An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY Four of us were in bed at once bad with influenza ! After the Boat Race I attended a run of the H .C.H. and H., when after a bad dinner a promment member of the Club was specially filthy in his tales, so I left the table. I had a very unpleasant and wet ride home next day and developed piles. On Good Friday we went to Selborne with G.B. by rail. Took wagonette with G.B., G.E.R., and Kitty to Petersfield, and lunched at a charming old inn there. On 21st April drove over to P.B.F.'s and saw great havoc from recent gale, and inspected the cock-eyed new wing. After four weeks I renewed cycling, and on the,4th May rode by Harrow to Rickmansworth, when I slept at the "Victoria." New tomatoes and asparagus out. · On the· 11th May I went to the L.A.C. meeting and saw perhaps the best day's sport I had ever seen, for Bredin won the half from scratch, though much hindered, in 1.55; Munro the mile in 4.20, and Downer doing record at 120 and 200, A beautiful ride on the 12th was through Barnet and over a long narrow common (Shirley?) and some country as wild as if it were a hundred miles from London. Easter we were on the boat, starting from Beccles, Howlett coming. Good sail with Lucas Hunt, who joined at St. Olaves. Seymour Lucas jointd at Reedham, and we sailed to Burlingham, Hunt imitating a cuckoo so well as to make it follow the boat for miles. Wc::nt on with Lucas to search Lynn Registers. Returning was the occasion of the '' I never do" repartee. On 9th June P.B.F. came, and we took him over to Seymour Lucas for the first time; and on the 15th I rode over to Rickmansworth, and next day back by Chenies and Sarratt, where I stopped to note a pretty cruciform Norman (?) church in the middle of a cornfield. On 22nd June was our tennis aud garden party. and on the 29th June we went to Selborne again with Howlett and J .S. .. On 16th July was a fine Cbampionship meeting, Bacon doing a record for a mile (4.17) and Bredin winning the half, bu~ got beaten by Fitz Herbert in the quarter. On the 7th July Mark E. J obling, a very old athletic ft:iend from Newcastle came to lunch.