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Document 880

Correspondence from Canada: Letter 32 - 16.02.82

Author(s): 852

Copyright holder(s): Name withheld

Text

Eng. Dept.
16 Feb.

Dear Mum & Dad,

Sorry to be a bit later in writing again, but as usual I've had a busy weekend. Having classes on both Mondays and Tuesdays tends to pile things up. However, as this week's free gift I enclose some more pictures I've had duplicated and developed: one of me doing my famous "Rocky III" impersonation on the famous Philly Art Museum steps, and the other of me doing my famous Polaris missile impersonation (or Michelin man?) about to launch myself out of the snows of Fredericton in January. You can see how deep the snowdrifts are - I'm actually standing on the sidewalk with the road over one bank to the right, and folks' gardens over another bank to the left. The little thing you just see attached to my zip is the personal thermometer the [CENSORED: surname] gave me.

Last week I had some free time from assignments to start on my first term paper, and I finished the first draft of that this weekend, so I'm well on schedule for Carole arriving. I've received a letter and postcard from Berlin, where she was visiting. She's by now been into East Berlin, but on the long bus journey from Tübingen, they passed through E. Germany and she wrote that it was desolate. Part of the autobahn can be cut off and used as an airport runway, and tank depots line the road. Cheap, off-white, plastic cars that the people use keep breaking down and are abandoned by the side of the road. The trip's sponsored by the DAAD and apparently the students are being treated like dignitaries. She'll be skiing in Switzerland now and is hoping to go to Paris in March before coming home. Stranded here in the wilderness, you begin to realise how close everything in Europe is to everything else!

I've found a place for Carole to stay when she's here - Hugh, one of the guys in the Maggie with a single room, is going home to New Zealand for a month in March-April, so he says she's welcome to use his room. So that will be ideal.

Thank Alison for checking with the Records Office for me, please. I got a "Progress-so-far-on-your-application" letter from the AUC last night and they've received the Glasgow Uni. transcript - and I know the last few bits and pieces from UNB have been sent off. So all there is to do now is sit tight and cross my fingers...

I had another, very quick, bash at skating last week, up at the Aitken Centre where the Curling championships will be held. I was only on the ice for about 20 mins - because I was late in arriving - hardly enough time to get my balance on the borrowed skates. Ah well, I might go again.

I went on Friday evening to see "The War Games" at the Film Soc. I'd seen it before in my first year in Glasgow but this 1966 banned BBC "documentary" about the effects of nuclear war in England was even more harrowing the second time. It's a disturbing film.

I'm afraid I don't have your most recent letters by me just now, so I can't answer any questions that might be in them. I'm fine and healthy and happy - I only wish occasionally that this blasted snow would melt. A novelty's a novelty but after 2 months of the stuff .... with 2 more months of the stuff to go!!

Ah well, take care of yourselves and don't be working too hard.

Love,
[CENSORED: forename]

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APA Style:

Correspondence from Canada: Letter 32 - 16.02.82. 2024. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 19 March 2024, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=880.

MLA Style:

"Correspondence from Canada: Letter 32 - 16.02.82." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2024. Web. 19 March 2024. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=880.

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The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. 2024. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk.

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Information about Document 880

Correspondence from Canada: Letter 32 - 16.02.82

Text

Text audience

Adults (18+)
Audience size 3-5
Writer knew intended audience

Text details

Method of composition Handwritten
Year of composition 1982
Word count 618

Text medium

Other airmail

Text publication details

Part of a longer series of texts
Name of series Correspondence from Canada

Text setting

Private/personal

Text type

Correspondence/letters

Author

Author details

Author id 852
Gender Male
Decade of birth 1950
Educational attainment University
Age left school 17
Upbringing/religious beliefs Protestantism
Occupation University Lecturer
Place of birth Ayr
Region of birth S Ayr
Birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Bridge of Weir
Region of residence Renfrew
Residence CSD dialect area Renfr
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Insurance Broker
Father's place of birth Auchinleck
Father's region of birth S Ayr
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Dental Receptionist
Mother's place of birth Ayr
Mother's region of birth S Ayr
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes In most everyday situations
Portuguese Yes No No Yes When trying to communicate with my in-laws
Scots Yes Yes Yes Yes In domestic/activist circles; reading literature

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