“A MARVELLOUS TRIP”

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 86, 5 January 1935, Page 8

“A MARVELLOUS TRIP”

Trvales of Mrs. and Miss

Norwood

“A marvellous trip!” said both Mrs. C. J. B. Norwood and her daughter to a “Dominion” reporter yesterday, sitting in the cool, restful drawing-room of 08 Hobson Street, talking of their few months’ tour abfoad, from which they returned iat. the beginning of the week.

“But 'the best, part of it all is to get home again,” added Mrs. Norwood, “and to find ourselves back among our friends.”

Arriving in London in August, they saw the English countryside under three of its most lovely asjiects; with the trees in green leaf; then clothed in the amazing colours of autumn; and lastly with the ground covered with a carpet of red and brown, fallen from the bare branches above.

“We motored 5000 miles, and saw both south and north of London. The country between London and Edinburgh in the autumn was exquisite, with its crops in different- stages of ripeness, in clearly-defined, fields cut off from each other by ijeatly-trimmed hedges. It was like a gigantic patchwork quilt. Everything is so well kept. I never saw an untidy field the whole way. The cultivation is so striking to us New Zealanders. The hedges were all a mass of berries; ripe blackberries, hips and haws and rowan berries; and the old houses were covered with Virginian creeper. We drove through avenues of old trees whose branches, interlaced overhead, made a canopy of glorious colour, which carpeted the road itself as the leaves began to fall. And one thing I couldn’t help noticing,” added Mrs. Norwood, with a twinkle in her eye, “were the beautifully clean windows and shining doorsteps of the cottage homes in Scotland!”

In London they stayed at Grosvenor House, in Park Lane, opposite Hyde Park, and used to watch the gardeners sweeping up the leaves there, and cartloads and cartloads being carried off. Mrs. and Miss Norwood were both much interested in the Park; in the crowds gathered round the “tubthumpers” on Sunday afternoons, and in the thousands of Londoners who enjoyed its beauty. They say the depression, to all intents and purposes, or as far as anyone can tell, is over, and that London is full of gaiety. “Perhaps we noticed it particularly because of the contrast to our last visit three years ago, when the slump was at its height. If you want a seat at the theatre now, you have to book long beforehand,” Miss Norwood said. "The night clubs and the hotels where they dance, are all jammed full every night.’ There is music everywhere, and there are wonderful cabaret shows.” Mrs. Norwood teels certain that the stage is coinin'’ back to its own in London. All the good theatres were well patronised in spite of the dozens of “talkies,” and -i number of good plays were being successfully produced.

n s b e across the Ulli ted States they saw nothing but snowcovered country from Detroit till thev reached San Francisco. Everythin'’ was white for three and a half days In New lork the heat had been intense w inter heat, most uncanny ” Miss Norwod described it. “and it snowed on the same day.”

“And right through the States you never heard one word about New Zen. land,” declared Mrs. Norwood; mention of it in the papers, and no one we met knew even where it was sVhat State is that, in?’ our New York hairdresser asked me, and ‘What language do they speak there?’ ” ” gifts acknowledged The Reverend Mother and Sisters of Compassion desire to express thanks to the Wellington Commercial Travellers’ Association, and all donors of Christmas gifts to their homes at Island Bav Buckle Street and Silverstream; also to the honorary physicians, surgeons dentists, chemist, voluntary workers’ donors of bread, butter and meat, and all who in any way assist in maintaining the homes throughout the year.