Gulahek

Friday 17

Beloved little Mo. It is to be noted that you have not written to me since I left England which is long ago, however I will be forgiving and write you a letter which you will please to answer. You would like this place – we live practically out of doors: Auntie Mary’s bedroom is a tent on the roof, Florence’s room and main open onto a deep sort of passage-balcony which looks into the garden, we lunch in an enormous tent opposite the house and sit in it most of the day when it is not too hot. A dear spaniel puppy sits with us too, and occasionally annoys us very much by treating our feet like bones and biting pieces out of our stockings. When she becomes too teazing [sic] we dip her into the tank in the middle of the tent and she replies by drying herself in our petticoats. Florence’s kitten runs about all day and a big eagle owl sits chained on a log outside. So you can see we have heaps of animals.

We ride a great deal. The horses here are very clever about going up mountains, so sure-footed that we can take them up the stoniest places with perfect safety. I’m bound to say Gerald brought one down the other day and cut his knees, but we were coming home in the dark down a very stony road where anyone might be forgiven for stumbling. There is a big tank in the garden where I sometimes swim: it surprises the servants a good deal to see me come rushing back into the house all dripping under my big cloak which I put on for decency’s sake! The water is very cold, it comes straight from [?] mountains. 

It has only rained twice since we came and then only for a few minutes. In Tehran there were sometimes dust storms which are much worse than any rain. We were out riding in one – suddenly as we rose we were enveloped in such a thick cloud of dust that we could not see five yards in front of it. A raging wind carries it along, so fast, fortunately that it very soon passed us. It was most disagreeable. 

Tell me how the garden is looking – I suppose you will be at home by the time this reaches England – and how all the animals are.

Ever your very affectionate sister

Gertrude