Beth's and my departure from Maguire Air Force Base was a sad one, and yet we had so much to look forward to...We were headed for England to meet Daddy.
Our first stop on the way was Goose Bay, Labrador, where we refueled for our trip across the "big pond: as the Atlantic is called. We left Goose Bay around 10 o'clock and whirred our way through the night. Beth snuggled in her little Bassinette, and I made myself as comfortable as possible, with thoughts racing through my mind a mile a minute - of what England would be like, our new home, the people we would meet, and especially of seeing Dick.
We arrived in Burtonwood, England, at noon time (their time), exhausted and really travel worn. We went through customs quickly, and I was getting anxious when I didn't see Dick. We were all hustled off bag and baggage to Croft - a receiving center about 12 miles from the field, and my hopes were high that Dick would be there, but no luck. Beth and I were placed in a barracks-type room (dungeon) while they tried to locate Dick. At 4 o'clock I received a call from Alconbury - our base. Dick was in Germany on a cross-country. They hadn't received the cable until after I had arrived! My heart dropped, but they said Dick was expected back that night, and as soon as he came in they would have him flown up in a jet. Beth and I made ourselves comfortable for a long wait. At around midnight he arrived, and we were so happy. Since nothing was ready at the house, etc., we stayed at Croft two days. We visited the town of Warrington nearby, and I had my first taste of English roads, cars, and drivers. Near collisioins kept me with my eyes closed most of the time. On Wednesday we gathered ourselves together for the trip to Rugby where we were to be met and brought to Alconburg. We took a train from Warrington to Rugby vie Crewe - with waits here and there. The train was quaint with little separate compartments. As we chugged along I noticed many children along the way - all with little notebooks notating like crazy. I guess they were making up their own timetables! When we arrived in Rugby no one was there, and after calling the base, we found that they hadn't left yet. With one bottle left for Beth, I was a bit frantic, but luckily she held out beautifully. While waiting in the station we had our first unpleasant experience. A very drunken man approached us and sat with us. His first statement was that he didn't like Americans and from then on he blasted us for about fifteen minutes - which seemed like an hour. We finally retreated gracefully, but it was a nightmareish experience.
Our trip to Alconbury was uneventful - except of course for those close calls with the car, and we were greeted by the Mattsons - where we had dinner. Since our things had been delivered to our home in Fulbourn, I refused to stay anywhere else. I had looked forward so much to this, and I couldn't be deterred.
My first impression of the house was really something and hard to describe - as is the house. Built in 1667, it really is loaded with charm. The entire interior is done in white plaster with rough hewn beams showing everywhere. I will take through the house and attempt a blow-by-blow description.
As you enter the house you come into the foyer where a huge animal skin rug hangs on the opposite wall with assorted small animals attached. The front windows here are stained glass, and the floor is done in a black and white (now really brown) diamond shaped stone pattern. The floor is covered with a persian rug, and among the items here are a rhinocerous tail fly swatter, an African shield made from some animal's skin, and even a huge brass dinner gong. To the left and right are doors entering the living room on the left and the dining room on the right. Let's take the living room. The main attraction is a monstrous fire place about seven feet long and four feet deep ... furnished with an old bellows, some three legged milking stools, a copper kettle to hold the wood, and a brass fire screen. The floor is covered with a huge patterned rug with another hearth rug in front of the fireplace. There are two big chairs and a large sofa - all covered with flowered print slip covers. I have my writing desk, a corner cabinet, and several odd tables. Our only addition to this room is the beautiful Hi-fi set Dick bought for us, and which amazingly fits in very well.
The dining room also has a large fireplace, a huge table (massive), a Rosewood grand piano, a sideboard, a tea cart, which we have transformed into a bar, and several chairs.
Oh - off the living room is our darling sun room You pass through French doors to enter. The entire room - ceiling et all is done in glass, and when the sun shines it really is nice. It looks out on the garden which can be approached also through french doors.
Our kitchen is furnished fairly well with an electric stove, a coal stove to hea the water, a lovely all stainless steel sink, a refridgerator, table and chairs, and quite a bit of cupboard space. i have been cooking on the coal stove, although every time I start to prepare dinner it seems as though the stove isn't warm enough or too warm. It has proved interesting, although not very conducive to good cooking!
On one side of the kitchen there is a set of stairs leading to a room sealed off, and I swear that's where our house "ghost" resides. On the other side of the kitchen there is a door leading to the rear lobby from which the stairs go. We have three bedrooms, and separate rooms for bath and basin, and the "john". Upstairs the floors are really old and worn, and it's like travelling hill and dale when you walk along. We spent our first days in the house attempting to settle ourselves - still trying!
And I met Jim Frost my first Fulbournite. Jim takes cre of our garbage, coal, garden, etc. I have much fun trying to decipher what he says, and I believe he's suffering in the same way, since the other day I said, "So long" and he replied, "oh that's all right".
We have made several trips to Cambridge, and it seems full of interesting places to see. I am very anxious to really get around. We did go in on "Market Day" and browsed around...ending up once with an interesting tea biscuit bucket won by A.A. Massey in 1885 for broad jumping. We are using it for an ice bucket. Cambridge has been nicknamed "Bicycle City" by Americans, and now I can understand why. They seem to go in squadrons. Everyone has a bike. Its' not at all strange to see a little old lady all decked out in black with bonnet and umbrella pedalling pell-mell down the street.
It certainly is wonderful to be a fmaily again. What a joy it is to see Dick and Beth together. He puts her to bed at night, and I can hear them upstairs talking and laughing away while I prepare dinner downstairs. Beth warmed up to her Daddy immediately, and it seems she has a special sparkling smile for him. It's wonderful.
I am beginning to wonder whether the Air Force is with me or "agin" me. As soon as I arrived Dick was informed that he had to attend a school in Sculthorpe for two weeks, beginning on August 19th. He left last night and I certainly feel lost without him, although I certainly have lots to keep me busy.
Another addition has been made to our family temporarily. Dick promised a fellow in the squadron we would take care of his dog for a month while he was on his honeymoon. BoxMax Apple Charlotte is a three-month old boxer puppy. I have renamed her Snoopy, as she investigates everything within her reach. She is not yet housebroken and has a rigid a feeding schedule as Beth, so instead of one baby I have two.
This past weekend our washing machine arrived - the old type model, since didn't have the facilities to hook up an automatic. However, after doing the wash by hand for two weeks, I am very very thankful for my little old Maytag.
Did I mention that the lady next door keeps bees? I guess it's nice, but I am forever scurrying away from the darn things. They hover around and in our place constantly. Dick keeps telling me they don't sting unless really provoked. I'm not taking his word for it, and will continue to high tail it when I see one.
Beth is growing by leaps and bounds. Her hair is growing in bit by bit, although she still looks like a minature version of her Daddy or Yul Brymer. She attempts to talk more and more now, and as for sitting up, she is forever trying to pull herself up. Her appectite is still as good as ever or perhaps better. When Beth is hungry, you'd better stop everything and prepare it, as she'll make you mighty unhappy if you don't. She certainly can scream lustily. Her teeth are really trying to push through, and in spite of this, Beth seems quite happy. She has picked up family traits now...from both sides. She loves to go to sleep now with an apron in her hands.
We went for an afternoon drive yesterday through many little villages. I found out that we are fiarly near a main road which goes to London only 50 miles away. This will really be convenient when we go there.
Oh - yesterday was the first day the sun shined for any length of time. I was really beginning to think I wouldn't see old Sol until next spring. And it seemed every time I put out some diapers, it would start to sprinkle. I had one batch of diapers in and out about three times one day. Oh, what fun!!
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