Rose Croft, Brentwood - 17th Jan 1973

Howdy Pard, Wot's cookin'? Climbed any good ladders lately? I was going to send this to old "droopy drawers" but she never sends any "roughs" to me, so why should I?! Here is a boring extract of malt from my Mrs. Dale's Diary - MONDAY . Miss bus ( or rather, the bus fails to come!) and start walking to town. Man asks for help to lift washing machine into boot. It is, freezin', rainin' - he gives me a lift into Brentwood as a reward. Some interestin' old 78's in Mart but 10p each a bit much, considering I don't play them that often, and not record player working at present. Make an awful hot vegetable curry. "The nights they do be peavish." TUESDAY. What a beautifl shining old sun. A thick frost melts away and I make a speaker cabinet on the front step - like Summer again but for faint wintery smells. And so on ........ How awful! (Picture of someone stirring some sludge with caption " Oh no! not bloody porridge again!" ) I'm reading a jolly book about Ireland called "Lovely Is The Lee" ( of course!) by Robert (Gibbonstrangler ) Gibbings. It's full of lovely descriptions of the sea and it's wildlife around the islands off the west coast. Also old legends and stories about the "wee folk" and seals that are really human beings dressed up in fur coats! There are some sea birds that get so covered in oil that the inhabitants of certain islands used to poke a wick through them and use them as candles! No kiddin' ! I bought a fine old book published in 1837 from the Mart today called "The Flower Garden". It has some lovely engravings that look hand painted - but on closer inspection are just very sensitively printed. Must be worth more than a shilling? I've finished Clevercloggies Superrackman's and shall bring dem obber wib me when I come for a drinkle dis Sapurday. K. K. ? Over and out, Captain Bostik.