PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23223, 22 June 1937, Page 16

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

The Otago High School Ex-girls’ Club held the June meeting in the lounge of the Otago Women's Club last evening. In the absence of the president (Miss F. Mi Allan), Miss Morton took the choir and welcomed the new members. She introduced the speaker for the evening, Mrs Kerr, who has just returned from an 18 months’ tour abroad, and who talked very interestingly about her travels in England, Germany, France, and Spain, at the end of which she was accorded a hearty vote of thanks on the proposal of Mrs W. B. Taverner.

About 400 New Zealanders—men and women—greatly enjoyed an afternoon reception arranged by the New Zealand Women’s Association in London. One of the largest rooms at Grosvenor House, Park lane, was allotted, so that people could move freely without crowding. The guests were received by Mrs J. M‘N. Christie (vice-president) and other members of the committee. Lady Bledisloe found many friends, as also did Lady Godley. New Zealanders present included Mrs Jordan, Mr and Mrs Waller Nash, Mr Eliot Davis, M.L.C., Lady Bankart, Sir A. and Lady Herdman, Sir James Parr, Mr and Mrs D. F. Reid, Mr and Mrs Robert Mill, Mr and Mrs Denny Brown, Mr and Mrs Dennehy and Mr J. A. Hanan. M.L.C., and Mrs Hanan.

The King is now considering bringing the pretty little miniature cottage that the people of Wales presented to Prinqess Elizabeth a few years ago from its present site in the grounds of Royal Lodge, Windsor, to Buckingham Palace, where there would be ample room for it in the gardens (says an exchange). This would provide an' ideal play place for the two princesses while their Majesties are in town, which is likely to be fairly constantly this year. Both their Royal Highnesses have a great affection for the cottage where they have passed many delightful hours in the past. It is also their favourite store place for many of their most treasured belongings. At the present time it is situated in the midst of’a pretty little rose garden, and it is hoped to provide something in similar style for it at the Palace.

Princess Margaret is already a very great garden lover, and delights in flowers of every description (says an exchange). Together with her sister, Princess Elizabeth, she has a small patch of garden both at Royal Lodge, Windsor, and Buckingham Palace. She puts in some really hard work clearing her gardens and generally tidying them up. To her great delight there were a few early snowdrops in her Royal Lodge plot, while in town crocuses and daffodils followed each other very rapidly indeed. Being so great a garden lover, it is not surpris-

ing that one of her favourite lessons is botany, and she is making remarkable strides here, being already able to identify scores of wild (lowers, plants, and grasses. Indeed, in the course of a year or two she bids fair to outstrip her elder sister in this direction. On her walks around Royal Lodge and in Windsor Great Park she loves seeking for new specimens for her “pressed” collection.