Wee Jasper, July 4, 1932
This will probably be my last letter from Wee Jasper. There is just one big ‘if’. If it rains we won't leave because it would be too dangerous and we don't want to die yet or break any bones either. Sverre will be finished with the job on Wednesday, the day after tomorrow, and then we could just leave. but for a couple of things. Firstly we want to let Chaffers know exactly when we’ll be arriving and that we couldn't be sure of until now, and secondly, we want to smoke some trout to give our friends we before we leave. So we have decided to leave on the eleventh - that is Monday. We’ve had fine weather, sunshine and frost all week up till yesterday, when it suddenly got warm and the rain started pouring down, making the ground soft. Sverre's house now has a roof and one wall is finished so they can stay dry even when it rains. It is quite a big building with three rooms: a stable for four horses, a cart room, and the largest room is for storing hay. The whole framework is made of round tree trunks (without bark) and the walls and roof are of corrugated iron. Barber bought the corrugated iron in Burrinjuck when all the barracks were dismantled after the building of the dam, and the number of inhabitants decreased from 2000 to 100. Since the tin is not quite clean (some of it with wallpaper or newspaper glued to it, or black from smoke) the new building does not look too pretty. But that is Barber's worry, not ours. Barber gave Sverre some other jobs to do as well: repair of the foundation of a water tank and repair (solder) of the tank itself; as well as repair of a sheep shed which was damaged in a storm recently. The sheep yard is a labyrinth of small squares and passages, separated by fences. The sheep are driven in here for shearing and divided into small groups. They are medicated and given a disinfectant bath. Recently I saw how they are given pills with a long tweezers stuck down into their throats.
We are very happy that Sverre still has work. The day before yesterday Sverre got a letter from Wally Westerlund saying that the thing with State Monier Pipe looks hopeless and ‘please bump me two pounds’. We will bump him the 2/—/— because then he is sure to keep Sverre in mind if any work crops up. But more than 2/-/- we will not bump.
Yesterday we went back to the Macedonians camp and one of the men just happened to arrive with a Wallaby he had shot. So we got the skin and a back leg. The latter is now soaking in a strong salt solution, and tomorrow I will roast it. It's supposed to be good. Earlier these men shot at least one kangaroo or wallaby a week, but now, since they promised us the skins (they are otherwise thrown away, because the animals are protected in this area and one can be fined 5/-/- for killing one) they are unable to get any more. I guess that's the way it always is. Still, I now have two skins. Sverre says that when I am gone he will go hunting every Sunday. We can use a lot of skins. I would like to have a coat made, and we could get a leather jacket for Sverre. Corby in Burrinjuck had a kangaroo skin coat which looked very smart. You can make chair covers, collars, gloves, warm vests or slippers. Slippers of rabbit skin are very nice too.
I feel quite strange realizing I will be going back to the city to live. I have a feeling though, that I won't be there for too long if Sverre doesn't come too. I just can't imagine myself being so happy and contented without Sverre. It will be alright for a while. I will come back here if Sverre hasn't found any work in the city by the time winter is over.
I won't be sorry to leave the bush, although now my stay here is nearly over, the mountains, the water and the blue sky seem more beautiful than ever. They glow with such peace and beauty that is gladdens the heart. And all the birds (there must be a hundred different species. Norman counted 6 when he was here) I love too the colourful cockatoos that screech one moment and make pretty musical sounds the next, the tiny little grey brown birds, not much bigger than a butterfly with their barely audible chirps, and another two which are a bit like sparrows, but black; one with one with bright red and the other with a bright blue breast. They look like blossoms on the lawn or on the twigs. And then there are the blue grey cranes that stride around in the water on their long legs, and so many, many more. The thrush is also a particularly pretty and tame bird with a lovely, clear song. In Burrinjuck there was one pair of thrushes which came at a certain hour every day and in loud voices reminded us that it was feeding time. And then one day, to our great delight they brought two babies along.
And how am I going to be able to live without my darling Jip? We are not going to take her to Sydney. Snowy is going to look after her, and in four or five days Sverre will be back. He will only spend a couple of days in Sydney. Jip will have to be on a chain all that time. It hurts my heart to think of it. We want to keep Jip in the bush as long as possible. It won't be so nice for her in the city.
Out here there is so much freedom, and hunting rabbits is so much fun. Jip is a fast runner and she has run many a rabbit off its feet. If I say "Chase the bunny!" she dashes off like an arrow. Yesterday she chased a rabbit into a hollow log. The log was rotting so we were able to get the animal out. It looked so scared we let it run and when it had got a head start of about 20 metres, we let Jip go after it, but the rabbit quickly disappeared into a burrow. Around here there are also many wild pigs which do a lot of damage, but I have never seen one.
Sydney, July 15, 1932
I have been here with Chaffers in Sydney since the eleventh and am enjoying my stay. Sverre left for Wee Jasper this morning, together with Waldy Westerlund who is going to work with him. It looks as if there may soon be work for Sverre and in fact right here near Sydney. So our parting was not too painful, since we have reason to hope it won't be for too long.
Mrs Chaffer's maid is sick, and at the moment she only has someone coming in the afternoons to do the cooking and a bit of cleaning. That gives me the opportunity to be a bit useful around the house. Mrs Chaffer has very little time for house work since she is busy all day doing all the office work for her firm. I am glad to be able to help her. I only do lighter things like washing up and setting the table etc. because she does have a woman who comes and does the heavier things. I also Massage Mrs Chaffer‘s knee, which is swollen.
As always, everyone is terribly nice to me and I feel very contented
I had a terrible time at the dentist on my first visit. It made me sick for the rest of the day. The tooth was not abscessed but was decayed near the nerve, which was why it gave me so much pain.
Sydney, July 19, 1932
Our last days in Wee Jasper were very Lucy, with so many things to be done at the last minute. We brought Jip’s kennel over to Snowy Pedersen's and l boiled enough meat to last him a while. We also smoked 22 trout. Sverre kept a few of them, but we took most to our friends who greatly appreciate them. The last two days before we left were beautiful. On Sunday it was just like spring and we thought- this will never end well, it‘s too early for such warm weather. And sure enough, around three, the clouds started to pile up and the rain came down in torrents. We had already told the Chaffers we were coming on Monday, and my dentist appointment was for Tuesday day, so we were quite desperate and didn’t know what to do. We were already composing telegrams to say we weren't coming. But then around nine in the evening it suddenlv cleared up and turned cold.
We left the next morning at half past seven. Our Baby behaved very well and pulled its load over the bumpy roads and up the steep hills. We had no mishaps. Not until after Yass did it start to rain, but the road from Yass onwards is very good, in parts with asphalt, so the rain didn't bother us. We stopped in Goulburn - which is a large town - for breakfast and to get petrol and oil. It was a long ride. We didn't get to Chaffers until about 9.30 pm. Sverre drove most of the way. I only drove for a couple of hours at the most. First I didn't feel like it, and then it got dark, and I don't see well enough in the dark. We first went to Gilberts, because we had fresh fish for them. It was a beautiful drive. I really enjoyed it. The landscape is lovely and peculiar. We got a warm welcome at Chaffer's and after supper and a warm bath, we were glad to crawl to bed.
Tuesday was a miserable day for me. Sverre left early to see Bob Westerlund. I collected my mail, and then went to the dentist who freed me of my pain. I felt quite sick afterwards, however, and did not enjoy it when Norman and Pearl came to dinner. The next day I was alright again. Sverre and I took the tram into the city and did a lot of shopping, some for ourselves and some for people in Wee Jasper. We also met Bob Westerlund who might want to go with Sverre to Wee Jasper because there doesn't seem to any chance of getting work here and he needs to earn some money. In the meantime he has spoken with a couple of engineers at the State Monier Pipe Works, and they thought that, money may be available already next week for a new construction project. So he stayed here and instead. Wally went with Sverre. As soon as possible, Bob will hire Waldy as well as Sverre.
We bought a nice bunch of flowers and at 5.30 we went to Gilberts for dinner. It was very cosy there and we stayed until around eleven. Bryan plays the piano quite well. All three of them are lively and humorous people, who don't seem to have any worries about whether or not they are behaving themselves correctly. (So often here I see the opposite, which is why I have to remark on it.)
On Thursday Sverre went to see Hindwoods. I had to go back to the dentist, but this time he didn't torture me. Afterwards he went to the pictures on his own, while I went shopping to get some food for him to take back. We spent the evening here with Chaffers, and next morning we got up at five, and around six, Sverre left for Wee Jasper. It is Tuesday today, and I have not yet heard anything from him. I am a little bit worried, but it's probably just the slowness of the postal service that is to blame.
I can’t for the life of me remember what I did on Friday. I think I did some washing and went for a walk with Mrs Chaffer. On Saturday I was invited, with Mrs Chaffer, to dinner at Syd and Ivy’s. They have a beautiful place and seem very happy. The two little girls are adorable. Gwennyth is of course not even crawling yet, and Valerie has developed into a real beauty. We had a very pleasant evening sitting around the fire. On Sunday I went straight to lunch as Hindwoods. When I arrived only the parents were home, but later Nell and Bid came. Nell is religious and goes to church no matter what, and Mrs Hindwood reckons it does more good than harm, so she pretends to be religious too and goes with her. Mrs Hindwood laughs about it when Nell is not around. Anyway, after dinner the whole family went off to church and I had to with them. It didn’t do me any damage. But I did say to Mrs Hindwood that I would not go with them another time. When we got back Keith was home. He had been in the National Park all day. He accompanied me back home. I am very fond of all the Hindwoods. On Monday Mrs Crick, the house dressmaker, was here and did some work for me.
She made some alterations on my light costume, tightened the jacket and gave the skirt a new style. I look very smart in it, because my hips are narrow and I've got-such a wonderful backside. Pardon! Silk shawls are all the rage and I wear the one Mama gave me. It looks very pretty.
Today Mrs Chaffer and I went to the city to the pictures. There we met Mrs Coombs, a friend of Mrs Chaffer. We saw many short films. There was one showing winter sports with snow and ice and my thoughts flew to Finland. One film was about a journey in South America, sailing into Rio de Janeiro and up the river. How beautiful it is there and how I would like to see it all with my own eyes! The main film was "The Man who played God " with George Arliss in the leading role. It was a very good film, but unfortunately, in the middle of it Mrs Chaffer got sick with a headache and vomiting, so we had to leave and go home as quickly as possible. Pity, I was quite anxious, as I never know what to do in situations like that. Mrs Chaffer is in bed now and feeling somewhat better. Mrs Coombs seemed very nice. Her husband is head of the tanning department at the technical school. They have four sons and a daughter. One son is a bank official, one is studying, and the two others still go to school.
Tomorrow evening I will be at Pearl's place for the reading club. I suggested it to her and she liked the idea. I don't know yet who will be coming.
I have still not heard from Sverre and I'm beginning to get a bit nervous. I can't understand it. He knows I am waiting to get a letter. Chaffers say no news is good news and I don't really think anything bad has happened, but I don't like it.
Sydney, July 26, 1932
Now I know what it feels like to wait for news. Sverre left here on a Friday and it was not until the Thursday after that I finally got a letter from him. I was terribly nervous by then. After all, it’s three hundred miles to Wee Jasper, and a car is not a train. Every day, I wanted to send him a telegram, but decided to wait. Sverre hadn't written straight away the following day, and then there was no mail collection again until Wednesday. Of course it never occurred to him to send a telegram. He had had all sorts of mishaps on the road. He had a blowout and had to buy a new tire and inner ring. And between Yass and Wee Jasper, where the road is particularly bumpy, a spring broke. This, he writes, he could repair himself. He left here at six in the morning and did not yet hone until 1 am. He must have been terribly tired by then. He still has a bit of work to do around the farm, but in a few days he'll be finished, and he doesn‘t know yet if he'll then have to go scrubbing, or if Mr Barber will give him something more to build. I hope he'll be able to stay on a bit longer at the farm.
Meanwhile I am having a wonderful time, and am enjoying everything double and threefold after the bush life. Just walking on the street gives me great pleasure. The only thing here that I find frightful is all this talk of babies. Here at the old Chaffer’s place, where only the unmarried son Arthur still lives, I feel quite comfortable. But Pearl, Ivy, Dot and Pearl's sister Eva all have babies, and Pearl and Ivy are both expecting again before Christmas. All these young women are incapable of talking about anything else than babies. It is hideous and horrible. I have visited all of them and they have talked for hours about their little darlings. Not that I have anything against children. I might even order one myself when our life situation becomes a bit more secure. But I do think that young, attractive women should not so completely forget their own identity. I feel quite sick when I think of all the conversations I have listened to. Ivy has an aunt who has twenty one children, and I dare say Ivy will take the same path, although she really doesn't want to. I can't help thinking of rabbits and flies. They reproduce so quickly. Whenever I try to talk about something else, somehow they always seem to find a connection to children, and very soon the conversation is back in the same old rut. Never in my life have I experienced anything like it. Here at the parents‘ house I relax from it all, thank God. Mrs Chaffer is quite unbelievably kind to me. I can do whatever I like, all day long. I can take whatever I need from all the cupboards and dressers, take a hot bath whenever I want etc. etc. And I can stay here just as long as I like. If Evelyn were here I would not stay so long. She is such a holy virgin, grown up beneath her mother's apron, and has never been in love. Also, she is just TOO polite and stiff for me to feel very comfortable with her. She is extremely friendly, also intelligent, good, well read, helpful and everything else good, but she is somehow not quite real and terribly impersonal. So, with her away it's twice as nice for me. Arthur is much easier. I like him a lot.
Last Wednesday was supposed to be the reading group at Pearl's, but since Mrs Chaffer got sick and Norman had to go out the thing was put off. Besides me, the only people there were Pearl's sister Eva, and a young girl, Doree who used to be a piano pupil of Pearl's, and who now helped her in the house. She is a very pretty and merry girl, but terribly naive for her twenty years. She is the eldest of a large flock, so all her life she has known only younger children.
As far as joining in the baby conversations, she has her bit of mustard to deliver. That evening was the first time I really became aware of how uninterruptedly and without end they can go on talking about children.
On Thursday I went to the dentist again and had a filling put in. In the evening Miss Creek came visiting. She is a dress maker and a friend of the family as well, about forty, very lively, witty and attractive. Everybody likes her.
Friday evening I spent at the Gilberts’. Bryan and I tried to play the piano together but it was no good. I am too much out of practise. Bryan plays quite well. I enjoy listening to him. In was all through a very pleasant evening.
Saturday, Chaffer's, Arthur and I had supper with Norman and Pearl. The Chaffers go every Saturday evening either to Pearl or to Ivy. The whole family used to come here to the parents’ house, but now that there are babies, the young parents don't go out in the evening. Dot has not been well since she had Geoffrev, and the child is alas a little sickly fellow, so the Chaffers don’t go there, at least not for meals.
On Sunday. Norman and Pearl took Eva and me to Koala Park, where there are bears. That was lovely. The koalas look like live toys.
Yesterday I went to see Mrs Hindwood again, and spent the whole day in her garden. I am very fond of Mrs Hindwood. Of all the people I have met over here, she is the most like the people I used to associate with - her and Gilberts. Last night Mrs Chaffer and I went to the pictures and saw ‘Shanghai Express’ with Marlene Dietrich. Even though I am having a wonderful time, I don't feel entirely at ease. Sverre is not here. I don't have my own home, where I can go in and shut the door. I'm in a kind of waiting room, where I can't start anything, or look for something which would satisfy my need to be occupied. I hope that Sverre soon will get a job here. Several places have opened up recently, including the State Monier which got a contract. "
I have a lot of fun with Mrs Chaffer. She loves chocolates so I bought her a pound. She didn’t want to take it and asked me to keep it in my room. So I took it there and every day I offered her one, just one. However, whenever I've been out, I've been able to see on my return, that the good Mrs Chaffer had been there and helped herself secretly to the goodies in my absence. With chocolates she's like
NEXT: August 1932