Edwinstowe - Sherwood Forest.
Ther. [Thermometer] SAT. [Saturday] JULY 29, 1911 Wea. [Weather]
84 [degrees]  Another day in Forest Fine.
Clear & hot with fresh N.E. [Northeast] wind.
Starting off in the landau at 10.30 we
drove to Welbeck Abbey through a part of
the Forest planted 70 years ago & consisting
almost wholly of oaks. Saw 2 Jays & 1 Magpie.
Stopped at Robin Hood's "Larder Oak" a mere
shell in which he used to store his game. The
Duke of Portland's daughter, Lady Victoria,
came galloping close past us here. At
Welbeck we were shown the gardens,
riding school, & underground ball rooms
& a fine collection of mounted British birds.
The guide told me that most of the oaks
on the immense estate had been stripped by
a green worm this summer & have since
leafed out a second time. This I had
already suspected from their appearance.
Leaving the Abbey we drove about 3 miles
& stopped for lunch under a tree near a very
narrow artificial lake. In this were swarms
Mallards, hundreds of Bald Coots & pair
of superb Crested Grebes in full nuptial pl. [plumes].
some Tufted Ducks & Moor Hens. We next
drove through Clumber Park, Duke of Newcastle's
place, by far the most beautiful of all the
woods we saw. Thoresby Park Earl Malvern's [Earl Manvers]
place came last & was also of great beauty.
[margin]Birds swarming in most parts of parks woods. Red Deer & Fallow Deer[/margin]

Edwinstowe
Ther. [Thermometer] SUN. [Sunday] JULY 30, 1911 Wea. [Weather]
Fine
Clear & cooler with fresh S.W. [Southwest] wind.
  Spent most of day in hotel writing
letters. Also C. [Caroline Brewster] & E. [Elizabeth R. Simmons] read aloud to me
finishing "Queed" a bright & good story.
At evening just after supper we all
walked through the village to the church
yard on the hill. Both village & church yard
are very attractive and ultra typical in
every way. The village has only 500 inhab-
itants, the churchyard perhaps a greater
number of gravestones almost all of the
old gray stone varieties. Swifts were careering
over the village in swarms screeching shrilly.
  To the southeast rose the smoke of a great
fire that has been raging all day in the
forest covering moor. The air was heavy with
the peculiar smell of burning ling, very unlike
any wood fire smell at home. As soon 
as the tennis court at the rear of the hotel is
vacated by people I see Thrushes & Blackbirds
moving about on the turf. There was a Pied
Wagtail there today. The birds all disappear
at once when people appear outside. A
Green Finch in full song to-day, low & sweet.