259 To Howard Ferguson, [19 September 1933]

[Postcard of Caister beach]

Norfolk

This is really not a very exciting postcard, but it’ll show you whereabouts we’ve got to. It has been lovely rambling through Sfk & Nfk & we got to Norwich just in time for a first night at the Maddermarket Theatre – an extraordinarily good production of Romeo & Juliet.

Love from Joy & myself.

260 To Howard Ferguson, [late September or October 1933]

Edinburgh

Wednesday

Dear Fergie,

So you see, we’ve got as far as this. Edinburgh gave us rather a shock, after all we had heard about Princes Street. And the War memorial was considerably worse than we had expected. They cd have done something so splendid with a situation like that, instead of plastering it up with all those incompetent reliefs. However everything else has been splendid – except Newcastle – and I’ll give you the itinerary when we get back. Sylvia [Spencer] & the Anne Macnaghten 4tet aren't doing the oboe work. Anne writes that they don't think it up to my level!!! I’ll be very, very interested to hear what you feel about it. I’m sure the form is unsatisfactory at present, but feel that the stuff is not so bad. Executive artists are usually foul judges, but at least they’ve heard it & I haven’t. So I’ve asked them if they wd mind just running through it, so that I can get an idea. I wonder who this Augustus Lowe is, who is accompanying Coates on Dec. 5th.

Don't forget that you’re going to sit for Joy when we get back!

Joy Finzi was taking lessons in sculpture from John Skeaping (1901–80) at the Central School of Art and Design in London.

261 From Gustav Holst, 31 October [1933]

St Paul's Girls’ School

Dear Finzi,

How nice of you!

But I cannot allow you to come all the way to Ealing now that I am well again.

I go back to St Paul's on Thursday. Will you bring Joy to school about 4 either on Friday or Monday?

I trust that you are following the excellent advice I gave you.