Thursday 23rd
… A practice and then a short very fierce game on the beach—my training’s a little better, but certainly isn’t good. I got a letter and some Soviet War News from Mommy. News—more evacuation— slowly falling back, but the army remains fairly intact (i.e. not cut off). zsp znw zpg zru zlb
Friday 24th
…RJC and I went for a lovely bike ride in the afternoon, just the right temperature if you keep moving. We went round by Trenance to West Pentire and back by the Gannel. A gentleman farmer, good accent, unshaved, thought we’d left his gate open—we hadn’t. He’d already lost 3 cows over the cliffs through others’ carelessness—he asked us to be very careful, as it was hard on ‘us folk’. He struck me as the sort of man who might well be the central figure in a novel. I unfortunately didn’t hear the news, but I think that there wasn’t much. zcy zwr zfr zop zgk
Saturday 25th
… I did works—burning damp grass and brambles in a very cold wind. Then I had to get the ½ week’s potatoes from the Pentire—one sack burst just before we got to the shed. zsu zfd zac
After tea I went to the ornithological section meeting, and then to a nice music recital—H and T playing a Mozart concerto. After supper we had quite a good general rag. zcb zwl zmu zfg
News—bad weather in Russia—it will be a relief, to put it mildly, when all this is over. Actually most people here don’t care much about the war. zwr zru zop zwg zem
Monday 27th
… News: held round Moscow, not too good in Donetz area, Kharkov claimed by Germans. Voroshilov and Budenny are organizing new armies behind the front—may those armies be successful. zru zlb
