Dear Michael - December 1967

Many thanks for the good effort; i.e. the letters received by us all this week, quite a late night for you doing the artistic work. I liked the cartoon on one of them. I always did enjoy your comic strips more than your ornamental pagodas and monstrosities but as you say they mean something to you so I guess that's all that counts. Pleased to hear you will be home for Christmas, it will soon be here; the dogs will be fixing you when you come in as if they could, they are as silly as ever, Mandy standing about with her head in Mum's shopping bag, they have been barred from the new suite and are doing very well at the new routine; one of the old easy chairs is behind the door where the piano was, they take it in turns to sleep in that. The piano took me about a week to break up, how they do it in four minutes is a mystery to me. The iron frame is at the bottom of the garden, it weighs about two cwt. and is shaped like a big harp, if you had have been here it would probably been hanging on your bedroom wall. Have you seen anything of Margaret from Leeds or are women missing from your projects. Everybody appears to be round the twist at the art school lets hope your working away in the corner is worth your while at the end of your time, if I were you I would make someone pay for all the years you have been having a lean time. Hope you got your gloves etc. O.K. and that Jaffa Cakes were't too crushed up. Mum likes to hear from you and know that you are alright. I am sure someone will be writing to you once a week because you are in our thoughts. Funny lot we may be but we are all Leighs and soft at heart. I am still cycling away, not looking forward to the coming months though but it gives me an appetite and I can't travel in car and buses so it's a necassary evil, too many years in a P.O.W. camp, it effects us all someway but you don't get the army pension for it. Give my regards to your fellow "sufferers" and not too many late nights and "GET YOUR HAIR CUT!" Cheerio for now. Dad Please excuse 'orrible pen.