26th December 1942

Saturday, Boxing Day

Cold and dull.  Reading and writing all day in great comfort, but took Robin for a run after lunch.  Heard an air attack in the distance as I was driving near Goddard’s Farm, at the rear of Frank Girling’s Farm.  Felt most uncomfortable as I was so near the [radar] pylons, and sheltered behind a straw stack until the noise of firing died away.  Robin went vey well.  There is no greater pleasure in the world than driving a good, willing pony.

Felt queerly ill tonight.  Joy and Parry went out to supper at the Minneys’.  R.J. Minney now says the war will be over early in 1944, and that Japan will be ‘finished’ by the end of that year.  He is engaged (or has been recently) on a film scenario of the play “Dear Octopus”, and speaks feelingly of the difficulties in dealing with film ‘stars’, especially Margaret Lockwood, who demanded that the whole play should be re-written as she did not think her part was sufficiently important.