It took the Harris family approximately one month to travel from Canada to Japan. As Milly’s diary entries attest to, much of the family’s vacation time was spent in transit. With several hours to a few nights spent on a train or many nights aboard a ship, it was necessary to find ways of passing the time while waiting to reach one’s destination. According to Milly’s diaries, some of her favourite travel pastimes include the following:
"Breakfasted in bed, the 2nd breakfast is at 11 o’clock, tea at 4:30, and dinner at 6:30, uncomfortable hours. Sat on deck and read “The Fellah” by Edmund About, very far fetched but clever in many respects. Nothing to do or see so turned in very early."
"We had tea in our own room and I did some photographs in the evening. My little camera I like. The pictures are small. It was a pity I was so short of film in Palestine."
Milly standing with her camera.
"Miss Rose and I sat together on deck reading and chatting and walking later. The men were playing cricket and after they stopped Miss Rose Miss Dashwood and I had a go. The Captain [?] fielded for us we challenged them to a match on Monday."
" We were all lazy and did nothing but rest, spent a pleasant afternoon doing puzzles and tricks...The evening we passed in the same way, had fun trying to see how many articles we could write down after looking at them for 3 minutes, then talking hard for 3 minutes, then writing them down at the same time. We had 29 things and 20 was the most any of us could remember. Played telegrams and did tricks. One of the best missing word lists I have seen was,
“A ------ stood in his ------ grey watching the moonbeams ------ play on an old beer keg and I heard him say, ‘Thou ----- the brave and ----- the strong. To Thee the ----- of battle belong and the leaves in their ----- took up the song’ ------, ------, ---------,--------.”
"In the evening there was a dance. Music provided by a fiddler from the 2nd class who could only play waltz...Ted dances very nicely and I danced with him three times but did not feel inclined to partake of the gaiety offered me by others."
"Left the Jajerhorn at 7:30 after being called at 5:30 by accident. I employed the leisure time by writing letters and took the train to Vienna."
A travelling writing case.
481 Ridout Street North
London, Ontario, Canada N6A 2P6
519.661.5169 | info@eldonhouse.ca
October:
Wednesday-Sunday
12:00 • 5:00 PM
Admission to Eldon House is by donation with a recommended donation of $5.00-$10.00 a person, except for special events.
We acknowledge that we are on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron. We honour and respect the history, languages and culture of the diverse Indigenous people who call this territory home.
We acknowledge all the treaties that are specific to this area: the Two Row Wampum Belt Treaty of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy/Silver Covenant Chain; the Beaver Hunting Grounds of the Haudenosaunee NANFAN Treaty of 1701; the McKee Treaty of 1790, the London Township Treaty of 1796, the Huron Tract Treaty of 1827, with the Anishinaabeg, and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum of the Anishnaabek and Haudenosaunee.
The three Indigenous Nations that are neighbours to London are the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation; Oneida Nation of the Thames; and the Munsee-Delaware Nation who all continue to live as sovereign Nations with individual and unique languages, cultures, and customs.
