A TOUR ABROAD

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 58, Issue 4194, 9 June 1939, Page 5

A TOUR ABROAD

IMPRESSIONS OF ENGLAND. BEAUTIFUL LAND AND CHARMING PEOPLE. A Te Awamutu lady at present in England writes interestingly of her observations and impressions up to the time of writing to catch the latest air mail. We are permitted to make the following extracts: — “England is all that I imagined, and much, much more. I am loving every minute of it. To-day the beech trees and bluebells of Kew Gardens have been almost too much for me. I went to Kew to see the hyacinths at their best, and the daffodils; then a second time to see the cherry blossom; and for the third time, to-day, to see the bluebells under the beech trees—and never shall I forget it. “During the Easter holidays another girl and I toured through Hampshire, Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, and we were absolutely thrilled with all that we saw and did. Our only trouble was that time was so short, that we could never tarry as long as we wanted to. We walked on the site of the famous bowling green on the Hoe at Plymouth, picked primroses and violets in Devon lanes, raced up and down the cliffy places at Land’s End that reminded us a great deal of parts of our own New Zealand coasts. We loved the rocky moors of Cornwall; we saw “Jamaica Inn” the original of the now well-known book and the new film. We were completely thrilled by the shades and varieties of thatch in the villages throughout all the counties, and amazed at its popularity. Stonehenge impressed us; but, oh dear, how the poor thing is being commercialised! “This modern development is rapidly spoiling even the most secluded and remote villages and farms. ‘Teas here, ‘Devon teas,’ and ‘Bed and breakfast,’ etc., is printed up on • everything in the most unexpected places. “In London I have seen a number of shows, all good, of very type. Of the straight plays, ‘The Corn is Green,’ with Sybil Thorndike and Emlyn Williams (the author) appealed most; ‘Under Your Hat’ (Cecily Courtneidge and Jack Hulbert) amused most, and ‘The Sleeping Princess,’ a ballet at Sadler’s Wells, was most beautiful. I’ve heard Menuhin and Kreisler play at the Albert Hall. Furthermore, I explored some of the Parks and watched the riders in Rotton Row. “Every minute of every week-end is jammed full of efforts to get as much done as possible. Through the good offices of New Zealand friends and relatives, as well as the friendliness and hospitable attitude of the English people I have met, I generally have more invitations to people’s homes than I can cope with. It amazes and overwhelms me, and I will never cease to be grateful. People tell me that I am getting more of an insight into the lives of different types of English folk than is vouchsafed to many visitors.”