An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY in-law and a friend afterwards walked on to A.L.R., and we drove over to Tom Gills. At Easter F.G.R., and H .G.R., and Holden, the Oxford crack ½-miler came down, and I was a little better, triking for the first time on 30th March. Totty and M.M.R. joined on 30th. All the spring I was very seedy, and could neither shoot nor ride. Clarke and his wife came down 13th to 15th April. On the 17th Prince F. Duleep Singh, and Farrer came over to lunch at Lammas by motor to see Layers house at Aylsham, with the amusing result that the chaffeur missed us and we had to pack into a butcher's cart till we found him. One of the bitterest days, snow and sleet, on which I was ever out. ·rhe result of the visit was a good paper by D.S. for the N.A.M. (n.s.), vol. i., p. 55, on Christopher Layer, considered by him a martyr and by me a common cad. However, we agreed to differ and local history was the better for much more detail. On the 24th April I heard a notably good paper by Dr. Andrews of the British Museum on Primeval Elephants. My archery season which began on the 6th May opened as badly as ever for me at the Beeston meeting. On r 1th May I saw a hoopoe in the Rectory grounds, and saw it again later on the way to Beeston. For a few days the weather was absolutely perfect, and at Whit Sunday R.J.W.P. and R.H. came down, but the latter stopped on the way to Horning, where there was snow on the roofs. Our F. and D. archery meeting at Lammas was a great success, though I couldn't shoot, and I was if possible worse than ever at the Thurning meeting. In fact I was out of all sorts, for rowing up the river with Mr. F. W. Harmer at Cringleford, I became so faint and ill that he had to take me in and drive me to the tram. On the 18th I shot worse than ever at Thurning. The Wymondham " Masque " on 26th June was very amusing, but I got well abused for my innocent criticism of it in the Daily Press. On the 4th July the Norwich Photographic Society came over to Lammas, and I was greatly complimented the other day to find that its members remembered the boned pigeon pie, and claret cup after the lapse of 8 years. I was again very ill at P.B.F.'s, and he had to send me home by road.