Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Willie Hodgkins
Date
27 Aug 1940
See full details
See transcription
Object Detail
Date
27 Aug 1940
Transcript
2 Croft 27th Aug 40
My Dearest Willie
Must really pull myself together & get off a line to you or you'll be wondering what has come of me. It must be quite 2 months since I wrote, shortly after coming here from Corfe. I got tied up fast with muscular rheumatism, laming me, & other troubles, very awkward as was conditions were getting more active every day. The doctor said bed for 2 weeks & diet - an intensive one - which lengthened into 6 weeks before I was up again. A woman from the village looked after me & now she & her husband have taken up their abode here & I am glad to have them. It keeps strangers out for unoccupied rooms are snapped up for evacuees & God never meant me to look after little boys & girls. Your last letter date 7.5.40 came is slowly but since then I have received 2 nice ones from Sis it is very comforting to feel your thoughts are with me. I do wish you were not so remote & that I could come back to N Z & escape the terrible conditions which begin to weigh heavily upon me. Since the night bombing has started & goes on without intermission night after night. We in this village have much to be thankful for tho’ raiders are constantly over us so far no bombs nearer than 3 miles down the road but at poor little C.C. they have had a very hot time. As the old sailor said There’s nothing you can do about bombs but hope they won’t fall on you. There’s no place to take cover here. I very wisely stay in the garden which is still gay with flowers & falling apples & pears. Skinny little London children are allowed in to pick up windfalls. They think they are in Heaven. It is sweet of you & Jean to offer woollies for winter but really I don't need anything. I have plenty indeed too many possessions to look after these lively times.
I am rather worried about the fate of some of Father’s watercolours, now alas rather discoloured, which I have had with me these many years and I feel should be sent back to N Z. At the moment they are in air tight packets in my Corfe Studio & I am wondering if I should send them to the High Commissioner or to Bk. N.S.W. to forward to you or Sis. I think they ought to be offered to one of the Art Galleries as valuable & interesting records of early N Z life. He was a wonderful, what they now call pedestrian, artist who painted as he strolled taking Nature as he found her. Also he was the ideal “Sunday” painter as they are called in France. Looking back & remembering what a lovely temperament his was and how little of his serenity & happy outlook on life has come my way except of late years when I have learnt a little wisdom & philosophy.
My aspect of the family talent, or curse? has taken the form of a deep intellectual experience a force which has given me no rest or peace but infinite joy & sometimes even rapture. How then could I come back to N Z to settle down in my declining years among my Grandmother friends of my youth. Ethel for instance who writes me she is an Aunt of 2 Grandfathers and grt. grt. Aunt to great great nieces & nephews. Can you beat it she says. The same old Ethel gay amusing satiric & not easily impressed. Do write Hodgkins (how I hate that horrid name) wish we could meet & have a good laugh. Willie Ritchie died this morning. Heart. I do miss Lily. She always laughed at my jokes & so on. My mind keeps going back to those early days. I must keep off the War.
Can't tell you any thing. There is so much I could. I expect you hear a lot about the wonderful way every one is keeping their chins up. Some papers call it sang froid. I do believe there is tremendous will power at work & absolute confidence & belief in our final victory. It may take years. Take this story. Down the road a bomb fell near a cottage – blew out of her bed the farmer's wife who was eventually dug out with her mouth full of dust. This will teach me not to sleep with my mouth open, she said smiling.
I’ll write again. I hope more frequently. I write this in the garden. Still warm & lovely weather. Tons of apples for cider will help to pay the rates. Black out is unmitigated misery. I dread the winter for all the workers.
Imagine me at dawn creeping round the house taking down the black out & letting in some fresh air.
I manage to get about 4 good hrs sleep on the average. I plug my ears with wool and take a sleeping draught and then 40 winks throughout the day. The Dominion’s help is going to win the war. N Z stock is very high indeed.
Do you agree with me that the News Letter is now rather too dear at the increased postage. What about the Listener. I will subscribe for 1/2 a year & see how you like it. This is a rambling letter. Can't concentrate. Keep well & as happy as you can both of you.
Much love Frances Writing to Sis next.
My Dearest Willie
Must really pull myself together & get off a line to you or you'll be wondering what has come of me. It must be quite 2 months since I wrote, shortly after coming here from Corfe. I got tied up fast with muscular rheumatism, laming me, & other troubles, very awkward as was conditions were getting more active every day. The doctor said bed for 2 weeks & diet - an intensive one - which lengthened into 6 weeks before I was up again. A woman from the village looked after me & now she & her husband have taken up their abode here & I am glad to have them. It keeps strangers out for unoccupied rooms are snapped up for evacuees & God never meant me to look after little boys & girls. Your last letter date 7.5.40 came is slowly but since then I have received 2 nice ones from Sis it is very comforting to feel your thoughts are with me. I do wish you were not so remote & that I could come back to N Z & escape the terrible conditions which begin to weigh heavily upon me. Since the night bombing has started & goes on without intermission night after night. We in this village have much to be thankful for tho’ raiders are constantly over us so far no bombs nearer than 3 miles down the road but at poor little C.C. they have had a very hot time. As the old sailor said There’s nothing you can do about bombs but hope they won’t fall on you. There’s no place to take cover here. I very wisely stay in the garden which is still gay with flowers & falling apples & pears. Skinny little London children are allowed in to pick up windfalls. They think they are in Heaven. It is sweet of you & Jean to offer woollies for winter but really I don't need anything. I have plenty indeed too many possessions to look after these lively times.
I am rather worried about the fate of some of Father’s watercolours, now alas rather discoloured, which I have had with me these many years and I feel should be sent back to N Z. At the moment they are in air tight packets in my Corfe Studio & I am wondering if I should send them to the High Commissioner or to Bk. N.S.W. to forward to you or Sis. I think they ought to be offered to one of the Art Galleries as valuable & interesting records of early N Z life. He was a wonderful, what they now call pedestrian, artist who painted as he strolled taking Nature as he found her. Also he was the ideal “Sunday” painter as they are called in France. Looking back & remembering what a lovely temperament his was and how little of his serenity & happy outlook on life has come my way except of late years when I have learnt a little wisdom & philosophy.
My aspect of the family talent, or curse? has taken the form of a deep intellectual experience a force which has given me no rest or peace but infinite joy & sometimes even rapture. How then could I come back to N Z to settle down in my declining years among my Grandmother friends of my youth. Ethel for instance who writes me she is an Aunt of 2 Grandfathers and grt. grt. Aunt to great great nieces & nephews. Can you beat it she says. The same old Ethel gay amusing satiric & not easily impressed. Do write Hodgkins (how I hate that horrid name) wish we could meet & have a good laugh. Willie Ritchie died this morning. Heart. I do miss Lily. She always laughed at my jokes & so on. My mind keeps going back to those early days. I must keep off the War.
Can't tell you any thing. There is so much I could. I expect you hear a lot about the wonderful way every one is keeping their chins up. Some papers call it sang froid. I do believe there is tremendous will power at work & absolute confidence & belief in our final victory. It may take years. Take this story. Down the road a bomb fell near a cottage – blew out of her bed the farmer's wife who was eventually dug out with her mouth full of dust. This will teach me not to sleep with my mouth open, she said smiling.
I’ll write again. I hope more frequently. I write this in the garden. Still warm & lovely weather. Tons of apples for cider will help to pay the rates. Black out is unmitigated misery. I dread the winter for all the workers.
Imagine me at dawn creeping round the house taking down the black out & letting in some fresh air.
I manage to get about 4 good hrs sleep on the average. I plug my ears with wool and take a sleeping draught and then 40 winks throughout the day. The Dominion’s help is going to win the war. N Z stock is very high indeed.
Do you agree with me that the News Letter is now rather too dear at the increased postage. What about the Listener. I will subscribe for 1/2 a year & see how you like it. This is a rambling letter. Can't concentrate. Keep well & as happy as you can both of you.
Much love Frances Writing to Sis next.
Pages
6 pages
Sender's address
Croft
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-45
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-45.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22397035
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22397035