I went to the Technical College for cookery lessons, but I didn�t find them particularly useful as all the other young women on the course expected to live at the Cape and therefore the biggest demand was for ways to cook fish. We learned to cook on electric, gas and Aga stoves - but who wanted to learn to cook on a wood stove?! (I doubt if I�d ever really taken in the fact that that is what I would be doing.)

I also did an upholstery course, during which I made a pouffe, covered in heavy peacock green linen and very firmly stuffed, but that again was not a particularly useful skill for my future needs. The St Johns First Aid course was, however, of great later use, and I always wished I�d done the Home Nursing course as well. It was difficult, living in Cape Town, to visualise the very primitive conditions to which I was going to live in Melsetter, and to realise how many as yet unknown skills I was going to have to acquire.

For some months I went daily to the Martin Meick House in Strand Street where Mrs Schirmer catered for lunchtime guests, and I helped her with the meals and learned a lot from her about catering, and preparing and cooking food.

Dad often picked mushrooms when he walked on Signal Hill, and we all enjoyed eating them. One night I was dreadfully sick, and after I had vomited seven times I wakened Mother. She in due course sent for Dr Douglas and he was also concerned at my having apparently been poisoned. We worked back on everything I�d eaten that day, and could only surmise that one breakfast mushroom must have been the cause, although we�d all eaten some.

He gave me castor oil in large capsules, which I swallowed - and then immediately they all popped out again as I vomited. I felt very weak, but couldn�t help laughing with Mother at this ridiculous sight. It was a horrible experience, but I got over it and bounced up again.

I made myself some new clothes, including two Tobralco cotton frocks for �farm wear�, and spent much time whipping lace tops onto nighties and petticoats.