24.4.19
Dear May,
Have just landed here after being up North for nearly a fortnight & don’t feel much like going back to camp tomorrow. I wrote for a weeks extension of leave but so far have had no reply, but expect to get it in the morning & will spend it at Bournemouth. Scotland is too big a proposition for two or three days, in fact I could have spent a month there easily. I am very glad I went up there as I wouldn’t have felt satisfied if I had gone home without seeing it. I think there is a song about every place we visited from the Bonny Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond to
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The Bonny Banks of Clyde, & frae Kelvin Grove till Within a Mile of Edinburgh toon. I even met one of the Flowers of Dunblane but it wasn’t young Jessie, I am afraid she would be past her best. Unfortunately I missed the trip to Loch Katrine & the Trossachs but could see that part of the country in the distance from Stirling castle. It is said to be the finest view in Scotland. On Easter Monday we got up a little private picnic party to Loch Lomond & had a great old day, but the crowds were something awful. That is the only day the shops close & as it was a perfect day everyone seemed to be out. Of course there are a long way more people in Glasgow than in N.Z. & the Loch seems to be the chief picnic place, so you can perhaps imagine what it was like. Balloch Park is at the foot of the lake & that is as far as most of them get.
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I thought that day we spent at B’ham last Aug. was the limit but it was only a handful compared with this. The roads were packed tight with people for miles & there were queues about 6 wide & a hundred yds long at all the teashops etc. Those who took no lunch had to spend the day in a queue or go without – we did the later – a good many did both. There were very few trains on & they were packed so we took the cars & even then we had a terrible job to get on. One old chap told us he walked 3 miles up the road to meet a car coming back so that he could get a seat. He rode right back to the terminus & fwd to the Lake again. He told us all this as we were going up, then when we arrived there & when he saw the crowds he said it was nae guid & reckoned if he got off the car
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he’d never get another seat so he amused us all by keeping his “guid seat” & going straight back home. It is about 25 miles each way so he’d wish he had a cushion before he got home. Anyhow in spite of these little inconveniences we had a real good day. On the Tuesday I joined a party going down the Firth of Clyde to Gournock & Dunoon & had another big day to finish with. It was a combined affair – train, boat & shanks’ pony – & I can tell you I was gloriously tired when I got back. I am sending another batch of p.c’s today, also a guide book of Stg. I think this will be the last. On Wed. morning I came down to Porthill & intended coming on to London that night but they persuaded me to stay till today. They are all a good deal better. Connie is back at work & Elsie is getting about again but I don’t think she will be at work till Mon. Their father is still pretty bad & I don’t think he will be quite right until the warm weather comes. He is looking very shakey on it.
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Elsie has recd your photos alright. I’m not shook on the one without the hat. Hope it’s not like you. Have taken a few snaps in Scotland but don’t know if I’ll have time to get p’ts done here. Will see what is doing when I get back to camp. Don’t know anything fresh about boats but if there is nothing in sight I am going to chase a bit more leave, you know 3 1/2 years takes a lot of making up for. There is some such thing as Educational leave to be had & I might give it a go for a month. The fine
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weather is just coming on now & although I am longing to get on the boat I am rather dreading another winter so soon, so that if I get the chance I think my best plan would be to take what leave I can get here. There are lots of places that I should very much like to see yet & it seems a pity to miss the chance for the sake a week or two, & all the time the N.Z. summer is coming closer. Any how I’ll see when I get back to camp but I’m afraid I won’t get much option in the matter.
Hooray just now
Love to all
Len
