We overslept very badly this morning. I won’t say what time!!? Milked fed hens and went over rectory. A very blustery, drizzly day, it was better in the evening. Singled mangles. Milked early Went and gave calves at Gill’s water. Washed Went to Gill’s about Dr. Mended my knickers. Daphne Helway is to marry a blackie. She’s got to! Awful is not the word. Penned up at 10.30
Got up early this morning as our clock was ½ hr fastI got a move on as I had to catch the bus to Shepton at 10.30. I went to the bank and got my home safe book. Saw Lennard Deakes and the town was full. Hewart nearly knocked me off my bike when he went to turn on the green. Went and got bread from Bown’s. Singled mangles. Got hay. Mervyn was teasing me. Was helping Mr W pack parcel. Tied string on H’s lorry. Mr and Mrs Wareham came in at 9.30. Turner took his cow down Raymond’s I took Mr W’s hat
Phyllis coughed a lot during the night and we overslept. I had to go to Dudden’s for vinegar then I went down Bown’s. Hoed and dragged a bit till dinner. I went on the scrounge for lighter fuel and Ida produced a box of matches. Took horse over rectory. Got cows in and tied up. Milked. I went down Gill’s with some eggs. Mr W and H were teasing me. Mr and Mrs Cropley, Joyce, Barbara, Milly and John came in. Heard music while you work at 10.30
I spent the morning rushing round hen’s houses (found another dead chick) going up Dedden’s and down Bown’s. Saw G.C. (he’s got
Got up early for a change this morning. Milked fed hens and brought back odd buckets from rectory. Did odd jobs Went mangold singling till lunch time. A man from
In the early hours of this morning and last night we started the invasion of
Got up a bit later this morning. Milked. Fed hens. Killed 4 chicks, 3 for a yank and one for ourselves. Went mangle hoeing till 1.15. We had nearly finished Jobey Oatley came again. I finished off the mangles. Got cows in. had tea. Went over rectory. P fetched a chicken. Went collecting up the road and down Bown’s. Ivan was earthing spuds. They started threshing this morning. Had supper late. Penned up.
Got up in time for the 7o’clock news. Milked fed hens. It was wet in patches all day. Went up road. Spoke to old mother Snook. She was on about “making way for the heros” and “ her Raymond and Hewart” Went down Binegar Bottom till 12.30. Stuck sweet peas. Had chick for dinner. Hoed Kale. Got cows in. The Dr came late. It was a smashing young Dr!!! Croucher stayed out in the car. Had supper early. It was a drizzly evening. Penned up fairly early.
Got up later again this morning. It was pouring with rain off and on all day. Milked. Fed hens. We spent the whole of the morning ironing. Me at one end of the table and Phyllis at the other. I got some hay for bull. Had dinner. We transplanted cabbages from the garden to the rectory, got hay. Got cows in. Milked. Dr Finn came, the old boy said “Thank God Croucher went” nasty old thing C was very nice. Laurie gave me a lift on the crossbar.
I felt very fed up all the morning. I had to single kale while P and Mr Howes dragged and horse hoed. Took hoe over rectory. I came in at 4 and got the cows in. Mrs Cropley, Mrs Tucker Mrs Sally Bown came up. I went to station with Mr Tucker and Mrs C. Our Ann was most catty about company, I can’t understand that woman. Milly was telling us about asking Mr Killen if they could be married.
We spent the morning washing. We had a bath together. Wrote and read till tea time. It poured all the afternoon. We went to church in the doctor’s car. Dennis and Hubert came in.
Hoed kale all day. I went down Star Easton to the land army club. Had a good time got back about 11
Hoed Kale. We did not go out until nearly 12
I went in Gill’s while P went to the butchers. We went to the P.O. and Emery’s. We had to sort out potatoes. Hoed Kale. Had lunch. Hoed kale. Mrs Snook came in. Went down Bown’s. Penned up. Pulled a chick
Had a bad wrist.
Hoed Kale. We had a chick for lunch. Hoed till 3.30 Gardened. Picked a strawberry. Milked. Went over rectory. H was on about
Got up before 7 P went to sleep again. I had to go and wake her up. She went to Shepton. I had a letter from Mrs Spencer. I hoed Kale and cleaned out two hen’s houses. Had lunch. Put in celery all afternoon. Got in cows. Had tea. Milked. Fed hens. Went over rectory. Did gooseberries at Mrs Wareham’s. Washed. Got bread “Rupert” was in a larky mood. We heard about the new jet-propelled planes. Milly came. Penned up.
Got up early. Milked fed hens and caught birds for Mervyn. We went up Kingdown to put up a fence for the cows. It was awfully hot. We took
They say no one hears good about themselves by listening! I certainly did not this morning. They think a lot of me I am sure! “( she won’t stand back and let me drive after being here 10 years”) and oh, tons of other things. She never says anything behind people’s backs. I didn’t think she did but I got a bit of a shock. The young Dr came. Sat out front. Had a bath. We went to church. There were 28 mourners for Mr Reakes. Hewart and Ann came. Penned up
Laurie mowed the clover. I went to get some biscuits for P after raking back a bit of hay and Jim Wareham came with Trixie on her pony. He let me ride Punch all over the place. My legs got rubbed as I had no breeches. He said he would let me ride if I came to Thorpe farm. Oh! Boy. Rode Punch down
Laurie mowed the little 2 acres today. We borrowed the horse and took the swathe turner over the rectory. We went down for the rake but it was not done. We hauled two loads of straw for staddles. Finished off old hay moved posts. We brought wire and troughs from Kingsdown till 9. Took Mr Emery’s back. Penned up
It was very cold this morning you needed a coat. Went down Gill’s and to the blacksmiths. Hoed mangles. Mrs Spencer came in the afternoon while we were hoeing. She is going to get me some leggings. We borrowed the horse after milking and got the horse rake from Jack Purnell’s. We went to Chewton dance/ Bill Bella and Marjorie were there. Our Evelyn could not let Colour out of her sight. Mrs J Matthews was there. We arrived back about 1.30.
We started hay-making really today. Offy came and helped. We swathe-turned the two fields with the horse. Basil came and pushed in the hay with the car. We did not leave until 10. We were worn out but hay-making is fun and you don’t feel tired when you are working and joking!
We were late getting up this morning. Milked We turned all the hay left in the clover ground. P raked Went home and asked for an early lunch but we were as late as ever. Basil came about 2. We finished by 4.15. I did a bit of high pitching and then went on rick. Mr Diamond came as Offy went to
It was a cloudless midsummer’s day. We managed to get up a bit earlier this morning. Milked . A load of straw came. Went down Gill’s. Mervyn was on the corner. Helped bring in the clean railings with Basil. I actually drove the car. We finished one rick before lunch and the little one after. R was very gay! I really think there’s something in it. Milked. Put in celery and looked for mushrooms. Washed. Squashed strawberries. Had supper. Wrote a bit. Penned up
It was awfully dull all day but it did not start to rain until 6. Cycled to Chewton to get gooseberries and black kitten. Got back at 12.30 had lunch. I went to sleep in a chair till 3. Had a bath. Had strawberries and cream for tea. It rained but as P had to go to the end of the lane we went down to Thrope farm. We talked a bit and then Trixie and I went for a ride to Roemead, it started to rain on the way back. Got wet coming home and penning up
It poured all night and all morning. It cleared at lunch time a bit. We planted out 200 cabbages after spending about half an hour in the garage as the rain was hard. Got some leggings and a posh sou’wester from WLA this morning. We singled kale all afternoon. Had to get heifers out of Gill’s wood, we had a job. We were up in the attic cutting carpet. Washed my hair. Did not pen up.
Got up late. Milked. It rained in showers all day. Started thatching the little mow. Peggy Talerman wants to come out of
It poured all day and night so I could not go to Thrope. Planted out cabbages. Drew straw. Peggy, her husband and Frances and Alan came from
Still raining! Poor old Mother Snook, even Hewart is like a thunder cloud! Planted cabbages. Drew straw till lunchtime I cleaned out the hay house. Got cows in. I went down to Masbury. Thelma’s pony was a bit lame. Punch kept on shying. Rode to Binegar. I got in a bit of a mess with Jim W about going home myself. Phyllis came to meet me.
It did not rain till the evening then it poured. We were pulling clover rick all morning. Finished off in the afternoon. Got cows. Milked. Went up Dudden’s. Spent evening writing.
Thoughts
“The tender words and loving deeds which we scatter for the hearts which are nearest to us are an immortal seed that will spring up in everlasting beauty, not only in out own lives, but in those born after us”
------------------------
“Beautiful eyes are those that show,
Like crystal homes where the hearth-fires glow,
Beautiful thoughts that burn below”
----------------------------
“As to people saying a few idle words about us, we must not mind that, any more than the old church steeple minds the roofs calling about it”
------------------------------------
“ if I have freedom in my love
And in my soul am free,
Angels alone that soar above,
Enjoy my liberty.”