page 35 — April 1940

Thursday 18^th

David, Nora and I went for a walk. After finding a few pieces of pottery, we walked along the path right at the top of the sheep track—toward Scotchers Bottom. Just before we got out of the wood, we heard a crackling noise on the right of the path (in the big field) and ‘perceived that the vegetation was being devoured by flames’. With horrible war cries we lept up, and proceeded to beat it out. After about ten minutes arduous labour we succeeded in our object. I think it might quite possibly have burnt down the wood. Quite a lot of grass and several bushes were burnt. … zwk zfl zac

Saturday 20^th

… Margaret, David, his friend (Miss Shepard) and I went to the ‘Roman Rubbish Dump’ [an area in the woods where I had found a lot of bits of Romano-British pottery] and found several pieces of pottery. Then we lay in the sun, except for Margaret who looked for lichen to dye the wool she’s been spinning with. … I heard the cuckoo for the first time this year. zwk zcf zwl

to Cambridge

Tuesday 23^rd

[Back to Cambridge for the rest of the holiday.] … We arrived in London at 10.45 and shopped. At 11.15 we had a sandwich and an ice-cream soda on Selfridge’s roof, then we shopped until 12.35, when we went to see Pinocchio. There was a very good film ‘Babes of the World’ showing several young animals, wonderful photography, then Pinocchio. It was wonderful; the music was not so good, but the drawing was much better than Snow White. Then we had tea lunch, and  zfd zsh zfm