White Hart Hotel, New Plymouth
Thursday June 14th 1906
My dear Mother
I see the Suez mail goes from here very early tomorrow morning so I must write to you this afternoon. This evening we are going to dine with Lewie & Francie to celebrate their wedding day. I don’t suppose we shall get back much before 10 p.m. This morning I have been up at Francie’s I promised to go one morning & do some darning for her. I took the ‘bus there & had a good time there sitting in the kitchen with a pile of stockings while Francie was busy cooking. I walked back here to lunch & found a delightful budget of letters awaiting me, the Frisco mail which I was not expecting till next week came with Father's letter via Italy of May 2nd, all I suppose by the Italy mail. Just in time you see for me to answer by this mail. You seem to have been quite gay during the weeks of the Stratford plays. I had quite a cheerful letter from Jack among my budget today, he talks of being very busy still at his office, so it was a good thing he got a nice little holiday at Easter. I wonder whether he will take a trip some where in the summer holidays. I suppose Arthur is on the eve of his exam now. I do hope he will get through it well. Auntie Lottie had a letter from Aunt Lizzie today telling of Uncle George’s attack, it seems to have been most serious at the time but I am very glad he is making such a good recovery. Uncle Dilnot will be very pleased at learning from him Father says in his letter he had written.
I see by the papers that Mr Seddon is to be buried at Wellington probably next Monday or Tuesday, we want to go back to Petone on Monday from Marton but if trains will be very crowded perhaps we shall have to wait in Marton another day or two. One can put up with crowded trains occasionally at home but here where the journeys take so long it is a different matter. I hope if we go to Westport we shall not have a rough passage, I believe that bit of sea can be very rough at times, but we should not start in a gale. We have been very fortunate in our weather here on the whole, it is a very wet place generally but we have had only two really wet days.
Please thank Ethel & Juliet for their letters which I must answer before long. Juliet as she says had not written to me for quite a long time. Fancy dear old Box being as tall as I am! That means he will be patting me on the head when I get home! I am glad he lost his cold before the end of the holidays & hope he will keep in good form for his exam this month. So Miss Byrch is actually married. The Byrches are I suppose leaving Amberley this month, but when we last heard not long ago they had not decided upon another station. I expect they will stay in Christchurch until Mr Byrch decides upon something.
In two months’ time we shall be close on starting for Sydney, time goes very quickly considering how much we have been moving about? I am beginning to look forward very much to long talks with you all. Much love to you all.
Your loving daughter
May E Sladden
