November 25, 1940
Received your two letters, one of the twenty-second and the other of the thirtieth yesterday. I am very sorry to hear that your poor old knee is on the tear again but hope it will improve soon. I am glad to hear you received the batch of negatives safely, as some of them are particularly good. It is nice to know you are all threshed at last, as the crop must have been a constant worry while it stood out in the weather. It is certainly too bad it had to be graded damp but perhaps it is a blessing in disguise, as it will certainly bring in much higher prices if it can be fed to hogs.
Yes, I got the snaps of Shirley some time ago and must say they are certainly very good of her. You speak of your wet weather, but lady, you haven’t seen anything until you have seen an English Fall. It rains almost daily now and when I say rain, I mean rain. Our wagon lines are in a sea of mud. We were issued with rubber boots yesterday which were very welcome, as trying to keep leather boots clean was quite a job. In your letter, you mention poor little Greece, what a laugh. Those same little Greeks seem to be more than a match for Mussie’s bullies. The news these days is much more cheerful than it has been since the optimistic period just prior to the invasion of the lowlands. The navy and the fleet air arm seem to have handed the Wops a sound thumping which will naturally affect the balance of sea power in the Mediterranean. Well, I mentioned in a previous letter, leave has been resumed but mine won’t come ‘til the fourth of February, so I should have a little money saved by then. This money is certainly quite a problem, as these shillings seem to evaporate into thin air. One of the biggest jobs is to learn how to avoid spending money without losing your friends. I really have become quite a diplomat in this respect.
I had a few more snaps taken the other day, two of the mud and one of myself at the rear of my billet. When I get my new front tooth, I will send you a snap with a real Pepsodent smile. In the meanwhile, you will just have to put up with what I can send. I understand that about three weeks of our mail has been lost due to enemy action, so if I seem to have missed some of your letters, you’ll know why. Things have been very quiet lately, though we still have the usual number of warnings. I saw a barrage balloon struck by lightning the other night and watched it come down in flames. I understand this happens quite often, as the steel cables attract the lightening.
Well, I am on kitchen fatigue today, so will soon have to close and go back to help prepare supper. The days are becoming very short and, if and when I come home, you find me out prowling with the cat, you can just blame the blackouts as you have to learn to see in the dark to get around.
