Waikanae 27 June 1850 My dear Susan I just send you a few lines and I am afraid Mrs Durie will come in to the room and quiz me dreadfully about writing to fair young ladies! I told her that the collar would have been sent by me were it not in the hands of a young lady whose procrastination in performing the most trifling duties was so very great that she could only be relied on at very distant intervals. I dare not say how many months at times. I was very drowsy riding along yesterday in fact I am so frequently out late when at Wellington that I feel quite mystified and only recover my intellect clearly when I breathe the country air and enjoy the relaxation and ease it affords. You would be delighted with a visit to the Durie's. They are exceedingly cheerful & hospitable. There are not certainly many beauties of scenery yet there is something about the place you cannot help admiring. Hoki poki is not arrived yet. He is not possessed of the second sight like myself altho you suspected he was from his being so sharp in some things. Very sincerely yours Donald McLean