| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, Edinburgh, to her parents, regarding domestic matters, including expecting Miss McGregor to tea, Aunt Amy not to come today as she found walking from Morningside too tiring, a rest not to have her 'for she is the same as ever and A[unt] finds it sometimes very trying', Miss Cassie is to alter their old clothes for them, Amelia is stouter and broader, Miss Cowie has been in a nursing home for years, parents' possessions left in Rome have now been brought home by Aunt, partly to reduce the amount they have in store in Rome so that part of the manse can be let out, inspection of property in store in Edinburgh, and Uncle's inclination to sell some of it to reduce the storage charges, store too dark to make proper decisions, her parents might be glad of it some day as prices have risen tremendously, Uncle has decided to remain in Italy, whether working or retired, even their bicycles are so well wrapped up that she is no longer thinking of taking hers out for the summer, visit to Mr. Clark regarding their house in Thirlestane Road, queries about the present tenants and their plans for redecoration, visit to the tenants, Mrs. Beveridge, 'a doctor and college-companion of Mrs. Donald Fraser', her husband a chaplain latterly in Flanders and now in Cologne, and will be demobilised soon so they may wish to leave the property anyway if he is given a parish elsewhere, houses are in great demand at present so a new tenant, or even a buyer, will not be hard to come by, no decision to be made without her parents' agreement, the views from the house are still very green and pleasant, description of the upkeep of the house and arrangements of rooms, visit to Mrs. Fleming in Colinton, who is elderly and needs to be near Edinburgh for her doctor, Miss Fleming is still in canteen work at the station, a pleasure to Amelia to be in a nice house again and to handle china and silver after so long in the hospital, arrival of Miss Jazdowska and talk of Rome [There were Jazdowskis associated with teaching and art in Aberdeen: James Bronislas Jazdowski, son of John, teacher in Aberdeen, graduated from Marischal College in 1856 and according to an annotation of the Search Room student list died in Rome in 1902], devious manouevrings concerning the Young Women's Christian Association in Italy, mostly by Mme. Schalck in Turin, Uncle has finally resigned from the whole thing, as he should have done years ago, Dr. Fleming has offered to give Amelia an introduction to the director of the Orthopaedic Centre at Gorgie and also to the director of the Bangour Military Hospital, visit to the Orthopaedic Centre and Dr. Stuart Ross, to see electrical treatment, and large staff of masseuses, patients not neglected and staff very kind, all the patients demobilised but treatment continues until they are well, Uncle's visit to Professor Crum Brown, who is weak but mentally alert, unable to digest much but may improve slowly, Aunt and Amelia's visit to Miss Tod who is very old and nervous, meeting Mrs. John Moir and Pearl at St. Andrew's Church, Mrs. Moir overworked without appreciation, Pearl tall and quite pleasant but Amelia stopped her 'foolish project' of going to work in a Parisian hospital, 'The French wouldn't thank her for imposing British ways upon them, and there is no Red Cross work to be done now', Henry Moir is to be resident doctor at the Infirmary soon, at present assistant to a doctor in Newcastle, Uncle and Aunt's visit to Dr. Nicoll who has not been very well, hoping to visit them in Crieff, where they have secured a beautiful house, Amelia hopes Aunt will be well there. |