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Transcription

Page 31
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activity at Salonika against the Bulgars,
I do not think that peace will be concluded
before may of next year.

[Margin] Nethybridge ---

14th Aug. 1916
On the 1st. August we returned to our summer
quarters which we had occupied last year
on Speyside. We live in a little wooden
cottage at the edge of Abernethy Forest
with open birch wood before our door
and around, each with its patch of
garden, the timber cottages of the natives.
Villadom lies a little distance away
on the road that runs parallel with
the Nethy, and we are glad to live apart
from it. Since we arrived till today
the weather has been gloriously fine, if
a fault could have been found with it,
it has been a trifle too hot. We live
a very simple life. One maid comes with us,
chiefly to look after Mary, and the good
woman, Miss McCook from whom we rent
the house, does cook, house- & table maid
herself. There is an indifferent
golf course where every morning we play
a round of golf of 9 holes; Usually the family
fousome in which Jocelyn & Sandy play
Mary and me. I being allowed to drive off

each tee . As Mary is still a very primitive per:
:former we have very close matches. Sandy can
play an iron club with a certain measure of
success, but it is no use with a wooden one,
and does'nt take the trouble to acquire the
knack. We have all bicycles, and make
much use of them. Jocelyn, Sandy & I last
Monday made our way to Tomintoul,
said to be the highest village in Scotland,
and no one need grudge it its one quality
for it is indeed a dreary looking place.
We were much struck with the wild flowers
growing on the banks by the roadside,
and I picked from the ditch the mountain
Saxifrage which I had not seen before.
We lunched in an indifferent hotel at Tom:
:intoul, and thereafter bicycled over a
very bumpy road to Balindalloch, whence
after a most satisfying tea in a small
inn, we got a train back to Nethybridge. The
scenery down the Avon on the last fifteen
miles of our journey was beautiful,but the
afternoon was oppressively hot. On Wednesday
we took sandwiches with us and had a picnic
at Muckrach Castle. This is a picturesque keep
built on an L plan but with the short arm
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