Correspondence relating to Mary Anne 'Bessie' Pocock, pre-1914 - Part 6

Dried flowers - see original document

PADDING
8
JY 11
02 

Carrig Breac
Howth
Ireland.
July 14^th 1902.
My dear Lil
I hope you are quite
well and still happy in yr. work
I am very well and very happy.
You see I am in Ireland for a
few weeks, but if you write again
add : to 14. Oxford Terrace
Hyde Park
London . W.
My letters will be
all sent on to me from there & I
shall have left here before you
get this, I have so many places
to go to, I think more invitations
than I shall be able to accept.
Everyone is awfully kind to me
& seems to like me as much as my
Sydney friends. I am at present
with the boy's Mother I told you of
Lady Stokes. Charming woman and

Sister, the boy came over with me
so I had no trouble to think of the
Boats, Trains etc. this is a lovely
house and grounds, very large. and
overlooking the Bay a most lovely
view from everywhere.
I am so happy here and getting
so strong. Go out a good deal
I have very little to tell you
now must keep it all for
another time as I am just going
out. i hope all my friends are
quite well out there. I had a
Med. Board last week and they
examined me very carefully &
gave me 4. months leave of
absence so I shall probably
be leaving for Australia abt.
the 17^th of November, at least
my leave is up on that date
unless I get any more
I simply love Ireland it is so
green and pretty and everywhere
so new I shall be here for a 
few weeks longer but do not write
here for I shall be gone long before
this reaches you.
My kind regards to Mr Smith hope
they are well. do you still see
the Hales?
You should be having lovely
weather there now nice & cool,
it will be very hot by the time I
return I expect. I go somewhere
every day here which is very nice
and meet crowds of people
at all the places I go to who
most of them are extremely nice
I shall miss many of them
very much indeed.

I must leave off now, I wish
I had time to write you more
I do hope all at home are well
it is so long since I have heard 
from them.
Best love to all
Yr, Ever Bessie.

14 Oxford Terrace
Hyde Park
London. W.
July 31^st 1902.
My dear Lily
I hope you are quite
well also all at home. You have
had my letters I suppose by now
telling you where I am. I returned
from Ireland yesterday after a
most pleasant visit, meeting
many people all of whom were
most kind to me and I am to go
back for a couple of weeks at
the end of my leave if I can spare
the time, how are all my Sydney
friends ? Well I hope. hope I shall
see them all on my return, wonder if
they have forgotten abt me yet. I
hope they may see me before I go
home. I do not yet know where I
shall stay in Sydney of course I sh.
not be able to go to the Hosp: think I may
just take a room at the Metropole, then I
could go out when I liked. however

there are plenty places and
heaps of time. Are you tired of being
there yet ! I am going to see the King's
Coronation procession on the 9^th. that
is I have a ticket if there will be any
Crowning. I was told this morning
on good authority that he will only 
just be allowed to go through with it
then back to bed and another
operation, that it is malignant
trouble, so if that is the case he has
not much chance of recovery.
I think I shall be able to go to
Switzerland abt. the second week

in August for a fortnight wh. will 
be lovely, I do hope I can get 
away, it costs a good deal but if I
do not go now I never shall, so I'll
risk spending all my spare cash.
I think also that if one once goes to a
place & knows about it one has
far more chance of venturing
again or helping others venture,
I wonder what sort of trip I shall have
out to N.S.W. hope some one I know will be
on board, but one soon gets to know people
Are they still paying you any of my
money out there, I expect it will
soon stop. I wonder if there will be
anything worth having in the military
for me, you might find out and then
get john Lee or someone to keep me
something good for the sake of my
friends here who have taken such
an interest in me. You try & find
out. I don't see the good of these people
if they cannot get something good
for a person and you know I shall
soon be 40. & then I shall get nothing
from Govt I suppose something 
will turn up for me so far all has
gone well, I wish I was 20 yrs younger
tho' but one cannot have Everything,
I often wonder if my canary is alive &
if I shall be able to take it away from
Miss Fleet after her keeping it so long
for me & I should like to have it again
I expect it will be very hot weather abt.
the time I arrive home don't you think ?
You ought to try get your holiday at 
the same time.

All my favourites & friends
here are so happy at my being
mentioned in Kitcheners dispatch
& say I should get the R.R.C. but
of course I shall not anyway
I am mentioned in dispatches
that is something & apparently
the only one. what jealousy
if such is the case. I send
you the paper. it is A.V. Pocock
but as I am the only one on the
NSW Reserve Suppose they mean
me. I do not know.
Goodbye.

Snow capped mountain
INTERLAKEN
HOTEL NATIONAL Pension Wyder
LIFT
Herm. Wyder,
Prop^re
August 21^st 1902.
My dear Everybody, one more
stage on our homeward journey.
just go to each place for a day,
two or three, the longest made is
Lucerne where we were for 8 days. I
like this place much better. Yesterday
we left Grindelwald a most beautiful
Railway Journey over the Burnese
Alps unfortunately the day was partly
wet so of course the mountains were
enveloped in thick mist spoiling
the view wh. otherwise would have 
been [obviously] beautiful. it was

the poor Guide who was killed was
not insured & has left a wife and
three children unprovided for. the
English & other Tourists staying in the Hotel,
which was the same one that we were
staying in french (Hotel de Lours) in English is
Bear Hotel, gathered 1000 francs wh.
is the same value as 10 pence of our
money which will be a good help
the second guide injured very sick
but not killed. there have been many
accidents people love climbing
these snow mountains and after
a very hot sun the snow falls
& they are lost. I have not done any
climbing for the simple reason I could
not had I never been ill I should
dearly love to have done so. they are
such a terrific height & the path goes
such a round about way of course
not straight
I do hope Dady Mother and all at
home are quite well we go off to
Paris tomorrow for two days and
then on to London. I have enjoyed
my holiday very much indeed it
has been a great experience this
travelling since I left home.
I hope to find no change in
any of you on my return. I
[[?]] address from letters to [[?]]
supposing you are still there. it
is nearly a year of course since
I heard from you & all the letters
have been sent back home from 
S.A. before Sister got [them] asking her
to send them on to me in London
It has been lovely weather here
with the exception of a few days
wet. I wish I had £20 to spend in
curios for you all. things are as expensive