The BC Adventure 13

Vesuvius,

April 10, 1921

Dear Mums, Daddy,and Dorothy,
 

Peter has a new teacher at his little school. The usual teacher fell ill and was
unable to continue so the new one is called Miss Helen Keir. Peter really likes her, as she has a sense of humour.

He told us the following story:

After the first week, the school inspector came around to evaluate Miss Keir's teaching ability. He was very upset because she kept the school flag in the bottom drawer of a cupboard, and refused to fly it. I guess she was not happy with the links to Britain.  But he did in the end say she was a good teacher, and could continue teaching.

Una thinks she may change schools and have him in the private school at Ganges from
September. It will cost a lot, and be very inconvenient, but when they return to England, he will be in boarding school most likely, so he needs to be prepared for that sort of discipline.

Earlier this month we went to a huge reception in Ganges for the Nichols – they are
the new people in Government House. There were 800 people there. I hadn't realised there were that many who lived on this island.

On the 11^th, Beryl Scott came over to invite us, and also the Inglises and Burkitts to a Subscription Dance on Thursday. It was kind of her to think of us, but we don't like going out late on week day nights. Those dances go into the early hours of the morning. She said they had a new piano player, Mr. Maynard.

I should tell you a bit more about the Burkitts as we see a lot of them. Their property
is called Shirley Farm, and apparently it was originally the Mouat farmily's house. They have two children, one a new baby called Lucie and a boy of about three called Geoffrey. They have a huge field of cherry trees, so we have agreed to go and help them pick them, as soon as they are ready. They called their farm after the Shirley poppies in the fields, which are very beautiful at the moment.

I have enclosed a photo we took of them  recently.

Love

Gwenllian