“ORONTES”
Oct 18th /05
My dear Father
I must write you a small sheet tonight or my letter will be over weight. We are getting on very nicely & have got to know most of the rest of our fellow-passengers. The heat has been rather trying today, not because the temperature was really very high, but there was a strong warm & moist wind which made most people feel limp. Our port-holes too were shut for a day or two but are opened again tonight I am glad to say. Auntie seems to suffer more from heat in the cabin than I do. I think it is because she gets flurried & consequently hot – she took things very calmly for her at first but the last few days she has been heaving some of her deep sighs again – perhaps it is the heat, but I don’t know what she will do later on, they say it will be 20 degrees hotter than this. There is to be a dance at the end of next week which means evening dress, we have had two or three impromptu dances, they are quite informal & we just wear blouses – after Colombo there is to be a fancy dress dance, I shall have to find something to go as, there is a shop on board where they have all sorts of things, the man there has some fancy dresses which he says he will bring out after Port Said, I believe they are quite inexpensive so if I can get anything suitable by purchase or hire I think I shall do so, it would be more satisfactory than making up something out of nothing.
You will have written to me in N.Z. before you get this I suppose Mother & you got home again yesterday I hope you both enjoyed your holiday I shall like to hear all parish matters of interest when you write & of course full news of all the family.
I found out yesterday that Miss Rutherford knows Mr Edmund New; I have not found any other mutual acquaintances so far.
Much love to all at home
Your loving daughter
May E Sladden
The diary is to Mother this time.
