Handwritten 8 page letter to Ekaterina Erastovna Zborovskai͡a describing the life of the Imperial family while in exile at Tsarskoe Selo.

Rough English translation:

20 May 1917 T[sarskoe] S[elo]

My hearty and profuse thanks for your letter of May 5, Katia, my darling; we received it lately. It is so sad that it takes so long to get a letter. We are all well now. In the morning and after tea we have lessons, but at home. Papa, Mama, Olga and others, and also Iza and Nastenka [are present? give lessons?]. During the reading lessons we sit on the window[-sills], as these days wonderful weather has finally come here. Every day we work in the kitchen-garden during the daytime. We have already planted a lot; the total number of beds is sixty so far, but we are going to plant more. As now we do not have to work that much, we often just lie and warm ourselves in the sun. We have taken a lot of pictures, and we even processed the film ourselves; of course we were helped; it worked out pretty well. So we are busy the whole day doing something. – I wish I could see how you study together with Vladimir and Iurii! – How are you all doing? I am always so happy when you write [to me], and I keep waiting for [your letters]. My Jim is in good health; he is very nice and always goes for walks with us; he makes an awful racket. I am so sorry for your Bul [dog]. I have not forgotten about the pictures, and I will send them to you as soon as I get them. Do you remember how nice it was that summer, when we met with you in the hospital and so on. Where is Marusia M[…] now. You wrote that you had plenty of roses there; they must look awfully wonderful! How is your Mom doing? Kiss her. What else are you doing? Have you received any letters through Iuzik? Vera and her sisters write us pretty often. [People] from the hospital also [write us]. Unfortunately it will be closed soon, and everybody will go away, to my great sorrow. Elena Nikolaevna went away long ago, but we have not heard from her; so we do not know what she is doing. We have just came back from a walk; it is wonderfully warm [outside]. We were sitting and lying on the grass while the sun warmed us. We somehow did not do much work, but rather [spent time] rocking in the hammocks. We had a lot of fun when Alex[ei]’s tutor started rocking so fast that the hammock cold not take any more, and he fell down through it. Generally many funny things happen; I wish I could tell you a lot!… We are thinking of everybody a lot; now while I am writing this letter, my sisters are sitting next to me in the room and are drinking tea, and Maria is sitting on a window[-sill] and writing letters; they all talk a lot, and make writing difficult. They kiss you many times. Are you still roller-skating? Do you feel cozy living with your Mom? In a new place? I am sending you a sprig of lilac from our garden; let it remind you of northern spring that is much worse than yours.

Well, Katia, sweetheart, I have to finish it is time to get dressed.

Huge regards to everybody from us! May the Lord be with you. I kiss you as deeply as I love you. Your A[nastasiia]

Some soldiers are riding by, and I am thinking of the last year. – My brother has just entered, and I could not recognize him at once, because he has had his hair shaven. He sends his kind regards to you.