1st December, 1982

Dearest Rita and Len,

Seasonal greetings and a happy New Year to you all!

It must be two years since I last heard from you and I do hope there is a letter on the way with news and perhaps even a photo of your little grandson. I often think of you and wonder if there is a chance of you coming over on another visit.

Our most important news is that we have joined the Club and are proud grandparents of two months standing. Ruthie had a bouncing boy, Michael Alastair, who seems to be in a great hurry to grow and take note of the world around him. We see him as often as we can and watch his progress with immense pleasure. Ruthie is coping very well and has maternity leave until April. Leslie can’t get back quickly enough after work and loves looking after his son. They don’t want to stay on in their flat for much longer and would like to buy a house as soon as possible. So far they have been unsuccessful in finding the type of house they like near enough to London, but one must have patience and persevere.

We are in for a busy Christmas: David and Noga are coming over from New York where David is working, though he has kept the house he rented in Israel, as he does not know how long he will be staying in the States. I don’t think he loves New York. In fact, I am looking forward to hearing all about it, as he is very entertaining and gives a good account of his experiences. Daniel has been working in Madrid these last nine months as part of his articles and simply loves it there. He is fluent in Spanish and has become a keen bullfighting fan and is also in the middle of writing a novel. But all good things come to an end and he is expected back in the firm’s offices in the New Year and has prospects of working in Holland later on. He is due to arrive on 23rd December. We saw him for a few days when he came over to see his nephew. Simon is working for Haymarket Press in the advertising business and hopes to leave there fairly soon in order to start some business of his own. But these are early days and he is studying the market. Jonathan is at Cardiff University on a post-graduate course in Journalism Studies. It is a very prestigious course and there were 600 applicants for 30 places. He has to work incredibly hard and is acquiring a tough hide because this is the only way to stand up to constant criticism. He should be home by mid-December. So you see they are coming from all parts and we all look forward to being together and exchanging news and views.

Nick and I are thinking of going to Israel early next year to look after our affairs and then, by about mid-May, we hope to go to a College reunion in Bulgaria. Simon and Jonathan spent part of their summer vacation in Bulgaria and met Nick’s old friends and had a marvellous time. Jonathan then went on to Turkey (for the second time) and he finds it so fascinating there that he is planning to go even further into the interior next year.

We would so much like to hear what you are up to. Are you still working for diabetic children? And what are your sons doing? We have seen films of the drought in parts of Australia and it must be dreadful to see everything turn to dust. Our friends, the Sullivans, were here on a visit during the summer. I think I mentioned them to you before. Jane is a journalist and travels all over Australia and last year was invited with other Australian journalists to visit China, on which she reported in great detail. They have invited us to see the great country (Australia) but I don’t think somehow that we will go that far.

Well, this is our news. We send you much love and good wishes and look forward to hearing from you.

Lore and Nico.