95 Lansdowne Road,
London, W.11.
9th June, 1965.
Mrs. Ava Helen Pauling
794 Hotsprings Road,
Santa Barbara,
California
Dear Mamma,
Many thanks for your several letters some of which took a while to get here. I was sorry to miss your invitation to the clan gathering at Easter but I am not sure that we would have been able to come anyway. Things have been pretty hectic, I have been doing a lot in the house getting it finished up working well and trying to keep my professional work going. Easter was a bit dull, I was working on the house and did not put much time in on the children and Julia which was a bit unfortunate. The children have next week off from school, it being Whitsun, and if the weather is nice I hope we can go to the seaside for a while.
Would you please put a cheque for $7.50c in this envelope that I enclose and send it off? I will credit the money to Pa's book account.
The children have just had chicken pox, though they are now both back in school. It did not upset Sarah, but Thomas was really rather unwell for two or three days. Sarah is in the stage just between babyhood and girlhood and she does not want to become a girl so she is a bit obstreperous. Thomas has been very nice for the last six months. I am not sure that he is completely happy, due to a number of things, but he certainly is a lovely boy.
The house is coming along well. The basement is still a mess, though I am getting my room well cleaned up and another fortnight should see it looking nice. The play room is still a mess because I use it as a workroom to do the rest of it. Julia's room is nice, the living room is looking reasonably well but still needs some stuff done to it and we need some pictures. I have sort of decided that I can't afford to buy what I would like which would be to collect contemporary work and so am getting a number of prints. A friend of ours is going to paint us a big picture. I am not sure that Julia or, for that matter, me, are going to like it. Still, I am willing to give it a try.
We have just had a short visit from Anita and Peter Oser and a friend of theirs who makes stained glass windows. She is going to design and make us a big coloured glass panel to go in the living room. I think it will be very nice. It was great fun to see Peter, who has not been to London since 1948 I should think and also great fun to see Anita. She seems to me to be blossoming. Doing a great many things.
When are you coming to see us? We would certainly love to have you and you can stay with us because we now have enough room. It would be great fun.
With love from,