Scope and Content
"As I am leaving for Italy a week on Monday, I am now busy getting my Christmas mail off, and I am thankful I have got a typewriter to do it with. I expect to arrive in Naples on December 15th. and I shall try to send off some Christmas cards at once in the hope they will reach their destinations for Christmas. At the moment, it is doubtful whether I shall be in Naples, on the Isle of Capri, or at Amalfi on Christmas Day: I think I told you about my Italian artist friend Giovanni Tessitore who is giving an exhibition of his work in Naples now. He lives on Capri, and I have to communicate with him immediately on my arrival in Naples. I also have another acquaintance living in Naples ... Harold Acton, a contemporary of mine at Oxford. He wrote a splendid book two or three years ago, which I have here, "The Bourbons of Naples", which was very highly praised. The last time I saw him was at the New College dinner held annually at the Savoy about three ago. Eventually I shall get down to Sicily, which I intend to explore with the help of the Blue Guide.
I expect to be back here sometime early in March, so it will be another belated birthday card for you to get! I shall not be home long, as I am booked to go to France for Easter and shall be away about a month. (I have just heard over the radio the news of the terrible disaster at Frejus, and I am wondering if anyone I know is in it. The marvel is that I am not there, as I have a habit of being around when catastrophes happen! I am wondering if Vesuvius will decide to erupt in my honour! They seem to be having terrific storms on the Riviera.)
I have been having quite a run of visitors lately, both weekend and mid-week, and I was in London for a few days last month. I got in a visit to the ballet, and "One More River" which I see is coming off, and "Five Finger Exercise". In between times here I have been tackling the ivy on all the trees in the district. Like Queen Mary, I hate seeing ivy strangling the trees, and I am my own ivy squad. Like you, I bought the book, and enjoyed reading it very much. I did all the trees in the copse belonging to the castle: then I went to see the Reverend Mother of the Convent and offered my services, for which she was very pleased. The gardening Sister does what she can with the help of the two gardeners, but they have been busy clearing a wood at the back of Holland House, cutting down the undergrowth, stripping the trees of ivy. She has only one arm, and it is incredible what she manages to do with the other. However, I was concerned with the trees bordering the road (opposite the golf course) and I am devoting my attention to them when I can. There are quite a number of laburnun with the ivy half way up them, and I feel if I can arrest the growth, the poor trees will be saved. No one seems to worry about the trees in the avenues on the roads, but I shall go for them eventually.
Adam Stavert came for a weekend from Sandhurst a few weeks ago. It was perfect weather, and we went down to the smugglers' caves from which you had to emerge backwards if I remember rightly! Actually, I do the same! I had to do some more recordings in the afternoon, while the sun shone brilliantly outside: so now it seems I am playing to Sandhurst! I had, by the way, the best compliment I have ever been paid on the BALTIKA returning from Russia. There was a nice Steinway piano in the lounge which I was persuaded to play occasionally: whenever I did, a charming woman always came and sat alongside, and eventually she asked me "Will you be playing in London this season?" "Good heavens" I said, "I'm only an amateur!"
I am sending you the Seal book, which I found very interesting. I wonder how much of it is really true. I have been reading books on Sicily whenever I could fit in the time. I see the Duke of Bedford is now going to follow the Argyll example and appear in the Divorce Courts. The Russells seem to have matrimonial difficulties in every generation.
My young relative Anne is taking my car again while I am away. She had it while I was in Scotland and Russia, and returned it at Half-term a few weeks ago, when she and her friend the art mistress drove down. It is better for someone to be using it and keeping it serviced than standing in the garage here with the batteries runnning down, and Anne is very glad to have it. She is taking a party of girls from the school to winter sports in Norway after Christmas.
I expect you are longing for a break when the school closes.
Yours sincerely,"