and their dillatory [sic] ways! He has sent back two large parcels of radio parts which he said he had collected in Germany. He says he is still keen on radio as a hobby.
Mrs Hobson has sold her place—the little house and young orchard—the rest belongs to Henry, I think. She is going to build on the lakeshore next the Haverfields [sic] camp. They will be pretty thick on the ground along there but it is so grown up you dont [sic] realise how close the houses are. Daddy saw Peter [Mallam] in the store one day, he got leave to come back here instead of waiting around in Vancouver but since that he has heard nothing from anybody and fears he may be A.W.O.L. by now! Its [sic] a good thing he is here as his father is laid up with lumbago and he’s doing the chores. He and Patty expect to spend the winter in the Mallams [sic] camp and are starting to fix it up and make it a bit more weatherproof which is rather annoying for the Burde???s who are still in it.
Archis saw Peter Loyd yesterday, he has just got back and is wondering what to do when he gets his discharge. Does not want to fly any more. Nancy Steele [?] is back in Vancouver and Marjorie and Henry are motoring down this weekend, the latter has an exam. Some wild beast got loose in the cellar the other day and I found several jars of dried cherries on the floor, but luckily only one was broken and a chipmunk was eating the contents but he could not have knocked them down. We think it must have been a stray cat but we none of us heard any noise.
I hope I get a letter from you tomorrow. The last one came in 5 days and when they are so quick it always means a long gap next time. You should know soon what the prospects are for coming back.
Best love from Mother.