Saturday 21st June 1941

Damn! That ink was hopelessly U.S. There's still some left but I've gone back to the old indelible pencil.

Tonight after tea, quite on the spur of the moment, I went off alone for a walk, taking my towel and camera. Pleasant hours scramble down a rough catacomb of rocky wadies, vaguely seeking the sea – and I found it! There was a rectangular crack in the rocks, sloping from 1 to 5 foot – it was about 10 yards wide and 15 yards long – with surging, clear green water and a slab of rock at the bottom. It really looked like an artificial swimming bath – and was as clean. The water was surprisingly warm, although it was sunset, so I had a quick bathe and washed some of the muck off myself. Later, in the clear air, even the lousy issue tobacco tasted tolerable.

I came back, in the dark, stumbling cautiously through the maze of wadies. However I'd noted landmarks on the way down and so found my path alright. It took about 3 hours altogether. When I got back I had a rub-down and put on clean clothes. Before going I'd shaved, cut my nails and trimmed my moustache. So now I feel cleaner than I've felt for many days!

Funny, when there's no water, how one lets oneself go and gets used to feeling dirty! But it's all the more grand to feel clean again.