Scope and Content
"Many thanks for your letter, and enclosures, with news of happenings in Ampthill. As it seems possible to get the Daily Telegraph anywhere in Europe now (a day late), I saw the announcement of Aunt Eva's death, and also Miss George's. The parish magazines (from Valder) were awaiting me on my return, and I read about the departure of Mr.Cooper, and I saw somewhere that a new man had been appointed. I also had news that the old Rectory was to be sold by auction; I shall be interested to know who buys it. I always found it a most difficult house to run, especially in the winter; and in my time it was lit with gas. It was delightful in the summer, but then one had that enormous garden to see to, and it took up far too much of one's time. I gather the new Rectory is being built on that old tennis court just behind Rectory Cottage. I think it is a pity Steppingley was not attached to Flitwick. Three parishes is too much for any man.
The large wooden armchair in the Rectory Hall was given to me by Mrs.Farrington Downes when she left Dunstable St. It was too heavy to take to Richmond, especially as the house there had to take both my furniture and also that of S.Joseph's. The place was packed tight, and eventually I had to get rid of some of mine.
I had a very happy time in France and Bavaria. In France I visited my relations in Normandy at a large farm at S.Pierre-sur-l'Orne, not far from Mont St.Michel. Then I spent some time in Paris with my Russian friend, and eventually arrived at Menton to stay with my cousins, and visit many old friends. At the end of May I left with my friend Henri Lafaury, who lives at Antibes, in his Mercedes Benz for Munich. I think I told you my plan was to visit all the castles built by the so-called Mad King Ludwig the Second of Bavaria, a character who has always interested me. We did some of the castles from Munich, and then eventually drove down into the mountains that divide Austria from Bavaria, to Hohenschwangau, where the most fantastic of the castles, Neuschwanstein, is. We like Hohenschwangau so much, and the hotel was excellent in every way, that we stayed on and on for 14 days, bathing in the lake, and enjoying wonderful walks in the woods on the mountain sides. Since returning home, I have had a string of visitors, and next week, on August 2nd., Sydney Crouch and I leave in his car for Scotland, staying a night with the Waddingtons in Yorkshire en route. I shall be returning there early in September to spend a few days before coming home once more. Then I have to get down to inoculations in readiness for my Far Eastern trip. I have to produce International Certificates for smallpox, cholera, typhoid, paratyphoid and yellow fever. My doctor tells me he can do the cholera, typhoid and paratyphoid in one injection, but I have to go to the Tropical Diseases Hospital in London for the yellow fever one. I am wondering if I told you about this Far Eastern trip. I am going with my friend George Petrie (retired Naval Commander), and the ship is an Italian one (10,000 tons), carrying cargo and 20 passengers, a new ship with every modern convenience, and sails from Trieste towards the end of October. We put in at Aden (where Adam Stavert is ADC to the Governor) for a day or two, then to Bombay, Madras, Singapore (where Kenneth Timbrell is OC, Dragoon Guards, and whom I hope to meet), Bangkok, Borneo, Hong Kong and three ports in Japan. In Japan, I hope to see Bishop Yashiro, who came to S.John the Divine Kennington for a year back in the 20's after Oxford. I have never seen him since. We may transfer to another ship in Japan and cross to the USA, to avoid returning by the same route; so if we do that, I shall have encircled the world by the time I reach home in March!
Yes, I know the house NALDERA on the N.Foreland, and I have heard the story about the German spy. I believe I drove you past it on a very wet day, but it is right off the main road; you would not see it unless you went on to the N.Foreland itself. I have, by the way, sold my car. There seems no point in having one standing in the garage here when I am away so much. Sydney Crouch is very pleased with his flat next door. It has a nice garden looking out towards the sea, and his sittingroom on this side gets all the morning sun. There are changes in the Castle occasionally. Edward Heath, the Lord Privy Seal, bought a flat recently, but he is very rarely here. The Common Market business keeps him abroad.
My neighbours here tell me it has been a disappointing summer on the whole ... a couple of fine days occasionally, but a great deal of cloud, and wind. Today we have thundery rain, but the rain is definitely needed. The lawns are yellowish. I do hope the weather will be fine in Scotland this year. Last August was the worst I remember up there - it seemed to rain every day - the lawns were sodden, and tennis and croquet were impossible.
Yours sincerely,"