5 THOUGHTS OF SCOTLAND October 1944We had only been given our house back in Lincoln two years before. While we were away in Scotland, before Dad went overseas, a serviceman and his family had occupied it. They had broken the grandfather clock and stained the wallpaper, so there was a lot to do to get it back into shipshape. Mum had bought a barrel of whitewash and set about painting and sterilising the wash-house and outside lavatory. Then she got a couple of rolls of wallpaper, beige Lincruster with a geometric frieze that had extra motifs for the corners, and papered the lounge. Working together, it took us the best part of two days rolling out the paper and cutting off the edging. With our newly polished piano, the tiled fireplace, and the freshly brushed, matching velveteen suite, no

