Jan 30th /45

Dear Shirley

Your letter arrived yesterday and as I have a few minutes to spare I am answering it.

Well I go on leave Thursday I am to meet Bill at his Uncle's in Leicester. It is not working out just as we had hoped as Bill's leave started yesterday and has only 5 days. Mine is 9 days. I will only have about a day and a half with him. I can go back to Northampton with him. That will give me some more time with him as I can see him when he is off duty.

Well it sure would be grand to be going up the mountain again. We sure had a lot of fun that day. The next time I don't think that Barbara will be along.

Just before Christmas she wrote and said that she has found a boy friend who is at home so that was that and so stopped writing.

We have sure been getting our fill of snow and frost this winter it hasn't gotten down to zero yet and I hope that it doesn't as we only have enough coal for the stoves in the kitchens. The only time we see them is at meals. For the rest of the time we keep warm as best we can, it is no fun. There has been about 6 inches of snow altogether which hasn't been so bad. Just now everything is an awful mess as it is melting and you know what that is like. My boots have been wet for about a month now, one of these days I hope to get them dry again. Gordy is sitting beside me writing home and says to say "hello" for him.

There has been a slight change in the course for me. I am to go on leave and when I come back I am to go with another class which still has 2 or 3 weeks to go. In that time I hope to be able to catch up and get through. There is another fellow who is doing the same thing as it is all new to him as well. By that time I should be able to get through I hope.

Well I have some things to get ready to go on leave so I will close for now.
Love
Ted

P.S. The only town that is near that you might be able to find on a map is Guildford and it is 20 miles away. T.