Highden,
Sun. 23rd Nov. ’69.

Dear Mum & Dad,

Congratulations for your 30th Wedding Anniversary on Friday. At least I think it was the 30th, & I think it was last Friday!

Also, I got Penny’s Birthday muddled with Debbie’s in my last letter!

Well, the good weather has finished. It started to rain yesterday morning, & it rained heavily all day. I think it rained during the night too, but it seems to be clearing up now. The funniest things about it was that Bro. Joachim had just cut his hay!!

We had hay making on Friday but we didn’t get much done because the baler wasn’t working properly. The rest is now sitting out in the rain, but I don’t think it is ruined. This is the earliest they’ve cut the hay, & they were cutting every little nook & cranny in case it didn’t rain & no more hay grew in the other paddocks.

On Wednesday afternoon we went to Paorangi College for a game of cricket. I got one run before I was caught out (This is about the average!!) On the whole we got 77 runs all out (which is about 50 more than we were expecting to get) & they got 109 runs not all out. But everyone enjoyed the afternoon – it was just a social game - & we went for a swim afterwards.

Fr. Delaney was saying that Peter Walls has been nominated for a Rhodes Scholarship. His biggest draw back is he’s not very good at sport, but he has taken up golf.

Did many turn up for the Rosary Statue?

The roses are beginning to flower quite well now.

Yesterday I planted 66 cauliflower plants while it was pouring with rain, so I’ve got a cold now – But it is not very bad.

Fr. Mulchahy (the acting-Provincial) didn’t stay long enough for me to see him so I couldn’t ask him about the Finance Company. Fr. Bennett is also very busy (he has to write about 20 sermons to give in a week’s time) but I will be seeing him about it next week.

About this Share Transfer form… I hope there’s no hurry because I’ll post it next week after seeing Fr. Bennett. Am I actually buying it? Because I’m not sure – I think that there could be a chance that because I’m in Novitiate any business act is by that fact invalid. I know that such is the case for giving anything away. If such is the case for buying anything during Novitiate, & me not having any $50.00 in the bank anyway, it might be treated as a gift, in which case, there would be a chance of being allowed to sign the Share Transfer Form. (I don’t want to sign anything yet in case it’s a case of ending up in court with the Church saying it’s an invalid signature & a valid Novitiate, & the State saying it’s a valid signature & you can do what you like with the Novitiate. Mind you, I don’t think it would ever become that serious, but it’s good to find out what’s in the mud before you jump in it!) Any business act after Profession without permission is invalid too.

On Friday we begin Holiday Rule (with emphasis on the word Rule!!) This means that from now till Christmas we can just about do what we like every afternoon.

Fr. Bennett will be going away in a week’s time to preach the priests’ retreats, & Fr. O’Connor will be going away some time before that to make a Private retreat.

Well, I can’t think of anymore news.

Love from
Bruce




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