Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from Berryfield Cottage, Ashford, Petersfield, Hampshire. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/105
Ashford
17 vi 08
My dear Gordon
Are you well again ? I swas disappointed
to get Emily's letter at the last moment, & I hope
you were not expected me at Holland Park. I meant
to have gone but there was little more than time
for the railway journeys & I didn't but went
& read for Borrow at the Museum. And now I
am working at your letter again , dated May 27 &
in answer to one from me a week before that. How
long ago it seems , because here am I again plunged
deep in the old weariness , unequal to anything but
slow unintelligent reading & slow writing & then
to bed with a great love of the unconsciousness of
seven hours. There [illeg] nothing whatever left , and
I may as well say that in these words as write the
letter I meant to & which you ought to have. I am
going to walk for 5 or 6 days in Cornwall next
week & already i foresee the worry of trying to
make up for those 'lost' days. that is what I shall call them. Jefferies is nearly at an end. A week's hard copying and it is done and it will sicken me no more for a month or two. But then comes 'Borrow' and then a work in the South country. Can I do both in 6 months and review also and

Ashford
17 vi 08
My dear Gordon
Are you well again ? I swas disappointed
to get Emily's letter at the last moment, & I hope
you were not expected me at Holland Park. I meant
to have gone but there was little more than time
for the railway journeys & I didn't but went
& read for Borrow at the Museum. And now I
am working at your letter again , dated May 27 &
in answer to one from me a week before that. How
long ago it seems , because here am I again plunged
deep in the old weariness , unequal to anything but
slow unintelligent reading & slow writing & then
to bed with a great love of the unconsciousness of
seven hours. There [illeg] nothing whatever left , and
I may as well say that in these words as write the
letter I meant to & which you ought to have. I am
going to walk for 5 or 6 days in Cornwall next
week & already I foresee the worry of trying to
make up for those 'lost' days . that is what I
shall call them. Jefferies is nearby at an [illegible]

A week's hard copoying & it is done & it will sicken me
noo more for a month or two. But then comes
'Borrow' ^& then a work in the South Country.
Can I do oth in 6 months & review also &
take medicine & walk & dig in the garden & abstain
from beating my children? What an achievement
to look forward to - But
I am ever yours
Edward Thomas

I don't know about Helen. She is spending
her money now on a visit to town as a
suffragist . Don't count on her. I know
she would like to go to Zen but personally I
doubt whether she will.