Item 11: Miles Franklin pocket diary, 17 February-29 December 1918

MAY -1918

19. Sunday Lovely day. Little grey & cold at even. A.A. & I went to hear Dr Orchard & essayed Pk. but Miss Yates acted bear with scalded head & we had to come home E.C. Brown came to tea & stayed till 9.30. Great yarn about Camp. Big raid started about 11 & went on till about 1.30. Quite noisy at times but I went to sleep.

20. Monday. Lovely day. Very ex-hausted had to lie down. Mrs Bage came to tea in garden Called on Lady Byles after supper

21. Tuesday. Agnes rang up & I went down at 3.30 to see her off from Hotel. Went with them to Euston. Then went to Young Brown & we dined at Florence & went back to hotel & saw Webber. Found F. Post at home.

22. Wednesday. Lovely warm day. Went to Miss N. at 10 left at 5.30. Big thunderstorm turned it cold

MAY - 1918

16. Thursday. Sun in morning. Then fogged up afternoon perfect. Clear & warm Went to Miss N. at 10.15 & left at 6.15. Mrs Meggitt & ['Phil' crossed out] May called to see me told me of Geoff's aberration.

17. Friday. Went to Dr Spindlo at 10. In afternoon went to Lyceum to reception to American Mission. In evening F. Post came. We went for a walk & rolled lawn etc till 11.45 lovely weather.

18. Saturday. Lovely warm day. No rain. Tried to do a little work in morning. Claude Kinred came about 2.30 & we went to Kew to see rhododen-drons & azaleas. Former a little passé. Went to Walsøe's for tea & stayed till 10. Got home late very tired. Glorious yellow of laburnam & rose of pink & double pink may

MAY - 1918

12. Sunday– Showers in the morning. Mrs Nelson Smith & I went to hear Dr Walter Walsh in Steinway Hall at 11. Afternoon with Lady Byles and Greenlees people Rang Agnes up at night

13. Monday. Heavy showers. Went to lunch at Grosvenor with Agnes & Melinda. Then to Liberty's Strand & Censor's office with Melinda. Home to tea with Mrs French.

14. Tuesday. Went to Dr. Spindlo at 11.30 Read "Loom of Youth" at Selfridge's & at 2 went to lunch with Mrs Fisher. She took Miss Mitchell & I to tea at Allan's

15. Wednesday. S Fair day. Went to meet Mrs Meggitt but got in wrong train so returned & went to bed thoroly exhausted. Sun in afternoon.

MAY - 1918

9. Thursday. Went to Miss N. at 10 & stayed till 5. Mrs N. Smith took Girlie & me & A. A. Smith to Pageant of Freedom in Queen's Hall. Clara Butt divine as ever. Lovely day all day - Warm & sunny

10. Friday. Started fine but clouded after lunch

11. Saturday. Went to see 3000 U.S. troops march up Piccadilly. In evening F. Post came to dinner & stayed v. late Cold in morning. Grey but occasional patches of sun

MAY -1918

5. Sunday - Grey showery day. Went to Dr Synge's for tea Mrs French & Fred Post - a y. man from Calif were there.

6. Monday. Nice day. Not v. well. Pottered In evening went to Serb lectures at Lyceum. F. Post there. He walked to Marble Arch with me.

7. Tuesday. Cold showery day. Went to Miss Newcomb at 10 left at 5.30. Miss Hodge clean off about brutal letter from D. Pethick. Feeling very skew whiff.

8. Wednesday. Wrote letters. Not v. well. Went to Minerva at 4.30 to tea with Mrs French & Mrs Aldridge. Home with latter for an hour then to hear Brailsford on dangers of Inter-nationalism at Ashburnham club.