11th Dec. 56

H & SBC Calcutta

Dear Mum, Dad and Alan,

Many thanks for your letter and cards. I enclose Alan's Christmas present and hop it will come in useful. Hope those studies do not fall of as I cannot imagine them being done once married. I have noted the numbers of Caroline's certificates and once again thank you for them. We did celebrate our anniversary by having a Chinese dinner. It was of a more special venture than usual having been ordered in advance and containing all of our favourite dishes. I also bought Margo some earrings but have an idea (quite confidentially) that they were the wrong sort. But we husbands take time to learn the ins and outs of these things. We had a large bank party outdoors last night. Unfortunately it was a little cold, but otherwise the coloured decorations and torchfire on which kebab was cooked made the surroundings for such a party unusual. We have Frank Thomas to dinner to-night as Avril had her baby, a girl, on Sunday. On Wednesday we are out in honour of twins born to a friend of Margos on Thursday. We do our first Christmas entertaining to 6 to dinner one of whom will be someone who knew Barbara in London, form the Chartered and on Friday we are out to the couple we know from AEI. So evidently the "season" is in full swing and each evening at 10.30pm I think longingly of bed and pull myself to-gether for another 2 hours. signs of old age. Caroline has had her 3rd vaccination and this time it has taken. On the foot and very unsightly - poor thing she was very happy at all and the whole week her smiles have been hard to maintain. She sits up now with one hand holding something - some photos to come. I hope your presents & cards arrive OK but they might be late. Am pleasantly busy just now and am doing this whilst at lunch. Must get it off as there is no time for later writing. Everyone is in good form including the dog & the fist.

Love from Margo Caroline & Peter

(editor's note - the dog was a dachsund named Sammy. I don't know anything about the fish!)