Jan 13th 1945

Dear Shirl

At long last I have gotten around to write to you. To tell the truth I don't know when I last wrote to you.

From all report you have been very busy with business school. You should be pretty good with your typing & shorthand by now. Who knows when I get home I may end up by going to work with Dad then you can work with both of us.

I have no idea just what I will do when I get home but I don't think I could do much better than to go with Dad. He will be wanting some help and I think I can at least try and see how I make out.

Your talk about your exams you should take a crack at some of the ones I have had in the last 8 weeks. We have covered enough to last about two years at school in peace time. This outfit does nothing but cram. They hardly give you time to find out what you are doing. I am just getting straightened out what we took 3 weeks ago. We have two more weeks to go to finish the main part of the course. Then we get a week on radio I don't know how much they will expect us to pick up in that time.

On or about the 10 or 12th of Feb I am supposed to go on 9 days leave. I don't know where I will be going as I am waiting for word from Bill. He said that he could get leave around the first of Feb. That was the time that I was told at first that I would be going but that was changed.

I have had a couple of letters from Bill, he is in Northampton but I guess you know that now anyway. From what he says there is quite a bit of mud where he is.

I had a letter from Dave Johnson before Christmas but I have not had an answer to the one I wrote to him. He is in Bornemouth which is not so very far from here. I could see him on weekends if I could find out where to meet him.

We have been having a bit of winter weather. It started Christmas eve with a heavy frost which lasted for a week then we got some snow which is gone now. It looks as though we are back to the usual wet weather again.

This is no country for snow as half the people don't know what to do with it. The trains and busses all stop running if there is more than about an inch of it. Then there isn't enough coal to heat the huts in cold weather and boy do they ever get cold. It is a good thing that we are issued with 5 blankets as we sure need them.

I would like to thank you and Oddie [sister Audrey] for the box at Christmas the tie was sure welcome as we can wear them now.

Well I will close for now Shirl.
Love
Ted