7.5.67

The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank
Kowloon
7.5.67

Dear Mum, Dad and Alan,

Many thanks for your card and the £5.  I will buy a sports shirt as the hot weather is here now and summer things are in use once again.  The photo of Con was very good, it was kind of Mrs Simmons to pass it on.  I think the last batch of photos were taken on one of our local hills where we spent many Sundays during the winter with a picnic lunch.  All the illnesses are over and the children are back at school after the Easter holidays.  Hope we have a clear run now until they are on the ship.  Glad to hear Alan is getting around.  I was in a metals factory recently which had a machine which I imagine is similar to those he is, or used to be, working on - although this was of Italian make.  Will look out for something for Mr Martin and in the meantime give him my regards.  We have spent the day on the bank launch and have all picked up some colour.  The weather was terrible on the outward trip although calm.  It takes 1 1/2 hours to get to the clean island beaches and the clouds lifted as we arrived and had lunch.  Elisabeth has a much greater strength in the water this year and swam a fair distance.  In her rubber ring of course, she will not swim without it unless in very shallow water and when confident.  The previous day we went to the Races, the last meeting of the season.  Dad would have enjoyed it.  There were three owners in the bo and the chap who rode the local Derby winner on the same day in 1926.

We were nicely up after the last race and it has been a successful season.  The first year we have become interested, owing to invitations to a box and also pretty good tips from a jockey who happens to be on the staff of Kowloon office, although he is not always right!  Last weekend we took the launch off to Lantao island to look over a shipyard and factory producing strip piping and knives & forks etc.  They also claim to make the largest fibre glass boats in Asia.  Later on I was having a look at a toy (?) packing factory.  Next week one of our customers is starting up a new crusher for cement, so you can see we have a variety of subjects to think about.  The latest is a series of labour problems in an industry which is presumed to be influenced by our friends over the border.  However, I have sold a batch of shares for a quick turn.  The market has been quite active here during the last few weeks but is subject to very quick loss of confidence on the wording of a headline in the newspaper.

Margo has some good colour slides of the flat which she will bring home with her.  Her Kodak box & flash is very easy to operate and the results are not bad.  The back now pays for passages for school children every years so guess that will take care of the summer holidays.  Things are improving all the time.

Cheerio for now and all our love.  Next time I write I will be 40 - it really seems rather funny.

Yours Peter