From Janet P March 25, 1977

 

10 Westfield Drive, Yeadon

Dear Dona,

I am so sorry to have taken so long in replying to your letter but I should tell you that I cannot reply to that as I lost it somewhere about the house.

I hope you are keeping well and I suppose counting the days to when Jerby arrives in the U.S.

We went to June and Grahams baby's christening last Sunday and in the evening we went to an American Pizza bar with Ian and Denise. We had a really good evening even though we did eat too much but since we got married we don't go out too often so we made the most of it. On Saturday night we went to Lorraine's Grahame's 21st party and had quite an interesting time. Don't get me wrong by the way, when I say that we don't go out often. We enjoy staying in our own home just watching TV or listening to records. 

I don't know if Jeremy told you but about 8 weeks ago I was moved to another branch of the bank. I went to the one in Town Street of Horsforth. I still have not got used to the change and miss all my friends but we still meet about every month and go out for drinks.

We have been spending quite a lot of money on the house and have covered the kitchen floor. We bought a new washer and have fitted all units. 

At the moment on TV they are showing the film Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston so Niky is quite enthralled and it is hard to get him to answer anything I say. I just get the occasional grunt and groan.

Niky's mum and dad have just called on their way to some friend's. They came to see our new floor covering in the kitchen. Pat has to go in the hospital in about 6 months for some operations so she will be off work for about 3 months feeling pretty grotty. So I expect I will have two homes and a job to do so by the time she is well I will probably need 3 months off work to get my strength back. 

Anyway I thin I had better finish as I still have the tea pots to wash up. 

Anyway hope to hear from you soon. Niky sends his love.

Love,

Janet

From Janet P November 14, 1976

 

10 Westfield Drive, Yeadon

Dear Dona,

Thanks for your letter. I don't know why you should apologize for not writing because it was sheer laziness on my part for not doing it first.

You ask if we are all right and enjoy being married, well we are both in the best of health, but dieting like mad because we have made pigs of ourselves and put on rather a lot of weight. The trouble is Niky loses weight quite easily when he tries but I lose about a pound a week and that is after a week of starving myself. As for marriage I love every minute. I even enjoy the washing and ironing.

The Lake District was boring. We got rather fed up so we were quite pleased to get home on the Wednesday.

As for Edinburgh we enjoyed it immensely but I think with a nut like Denise you could enjoy yourself everywhere.

I have not seen Lorraine for about 5 weeks so I have no idea if she is still seeing Graham but the last time I saw her they were still arguing. Did you know that they finished with each other at the wedding but they saw each other a few days later and got back together so they ended up going to Bridlington for a naughty weekend.

On the Sunday night of the honeymoon we decided to ring Niky's mum and they informed us we had taken the key but were sure we had given it to someone back at the reception. Anyway when we got back we said that we had definately not got the key so we suggested that Mum should look in her handbag. And guess what one for 17 Airedale Drive slipped down the wallet of her handbag. So Jeremy wen through the windows for nothing.

If I were you I would play the recording. I don't think you will cry if anything it should give you a good laugh.

Anyway I will have to finish off now oh and I thank you for taking part in the wedding and the photographs are really beautiful.

Love,

Janet

PS Niky sends his love

From Janet P May 27, 1976

 

6 Craggwood Terrace, Horsforth

Dear Dona,

I thought I had better write back now I have the time instead of putting off and not getting another chance. I have hardly seen Niky this week. I went to a hen party on Tuesday night and on Wednesday he was trying to get the car to go so he did not arrive until late and then he did no know what was wrong with it so he is not coming until late tonight.

I hope your exams went O.K. I was terrible in exams. I just went to pieces. I suppose that is why I don't want to take my bankers exams and become a bank manager.

My fiend Susan from work is getting married on Saturday. I have never seen anything like it for weeks she just was not bothered on Monday she was a nervous wreck on Tuesday she wasn't much better. She cheered up on Tuesday night when she had lots of drinks bought but was poorly on Wednesday morning and then to top it all started crying at lunchtime and couldn't stop. She wasn't too bad today. The trouble is she is really close to her parents and doesn't like any change at all not even holidays so I suppose when it comes to moving away from home she just cannot adjust to it. I wouldn't mind but her new home is only a two minute walk from her mother's. My new house is a twenty minute bus ride and I am close to my parents as well so I just hope that I don't get as upset as her but she really has frightened me.

I'm not trying to get rid of you but what date do you go back home after the wedding. The reason I am asking is I just wondered if you would be going home before we get back from honeymoon. It's just that I thought it would be a shame to not see you again after the wedding as it will be so hectic knowing me I'll forget to say anything. anyway Neil wants to write something.

Neil: Thank you because you are bringing me a bicentennial silver dollar.

I think Neil is looking forward to you arriving as much as Jerb. He said he would only go to the wedding if he could sit between you and Jerb at the reception so you are highly honored. I don't know if you suit hats because you might be wearing them at the wedding. I haven't decided.

Well I will have to finish as I am trying to write to you and watch Emergency at the same time, so if I have written loads of rubbish blame the TV set.

Love,

Janet

P.S. Have they started to show Jennie yet over there with Lee Remick? If they have do you like it because we thought it was great.

From Janet P May 10, 1976

 

6 Craggwood Terrace, Horsforth

Dear Dona,

I don't know if you received my last letter but it really doesn't matter. 

I have got your bridesmaid dresses so I hope you don't put on any weight for a while. I don't know if I told you that I had decided to not wear Niky's mum's wedding dress and I have hired a really beautiful dress. It is medieval style. Crepe and edged with guipure lace.

Well enough of dresses it's only about eight weeks until you arrive over here, Jeremy's beard looks super but his moustache is like Niky's, so blond you can hardly see it. The weather at the moment is really weird. We are short of water, but this week it has rained, thundered and lightninged and been sunny and hot.

We got the keys to our house at the beginning of April, but I had flu for two weeks over Easter so we are really getting into the swing of things now but they have left things in a terrible mess and as for color scheme, they left us a hall and stair carpet which is blue and purple and they had the walls painted orange a really deep color and the paint work the most gruesome blue not a bit like the blue in the carpet.

Ah well, when you arrive you will probably be roped into a bit of painting and wallpapering so come prepared.

How is your job? Will they be able to keep it open for you when you come over?

Anyway I will have to close and go shopping for my mum.

Give my regards to everybody and if I don't get a chance to write again I'll see you in eight weeks.

Love,

Janet and Niky

And hello from Neil (PS Written by Neil)

From Janet P January 6, 1976

 

6 Craggwood Terrace, Horsforth

Dear Dona,

Happy New Year. I hope you are well and I'm sorry to be so long in replying to your last letter. I don't think in the last month I have spent one evening at home.

Well the wedding arrangements are well on the way. We have to see the vicar on Friday and the reception is booked. 

I might be wearing Niky's mum's wedding dress if it fits alright but it is a bit short so we are having it specially cleaned then we'll see what it looks like.

When we rang you on New Year's Eve I could hardly talk as for the past two days I could not talk and as I was trying to serve customers I could not even ask how they wanted their money. Anyway it was nice to talk to you. 

Can you tell me how you are and your dress size, as I think I might have the bridesmaid dresses made as they tend to be rather expensive to buy. So I think that I will look around for a pattern and material then when you arrive over here rush you to the dressmakers. By the way do you mind blue, as I think that will be the color you both will be in.

How is your job? Jeremy said that you might be getting laid off because of financial difficulty. I hope everything works out OK. 

Niky has still had no luck. We are just keeping our fingers crossed that we have a bit of luck before we get married.

I hope you got lots of lovely pressies for Xmas. We got quite a few things for our bottom drawer. Glasses and things.

Upstairs Downstairs finished the final series last week. I felt a bit sad but I didn't really enjoy the more recent episodes as the costumes were so dreary and seemed to ruin the whole program. Although Georgina finally got married and I must admit her dress was really beautiful.

Anyway I will have to close as I really will have to have an early night. It takes me ages to get up to go to work and the mornings are so cold now winter had arrived. By the way, did Jeremy tell you about the hurricane we had Friday night? It killed 22 people and wrecked and flooded lots of people's homes on the coastline.

Anyway bye for now.

Lots of Love,

Janet and Niky

From Janet P March 12, 1975

 

6 Craggwood Terrace, Horsforth

Dear Dona

Hi, your letter arrived on Monday and today is the first chance I have had to reply.

At the moment I am sat watching TV as I was ill during the night and did not get much sleep so Mum told me not to go into work.

You say in your letter that you should have an early spring. Well I think it came to us instead. The weather lately has been better than it was in summer.

When we go on holiday we go about the 7th September for 10 days. We are staying at a fishing village called Catholica, hopefully we will be able to go to Rome. I would also like to go to Venice. A friend of mine says it really is fantastic. 

In your letter you mention some land your Dad has bought. Is it trust land? Or is there a house?

Do you have to take exams to graduate? Or is it when you get to a certain leaving age? You say you are going to college. Will it be near your home? What do you want to teach? 

When I think about it I really don't know much about you, what sorts of books you read, what films you see, what music you care to listen to. I do quite a lot of reading, and buy lots of magazines. I have a mixture of tastes. I like most historical novel fiction or non-fiction.. I love Agatha Christie's mysteries. I have also read a couple of Jackie Suzanne books and they were good. 

Niky and I go to the pictures quite a lot. We have completely different tastes so we take it in turns to decide what we go see. I like corny things like musicals and love stories. Niky likes car chases. We went to see a James Bond film and during a car chase one of the cars went up in the air and turned 360° completely. Trouble is Niky likes to drive the same in the films and I dread driving back home. The actors and actresses that I like are Ben Murphy, Dustin Hoffman, Roger Davies. I think Barbara Streisand is great. Did you see Paper Moon? Tatum O'Neil was really good. I also like Faye Dunaway . I think of all the greats are Marilyn Monroe. I really loved her. And Gene Kelly is fabulous. 

My taste in music is pretty wide, Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver, Carpenters, Elton John, E.L.P., Neil Sedaka, and the Beatles. Niky's idol was Jimi Hendrix. He really worshiped him.

At the moment I am learning to drive. I get really nervous but I want to learn before I get much older and also the price of lessons is getting really high. Jeremy said that it is a lesson at school for you. I think that they should introduce that over here as well. Although the age for driving is 17 and the school leaving age is 16.

When you said I had a quiet and soft voice Niky's life has been murder. I have always thought I had a high pitched croak.

Ah well I had better finish off and get dressed. Give my love to Sue and all your family. Niky, Neil, and Matthew send their love.

Love,

Janet

From Janet P March 1, 1975

 

6 Craggwood Terrace, Horsforth

Dear Dona,

Thanks for your letter and I am sorry I have left it so long for the reply. 

Jeremy tells me that you have been snowed in. Up to now we have not had any deep snow, what snow we have had has washed away.

In your letter you ask about my family. Well my Mum and Dad have been married 28 years. I have two brothers, Robert and Neil and one sister.

Robert is just 27 and has been married for 5 years in September. They have no children yet but I suppose there is plenty of time yet. My sister Alison was 25 on St. Valentine's Day she has been married 5 years in November they have a little boy called Matthew who is 3½ (if you remember I think you met Matthew in the Park the day after you arrived at the Horsforth Gala). She is having another baby in June. Then there is Neil who you know he is the "baby" of the family and is spoilt rotten. You ask if I get on with him. Well some days I do and some days I don't. 

I met Niky through my best friend (she went out with him before me). We both went to Benton Park so that helped. I have been going out with him for 3 years and we have been engaged for 1 year. 

About marriage being so close doesn't really scare me. I just wish we could afford a house as the prices are going up and up and our wedding day is getting further and further away.

I doubt if Jeremy will have told you but Niky finally got a job. He left college at the end of November and he eventually started work on the 24th of February so we can't start saving seriously for a house.

I'm sorry I addressed your letter wrong and I'm not offended I'm glad that you told me.

Niky is not really bothered about the way you spell his name. People spell it that many different ways. He has got used to it. 

What do you mean about in interesting voice? Do you mean me or all Yorkshire people?

Will you be going anywhere for your Holidays this year? Niky and I are going to Italy. 

I don't really know much about your family either so when you write back you will have to tell me about them. Is it true you only met Jeremy 3 days before he cam back home?

Anyway I had better close as Niky wants to go to the motor accessory shop for something for the car.

Give my love to Sue and I hope that you and your family are well.

Love,

Janet