9.8.69
Dear Mum, Just a small growl that I should have put in
before: what is the use of your getting $2 extra a week Sick Benefit if you turn
round and give it to me? All right, so you’ve discovered that you can now get
$2 Postal Notes, but that’s no excuse
to give twice as much as usual to me! As it is I left you with quite a bit to
pay for insurance and building society and TV (okay, so you took the latter two
over ˗ that’s not the point) and yet you’re still showering money on me week by
week. It’s very naughty. Sorry to start off like that and I hope this won’t
arrive to spite me just on the day you have an operation or summat, but please
do look after yourself. I don’t
especially want you to wind up in the poor house. Let me know, when you feel
like, how things are going for you, and I’ll keep doing the little I can here.
I’m still being well and truly looked after by Mrs Syrus
(particularly) ˗ I haven’t had such a good lot of eating since I left home ˗
except perhaps at the Crowls at Christmas. And we get on fine. Mr Syrus talks
to me like another son, and Mrs treats me like one. I’ve been invited to stay
on for another week ˗ “if I want to”!! What an invitation.
We’ve been going on the beach at low tide the last couple of
days ˗ this way you only get pebbles on the beach
and not in the water ˗ although today we got nasty little cuts on our legs ˗ I stepped
on a very sharp ledge of rock and came out of the water with blood dripping
from half a dozen nicks and scratches!
We had another David-friend with us today: Michael Keenan ˗ a
Catholic, would you believe ˗ a rather strange lad, very tall and thin, with a
tiresomely quiet voice ˗ though he’s fairly pleasant if a little vague as a
person.
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| The Powys family |
We went for a walk today amongst the Saturday morning
shoppers ˗ one shop is selling psychedelically-coloured underpants ˗ I was
tempted to buy a pair (I do need ‘em). We went into a bookshop (secondhand and
new) and while in there, I noticed how many books this man (an Irishman with a
beard, and short and tubby) had by people called Powys. I said I’d never heard of
them and thought it strange he should stock so many. Apparently he’s an agent
for them and sells them all over the world. So in the end I bought one for
interest’s sake ˗ it seems he may be related anyway, the name outside the shop
is Powys! There are four brothers and a sister-in-law, all authors, and at
least one has made the Penguin Classics series, so they must be reasonably
well-known.
So, keep being cheerful, and I’ll keep praying. Love, Mike.
