Dec 25 Wednesday. Christmas Day

Juan mended pipe, told us of Anita's forthcoming baby (Sept?)[RG]
Did upstairs, to help the girls. Catalina has been given L [Laura]'s unsuccessful brown dress: which is succcessful for her.
Hodge stayed overnight at Can Torrent – went for a walk with Karl to the Cala.
James sent Burns, Beatrix Potter "Jeremy Fisher" & Collier's Musical Tourney ravels[RG] and satisfactory personal account of L.H. [Liddell Hart] Quarles' Enchiridion came.[RG]
McCormacks came: so we were 6 with Karl & Hodge. We had turkey roasted in the oven, aubergine-shape, potatoes roast, mushrooms, plum pudding, Marfil1, crackers, turron2 avellana3 [RG] custard, champagne, coffee. All very good.
McCormacks gave K [Karl] & me ×××× [crossed out] cigarettes & Laura a breadknife, & all of us apples & gramophone records.[RG] They brought, ordered by us, camphor, L [Laura]'s foot-muff, 12 prs of woollen socks for me, Rolls razor blades, 12 knifes[RG] knives with walnut handles (6 & 6), also from Maisie jet & silver brooch for me, woollen bed-jacket for Laura, ×××× [crossed out] silk hankerchiefs for Karl.
Afterwards to Fabrica to give presents. At Can Pep Moso Antonia's sister dying of injections by local doctor.
Laura wearing brocade jacket, with green and red brocaded skirt.

Editorial Notes

1white wine. KG
2a kind of nougat, made with almonds and sugar. KG
3hazelnut. KG

Hands Referenced

    • Annotation: ink correction
    • Character: regular
    • Ink: black

Places Mentioned

  • Can Torrent

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    House next to Canellun also belonging to LR & RG. Built by Norman Cameron. WG

  • Cala

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Deyá's fishing cove. This is the cove near Canellun that RG refers to as "the Cala" in his diary. Eds/ WG

  • Fábrica

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Home of Juan (Gelat) and his wife, the Madora. K.G. The ground floor was a nave extended over the equivalent of two more lots. This originally was a factory with an oil press, a flour mill and a soap making machine all run by a steam engine. Gelat replaced steam by fuel-oil and installed an electricity generator. When he put in the turbine at Ca'n Madó he removed the machinery and built a Café in its place (the Sala Concordia). WG

  • Ca'n Pep Moso

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Antonia's Café.WG

People Mentioned

  • Laura

    Riding, Laura
    (1901-91) American poet. Laura Riding (née Reichenthal; then Laura Gottschalk).

  • Karl/Carl

    Goldschmidt, Karl
    Karl Goldschmidt, later Kenneth Gay: Graphic artist, friend and secretary of Robert Graves and Laura Riding since 1934. R. G. spells both as Carl and Karl.

  • James

    Reeves, James
    Schoolmaster, writer and Poet. Friend of Jacob Bronowski. W.G./ K.G.; m. to Mary Phillips; daughter Stella born June 14, 1938 eds.

  • Liddell Hart

    Liddell Hart, Capt. Basil
    War-fare expert and friend of T.E. Lawrence. Collaborated with RG on a book of T.E.L'.s letters, published in 1938. See RPG p.231. WG & Eds.

  • Maisie

    Sommerville, Maisie
    Head of BBC Education broadcasting department. Friend of R.G. and L.R. Arranged accomodation for them when they returned to London as exiles. W.G., eds.

  • McCormacks

    McCormack, Walter & Violet
    Tenants of Ca'n Torrent. Had two daughters: Jennifer, a dancer, & Betty. Continued their friendship with Robert and Laura in England. eds.

  • Juan

    Mas, Juan Marroig
    Usually refers to Gelat's son, sometimes to Gelat himself. WG

  • Alan

    Hodge, Alan
    Oxford history graduate. Became close friends with LR & RG. First husband of Beryl Graves. CP & WG

  • Catalina

    Catalina
    Cook from Palma employed by RG and LR; worked with Margarita, the chambermaid. W.G., eds.

  • Anita

    Mas, Anita
    Gelat's daughter-in-law, married to Juan Mas. WG

  • Antonia

    Antonia
    Proprietor of the Café Ca'n Pep Moso, opposite the Fabrica. The medico's mistress. WG