Gubby Under Pressure

The letters 95 Glacier. That part of it was very good but the drive was dull. We rushed back on the Saturday as I had promised I would be back for the official dinner to make my 53rd speech. Have done nothing else so no real news. I am afraid my letters get duller and duller but I loathe the sight of notepaper and the thought of writing letters now-a-days. You will never believe how much the whole thing has taken out of me. I wouldn’t do it again under the same circumstances for any sum of money you could name. However I shall probably feel quite different by the time I reach England. Give my best love to Mum. Love Obbie Letter Twenty-Eight Hotel St.George Wellington New Zealand March 29 1937 Darling Dad, I am in a great hurry again but must write you a few lines now as we leave here tonight on a motor trip to Rotorua and Auckland and I think I shall miss the air mail unless I post it here. Tomorrow morning I shall send you a cable to the effect that I am going to stay a few days (that might be anything between 5 and 10 days) with Nigel Bruce in Hollywood. I have had a cable from him saying he is expecting me and I am looking forward to it enormously. His address is 701 North Alpine Drive, Beverley Hills, California and any letter reaching there before April 22nd is bound to be all right. What I shall do after that I have no idea but I will keep you informed at great cost by wireless. Any letters after that date had better go to c/o Hon. Maurice Bridgeman, Anglo-Iranian Oil Co, New York. I have written to him and told him that I have given you his address and asked him to forward anything on to me if I telegraph an address. I can’t make up my mind what to do and I intend to leave all plans until I see how the money goes and how I feel when I have been in Hollywood a few days. Besides spending a few days in New York I want to go and stay with Peggy and Victor Mallett at Washington but I don’t know yet whether or when they can have me. I shall also put in the cable tomorrow that I am unlikely to be back for the Coronation. I say this for 2 reasons, firstly because I think I shall enjoy America and shall want to stay there as long as possible and secondly because I doubt if I should be able to get into any ship about that time even if I wanted to. It looks as though I shall catch either the Empress of Britain arriving Southampton May 22nd or Berengaria arriving early morning of the 26th. That being so I shall have to arrange for a fast car or aeroplane to fly me to London in time to play at Lord’s but all that must wait. I don’t think I shall have time to write to either Johnnie Bevan or Rait-Kerr to catch this mail so could you ring them up and tell them of my plans. Also please give Johnnie the two above-mentioned addresses in case he wants me to do anything in America. I feel much better mentally than I did on landing here and hope to be in great form by the time the ship reaches Los Angeles. The leg which I strained at Adelaide is still troubling me a lot. I think it is now in the same state that the other one got into i.e. after several strains the muscle has shortened a bit and needs stretching and should then be perfect again. It is sounder now and I just feel it pulling whenever I bend it and it stiffens up just like the other one did. I have seen Tim Goode here once or twice and dined on his ship one night with Peter and Angela Downey (was Angela Scott). He is v. nice and not changed much since Bentridge days and sends his love to Mum and you. Angela does not like New Zealand but she has been in great form whenever I have seen her and has told me a good bit about Edward VIII, not to his credit. I see the same three selectors have been appointed, poor mugs, but for one year only. I shall definitely not play this summer as I must work and need a rest from the worries of big cricket. Whether I shall ever attempt a come-back depends on the City, my physical condition and the wish to take on the job again, if asked. Must stop now and go and have dinner before starting off.