Washing Up - Sepia Saturday 792

For this week's Sepia theme, "washing up", I looked through some old photos in search of some that might show my grandparents'  kitchen sink, as I remember it from my early childhood (I was born in 1955). I found these two below - and on closer inspection, I even think they may have been taken on the same occasion, as my grandmother (Sally) is wearing the same clothes in both. 

Here she's feeding their collie Zepp a biscuit. She's standing next to a narrow cupboard next to the electric stove. To the right, next to the door (leading out into the entrance hall), is the kitchen sink with draining board.

Here she's sitting on the sofa by the window (one of two), drinking coffee, with the kitchen sink to the left. There's a small mirror on the wall above: They also often used the kitchen sink for washing hands and face, shaving etc. 

It occurred to me that if I put the two photos together edge to edge, they would show the whole small sink area. The scale is not 100% the same in both photos, but close enough...

Dishes were always washed up directly after a meal, dried with a towel and put away. In the photo the dish rack is turned up against the wall - when it was down, it covered the whole small draining board. There were no other workbench surfaces in the kitchen. The kitchen table was used for "everything".

In my childhood, they did also have WC and a bathtub installed down in the cellar, but there was no washbasin or mirror down there, and the walls and floor were raw cement... In summer they still mostly still used the old "outhouse" out in the yard. It was not until after my grandfather died (in 1969) that my dad arranged for a WC (+ washbasin) to be put in for my grandmother in what used to be a wardrobe next to the living room on the ground floor; and also a WC in a wardrobe upstairs (where there was already a washbasin in the adjoining bedroom). My grandmother pretty much only used the downstairs kitchen + living room (and slept in the kitchen) during the last years when she lived there alone, while we used the upstairs two rooms when visiting her.

After Sally moved to a retirement home in the village, and after her death, we kept the house as a holiday house. When dad retired from work (at 60), he and mum decided to move there permanently - but not until they had added a large new extension (more than doubling the living space), including a modern kitchen and bathroom + large new living room downstairs, and an enormous home office space upstairs for dad. The old living room became their bedroom; and what remained of the old kitchen (sink and stove and cupboards removed) became a sort of extra, doorless, room where some "antique" furniture and books were kept, as reminders of the past. 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 792

 

 

Picnic - Sepia Saturday 791

 

My paternal grandparents loved to go on picnics ("coffee outings") in the summer. My grandmother Sally would pack a picnic basket with a coffee thermos, cups and saucers (porcelain, not plastic), and some buns and biscuits to eat. I'm not sure who the couple in the middle are, but it's Sally to the left, and her sister Hildur with husband Olle to the right; and I think it's probably from the mid/late 1950s. 

(Black & white photo re-cropped and turned sepia by me.) 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 781

The Veranda - Sepia Saturday 779

I searched in vain in my old albums for a photo of someone standing next to a chair (as in the Sepia prompt photo.) In my inherited photos, if there is a chair, there is usually someone sitting on it, though! 

However, in one of the envelopes I've been going  through recently, I found a photo of my grandfather Gustaf as a young man, sitting alone on a chair on/in the "glass veranda" at the farm Storegården, which belonged to my grandmother Sally's family. Gustaf was friends with Sally's younger brother Nils; and in the mid 1920s, when Gustaf was trying to change his career from a shoemaker's apprentice to becoming a journalist, Nils' family let him rent a room with them (probably in a small cottage on the grounds rather than in the main house). (Cf. my post for SS 773 - The Desk.) I would date the photo below to around that time (mid 1920s) - after Gustaf had recently moved to the farm to live, but before he and Sally became romantically involved.

It was not an open veranda, but more like an extra room with many windows - and probably  no heating, so primarily used in summer. 

In one of the albums, there is this photo of Sally and Gustaf. They seem to be sitting in the same corner of the veranda as in the first photo, but now with plants behind them. My guess is that this is from their engagement (Sept 7, 1929). 

This photo shows what the veranda looked like from the outside. (The entrance door is to the right, I know from other photos.) Two of the women are unknown to me. Standing at the back are Gustaf, one of the guests, and Sally. Sitting down are another guest, Hildur (Sally's older half-sister), Selma (mother of Hildur, Sally and Nils), and Hildur's fiancé Olle. 

To finish off, a photo of Gustaf some 25-30 years later than in the first photo; sitting and looking contemplative. Possibly on the sofa in his own kitchen (that door behind him could be to the larder). But I'm not sure. It might also be somewhere unknown to me.

Linking to Sepia Saturday 779  

Sisters Reunited - Sepia Saturday 766

Yesterday, opening another envelope of miscellaneous old photos taken by my grandfather, I found two of my grandmother Sally (in the middle above) with her sisters (+ brother-in-law) that I can't recall  having seen before. But they were obviously taken on the same occasion as the portraits below of my great-aunt Gerda proudly wearing a medal - previously posted on this blog in a post entitled Gerda's Medal, for Sepia Saturday 634, in August 2022.

That post was about my research to try and establish when and why Gerda was presented with that medal; and my conclusion was that it was probably after 30 years of service to the countess Estelle Bernadotte. Estelle was American (born Estelle Romaine Manville, 1904). She got married to the Swedish count Folke Bernadotte in December 1928; and  Gerda - by then 47 years old and an experienced lady's maid who had worked as such not only among nobility in Sweden, but had also lived in both America and France, and was well used to travelling - got  employed as lady's maid to Estelle from shortly before their wedding; and ended up staying with that family the rest of her life.

If Gerda got the medal after 30 years of service, that dates this photo to 1958. An alternative might be if she received it in connection with her 75th birthday, in 1956. (She was born in 1881, and lived to be nearly 92 years old.) Either way, it seems that shortly after Gerda was presented with this medal, not only did she visit my grandparents Sally and Gustaf, but they also managed a reunion with all four sisters still alive. 

The woman next to Gerda here must be her sister Ester, who was born 1876 (five years older than Gerda), and died in 1959. (So this may even be the last time they got together.) The one standing in the middle behind Ester is Hildur (born 1892) - older half-sister to Sally on their mother's side, and step-sister to Gerda and Ester. The man to the left is Hildur's husband Olle. (They lived only a few minutes walk away from my grandparents.) And to the right, my grandmother Sally (born 1900). 

Below to the right is a double portrait of Ester and Gerda together from their youth (some time before Gerda emigrated to America in 1902); and to the left, one of Ester on her own (obviously some years later, but I don't know the year). 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 766

I ett kuvert med foton märkt "efter 1930" fann jag två foton som jag inte kan påminna mig att jag sett förut, men som uppenbarligen måste vara från samma tillfälle som andra foton av min farmor Sallys halvsyster Gerda Ekman med samma medalj, sittande i mina farföräldrars vardagsrum. Jag har tidigare spekulerat kring dessa och årtalet för och anledningen till medaljen, i ett inlägg från augusti 2022, Gerda's Medal. (Text där på både engelska och svenska.) 

De nytillkomna fotona ovan visar att även Gerdas och Sallys äldre syster Ester Ekman, (1876-1959), var med vid den här syskon-träffen. Detta bekräftar väl också min teori att Gerda troligen fick medaljen antingen år 1958 efter 30 år i tjänst hos familjen Bernadotte; eller möjligen i samband med sin 75-årsdag två år tidigare.

Med på gruppfotona här är också min farmor Sallys halvsyster Hildur (1892-1964) och hennes man Olle Hellsten, som bodde bara ett par minuters gångväg ifrån mina farföräldrar. (Hildur var dotter till Sallys mor Selma från hennes första äktenskap; medan Gerda och Ester var döttrar till Sallys far Samuel Emanuelsson från hans första äktenskap.)

Sally and her House - Sepia Saturday 765

Last week I posted three photos of my grandmother Sally celebrating her 50th, 60th and 70th birthday. Below are some photos of her in more of an "everyday" context, and I think all from the 1960s. 

This photo is of my grandparents Sally and Gustaf sitting in their garden - the photo probably taken by my dad. Gustaf, born 1904, died in 1969 of Parkinsons' disease, which he had by then suffered from for a number of years. My guess is that this photo is from the early/mid 1960s. There is a very similar photo in an album, obviously taken at the same time - but there is no note of the year there either.

Here we have Sally sitting at her kitchen table, drinking coffee. Probably early/mid 1960s, and I'm guessing it was Gustaf who took the photo. It's typical of how I remember the kitchen from my childhood. The sofa was painted red. To the left of where Sally is sitting is a tiny sink. Dishes  were always washed and dried directly after a meal, as there was no place for a dish rack. (And no other "work surfaces" either - the kitchen table was also used for preparing meals and baking etc.) 

 

On a sunny day in the summer, they loved to have coffee outdoors in the garden. From my early childhood I remember the garden table being placed in an arbour of lilac bushes, but I don't think I have any photo of that. The house back then was painted dark brown. In the early 1970s, after the death of my grandfather, my dad had the facade clad with some maintenance-free yellow material, though (but still looking much like wood). 

In this photo I think Sally looks much like in the one from her 70th birthday, and I'm guessing this was taken after Gustaf died. Here too, she is sitting next to the kitchen sink. 

On the wall behind her, in both kitchen photos, you can see a small mirror. Before my dad had some updates made to the house in the 1970s, the only WC (+ a bath tub, but no sink for just washing your hands) was down in the cellar. (They also had an outhouse, which was still used in the summers.) There was also a small sink in one of the two bedrooms upstairs - which back in the 1930s had been another kitchen. The house, built in 1930, originally had two flats, each consisting of one room + one kitchen. The first few years, Sally and Gustaf - and my dad, born 1931 - lived downstairs; and Sally's sister Hildur + her husband Olle + Sally's and Hildur's mother Selma lived upstairs. Later, Hildur and Olle built their own house nearby, and their room became Sally's and Gustaf's bedroom. And after Selma died, the upstairs kitchen became my dad's bedroom. Anyway... Still in my childhood, the kitchen sink and mirror were also used for washing your hands and face, shaving, fixing your hair, or whatever.

After the death of my grandfather, my dad had a WC + sink installed in the wardrobe of the living room downstairs for my grandmother (who then also preferred to sleep in the kitchen); and another WC in a wardrobe upstairs, between the two rooms there which we used when visiting her. 

The last years of her life, Sally moved to an old people's home in the village, but sometimes visited the house with us when we were there. We kept the house as a holiday house; and in the early 1990s, my parents added a substantial extension - including new kitchen and proper bathroom and large new living room downstairs + upstairs a large home office for my dad - and moved there for their own retirement years. Below is a collage showing what the house looked like when my brother and I finally sold it in 2014. The old kitchen was to the left of the new entrance seen in the top photo. (The two very small windows belonged to the original pantry.)

PS. Considering this weeks photo prompt for Sepia Saturday, maybe I should add a comment that Sally kept her hair naturally dark, and also long, well into her 70s. Only in her last few years did it turn grey, and then, while living in the old people's home, she also had it cut short and permed!

Linking to Sepia Saturday 765

Milestone Birthdays - Sepia Saturday 764

I've been taking a break from family history and old photos for a few months, but I still have a number of envelopes of old photos that never reached the albums to go through. My father obviously started a sorting process many years ago, so some envelopes are marked with a name, or other themes. But very few of the  photos have any notes on the back to identify individual people or places or year. (That goes for most of the old photo albums as well, though!) 

 As Sepia Saturday just now does not really have any special themes for each week, I'm thinking I might just randomly dive in now and then, though, and pick whatever I happen to find interesting...

My grandmother Sally was born 3 February 1900, so that date, a month ago, was the 125th anniversary of her birth. I can't say I "celebrated" it, but I did remember, and think of her. 

Today, opening a photo envelope with her name on it, I found (among others) these three below, which clearly must represent three of her "major" birthdays.

This is from her 50th (1950). There is a very similar photo in her photo album, with a note to confirm that; and the photo is unmistakably from my grandparents' living room. (I myself wasn't born until 5½ years later, but I recognise the corner cabinet!) 

With that established, it was also easy to deduct that the following two photos must be from 1960 and 1970 respectively. (She died at 79, so did not live to celebrate her 80th.)

My grandfather Gustaf died in 1969, so the photo from 1970 was presumably taken by my father. You may notice the Christmas tree to the right... That does not necessarily mean that her birthday was celebrated in advance, as I remember that she did actually often (if possible) keep the Christmas tree over her birthday. Checking a calendar online, I see that 3 February 1970 was a Tuesday, though - so I suppose the celebration may have taken place on the weekend before. 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 764

Family Portraits - Sepia Saturday 694

This portrait of  my great grandfather Samuel, born 1835, is the only one of him that exists. The sign he is holding says "Lord, increase our faith". Back in childhood I always wondered why, and I can't recall anyone ever explaining. (Possibly they did not know either.) He was a farmer and a merchant; not a clergyman. However (thanks to research done by one of my dad's cousins), much later I learned that Samuel was involved in the founding of a local free church in 1884. Then he was 49 years old, which seems to fit with this photo.

Back then, he was still married to his first wife, Anna Sophia. She died in 1894. (There is no photo of her.) Together they had 9 children, born between 1866-84. Two died in childhood, and another (at age 31) in 1899, before my own grandmother was born.

In 1898, Samuel got remarried to my great grandmother, Selma (born 1861);  she also a widow, with a young daughter. There is no wedding photo or other portrait of Samuel and Selma together either.

This photo of Selma is probably from her first marriage - or even earlier. Her first husband was younger than her; but died when their daughter Hildur was only two years old.

Together, Samuel and Selma got two more children: my grandmother Sally (born 1900) and her brother Nils (born 1902). Samuel died in 1907 (72 years old) and then Selma was a widow again, now with three young children. She did not get married again, but remained living on the farm with her step-son Carl (single), who had taken over the running of the farm already around 1903/4.  

In the census of 1910, two separate households are listed for the farm: Selma and her children (probably at the time living in a separate cottage) counted as one family; and Carl, his brother Gustaf (recently returned from eight years in America) and their sister Ester (housekeeping for them) as another. Later on, it seems that Carl, his stepmother and her children all lived together in the farmhouse, though. 

Selma (born 1861) and her sister Ida (born 1865). Not sure which year, but my guess is c. 1917. 

Ida and her husband Gustav  in 1908
(the year actually printed on the photo!)

 

My grandmother Sally (born 1900) and her half-sister Hildur (born 1892 in Selma's first marriage). Same studio background as in the photo of Selma and Ida. Could be from the same occasion.

Hildur, Selma and Sally, around the same time as well. (Compare Hildur's bow tie here to the one Ida is wearing in the first portrait.)

Another studio portrait of Sally and Hildur
 - a few years later, I think.

Sally's half sisters on her father's side, Ester (born 1876) and Gerda (born 1881). Must be from before Gerda emigrated to America - 1902 or earlier.

Ester, a bit later in life (year unknown)

▲Gerda with a friend, from Chicago (1902-1910)▼
LEFT: Gerda to the right - RIGHT: Gerda to the left

Gerda returned to Sweden in 1910/11, but soon went abroad again.

Gerda in Lyon, France, 1913 (or 15?)

Hildur, Gerda and Sally. My guess is that this was taken on Gerda's return from France in 1919 - after the end of WWII.

Gustaf, born 1878, also emigrated to America in 1902, and returned in 1910. The portrait above is from Port Allegany, probably 1903. The photo below is one I just recently found and realised that it must be Gustaf to the right. It's printed on American postcard paper (but not written on) so I'm guessing that it must be from his later years in America. I don't know who the other two men are.

Once back in Sweden, Gustaf did not go abroad again. He helped out on the family farm for a while; then moved away to work elsewhere in Sweden (also with farm work); then returned again to help out at the family farm - and took over when his older brother Carl died in 1928. But I think the farm was sold after Sally, Nils and Hildur all got married and moved away - to do with distribution of inheritance.

Carl, Selma, Hildur and Sally 

Hildur, Selma and Sally, probably summer 1930

Nils, Sally and Selma

("when big hats were the fashion")

Linking to Sepia Saturday 694 - Portraits

New House, New Life - Sepia Saturday 670

In last week's post, I showed a photo of my grandparents (Sally & Gustaf) at the well on the property where they were going to build their house. My grandfather purchased the plot in March, and the well was finished towards the end of April. A few months later (late summer or early autumn) the house was "taking shape". I'm guessing that this photo was taken as part of celebrating having got the roof in place. It was probably my grandfather who took the photo, as he's not in the picture himself.

Family gathered at the New House (in progress), late summer 1930. Standing: Olle (engaged to Sally's sister Hildur), Sally, Mother Selma, Carin & Nils (Sally's brother and his fiancée). Sitting: Gustav (older half-brother to Sally and Nils), Hildur - and I think probably a brother of Carin's to the right (he looks vaguely familiar to me).

(Unless, possibly the unknown man is the builder? I know they had one, by name of Richard Andersson, as I have his bill, or receipt, for the finished work...)

The finished house (year unknown) 

Olle, Hildur's fiancé, may have helped with details on the house too, I suppose, as he was a carpenter by trade - and for the first few years, he and Hildur would be living there too. From what my father told me in the past, I know that originally, the house had two flats: One room + kitchen downstairs and the same (somewhat smaller) upstairs. Sally and Gustaf (who got married towards the end of September 1930) moved into the downstairs flat. (From about a year after their wedding also shared by baby Bertil, my father.) And a few months later, newly wed Hildur and Olle moved into the upstairs flat, together with Mother Selma (who slept in the upstairs kitchen). 

I'm not sure exactly how long they all continued to live together in the same house - maybe a few years. Olle and Hildur then built their own house only a few minutes walk away; so the two families always remained very close. (Hildur and Olle never had children of their own.) Selma I think alternated between living with her daughters in winter, and spending the summers in the small cottage on the farm (which I think was hers for the duration of her life). She lived until 1941 so was very much part of the household during my dad's early childhood. After Hildur and Olle moved to their own house, Sally and Gustaf made the upstairs room their bedroom; and later, the upstairs kitchen was converted to a bedroom for my dad.

Below is the last letter in my collection of letters written from Sally to Gustaf in 1929/30, between their engagement and wedding. It has no date, so I've been hesitating about exactly where it belongs in the chronology. But most likely it was written while it was still wintry; as gloves, socks and firewood are mentioned. The most interesting part is that it shows some of Sally's "mixed feelings" about the upcoming changes in her life after their marriage. She realises that in his career as a journalist, Gustaf has to meet and mix with "all sorts" of people - and is sometimes also expected to socialise in contexts in which she herself will feel timid and not quite comfortable...

Storegården, Thursday night

Darling!

Now you'll be getting a letter anyway, but it won't be a long one this time either. And please excuse me for writing in pencil. As you know, I have no ink here in our room, and I don't want to go into the men's room tonight, so I use what I have. It's past 9:30 pm and I'm rather tired. I've had a busy day, sewing gloves and also on that dress I was working on last night.

Olle is here working tonight and Hildur has gone down to him, so Mum and I are alone at the moment, and I'm grabbing the opportunity to write to you.

Have you heard anything more about Mr & Mrs K's party? I've been contemplating today whether I should come with you or not. I guess we'll talk more about it on Sunday. Of course I'd like to accompany you for your sake, and perhaps in a way it would be good for me as well. I suppose I must try to overcome my shyness at least to some degree. I guess sooner or later I'll have to get used to meeting ”society” ladies and gentlemen, even if the thought of it intimidates me a little.

I too am looking forward to the day we'll be united; but my joy is also mixed with some apprehension at the thought of my responsibility to be a good wife to you. With the help of God I still want to get started, and if I can only trust in that, I know I shall succeed. I'll leave both of us in his hands.

I would have written more, but I can't tonight, I'm so tired.

Lots of love from your Sally 

PS. Gustav won't be going into town until Tuesday or Wednesday next week, Miss L does not want any potatoes until then. I hope you'll be all right for firewood until then.

Mum sends her love. It's now past 11 but she is still knitting away at her socks. The sound of the spinning wheel has stopped for tonight.

Linking to Sepia Saturday 670 

(because sometimes you feel like crawling into a corner and hide - but you know you can't...!)

Storegården torsdag kväll

Älskade!

Nu får Du allt brev ändå. Men det blir inte långt denna gången heller. Och så får Du vara snäll och förlåta att jag skriver med blyerts. Jag har, som du vet, inget bläck här inne i vårt rum, och jag vill inte gå in åt herrummet i kväll, utan då tog jag vad jag hade. --- Kl är ju också redan över ½ 10 och jag börjar vara en smula trött. Jag har haft så bråttom i dag. Har sytt dels på vantarna och dels på den där klädningen jag höll på med i går kväll.

I kväll är Olle här och arbetar. Hildur har gått ner till honom nu så mamma och jag äro ensamma för tillfället, och därför skulle jag passa på och skriva till Dig.

Har Du hört något närmare sedan om Herrskapet K---'s förestående bjudning? Vet du, jag har tänkt mycket på det i dag om jag skall följa med Dig dit eller ej. Vi få väl tala mera om det på söndag. --- Nog skulle jag gärna vilja gå med för Din skull, och kanske vore det bra för mig också på sätt och vis. Jag måste väl försöka att övervinna blygheten åtminstone i någon mån. Och jag måste väl också en gång för eller senare sammanträffa med respektive societetsdamer och dito herrar, kan jag tro, fastän jag bävar en smula vid blotta tanken därpå.

--- Jag emotser, även jag, med glädje den dag då vi skola förenas. Dock är ju glädjen blandad med en viss bävan vid tanke på det ansvar som vilar på mig som en god maka åt Dig. Med Guds hjälp vill jag likväl börja och kan jag blott fullt och fast lita därpå, vet jag också att jag skall lyckas. I hans händer vill jag lämna oss båda.

Jag skulle skrivit mera men det går inte i kväll, jag är så trött nu.

Hjärtevarma hälsningar, Din Sally

Gustav reser inte till stan förrän på tisdag eller onsdag i nästa vecka. Fröken Larsson vill ingen potatis ha förr. Hoppas att Du klarar Dig med ved till dess.

Mamma hälsar. Kl är över 11 nu men mamma stickar lika flitigt på sina strumpor. Spolrocken har tystnat för i kväll. 

A Car Adventure, a Wedding, and a Well - Sepia Saturday 669

 

A letter from Sally to Gustaf, written on Monday before Easter, 1930. Sally, Hildur, Nils and Carin (Nils' fiancée) have been on long car trip. Sally does not mention the purpose of the trip (Gustaf no doubt knew that already) - the letter focuses on the troubles they ran into on their way home. But she does mention the name Hjelmsered - modern spelling Hjälmseryd - which is in the province of Småland, 140 km or so (~87 miles) from their home village, Fristad. This tells me that they had probably been to the wedding between Carin's brother Verner and his fiancé, for which an invitation was mentioned in an earlier letter - cf. my post for Sepia Saturday 665.  Ulricehamn, also mentioned here, is a town around 35 km (22 miles) away from Fristad. (Distances approximate and may have been even longer back then, depending on the roads). The wedding is likely to have been on Saturday, with an overnight stay for them there, and then driving back on Sunday. 

Storegården, 14 April 1930 [Monday before Easter]

My Darling,

Well, thankfully we're now back home again, after a long and difficult journey. Nils didn't get back home until this afternoon. He stayed the night on the other side of Ulricehamn, after the rest of us had gone home, and fixed one of the tires. You see, one tire got a puncture even before we reached Hjelmsered yesterday afternoon. And unfortunately we didn't have a spare one. Nils tried pumping it up several times, and that got us close to Ulricehamn, but that was it.

Nils then had to go somewhere to borrow a bike, and then down to Ulricehamn to get a cab to come and get the rest of us and drive us all the way home – i.e. Hildur, Carin and me. Nils stayed behind, spent the night alone in the car, and has today got the tire mended, and now he too is safely back home. Otherwise we're all all right - just very tired after all the hardships. Because of all the stops along the way we didn't get home until around 2 o'clock in the morning. It was the most difficult and despairing trip I've ever been on. Sitting on the road in the countryside in the middle of the night, far from home, and seeing no way to get back home really is despairing. When you get here, I'll tell you all the details if you want to hear them. Just now I'm just happy that we're all back home again.

I do hope you'll be coming on Thursday. I can't wait. Today Olle is going to get started on the well, he said last night when we got back. He was here with Mum when we got home, which was a blessing, as she was of course devastated that we were so delayed. And it would have been even worse if she'd been alone.

Signing off with lots of love to you, my Darling. Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday!

Yours, Sally

"Olle is going to get started on the well". This refers to the well on the property where Sally and Gustaf were building their house. Access to water was of course at the top of their priority list, before they got started on the house itself. Olle, Hildur's fiancé, was a carpenter, and built the well for them. I knew that already, because I also have the bill he sent to my grandfather for the finished job - dated 26 April. 1930. 

I've probably shown this photo mor than once before, but it's one of my favourites: My grandparents, Sally and Gustaf, behind the well at the property where they're going to build their house!

Linking to Sepia Saturday 669

Storegården d. 14-4-30

Min Älskling!

Ja nu äro vi, som väl är, hemma igen efter en lång och besvärlig resa. Nils kom hem först i dag på e.m. Han har liggat ett stycke på den andra sidan Ulricehamn, sedan vi reste hem i natt, och lagat den ena av bilringarna. Du förstår att den ena ringen gick sönder redan innan vi voro framme i Hjelmsered i går e.m. Och så till all olycka hade vi ingen reservring med oss. Nils låg väl och försökte att laga den så att vi med tillhjälp av åtskilliga pumpningar kunde taga oss en bra bit ner mot Ulricehamn, men sedan var det också stopp.

Nils måste då gå till ett ställe och få tag i en cykel, och så ner till Ulricehamn efter en droskbil som hämtade oss och skjutsade oss ända hem. Det var bara Hildur, Carin o jag som voro med. Själv stannade Nils kvar, övernattade i bilen ensam och har i dag lagat ringen, så nu är även han lyckligt hemma. För övrigt äro vi ju oskadda, men så trötta efter alla strapatserna. Resan blev ju också, på grund av att vi fingo sitta så länge på vägen gång på gång, fördröjd, så vi voro ej hemma förrän vid 2-tiden i natt. Det var den besvärligaste och mest förtvivlade resa jag varit med om förut. Att sitta ute på landsvägen nattetid så långt från hemmet, och inte se någon utväg att komma hem är förtvivlat. När Du kommer hit skall jag i detalj återgiva händelseförloppet om Du vill höra på mig. Jag känner mig så lycklig över att vi alla äro hemma igen.

Nu kommer Du väl riktigt säkert hit på torsdag. Jag väntar redan på Dig. I dag skulle visst Olle börja med brunnskaret, sade han i natt. Han var hos mamma när vi kommo hem, och det var ju för väl, för hon var ju förtvivlad över att vi dröjde så. Och ändå värre hade det varit om hon varit ensam.

Slutar nu med hjärtevarma hälsningar till Dig min Älskling. Varmt välkommen på torsdag!

Din Sally

Anledningen till resan till Hjelmsered (i Småland) var antagligen den inbjudan som omnämndes i ett tidigare brev (7.2.1930), till bröllopet mellan Carins bror Verner Abrahamsson och Anna-Lisa Elgström. Jmf mitt inlägg för Sepia Saturday 665.