July 31 Sunday.

A rather mad day.
Got up at 5.15. Alan & Beryl already up since 4.30 waiting for bee-taker & Juan, duck hunting. At 6 both came. Juan & his Breton friend with a white retriever 'Apporte, mon beau, apporte mon petit homme!1' got 2 moor-hen – no duck. The bee-taker & menuisier2 found ladders too short for roof, so could not take honey comb from chimney top – they had burned sulphur in my chimney. So Juan shot up the chimneys & got no comb, only sooty wasps, bees & pupas.
We put up the beds – I have a charming whitish one, wooden, with knobs. Laura brown one with bobbined-rail – having to saw transomes.
Norman left at 3.50. A bicycle ride along by the lake – many bathers & fishers.
I went over several poems: and was stung in the foot by a wasp. (Garlic)

Editorial Notes

1 "Bring it here, beautiful, bring it, little boy!" eds.
2 "carpenters" eds.

Hands Referenced

People Mentioned

  • Juan

    Vives, Juan
    The Doctor's brother. Married to Gelat's daughter. Lived in Rennes, France. WG

  • Alan

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

  • Laura

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

  • Beryl

    Pritchard, Beryl
    daughter of Harry and Amy Pritchard, R.G.'s second wife. Formerly married to Alan Hodge. Robert and Beryl had four children: William, Lucia, Juan and Tomas. eds

  • Norman Cameron

    Cameron, Norman
    Poet. Built Can Torrent in 1932-1933. W.G.; m. to Elfriede, then to Catherine Vandervelde; friend and contributor to LR and RG's work eds.