Dec 25, Saturday Christmas.

After a bad night, still not well – fits of weakness & sweating, but on my feet.
Ch [Chapter] IX & X Belisarius.
Laura doing letter book.
The worst fog ever.
Lots of Christmas cards and two bottles of ink from Sam.
Christmas lunch: Laura, Alan, Karl, Marie, I. Christmas pudding brandy butter, crackers, chicken, wine.
Heard the King on the wireless.
Jenny alone in the ladies' wing at Ingatestone, no other ladies present.
Letter from Short: bad air-raid on Dec 7th, hardships in Palma, worse in villages.

Hands Referenced

Places Mentioned

  • Ingatestone

    Ingatestone, England
    town north-east of London and location of a hospital[?] where Jenny Nicholson spent Christmas 1937 eds.

  • Palma

    Palma, Majorca, Sp
    Capital and largest centre of Majorca.

People Mentioned

  • Laura

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

  • Jenny

    Nicholson, Jenny
    Jenny Nicholson: oldest daughter of Robert by Nancy Nicholson.

  • 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.

  • Alan

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

  • Marie

    Goldschmidt, Marie
    Karl Goldschmidt's first wife. RPG 280-81. The couple met when Marie was employed as domestic help at Ewhurst (summer 1937). eds.

  • Sam

    Graves, Samuel
    R.G.'s youngest child by Nancy Nicholson. C.P.& WG

  • King

    King Edward VIII
    Became the Duke of Windsor after he abdicated the throne in 1936 in order to marry Wallis Simpson. eds.

  • Short

    Short
    Shipping agent and operator of a lending library in Palma. K.G.

Bibliography

    • Title: Letter Book [became The World and Ourselves]
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • Title: Count Belisarius [1938]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Cassell
    • Idno: A47
    • Date: 1937-07-21