5th February 1944

Saturday

Beautiful day, but freezing hard.  Planes going over in dozens, leaving strangely beautiful vapour trails across the clean pale blue sky.  The radio has little to say about the raids yesterday, and the papers not much more. 

There is now a very serious water shortage on most farms south of Colchester, where wells are drying up almost every day.  There has been virtually neither rain nor snow this winter.

The Executive Officer came this morning to see Miss Miller from Wakes Colne, who is always in difficulty about labour on her farm.  She was rather pathetic, describing how she had first a single man, who turned out be afflicted with a filthy skin desease, and then a man and woman, “living in sin”, who quarrelled and fought all day.  Sadler advised her to get rid of the farm.

This afternoon bought two new books – “The Ministry of Fear” by Graham Green, and George Sturt’s “Journals”, both very good.  Saw Diana, and arranged for her to have tea at Dedham tomorrow.  Went to Dedham myself tonight, and told Sisson that Castaligui’s house in Culver St. is for sale on the 16^th.  We must watch carefully to see if the Corporation buys it.