known as her ‘April shower’ as he wets his bed most nights. Funny little boy…[‘Eric, or Little by Little’ was the title of a moralistic Victorian novel about a boy at boarding school.] zev zop
Wednesday 30th
Home! After getting up, having breakfast, moving on the thirteen rabbits and putting out the goats … we spent the morning getting out … John’s fishing rod (for catching fish with next term) and then we went to Petworth to get a beehive … zfl zpt zdc
Margaret arrived from Fittleworth à la bicyclette—also very wet. zfl
Thursday 31st
… After lunch we went off in the car to Sutton end, where we spent over an hour cutting reeds to thatch the haystack. Rather fun, but the sickles blistered our hands. We got the back of the little car full of bundles. … I saw Archibald (one of the large grasshoppers bequeathed to me by C) eat a housefly in less than two minutes. zfl zdc zpt zmh
August
Friday 1st
… I read ‘The Uniqueness of Man’ and dozed until 3.15, when we all went to the village, calling at the Neals’ [farm] to say that we’ll help at the harvest if they want us. … zby zhk
Saturday 2nd
Daddy arrived at about 12 o’clock. Before that I put new hinges and a new lock on my house door. zfl zdc
We had lunch early, and after it Margaret, Daddy, Tinker and I went for a walk. We went slowly up the shepherds path along, partly through woods, and back via the deserted orchard. I caught several butterflies, Margaret found two broad leaved helleborenes and some fungi. The weather cleared and there was a lovely sunny evening. After tea Bassadone arrived and I set all the butterflies. zfl zwk zwl zwr zrg
