16.8.69 [handwritten]
Dear Mum, I’m presuming that you’ve written again since your
last letter and I hope it contains good news about the ops. The thing is I’m
not yet back in London ˗ will be next Monday ˗ and as I said to the others at
the flat not to forward any mail after Wednesday, I’ve now made things a bit
awkward because I can’t keep up with the news. I was invited to stay over yet a
third weekend, rather than go back to
London, and so I accepted. But I definitely must get back on Monday in order to
see Kevin before he goes. I’ve decided I won’t go to Belgium with him ˗
basically because I’ve not yet heard from the Home Office; they still have my
passport in fact, and as I have no way of knowing whether it will now be
returned in time I don’t think it’s worth the fuss. [This, I think, was to get a certificate of patriality - now called a Certificate of Entitlement - so I could stay
on in the UK, my father being English.] I wrote off and cancelled the
tickets, so I hope everything sorts itself out there. Reg said he’d let me know
if anything arrived from either the Home Office or the Bank of NZ (where the
travel arrangements were being made) by phone, and last night he called to say
that he’d received a letter from the Bank addressed to Mr Flaherty! Honestly
the amount of time wasted over carelessness like this here is phenomenal. As
I’d already written off to cancel the tickets I hope that all that will work
out okay.
 |
| Harbour Arm, Hastings courtesy gofishing,uk |
The weather here is only today returning to its former
glorious self ˗ we’ve had two days of very miserable, though mild weather ˗
and I’m sitting on the pebbles here watching the other two dry off. I didn’t go
in because on Wednesday evening we met up with Paul again, and prior to going
for a drink with him went out on the old rock Harbour Arm. Coming back off it I
jumped down off one rock onto another, and either through being over-cautious,
or else thinking that the distance was greater than it was I gave my whole left side a terrific jolt, right through my body. Fortunately the only apparent
damage done was to my left foot, and though it seemed okay it got
progressively stiffer and sore as the evening went on, so that finally I was in
difficulty walking. It was a little less bad the next morning but I went to the
doctor just the same. He only prodded around my toes and instep, taking the
usual practitioner’s delight in finding the tender spots, and declared that
possibly it was a little dislocated, but unlikely to be anything serious.
Anyway, he was nice enough I suppose, but probably thought I was making a fuss
about nothing. I was glad to have gone because at least it calmed any thoughts
of its being something really nasty. It's today walkable on, but this causes it
to ache rather much (up till now I’ve been limping around ˗ doubt that does it
much good) but I guess it’s improving all right.
The sea looks strange here: it’s artificial somehow. Because the
sky merges into it ˗ they’re both very grey at the horizon ˗ the end of [it]
doesn’t seem far away and it looks as though the people are swimming in a gorgeously designed
(and rather enormous) bath. And the waves are provided by some mechanical
means. They’re far too gentle to belong to Mother Nature! Get well, love, Mike.
(P.S. I got Mrs S some flowers today ˗ they’ll arrive on
Monday, I trust.)
