Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Rachel Hodgkins
Date
15 May 1894
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Object Detail
Date
15 May 1894
Transcript
Cranmore Lodge Tuesday morning My dearest Mother
I am adding a few lines to enclose with Frank’s letter. I was so glad to get your welcome letter last night and to hear such good news of Sissie. How glad she will be to have you with her. I am longing for further news about the baby and what they are going to call her. I suppose you will stay with Aunt Bella on your way home. You seem to have been no time in Chch. I am so glad you are feeling so much better. You must lay in a good stock of health to bring home with you. We have not had another letter from Percy since the last I forwarded to you.
Frank wrote to him last night and I have sent him the papers that you sent down last week. Dora Ashcroft spent Friday afternoon with me and I had several other girls and in the evening we were invited to a small evening at the Finkers. The Haggitts and Springs were there and a few of Mrs Finker’s men friends thrown in as a relish. Mrs F. and Mrs Haggitt are bosom friends! And Mrs F and Mr Haggitt spent the evening ogling each other. On Saturday Mr Ramsden came up in the afternoon and Mr Malcolm Ross came to tea and again to breakfast the next morning after which meal he and Willie set off to walk to Outram and did not get back until last night.
Things still go on very smoothly. Willie still complains of want of originality concerning breakfast dishes. I manufactured a new sort of pate and gave it him this morning, it evidently pleased his somewhat critical palate for he forthwith presented me with ½ a sovereign for a birthday present. Eggs are 24d, ought I to buy them at that costly price. The fowls are not laying at all, tho’ well taken care of by Frank.
Did you hear that Mrs Gee had a son the other day, it came much too soon and died almost immediately. Sis will be interested to hear that Lindsay Dymock is engaged again this time to a Miss Gardiner, the daughter of the manager of the station on which he is on down South. I hear she is an exceedingly plain girl. Has May ever written to Sissie? She comes over to see me occasionally, on Sunday she brought a funny little German Doctor in and he and Mrs Finker who also dropped in got on famously together, talking German in the most animated fashion.
I am looking after your ferns and they look very healthy. We have had a whole week of the most perfect weather I ever remember, nothing short of a cyclone will make up for it. Father has developed into a figure painter and has actually persuaded Dr Scott to join the life class they are both quite enthusiastic about it.
I must not write any more or else I will need an envelope all to myself. Very best love to yourself & Sis ever your loving daughter Fanny.
I am adding a few lines to enclose with Frank’s letter. I was so glad to get your welcome letter last night and to hear such good news of Sissie. How glad she will be to have you with her. I am longing for further news about the baby and what they are going to call her. I suppose you will stay with Aunt Bella on your way home. You seem to have been no time in Chch. I am so glad you are feeling so much better. You must lay in a good stock of health to bring home with you. We have not had another letter from Percy since the last I forwarded to you.
Frank wrote to him last night and I have sent him the papers that you sent down last week. Dora Ashcroft spent Friday afternoon with me and I had several other girls and in the evening we were invited to a small evening at the Finkers. The Haggitts and Springs were there and a few of Mrs Finker’s men friends thrown in as a relish. Mrs F. and Mrs Haggitt are bosom friends! And Mrs F and Mr Haggitt spent the evening ogling each other. On Saturday Mr Ramsden came up in the afternoon and Mr Malcolm Ross came to tea and again to breakfast the next morning after which meal he and Willie set off to walk to Outram and did not get back until last night.
Things still go on very smoothly. Willie still complains of want of originality concerning breakfast dishes. I manufactured a new sort of pate and gave it him this morning, it evidently pleased his somewhat critical palate for he forthwith presented me with ½ a sovereign for a birthday present. Eggs are 24d, ought I to buy them at that costly price. The fowls are not laying at all, tho’ well taken care of by Frank.
Did you hear that Mrs Gee had a son the other day, it came much too soon and died almost immediately. Sis will be interested to hear that Lindsay Dymock is engaged again this time to a Miss Gardiner, the daughter of the manager of the station on which he is on down South. I hear she is an exceedingly plain girl. Has May ever written to Sissie? She comes over to see me occasionally, on Sunday she brought a funny little German Doctor in and he and Mrs Finker who also dropped in got on famously together, talking German in the most animated fashion.
I am looking after your ferns and they look very healthy. We have had a whole week of the most perfect weather I ever remember, nothing short of a cyclone will make up for it. Father has developed into a figure painter and has actually persuaded Dr Scott to join the life class they are both quite enthusiastic about it.
I must not write any more or else I will need an envelope all to myself. Very best love to yourself & Sis ever your loving daughter Fanny.
Pages
6 pages
Sender's address
Cranmore Lodge
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-02
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-02.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23212975
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23212975