Thursday 18th May 1944

We've had three days of rain, six days of bitter cold weather. Surprisingly enough, I've been free of that irritating cold in the head, and cough, ever since that warm day, a week ago. Perhaps this happy fact is due to the noxious tobacco I've been smoking for the last 10 days – a mixture of herbs, purchased ridiculously cheaply at a chemists. The chief parts of the mixture are coltsfoot and clover. I notice that other people object to the smell of my pipe now, but the taste is not too bad. The aroma reminds me of Boy Scout days, when we furtively lurked behind hedges, puffing manfully at pipes full of what we then termed “clover nobs”!

The Nissen hut has been tolerably warm this last two evenings as we all went into the woods collecting dry faggots for firing. It has been a gloomy day and I don't feel very cheerful. My kit, personal possessions and writings and books all seem to be in hopeless disorder.

And still the grey rain fell.