Friday 11th
I spent the morning doing various jobs and reading ‘I Believe—the personal philosophies of 23 eminent men and women of today’ (George Allen and Unwin 15/-)—it is extremely interesting. zdc zby
… went and bathed with David … but it was rather spoilt by the fact that they were building corn ricks (or threshing) nearby, and I felt awfully guilty doing nothing. To make it worse, one of the men walked past and said “Nice to be some people”. … zol zhk zem
Saturday 12th
News to date: Novorossisk evacuated, Russian slight withdrawals W. and S.W. of Stalingrad, Mozdok fighting held. Grim, it is Sept 12th. Churchill severely and well criticised for India speech. Lull in India. … zru zlb zpl zbe
Letter from AWW. I told him my attitude about Benenden—I have lost interest—because I don’t think real friendship there was possible, and as it was seemed silly, especially to my holiday self, whom I respect more than the term one. … zfr zse zem zsy
After supper Daddy read from Bernard Pare’s ‘Russia’. Daddy also brought down the ‘Daily worker’—very respectable but good. zru zbf znw zpn
Tuesday 15th
…During the morning there was lots of cooking going on in the kitchen, and the old lady paid her weekly call with the belladonna leaves. At 11.30 Henry Bassadone arrived for the week—he had now a good job on some hospital staff. … zdc zhk zrg zmw
I read the Webbs’ ‘The truth about Soviet Russia’—an abridgement of the 2 volume super-exhaustive ‘Soviet Communism, a New Civilisation’. Very good. Then we went for a walk … picking up queer bomb fins of unknown origin. zru zbf zar zwp
