Burrinjuck, September 7, 1931
Thank you so much, dear Mama, for the beautiful scarf. I think it's the most exquisite one I have ever seen. I am so thrilled about it, I show it to everyone who comes to the house. It matches the voile dress you embroidered for me so beautifully, so I am going to be oh, so stylish. I was also so happy to get Paul's long and interesting letter. When it arrived, and I saw how thick it was, I didn't think about it being my birthday at all, and I thought something bad must have happened. So much the happier I was when afterwards. I took all these pleasant surprises ahead of time so that when my birthday arrived there was nothing special about it. Sverre is the best husband in the world (probably), but to think out a small surprise, or to do something to make a birthday festive, the way we used to, just seems to be beyond him. I've known that for a long time, and I know, too, that it is not due to and lack of love or consideration. Nevertheless, I did feel disappointed and empty, when the day was just like any other day. I didn't even bake a cake. Of course we don't have a penny left, but you one can do something without money. I guess Sverre knew all the time that I expected something or other, and tortured himself, trying to think out something; and in the end, we sat around all day Sunday with long faces, he, with his guilty conscience; and I with my disappointment. Today the nasty business is over, and thank God, it's a whole year till it happens again. Anyway there is no one here to invite, and nothing special one can do. We will have to see where we are this time next year.
I was also feeling very depressed over the death of Mrs Andersson. She died Thursday evening, Sept. 5. It is so terribly sad that she had to die. She was only 24, happy and contented with her husband, and kind and friendly to everyone she knew. She was really the only person here I could call my friend, and I miss her very much. I don't know what her husband will do now, without her. He is the kind of man who hardly ever speaks to strangers, and who not easy to get to know. They had quite a big house, very beautifully furnished. It was all her work, since if he had to go to a store to buy - say a carpet - he would take the first one they showed him, because he doesn't like to have to choose. So she did all the furnishing, and he was satisfied. How he must miss her now! I can't imagine how he can stand living in this house alone. Everyone at Frasers are terribly unhappy too. Everybody loved Bessie. For me it is hard to understand that she isn't alive any more.
There is still no work to be had, and now rumour has it that the whole project will be discontinued for lack of money. We are resigning ourselves to the idea that there will be no more work. Today a letter is
being sent to the Labour Union, requesting that the ministry be approached to find out what's doing, since the only answer Mr Townsend ever gives anyone who asks, is a soft grunt. For ten weeks he has done that. He probably doesn’t know himself. I hope there will soon be some definite news, one way or the other. This constant waiting isn’t exactly comfortable.
If the project really is going to be discontinued, Sverre intends to go gold-washing along a creek about ten miles from here, with a young man named Joe O’Malley. There isn’t much gold there, but better than nothing. We will definitely stay here until autumn, since there is no work to be had elsewhere either, and here we can at least go hunting and gold-washing. Maybe in autumn, we will move closer to you, if we can get the money out of the bank by then. We haven't made any plans yet.
Our garden is ready now and the seeds are in the ground. I hope everything will grow. Sverre just needs to plant the melons. He is just going out to do that now.
A week ago I sent Papa one sock. I hope it arrives safely. I’ll send the other one in a week. I thought it's safer that way. If one of them gets lost, at least he'll have one sock.
This week we have a new improvement in our washing facilities. We found a beautiful copper washtub. Can you imagine how happy I am! Sverre is going to set it up for me tomorrow and make a wooden lid for it. Then I can say goodbye to the kerosine can busness. The only thing we are lacking is a water pipe, but to have such a luxury here in the bush, is unthinkable. Though who knows - maybe we’ll find a motor and pump lying around some place.
Sverre has not yet put the motor in the boat. Firstly because of the weather. One could hardly leave the house without drowning in all that water. And now because of the money involved. Sverre needs a magnet and something else as well, which will cost 10-15 shillings. For us, at the moment, that is a fantastic sum of money. Out bank is open again, but only for depositing money, not for withdrawals. There are a number of speculators who buy bank accounts from people, naturally for less than their worth. We will sell ours, but not yet.
Sverre has started to teach me to play chess. I find it interesting, but I don't know if I have the patience.
The electric comb hasn’t given me curls, but it makes my hair fall much more nicely than it used to.
September 14, 1931, Burrinjuck
There is nothing much to tell you this week. Not that there ever is a great deal to report, but today I’m not really in too great a mood for letter writing. Yesterday I had a terrible belly ache all day, and felt sick. It’s over now, but I still feel washed out. As compensation for a bad letter, I am sending you two pictures. One of them shows our jetty with Peer Gynt III. The jetty is supposed to be covered with boards, although there is only one board on it at the moment. But there is no hurry. We’re not likely to fall in the water. On the other picture you can see the road, directly above our house. The sign used to say “Fish for Sale”. Now it is blank and blown crooked by the wind. Behind my head you can see the garage by Wilson’s house. The high pines have been planted along the road, for a stretch of about 10 km. They are not native to the area. They are beautiful trees, with long, soft needles.
Sverre did go off looking for gold with Joe O’Malley. They were going to stay away for two days, but came back already the next day. I had made a hammock for Sverre out of two flour sacks, because I didn’t want him to have to lie on the damp ground all night. Joe hadn’t thought of providing himself with anything like that. The weather was beautiful when they set off on their approximately three hour march, carrying spades, hacks, washing equipment, tent and provisions. During the night, however, the rain started coming down in torrents. Sverre lay warm and dry in his hammock, and although Joe was protected from above by the tent, it did not prevent rivers of water covering the ground where he lay, and drenching him. As it was still raining the next day, and there was no way they could dry their things, there was nothing to do but return home with their mission unaccomplished. It is still raining, but as soon as it clears they will be off again, since there is gold there, even if there are no big lumps of it. A lot of people around here know about the gold, but they are simply too lazy to go and get it. That‘s the way people are around here. They would rather have unemployment benefit.
Mr Andersson returned today. Sverre saw him in the mail van. .He said he looked terribly pale and quite crushed. I feel so sorry. Frasers don't seem at all sad. Mrs Fraser talks about it as if it was something that had happened to a stranger. Yet they were very fond of each other. I find people here so strange. Often I can't understand them at all.
Burrinjuck, September 19, 1931
We still don't have any news about work, though it does look as if the project is going to be abandoned. Sverre and Joe have not yet gone back to look for gold. The weather has been terrible. However, during the last three days we have had beautiful spring sunshine and 20 degrees in the shade. All around our house, tiny peach and plum trees are poking up inquisitive noses - several dozen of them — where we spat our seeds out last autumn. What a nice souvenir we will leave behind us when we leave! In our garden, only radishes, and sugar peas have put in an appearance so far. The rest are still sleeping, but if the good weather continues it won't be long before they wake.
Today I am sending the pictures I promised you. On one you can see us and Mr Tierney with his beautiful car. The other shows a part of the Burrinjuck Lake, seen from the road. The lake looks something like this.
(here there is a sketch with a number of explanations). This is a very rough sketch just to give you an idea. The banks of the lake are very wavy, and many creeks make their way down the steep banks. The panorama you see on the photo, is in reality, most lovely in all its colours. In the distance there are high mountains, glowing in varying shades of blue. Even at a distance of just a few kilometres all seem to have a blue shimmer about them. Where I put the ink was where we went hunting kangaroos yesterday, with George Fraser. George shot one; two heavy shots, both bulls eyes, and yet the animal got away, and is probably lying dead somewhere now. Sverre and I were together, and we saw one quite close, about 20 metres from us, but we saw it too late. It was sitting among the bushes, and with our small rifles you have to hit it straight in the forehead, to kill it. If it takes off with great leaps it is not easy to hit. In any case, I would rather not shoot. I feel so sorry for the beautiful creatures. They have such big, clear, gentle eyes. It is tremendously lovely in the bush right now. The hills are strewn with gold
wattle, with little round, woolly balls, and many others as well. Winter is finally over.
On Saturday the Oddfellows Lodge had a Social Evening. Sverre was very keen for us to go, since people consider us snobbish and conceited etc (because we keep to ourselves), and yet he has to try to get on with people at work. I asked Sverre to go on his own but he was not to be moved. So we dressed up, after I finally gave in, and we rowed across. When we got to Frasers, where we first had to pick up milk, all the Frasers talked Sverre out of taking me with him. It was George‘s birthday, so I stayed with the Frasers and the cakes, and Sverre went off for half an hour to the social, danced a couple of dances, and then came back to Frasers. We had a very nice and merry evening. Frasers had also been invited to the Social Evening, but they don't care if they are considered snobs.
When I have finished this letter, I am going to go about finishing my blue dress. Sverre is over on the other shore, shooting rabbits for Jip. He will probably soon be home for lunch.
Recently Sverre tipped over a bowl full of melted fat onto the tablecloth, and did not just say, "Oh, the bowl fell.", so he is not so cool himself. I had to laugh at him.
I am reading The White Prophet, while Sverre carves chessmen. They are quite beautiful. During the day I read the Berliner Tagesblätter, but I am really behind the times. I've only got as far as the revolution in Spain! I read just everything. It is all so interesting.
Burrinjuck, September 28, 1931
Today is again a lovely sunny day, but we've had more heavy rain, and the sluices are now closed for the summer, the water rises with each downpour. Only as much water as the power station needs is allowed to flow out. In fine weather, the sinking of the water level is scarcely noticeable, but when it rains, the water rises fast. It can't come as far as to our house, but it is only a couple of feet from the laundry, where I have a vine that is supposed to cover the building. It would be ruined, just as it is beginning to flourish.
The garden, into which we put so much work, is a little bit higher up. We were told that the water would not rise higher than to where it is now. Now they are saying otherwise. Well, we’re not going to be excited about it before we have to, and for the time being the sun is shining. Mama would probably be surprised at how lightly I take things. You must not think that I am only controlling my feelings when I write to you, and that in reality I am moaning and groaning. During the winter, when it was raining all the time and we had that horrid flood, I really was depressed. But now I am contented and in fine spirits all the time. I have a constant feeling that everything will soon be better, and that at this moment all is well with us.
Sverre and Joe have come back from their second trip. This time they brought back a couple of grains of gold. Sverre says that if they go again they will have even better results, since they met a goldwasher who showed them how sand looks when there is gold in it. However, now they don’t know if they will go back since it is rumoured that work may be starting again.
Last Saturday I sent off the second sock. I asked George in post it in Yass, since the local postmaster doesn't seem to be too trustworthy. Nothing that you have sent me has ever been opened, probably because he knows he wouldn't be able to read it, but other people around here have complained.
It would be wonderful if work were to start again. I haven't seen any money for weeks. Not that we have suffered any hardships because of that, but it would be so nice to be able to pay for something again. In a way it is a good thing, that we have not been able to get any money from the bank. If we had, we would not have been so inclined to save, and would probably have used up a good bit. If work really does start, we should be able to pay off our debts in the course of a couple of months, since we have been very careful not to let them grow too big.
The land is, at the moment, overrun by young rabbits. They are so cute. Once, when Sverre was away, I took Jip with me to a place where are a lot of burrows. I sat down about 10 metres away and waited. After about 15 minutes they started to come out, cleaned their fur, ate and played. It was wonderful to watch. If you move, the big ones run away, but the little ones are not afraid and just look at you in astonishment. Jip was trembling all over, but I have trained him so he doesn't dare run after the rabbits until I let him. And on that day I did not let him.
The fruit trees are blossoming now, white and pink, it looks so pretty. There will be a lot of fruit, I'm sure.
NEXT: October 1931