"Plan for 'woman book'" Read the full letter
Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box5/Fold3/1914/33 |
Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
Epistolary Type | Letter |
Letter Date | 10 June 1914 |
Address From | Bad Nauheim, Germany |
Address To | |
Who To | Frances (‘Fan’) Schreiner nee Reitz |
Other Versions | |
Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
Legend |
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections.
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1Bad Nauheim
2June 10th 1914
3
4Dear old sister
5
6I think of you so much here. I wish you had been able to come with
7Will. I’m so sure you would have liked this place. It’s so
8peaceful & lovely; big trees every where; the place is really in a
9wood. And its so restful one seems able just to sit still, & rest, &
10be happy! I think Will looks much better already. I have only had a
11couple of baths but they seem wonderful. Will has been to his bath
12this morning & is lying resting in his room. When you come back from
13the bath you must always lie still for a couple of hours. To-day is my
14rest-day when I am not allowed to have a bath at all but must just
15rest The doctor lets Will play golf, but I am not to walk at all one
16step more than I can help, they say. I go at 7 every morning however
17to drink the water fresh out of the ground – its very nasty but
18I’m sure does good – Will doesnt have to drink it as his kidneys
19are all right, but he has a man who comes to massage him every morning.
20 The beautiful woods are just before the door here, & I go & sit on
21the benches under the trees & wander about a little gently & feel so
22peaceful & happy The effect of the baths is to give one this pleasant
23restful feeling. If it would only stop when the baths leave off
24wouldn’t it be fine!! Any-how it must do one good.
25
26I hope all goes well with you three. I am longing for Ursula & Oliver
27to come. I hope they won’t find it dull. There are beautiful go
28tennis courts a minutes walk from the door, & a nice golf course to
29which Will drives every day, & walks back through the beautiful park.
30Then there is music if you go up to the Kur-house, twice a day the
31band plays, that is pretty nearly all there is to do. Last night Will
32got his first game of Bridge. Not many people play but he found three
33people to make up a table last night.
34
35Now it is lunch time. There are very strict rules which I am following
36^as to food^ & so is Will – no beef or mutton, no white bread (only a
37small bit of brown with each meal) no potatoes on any account, no
38butter no cheese no sweets, but one can eat fish or chicken, & as much
39green vegetables & stewed fruit & fruit of all kinds as one likes –
40but not bananas. I was weighted the first day I came & weighed 130 lbs
41want to see how much the baths will reduce me. I’d like to get down
42to 105 as I was when I married I have already lost 22 lbs since I left
43Africa
44
45^This is a stupid letter dear all about baths & weighs^
46
47Good bye dear. Love to Bill & Dot.
48Olive
2June 10th 1914
3
4Dear old sister
5
6I think of you so much here. I wish you had been able to come with
7Will. I’m so sure you would have liked this place. It’s so
8peaceful & lovely; big trees every where; the place is really in a
9wood. And its so restful one seems able just to sit still, & rest, &
10be happy! I think Will looks much better already. I have only had a
11couple of baths but they seem wonderful. Will has been to his bath
12this morning & is lying resting in his room. When you come back from
13the bath you must always lie still for a couple of hours. To-day is my
14rest-day when I am not allowed to have a bath at all but must just
15rest The doctor lets Will play golf, but I am not to walk at all one
16step more than I can help, they say. I go at 7 every morning however
17to drink the water fresh out of the ground – its very nasty but
18I’m sure does good – Will doesnt have to drink it as his kidneys
19are all right, but he has a man who comes to massage him every morning.
20 The beautiful woods are just before the door here, & I go & sit on
21the benches under the trees & wander about a little gently & feel so
22peaceful & happy The effect of the baths is to give one this pleasant
23restful feeling. If it would only stop when the baths leave off
24wouldn’t it be fine!! Any-how it must do one good.
25
26I hope all goes well with you three. I am longing for Ursula & Oliver
27to come. I hope they won’t find it dull. There are beautiful go
28tennis courts a minutes walk from the door, & a nice golf course to
29which Will drives every day, & walks back through the beautiful park.
30Then there is music if you go up to the Kur-house, twice a day the
31band plays, that is pretty nearly all there is to do. Last night Will
32got his first game of Bridge. Not many people play but he found three
33people to make up a table last night.
34
35Now it is lunch time. There are very strict rules which I am following
36^as to food^ & so is Will – no beef or mutton, no white bread (only a
37small bit of brown with each meal) no potatoes on any account, no
38butter no cheese no sweets, but one can eat fish or chicken, & as much
39green vegetables & stewed fruit & fruit of all kinds as one likes –
40but not bananas. I was weighted the first day I came & weighed 130 lbs
41want to see how much the baths will reduce me. I’d like to get down
42to 105 as I was when I married I have already lost 22 lbs since I left
43Africa
44
45^This is a stupid letter dear all about baths & weighs^
46
47Good bye dear. Love to Bill & Dot.
48Olive