Aug 1965

(note from editor.   This letter is torn where the date and address would be.  It is in between the last letter of the 10th Aug and before the next at 26th Sept)

Dear Mum, Dad and Alan,

Something (missing words due to the torn letter) gone wrong with the mail as I have had nothing for some time, but perhaps you are busy.  Elisabeth now goes to the same school as the others!  Margo went along first before they reopened and they said they would love to take her.  The principal once ran a school for handicapped children and knows the form and in anycase her class are all girls and they are only a dozen or so of them.  She loves it and complains bitterly when Margo arrives to take her off to Hospital for exercises and interrupts a story or today a film.  The first evening she came home she asked why she had no homework, and said "there were lots of books in my desk we didn't use".  She has a bicycle there for her use so she is quite mobile and so four little girls go off each day each dressed the same.

Meanwhile, our summer has cooled off and we enjoyed the most delightful weekend.  A good game of tennis with the British Consul and his wife - they have four children.

Trust Dad's birthday went well- I would be pleased if you could suggest a present.  We are looking for some brass rubbings for Aland as he said he was interested.  Margo believes we can find something of interest.

Am still enjoying my new office and the allowances which go with it as I have been given an "extra" for the period I am "acting".  Long may it last.  However, the period of the last week or so has been busy especially as I am keeping an eye on my old desk and also as the 1965 pay scales have just been agreed.  This now involved adjustments on the staff pay and bonus back to January.  With 80 of them it is quite a lot cover.  A new assistant manager in Tokyo (our parent office) is coming down next week.  Although a swift visit, I have a lunch and dinner to arrange plus his travel to arrange.  Now that autumn is with us many visitors tend to arrive in the Kansoi and I have a number from Australia and UK to see and possibly take out to lunch.

Margo took them all to see the film, "Sound of Music" in the last days of their holiday and they sat through 3 hours of film without a murmer, except for Caroline's hysterics at the love scenes - she just got the giggles.  We went ourselves to see "Ryan's Express" but although enjoyable it did not follow the book and was hammed up to some extent.  (note from editor:  I mentioned this to mum today, 6/9/2016 and she only remembers coming out from the Sound of Music and being surrounded by Japanese people wanting to stroke our hair as all of us four girls had very blonde hair.)

We are playing a little kitchen bridge these days and generally keeping well occupied - trust you have better weather this month than last.

Cheerio for now and love from us all
Peter.