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GOVERNMENT HOUSE, OTTAWA.
13th January, 1936.
My own dearest mother
We have just had a home mail, and a letter from Nan. We have also had two letters from John. He will be in London about 15th February and will go straight to Mrs. Grosvenor's. I wired to his D. C., and was told that he had amoebic dysentery. This is not the bad kind and can easily be cured by a change at home. He has been given three months sick leave. I hope it will be possible to add to it some of his normal leave. I have written to the Colonial Office to find out about this. In that case, when he is cured in London, he ought to come out to Canada, for nothing would do him so much good. Susie i s rather inclined to go back about the end of February to meet him; in which case she will bring him back with her. But we haven ' t decided about that yet. It would be a good time for her to go away, as we shall have got all our chief functions over, and nothing happens again until the beginning of May. If his cure takes longer than we think, then he might come out with you and Nan in April.
On the whole we are both very much relieved to think that he is going home to get properly cured. I remember in South Africa several people, like Gerard Sellar and Lionel Curtis, getting into the same kind of condition, and they had to be sent home to get fit. My dysentery was the bacillary kind, and much more violent, but it didn't become cronic. You may be sure that the old man will make a bee-line for Peebles a s s oon as he i s allowed.
On Saturday we went to our first ice-hockey match. I had
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to shake hands with the players, and place the "puck" on the ice and then run for my life. It was a most wonderful sight - the swiftest game I have ever seen.
Yesterday we went for the first time to the Cathedral, and I read the lessons. We had a very good sermon from the Dean, short and simple and without notes. I have had a bit of a cold, but it has now gone.
This morning it is snowing heavily. We are off to-night to the gold mines in Northern Ontario, returning on Friday morning. I only hope we shall not be snowed up; but it will be a quite comfortable journey for we have our own train, and they have a very good guest house at the mines. It should be great fun, and I hope to see some of the old-timers. It will give Alice and Brian a chance of seeing really wild country. They go off next Sunday, alas! to our great regret. I think they have had a very restful and pleasant time here.
After we get back from the mines I have to go to Toronto for several speaking engagements, and then to Montreal. Then come our big functions, the opening of Parliament and the Drawing-room. But after that, except for a few scattered speeches, I have not much to do.
We have had Sir Alfred Zimmern staying for the week-end - the expert on international affairs - and he has been most interesting. I do hope you are keeping fairly well, and that the weather
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Government House, Ottawa.
is kind to you. This has been the least cold winter that Ottawa has known for many a year. I have no criticism to make of the out of doors weather, but the climate of the house is rather too warm. But we are all very well.
Much love.
from John
