September 2009
18 posts
28.9.39 →
Have not been able to keep up the diary, as I have been away[1]. The eggs are, however, entered in the hen book, though I think a certain number were not recorded.
Typical autumn weather, except…
17.9.39 →
Windy. Sacked the potatoes, evidently about 300 lb. Gave the sprouting broccoli some wood ash. Arranged to dispose of the goats. Picked about 2 lb. blackberries.
6 eggs.
16.9.39 →
Chilly & misty in the morning, sunny but not too warm in the day, a shower in the afternoon.
Took up & burnt the final lot of peas, & dug over that patch. Arranged to sell off the 8 March…
15.9.39 →
Rainy, with sunny & windy intervals.
Lifted the remainder of the Red King. Very poor. As well as I can estimate, I should say 300lbs at most (10 row-200 plants). Scrapped the tomatoes. Cut down…
14.9.39 →
Overcast, a little drizzling rain, but fairly warm. Finished digging the patch next the tomatoes. Lifted the first row of Red King as the whole of that patch needs liming & it is simpler to…
13.9.39 →
Overcast in the morning, a sunny patch in the afternoon, then some drizzle. Finished cleaning out potato patch, began digging the bit next to the tomatoes. One or two cockerels almost big enough…
12.9.39 →
Chilly (enough to have a fire), overcast & windy. Some light rain in the evening. Began cleaning out the maincrop potatoes & cutting the haulm preparatory to digging. They may as well however…
10.9.39 →
Warmish, but overcast. Dug the 2 rows of King Edward potatoes (actually most of them are not K.E. but another larger kind, perhaps Great Scott). Again very poor though better than the earlies….
11.9.39 →
Somewhat less warm, overcast, a very few drops of rain about dark. Last night’s rain had made no difference to the soil.
Weeded out the onions. These will be ready to pick in 2-3 weeks, but are…
9.9.39 →
Very hot. Dug up 3rd batch of peas & dug over that piece of ground. Red mite again very bad. Most of the leghorns now moulting but not so many of the Rhodes. Notice that the birds’…
8.9.39 →
Hot. Blackberries not ripe yet. Have lifted the remained of the early potatoes, which are very poor, only about 5 potatoes to a root.
8 eggs.
[NEWSPAPER CUTTINGS]
Curing a Goat Skin. –…
7.9.39 →
Very hot. Weeded out first lot of broccoli & dug between. Cut down nettles under the apple tree & applied 1 lb. sodium chlorate. A lot of apples but they are not very good or big, & many…
5.9.39 →
Have not been able to keep up the diary owing to travelling to & fro, dislocation caused by the war etc. The weather has been mainly hot & still. On the night of 2.9.39 a tremendous thunderstorm…
6.9.39 →
Very hot. Rooted up first lot of French beans & dug over that patch, which will do for spring cabbage. Cut side shoots out of tomatoes. These have not done at all well. All leaf & stalk,…
3.9.39. (Greenwich) →
Have again been traveling etc. Shall close this diary today, & it will as it stands serve as a diary of events leading up to the war.
We have apparently been in a state of war since 11 am….
31.8.39. →
Ringwood [1] (Hants). 24-29.8.39 hot, yesterday & today fairly heavy rain. Blackberries are ripening in this district. Finches beginning to flock. Very heavy mists in the early mornings.
…
1.9.39. →
Invasion of Poland began this morning. Warsaw bombed. General mobilization proclaimed in England, ditto in France plus martial law. [Radio] Foreign & General
1. Hitler’s terms to Poland boil…
31.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. No definite news. Poland has called up more reserves but this does not yet amount to full mobilization. German occupation of Slovakia continues & 300, 000 men said to be…
August 2009
45 posts
30.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. Virtually no news. Communications are passing to & from but the Cabinet are revealing nothing. Parliament adjurned° for a week. King of the Belgians offering to mediate,…
29.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. N. Henderson has returned to Berlin with Brit. Gov.t’s reply & Parliament meets this afternoon when presumably the affair will be elucidated.
2. E[mergency].P[owers]. Act…
28.8.39. →
Have been travelling etc. during the past days & therefore unable to keep up the diary in ordinary way.
The main developments have been as follow:
Hitler has proposed some or other kind of…
24.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. Russo-German Pact signed. Terms given in Berlin (File War etc.)[1] suggest close pact & no “escape” clause. This evening’s radio news gives confirmation in Moscow in same…
24.8.39. →
Hot. Planted 2 rows leeks (about 75 plants). There are 5 different colours of larkspurs coming out.
9 eggs (4 small).
23.8.39. →
Hot. Dug some more of the patch for leeks, transferred the cockerels (5) to the small pen, deloused the hen-houses. Great trouble getting rid of the red mite, which multiplies very fast in…
23.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. Parliament meeting tomorrow. Emergency Powers Act will be passed. Certain classes of reservists called up. The King returning to London. Reservists being called up in…
22.8.39. →
Drizzle in the morning, rest of day fine & hot. The mist is now very thick in the early mornings. Dug some more of the patch for the leeks, gave liquid manure to larkspurs etc. E. planted some…
22.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. Officially stated in Berlin that Ribbentropp° flies to Moscow tomorrow to sign non-agression° pact with U.S.S.R. News later confirmed from Moscow by Tass Agency, in a…
21.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. Fresh enquiries by American I.P.O. indicates that the number of people believing U.S.A. would be involved in world war has greatly increased (to about 75%). Number…
21.8.39. →
Hot till evening, then heavy thunder & rain. Cut side-shoots out of tomatoes, dug in a little ash from bonfire round their roots, cleared & burnt first lot of dwarf peas & began digging over this…
20.8.39. →
Hot in the morning. Then thunder & heavy showers. Raining hard tonight. Goats greatly terrified by the thunder, & M. managed to break loose from her chain.
Pinched out growing point of pumpkin….
20.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. Lloyd George predicts the Danzig crisis coming to a head very shortly. Also hints (S.Express puts this in leaded type) that if the Poles deliberately back down we are…
19.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. Germans are buying heavily in copper & rubber for immediate delivery, & price of rubber rising rapidly. Daily Telegraph [a]
2. Indications that difference of some kind…
19.8.39. →
Hot. Planted out 1 score each brussels, savoys & purple sprouting broccoli. Paid 3d per score. Not very good plants & very dry, but fairly good roots so they should take. Suspicion of …
18.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. M.G. diplomatic correspondent considers Spain will almost certainly remain neutral in case of war. The new cabinet balances the soldiers fairly evenly against the …
18.8.39. →
Hot. Refitted door to henhouse.
10 eggs (3 small).
16.8.39. →
Hot. Ground again very dried up. Hoed onions & flowers in nursery beds, watered pumpkin & tomatoes, cut down broad beans, which have now got too big & are not worth leaving to ripen. Some turnips…
17.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. Announced that full scheme for national register is now ready. Daily Telegraph [a] Party Politics
1. I.L.P. dissociating itself from P.P.U.’s friendly attitude…
17.8.39. →
Hot. Some blackberries reddening. Found a few mushrooms. Most of the corn now cut, & everyone working fast to get in the remainder while the good weather lasts. Conveys of partridges are…
15.8.39. →
Hot. Had some damsons stewed (rather sour.) Ground dries up very rapidly. A few larkspurs coming into flower, roses coming into second bloom (most of them not good owing to the species of…
14.8.39. →
Warm & fine. Damsons (such as there are) almost ripe. Finished getting ground ready for greens. At last found the lost hen, which was sitting on 13 eggs. She has been gone just a month….
14.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. German-Italian “compromise” scheme for Polish problem alleged to have been formulated, in a form that obviously would not be accepted by Poland. Daily Telegraph [a]
2….
13.8.39. →
Warm & fine.
10 eggs (2 small).
12.8.39. →
Warm & fine. Some carnations now well out.
10 eggs (2 small). Sold 25 @ 2/6 score & 10 (pullets) @ 2/2 score.
Total this week: 73 (16 small).
12.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. M.G. correspondent reports that German mobilization will be at full strength half way through August & that some attempt to terrorize Poland will be made. War stated to be…
10.8.39 →
Foreign and General
1. Franco assumes more or less full powers of dictator. Daily Telegraph [a]
2. The King inspects Reserve Fleet of 133 warships. Daily Telegraph [b]
Social
1….
11.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. Chinese dollar reaches about 3½d. Daily Telegraph [a] 2. Twenty Bulgarian MPs. received in Moscow. Daily Telegraph [b]
3. British-French military delegation arrives in…
11.8.39. →
Warm & fine. In the reservoir came upon waterhen with one very small chick. This was in close to the side & remained absolutely still, on my prodding it & turning it over with a stalk of …
10.8.39. →
Rain during much of the day. Cut side-shoots out of tomatoes (this should have been done much earlier), began preparing another patch for greens, put up another coops for the ducks, as the 7 of…
9.8.39. →
Some rain[1] in the evening, otherwise warm, but overcast. Planted out 60 broccoli, rather late & all rather leggy & unpromising, but hope they may take. Impossible to get any kale etc., for…
8.8.39. →
Foreign & General
1. Chinese dollar has now dropped below 4d. Daily Telegraph [a] 2. Danzig senate° appears to have climbed down in dispute over Polish customs officials. Daily Telegraph …