Week of 24 December 1945

Monday, 24 December

47 Hamilton Terrace

Heavy rain and bright intervals. Did some shopping in the morning and came back for lunch and did not go out again. Kathleen Hill came to tea and we toasted crumpets by the fire.

Rang up Maye Bruce and got a rather better account of Aunt Julia. Maye is not staying up as Aunt J is to be kept quite quiet, and there seems no immediate cause for alarm.

Tuesday, 25 December

Heavy showers in the morning, but bright sunshine later. I went to the 8 o'clock service at St Mark's, Hamilton Terrace and to the 11 o'clock at St John's Wood Chapel. Lil and Mabel came to lunch (a cold one as we are having our Christmas meal at Lil's tomorrow) and afterwards listened to the King's Speech.

They had to leave early as no busses were running after 4 o'clock - and I then took a walk along the Canal and tried (and failed) to find the house from which Robert Browning eloped with Elizabeth Barrett.

Wednesday, 26 December

A lovely sunny day. In the morning I went down to Leicester Sq to see about a film for Joan next week and then on to see the Christmas Tree at St Martin's. Then on to Lil's for our Christmas dinner (lunch). Pips provided the fowl and Anne the pudding. Ethel Browning and Mabel were there. Florence cooked and washed up.

Later on Mabel and I went back to her house and I came back here soon afterwards.

Thursday, 27 December

Felt very tired this morning and stayed in till after lunch. Then I walked through the Park to enquire for Aunt Julia, but Mrs Moss had just gone out. Got back for tea. Rang up Wenham later and Pippa rang me up. They all seemed to have had a good Christmas.

Friday, 28 December

A horrid wet cold day, trying to snow, so I dissuaded Ethel Browning from coming out to lunch as arranged. She really could have come as it improved by mid-day. I was tied to the house as I was expecting a builder to come and look at a damp spot which is spreading across the hail ceiling. He never turned up.

Nice accounts of Christmas at Wenham and Christ's Hospital. Bet was expecting a child p.g. [??] to arrive yesterday.

Saturday, 29 December

Rather cold and unpleasant. I got hair washed and waved at Mme Arthur's after lunch, and then went to tea with Mabel. The twins turned up afterwards. They had come up to town to see Aunt Julia. We arranged for them to come out to lunch here tomorrow.

Sunday, 30 December

This is Will's birthday. He would have been 76. The twins came out to lunch and greatly admired the house. After they left I went for a walk in Regent's Park which was looking very lovely.

Monday, 31 December

A thick fog this morning and very cold. Reg rang up after lunch to say that he and Joan had started in the car from Hove but had had to turn back and would come up by train in the afternoon. They arrived in time for a good tea.

Anne and Grattan and Sarah got back to their flat at lunch time.