24-12-18
Christmas Eve

My dear Gertrude,

Nothing from you in today's mail but a letter from Muriel of the 18th with your telegram to them which they had received that day.

Glad to know from it that you had landed safely & were near your journey's end. I hope you had no great difficulties or trouble at Liverpool.

It has been a busy day today. Preparations for Christmas. For a day or two or Kitchen stove has not been working & we arranged to get the sweep in this morning. She came & said the chimney was alright, it was the stove - but our cook had cleaned all the flues thoroughly. This after noon it was not heating the oven at all, & it looked as if we would never get our Turkey roasted. However one of the servants volunteered to try the chimney again & with the end of a broom stick, it was cleaned & the stove is now going well.

That is one trouble surmounted.

Have written to Sydney Watson today, having just received his address - & also to May Sibbald.

Hope all is going well & you are settling down to English conditions not too hardly. Take care you don't get cold in the conditions of climate & houses. Hope the weather is better than ours, continuously wet & cloudy here.

Must close
With all my love
Yours
Jack.