Friday, 1st August, 1919
Had breakfast at 8.30. CA was too late for the 9.56 so drove to Harrow and Bella an Michael went with him and brought Mrs Letchford back. The three children walked down to meet Miss White who came by her usual train. I packed another box and was very busy all morning tidying up etc., Packed curtains for Pullar(?) and arranged with Campbell’s stores for cleaning carpets and upholstering chairs . Did all my bills and letters. Packed box of groceries and arranged linen for Mrs. Letchford and put away clean laundry. The children went to Harrow with Miss White and bought themselves cameras to take away. Nurse Bella built a lovely little house of wooden boxes and bracken for Mikey and played with him until we had tea there with him. He has a very bad cold and cough, poor little chap, but is very good. CA got home about 8.45 and had supper and he and Sonnie carted all the bikes to the boxroom. We all came to bed fairly early. A lovely day again but a bit too hot for all my strenuous packing!
Saturday, 2nd August 1919 A
Another broiling hot day. Had a busy morning collecting things for CA to bring in the car tomorrow and finishing off all my odds and ends of packing. Went round the animals with Mrs. Letchford and fed the hens. Had lunch at 12.30 and went to town by the 1.32. Daddy came with us to see us off from Kings X and dear old Christopher waited at Northwood by himself . A tremendous crowd at Kings X. We got some tea and waited on the platform for the train which came in at about3.30, Got comfortably packed into our carriage and Daddy then left us. We had a very nice journey though rather hot and arrived at Willoughby by 7.30. Ralph met us with Polly in the trap and Michael and I got a lift in a motor. Found Mabel looking rather seedy and tired. Everything is fresh and clean and sweet, awfully nice to be here again. The others arrived about 8.30 and we had a meal and got Michael to bed and unpacked our bags. Got to bed somewhere about 11.
Sunday, 3rd August, 1919
Mabel, Ralph and I virtuously went to chapel, rather late I’m afraid. The girls and Mikey went to the shore. After dinner we all lazed about and I went to sleep on my bed. Daddy and Sonnie and Gurney and the luggage arrived in the car at 10 past 4 had had a very good journey and were all very cheerful. We had tea and Daddy and the children went down to the sands. The children had a bathe. We then had supper and sat jawing by the drawing room fire and came to bed about 11.30.
Monday, 4th August, 1919
Spent all the morning on the sands digging and levelling a place for our hut. The children bathed. It was a lovely morning but rained a bit before lunch and was rather a wet afternoon. CA and I dug some potatoes before tea in the garden. In the evening we sat jawing again by the fire and making plans with Ralph about the farm. I wrote a bold letter to Winston Churchill about Ralph getting out of the army on “compassionate grounds”. Also wrote to Miss White. Went to bed about 10.30.
Tuesday, 5th August, 1919
CA left at 6.30 for Willoughby. I saw him off and then dressed and cut rashers for breakfast. Rather a drizzly day. Mabel and Ralph and the children drove to Alford to do some shopping and to try and get petrol. I gathered beans and shelled them and washed and scraped the potatoes for dinner. After dinner the rain cleared off and much to our joy the hut arrived in sections on a farm cart from Mursley(?) Road. Isobel and I went down to the shore and politely interviewed a man who had placed his tent on our levelled spot. He was inclined to be disagreeable but we persistently smiled and were pleasant. We went home to tea and Ralph and Gurney and two of the men went down with the hut and carted it up to the place and we took their tea down to them and started on the hut. We got the floor satisfactorily put down and came home at 9 and had some coffee and buns and went to bed making great plans for getting up at 5 in the morning in order to continue our hut building.
Wednesday, 6th August, 1919
Ralph and Katie and Gurney and I all went down to the shore and got to work on the hut by 6 o’clock and did quite a lot before going back to breakfast at 8.30. Went down again soon after 10and continued to work till dinnertime and got almost all done but the roof. Went down after lunch and continued our labours and the children and I had a jolly bathe. We got one half of the roof on and came home for tea and supper in one at 6 o’clock. Spent the rest of the evening at home pottering about the ?. A lovely sunset and calm evening.
Thursday, 7th August, 1919
Helped Mabel to make her bouquet of flowers and get her other things ready for the show and she and Ralph took them in to Hogsthorpe in the car. We others went down to bathe and Christopher, Ralph and Mabel drove to Spilsby to get some petrol. They came in late for lunch and then we all dressed in our best and went to the show. It was rather fun. I brought Mikey home at 6 and went back again. Ralph won the high jump and was second in the long jump. Mabel and I came home about 8 and had some tea/supper in one and the others got back just before 9 and had a meal and we all went to bed. Mikey slept with me tonight. Ralph got a wire this morning giving him another week’s extension of leave.
Friday, 8th August, 1919
Very punctual for breakfast this morning, actually all seated and eating by 8 .30! A lovely day. We didn’t go to the sands this morning as Mabel and Ralph were leaving before. Pottered about doing various things at home and wrote a letter to Campbell’s stores about my chairs. Took some photos. Mikey played in the stockyard. Mabel and Ralph had some lunch early and left at quarter to one for Mursley Road. We had our lunch and sat reading a bit then went down and had a glorious bathe, came home for tea about 5.30. Had a wire from CA saying he couldn’t catch the 4 o’clock train and will arrive at Firsby at 4.23 in the morning. We studied the map and found the road . Katie and Bel went down to the sands for a bit and Christopher and Gurney got the car ready for the morning.
Saturday, 9th August, 1919
Gurney work me at 10 past 3 It was quite dark and still very hot. WE left here soon after 3.30 and drove to Firsby getting there at 4,15. CA’s train was very punctual and he was surprised to find me on the platform. We drove home with the lovely dawn before us and got here soon after 5. Made some delicious tea. CA went to bed and Katie, Isobel and I all went down and had a lovely bathe before breakfast. Spent the morning and afternoon on the sands, returning for dinner. Gurney and CA put some of the finishing touches to the hut and we bathed in the afternoon. Came home at 6 for high tea and spent the evening at home going to bed early.
Sunday, 10th August, 1919
Had breakfast about 9 and then got our tea-basket ready with lunch and went down to the sea and spent the day there till 5 o’clock. We had two lovely bathes and spent all the time in our bathing things. CA finished off the hut. Came home and had tea and spent the evening reading.
Monday, 11th August, 1919
CA left at 6.30 for Willoughby. Went down to the sands in the morning and bathed and stayed at home all afternoon. The children and I bathed again in the evening between tea and supper and enjoyed it immensely. Water quite warm and a lovely sunset.
Tuesday, 12th August, 1919
The children and I drove to Louth to get petrol. Ralph and Kathleen met us there and we got some petrol and benzol and did a little shopping and went to the Stevens’ and they very kindly gave us some lunch. Did a little more shopping and collected in all 5 cans of petrol and five of benzol. Called at Alford on the way home and bought one or two more things and went to the petrol place there. Got home about 5 and had tea and lazed about till 6.30 when the three kiddies and I went down to bathe. The water was really warm and we were only coming out to dress as the sun set behind the sand hills. Got home just before 9 and had milk and cake and went to bed. I was in bed before ten and began a letter to my old man before going to sleep.
Wednesday, 13th August, 1919
Another broiling hot day. Bella and the children spent the morning on the sands bathing etc., All morning I sat at home writing and got 8 letters done and felt very virtuous. After dinner we stayed at home and I made vain attempts to sketch! Had tea and rested and lazed and then the three big ones and I all went down and had a lovely evening bathe. Home again for milk and biscuits and to bed soon after 10.
Thursday, 14th August, 1919
A much cooler morning – quite a nice wind. We all bathed about 11 and there was a tremendous storm of wind and some rain while we were dressing. After dinner Katie, Isobel and I motored to Spilsby and had tea with Miss Booth and her sister and went on to Mursley Road where we met Ralph at 6.21. Came home and had supper and went out to look for mushrooms and then sat by the drawing room fire reading and drawing until about 11 when we went to bed. Had a wire from CA the first news of him since he left on Monday!
Friday, 15th August, 1919
Had breakfast about 8.30. A lovely morning, very sunny but with a cool breeze. Ralph got a wire refusing further extension of leave. We sent a wire to CA and after the post had been Ralph and the four children drove to Hogsthorpe to do some shopping and on to Burgh to see Will Guthridge. Bella and I gathered French beans and she cut them while I made a Manchester pudding for dinner. In the evening we motored Ralph to Alford and saw him off and then went to Willoughby to meet Daddy who arrived by the 7.30 train.
No more entries for 1919 simply account of chickens and eggs.