Juliet's Kenya Days blog

Letter from Judy to Grandma & Grandad 16 June 1975 –

The children are all growing up – Juliet changes least but I expect in a while she will suddenly shoot up and out – she spends a lot of time reading and playing with her friends out on the compound – I suppose it’s a very unsophisticated life for her but I think she has plenty of time to be ‘grown up’ later and she seems to enjoy herself what with her school work and hobbies not to mention helping in the house and garden. So many children out here seem to hardly lift a finger as they are used to servants doing everything but I think it does the children a disservice and is certainly no preparation for life back in England. Helen is getting even taller, her hair is as long as Juliet’s now which she often wears in plaits or bunches – she is getting very cheeky and tends to think she knows everything so it’s a good thing she’s got a sister big enough to sit on her really hard ! Fiona has now lost two front teeth but her new ones have come up so fast that she isn’t really ‘gappy’. She keeps starting to write you a letter but rarely gets further than ‘Dear Grandma and Grandad’ – life is too distracting and as she is an important member of a gang of half a dozen or so 5 and 6 year olds on the compound she really has very little spare time for concentrating on letter writing. The climate is so good here that it seems right for the children to be out-of-doors most of the time.

Still photos from our ciné films – top right: Helen, other two pics Fiona.

Letter from Graham to Malcolm & Frances 9 Aug 1975 –

Fiona has been learning to climb trees in the garden and is now very clever at it. The sunshine tempted the girls to try the swimming pool this afternoon but it was too cold. Fiona is learning to read Ladybird books – she likes her school but prefers to be at home. She finishes school at 12:30 but doesn’t get home until after 1 usually because it’s a long journey.

Letter from Graham to the Aunties 8 Oct 1975 –

The children are around us in the evenings later than ever because they are growing up. Judy has just finished reading with Fiona in bed. Fiona reads sometimes and at others it is Judy. This often settles Fiona to make her ready for sleep, but not always. Helen is doing long division sums for homework. For some odd reason schools here set homework for eight year olds whereas English schools don’t start it until secondary school. Helen usually copes with it quickly. This evening I got annoyed with Juliet for putting food in her mouth with her knife so we do have our little problems.

Letter from Judy to Margaret 13 Dec 1975 –

Do you remember the dress you bought Juliet once ? The children call it the bluebell dress because it has a flower appliqued onto the bodice. Fiona is wearing it now and it is one of her favourites. She is very like Juliet at a similar age.

Letter from Graham to Grandma & Grandad 17 Dec 1975 –

At school Juliet has been learning needlework and I think that with some encouragement from us she will get some pleasure and develop her skills. She is quite a good all-rounder as her school report shows and she is still as sociable as ever. She has been helping to look after a little girl of six whose sister has gone away to visit relatives. Little Jane (Stevenson) is usually not very dependent on friends but has been much more interested in playing with Juliet this week. Jane had her appendix out a couple of weeks ago.

Letter from Judy to Nanny & Grandad 13 Jan 1976 –

We bought the girls various books as your contribution to their Christmas presents as they get more lasting pleasure from these than anything else. Fiona shows every sign of developing into as much of a bookworm as the other two – Juliet has been avidly reading the Brontes’ books and has become very interested in biographies about all kinds of different people and Helen will read almost anything that’s put in front of her.

Letter from Judy to Nanny & Grandad 4 Mar 1976 –

Last weekend was Helen’s birthday so we had a barbecue for her and Carol (Wangombe) to which 26 children came. Fortunately the weather was good and we had a very successful afternoon – the children cooked sausages, potatoes and maize over the charcoal pits we dug for the purpose and also consumed enormous quantities of ice-cream, coca cola and popcorn ! We were lucky and managed to pick up a second hand bike for Helen while shopping on her birthday morning – we had been looking for one almost since we arrived in Kenya so it was quite a coincidence. She was delighted and amazed us all by getting on and riding round the compound with no difficulty. She even surprised herself I think !

Ciné film stills of Judy & Helen.

Letter from Helen to Grandma and Grandad 12 Mar 1976 –

If I have not told you already I can ride a bike and I have got my own. It’s a red bike called Hercules and I can almost beat Juliet on a flat tarmac road.

Letter from Judy to Grandma & Grandad 29 Mar 1976 –

I have enclosed in this a letter from Helen which she wrote some time ago. Helen’s letter is a bit scrappy I’m afraid, but she does not have Juliet’s eye for design; she is always in such a rush to get everything in her head onto the paper. We went to see Helen’s teacher and she told me that Helen was one of the tidiest in her class so maybe I am being too fussy. She also said that Helen was one of the cleverest children she had, which considering most of her class are 10 and 11 year olds (Helen was 9) is high praise. I think you will see a difference in her if they come home in August – she is much more assured and independent.

Letter from Graham to Grandma & Grandad 3 Apr 1976 –

Fiona has been learning to swim in the pool here at school and this afternoon she swum a complete length. We have had three months of warm weather so we have been able to swim in comfort every weekend. When Fiona swims she goes really fast, using a breast stroke arm movement but with legs going up and down; not like crawl exactly because her legs trail down deep in the water.

Letter from Judy to Nanny & Grandad 15 Apr 1976 –

Fiona’s letter to you looks as if it has been used to scrub the floor – also her attempts at joined-up writing are not entirely successful ! However she was most hurt when I suggested she should rewrite it so here it is !

Letter from Judy to Grandma & Grandad 15 June 1976 –

The girls are all working hard at school. Juliet teases Helen by calling her a ‘swot’ which is quite true but upsets Helen – she is the most academic of the three, and has us in fits sometimes by her pedantic statements. She said to me the other day ‘Mummy, you make me frustrated and impatient with your habit of not finishing sentences when you speak” – she was perfectly serious and the criticism was justified but I couldn’t help laughing at the way it came out.

Letter from Judy to Rod & Elaine 30 June 1976 –

Fiona isn’t really as grown up as Juliet was at 6, being the baby of the family, but she can be quite sensible when she sets her mind to it. She has done well at school this year and seems to be going to be as bright as the others. Helen is still, as Juliet quite rudely puts it, ‘a swot’ and we can’t wait to get her back to a school which puts less pressure on her and thinks of other things besides academic excellence. Unfortunately all schools are like this here because of the great hurdle of the exam at 12 years of age to get a place at secondary school – only a small percentage get a place anywhere and only a tiny number (relatively) at the ‘good’ schools. Luckily Helen is not interested in competing with others, only with herself so she is still quite a pleasant child and has lots of friends on the compound to take her mind off her work most of the time ! Juliet isn’t quite as tall as me yet but is grown up enough not to be pushed around by me any more – however she’s as responsible and cheerful as ever mostly and still determined on being a kindergarten teacher. She gets lots of practice here as she is the oldest on the compound and there are lots of children Fiona’s age and younger. At home all three spend most of their time roaming around the compound on their bikes and in company with a friend who has a horse.

Letter from Judy to Grandma & Grandad 5 July 1976 –

The girls have exams at school which gives them plenty to keep their minds active. Helen was quite annoyed with us when we said we preferred her to be happy than to come first in her exams – she said we were unnatural parents and anyway she wouldn’t be happy if she didn’t do well. Juliet I’m glad to see takes a much more relaxed view of it all and is only anxious to do well enough to prevent disgrace ! I must end here and once again feed those ever-empty stomachs – Helen is a regular dustbin at the moment.

Letter from Graham to Diane & Sydney 16 Dec 1976 –

All the girls are growing up fast, as I realise when I see their younger friends. Fiona is crazy compared with the other two, but in a nice way. When I see even younger children I realise they are even more crazy. Fiona still gets by well enough considering the disadvantage of having two much older sisters who are inclined to be a bit bossy. They are not too good at seeing things from the point of view of a six year old sometimes. It’s lucky that Fiona has a lovely school to go to. At school she is one of the oldest in the class.

Letter from Judy to Nanny & Grandad 6 Jan 1977 –

We had our half-yearly measuring yesterday and found Juliet has grown two and a half inches since July – she is now barely an inch shorter than me – no wonder she’s grown out of all her clothes. Helen still shows signs of being the tallest – she is as tall now as Juliet was at one year older.

Letter from Judy to Grandma & Grandad 18 Jan 1977 –

You will see quite a change in Juliet when you see her in August – she is getting quite a young lady though I’m glad to say that she stays the same cheerful, responsible person as ever. In fact if she would wash her neck occasionally and refrain from throwing her clothes in a heap on the floor when she takes them off, I would be very pleased with her ! Helen is still growing her hair and it is now well below her waist. I am amazed as mine never grows much below my shoulders. Of course she wears it in plaits for everyday and puts it up in a bun for special occasions, which quite suits her sort of features.

Letter from Judy to Grandma & Grandad 2 Mar 1977 –

Helen received your card and letter in good time and we had bought her a magnificent set of felt-tip colour pens as your present which Fiona carefully wrapped and ornamented with a lilac ribbon and a card inscribed “Happy Birthday dear Helen with love from Granmar and Grandad” !! I’m afraid neither her spelling nor her writing are quite up to your standard but she tried.

Letter from Graham to Malcolm, Frances, Stephen & Jane 30 May 1977 –

Our girls certainly have grown fast, and Juliet is now as big as Judy so now they are sharing some of their clothes. Juliet has her hair short so we can easily tell who is who. She doesn’t go to school now – she is staying home to learn cooking and sewing and also she does some maths and other school-type work. This helps Judy of course and so far we have found things have worked out well; one of the best things is having breakfast in bed nearly every day. I like to wake up properly before getting out of bed and this arrangement is ideal.

Letter from Judy to Grandma & Grandad 9 June 1977 –

Helen is off to visit her best friend Pamela this weekend so is busy packing her suitcase – they still remain as devoted to each other as ever – it is a real case of attraction of opposites, you couldn’t get a more unlikely pair – Pamela is fair and plump, a couple of years older than Helen, and hopeless at anything athletic, but they are quite inseparable. The funny thing is that they always have a marvellous time in each other’s houses doing things they wouldn’t dream of doing in their own homes – Helen sits quietly and draws and attends the Catholic Church services with Pamela, and Pamela races around and scrambles up rocks and goes swimming when she comes to us. Fiona was funny today – she came staggering up the drive (all 75 yds of it) carrying a huge (for her) lump of rock – about 9″x9″x6″ of white crystalline rock. A friend had brought it to school as a present for her so she brought it home ! I don’t know what she’s going to do with it but she sat on it all the way home in the car – she said because there wasn’t room for it anywhere else and it wasn’t comfortable on her lap !

Letter from Juliet to Grandma & Grandad 30 June 1977 –

I have still got another 3 and 3/4 ” to grow before I catch up with Ian if I ever do ! We were all measured every 1st January and 1st July but we have done it a day early today. I have grown 3.5″ since this time last year ! Fiona is always chatting about how glad she is because she doesn’t have a teddy but she does have Snowy (do you remember him?). He goes everywhere with her when she’s at home. I still have Mary-Jane my big rag doll (indeed, I still do in 2020) but she is still in England in a case in the loft at our house. I also have Bunnykins (terrible name!) (I still have him too though he lost his trousers somewhere over the years!) . Helen and Fiona, of course, have many more dolls and toys, most of which will be sent home by sea.