Saturday 28th May 1938

Drenching rain. Pat and I got away from Southend about 1 o’clock with our week-end luggage piled in the back of the car. The windscreen-wiper clicked steadily. Rain drove at the windscreen. The engine droned. Zephyr is now thoroughly run-in. I was able to put my foot down. Great improvement; no oil fumes, more power, oil consumption very slight.

Pat and I did not talk much. The magic link was quite, quite broken. My “last throw of the dice” had failed. However it could not have been a stronger throw and I’m very glad it was made. Best to know soon; not too late. We parked at Epping for lunch – sandwiches packed by Mrs Retallack. Then on through the rain – North Circular Road, Barnet, St Albans, Dunstable and The Stratford’s. Pat read the paper, I smoked and watched the road. The rain stopped. She hummed tunes to herself; I whistled softly. Finally, through Towcester and Weedon and Daventry, we both sang merrily. Across the Chapel Field and to Aunt’s.

After tea, Pat and I danced (not very well) to the gramophone in the hall. Tango and fox-trot. Then we played all the classical music – Galli-Curci, Rachmaninov, Schumann – and sat on the stairs. That is one thing we have in common – music.
The three of us sat by a log fire in the morning room, whilst a wintry wind blew outside. Summer! But the log fire was nice.