Badsey
Evesham
May 28/97
My Dear Kathleen,
I have told Mother she is not to trouble to write to any of you this week so Ethel is assisting me on the correspondence with the absentees. We are such a little party now, on Tuesday Ethel & Cyril came by rail to Alcester and I drove them back via Cleeve & Littleton, to-day Cyril has been to spend the afternoon at the brewery, I hear at 4 o’clock (allowance time) he partook of beer with the men! I heard from Mother this morning, Jack met her in London and saw her off from Victoria, she had rather a rough passage, and was rather sea sick for a time, however she seems to have managed the journey pretty well, this evening I suppose she is at Bourg, I daresay she will reach Byfleet early next week. We are beginning to think about the Jubilee in Badsey, it is proposed to feed all the adults (i.e. over 16) with a dinner and the rest with a tea later in the day and to provide some amusements for the afternoon and perhaps a few fireworks at dusk, however we must see what money comes in. I rode my bike to mashing this morning and back to breakfast only dismounted at horse-bridge hill and Bridge St going up and for about a hundred yards near the Elm returning of course I wobble a bit yet at times and find it rather an exertion especially up hill, however I shall no doubt soon get more used to it, am going up again to-morrow early and shall have another turn, at present it takes me just over 20 minutes each way. Your letters arrived Monday afternoon in time for Mother to see. I think you certainly bossed the lot in your school examinations they ought to count those marks in the prize competition. Jack spent last Sunday at Richmond and is to go boating there next Saturday. Georgie had made 4 & 7 in a cricket game on Saturday rather to his satisfaction. Ethel is quite the little housewife and manages capitally.
Love to you both
your affectionate Father
Julius Sladden