Restmore, 6/2/1935
Dear Marie! I always forget your birthday and I am very much ashamed but of course that doesn’t help. The date of the letter is 2. June. and your birthday was on the first so the letter will be too late, even if you could give the blame to the Belgian post office, it will still be late but better late than not at all, therefore congratulations Thank you for your letter. You are almost afraid that “Restmore” has grown solidly to the bottom here in the canal but that is not the case. Last Sunday we sailed on a Sunday trip here with Peter’s parents who have been here for visit last week. It went perfectly both with the sail trip and with the visit. It was fun to see them again and they were happy to see the children, the boat, us, and Belgium. They told many interesting news and episodes from Germany and would rather like to sell the house and everything and sail along with us. The Primus stove was going all day long and I have only one and when you have to make food for 6, meat, vegetable, and potatoes, you really have to have it on all day. Brussel’s Yacht club had a visit of the crown prince Olav from Norway. He raced here and ate chicken and drank champagne so I don’t even think he saw our Danish flag. Our little Annemie has accomplished many things since I last wrote. she stands on her small feet and has got 4 new teeth so now she can defend herself against her brother since she has both upper and lower teeth. It is quite possible that Lars will be afraid of water after that water pantomime he made. Some time ago I jumped into the water well planned in bathing suit and bathing cap and the poor boy got a nervous collapse. He was shaking and crying “Mama, Mama”, so I had to hurry up again on to the dry. we were for dinner by the Germans one day and Lars sat nicely and ate without saying a word the whole time. At last we got pineapple and certainly he hollered loud “Moggi” so loud that he became quite ashamed of himself. I almost felt as if I had won the big prize when I read in your letter about the 3O strong ones but it a probably better first to see them before I treat myself with a piece of chocolate? I have not heard from Frederik yet. Lately we have had cold and bad weather but now it”s nice. We luxuriate in delicate vegetables, just listen: asparagus 45 øre per kilo, spinach 15 øre, cauliflower 10 øre a piece, wouldn’t that be something for you vegetarians? The Norwegian kronen you wouldn’t see at all. The new dinghy that was built here turned out to be not at all as hoped for, there were 3 bad planks and iron nails instead of copper nails so Peter refused to take it and we wrote immediately to Norway and it turned out that the dinghy was not at all sold yet and now we have it laying here and Peter is in full swing repairing it. Next week we will sail a little trip to the engineer where we will get eternity plates for the galley but we will return to here so the address is unchanged. Now here are many new boats, there is a lot of activities here on Saturdays and Sundays. Will you call up a piano company and ask what it costs to get the piano packed and sent to Germany? To Bergisch Gladbach near Koln? If duty and freight are not too high Peters parents will buy the piano. When Lars heard that you finished with the carpenter, he took the big pencil and wanted to go to Copenhagen with the steamer in order that he could decorate the fancy doors and windowsills, poor Marie with her legs after having carpenters it is probably worse? Thanks for the “Sailsports Magazine”. Peter is running around here and showing off in white canvas pants and Jeanettes white shirts. Say hello to her from us and family, many loving greetings from Lars, Annemie, Peter, Else.