An Irish woman writes to her son in England

[Claire m]

Dear son,

This is your dear old mother writing to you, there is a lot of interesting news since you left. It’s wet, but not as wet as when it was real wet. I’m writing this slow, because I know you can’t read fast. Excuse the writing- I had an accident –burnt my fingers in boiling water –all my own fault –should have felt the water before I put my fingers in. I’m feeling a lot better since you went away: went to see the doctor and got a wonderful medicine for my deafness. I took a dose on Friday night and it was so good that I heard from uncle Hughie in Australia on Saturday morning, I feel 25 years younger and your father is delighted. Your brother Ernie came in crying from school this evening, because all his pals have new clothes: we can’t afford to buy him a new outfit, so we are going to buy him a new hat and let him look out of the window.

We had a row with the electric light company: it ended in a draw, we got no light and they got no money. It is very dark but not as dark as it was when it was real dark. We are hard up son; please send us a few quid- it will only cost you seven pence.

Your father met the landlord at the dogs the other night. He asked him about last weeks rent. Your father told him to forget about last weeks rent and to worry about this week’s rent- it was running in the third race.

Our neighbours, the Browns, started to keep pigs and we got the wind of this morning. Friday night was wet, we went to bed early. Mr Higgins got his appendix out and had a new kitchen put in. The cat had four kittens in your fathers hat I put them in a box in case they grew round shouldered. The undertaker called and said if the last instalment isn’t paid on your mother-in-law, up she’d come. Your father has worms and has gone fishing. We herd that Annie passed away, your old granny died and fanny married a butcher, so now we have no Annie, no granny and no Fanny.

Your father has a good job now, the first in ten years. We are a great deal better off than we were. Your father gets £10.00 every Thursday as we do a bit of fixing up. We bought one of them new fangled things they call a bathroom. You here tell of them in some houses. It’s put in by a man called a plumber. One side of the room is a big long thing that you used to feed the pigs in before you went away. We jump into that and wash all over. Just near that is a small one, they call it a sink. This is for light washing such as hands and face. Ah! But over in the corner is the nicest contraption of all. You put one foot in and wash it clean, then pull a little chain and you get fresh water for the other foot. Two covers came with it and we didn’t have a use for them in the bathroom, so I am using one as a bread board, there is one with the hole in it so we framed your granddads picture. They sent a big roll or writing paper with it – this is what I am using now son, to write to you. Take care of yourself


Love
Mum