Aug 3/44
#2 CARU
CAO
Dear Mom:
Well it has taken quite a while for me to find out just what you are trying to pull at home. None on the air mail letter let me in on what was going on at all except that you were going to the hospital. Now I have found out why and it is all for the best so I hope that everything turns out alright.
You should be just about ready to come out by now and be out when this arrives.
I had a couple of letters from Barbara that she wrote at camp, one of them she and Shirley got together on. From what they had to say they were having a swell time. Did Shirley catch fish, they didn't say?
The way things are around here now I think that they must have forgotten about my trades test, but I don't mind for a while as I need all the practical work that I can get. At the present time most of our guns are out on scheme so I am not getting much of that.
I had a letter from Ken yesterday and he is doing fine, except for the wet weather. As far as that goes I don't blame him, we are in huts and it is bad enough in them with no heat.
My first cigarettes arrived on the 30th it was the 1000 I guess the first bunch was lost. Thanks very much. The English cigarettes are lousy. I found that out as I was smoking them for a couple of days, then I went back to my pipe. I still have a pound of pipe tobacco that I can fall back on when I run short. The parcel with the camera arrived in good shape. I might say that the cheese and crackers did not last long after they were opened as there were 6 of us at them. The lemon aid powder is nearly gone and is very good. The hot chocolate is also good. I think that just about every one over here wants gum young and old, just about every kid you meet asks for gum or candy.
The meals are not very good at times so the soup and canned meat are sure welcome. We can always get bread from the kitchen to make sandwiches.
I have my bathing suit with me but so far it has not been warm enough to use it except the odd day. There is a small lake behind the camp that we can use when it does warm up enough.
Well Mom I hope that this finds you home and well on the way back to good health.
Good bye for now.
Love
Ted
