[Part one of the Diary (with a brief introduction) may be found here, part two here, and part three here.]
Sunday. First day of Summer.
I have been in Bywater one year today!
Went down to Old Ruby’s Pond for a spot of fishing after supper — caught a splendid Sad Rudd — thirteen pounds & a half! In Ruby’s Pond!
Monday, second day of Summer. Very fine.
Noakes gave me a new fishing rod — Advanced! — for working so hard at my Club missions. Ran straight to the Old Stone Bridge Pool, I was so chuffed! First thing I caught was a Dunno — a decent one, but just an ordinary Dunno.
But —
Ended up with 4 good Dunno, 2 Bywater Bleak, & one very good Dunno. Went to Ladle’s Jetty after luncheon — caught 4 very good Softmouth Trout, 2 Coastal Rainbow Trout ditto, 3 good Tench, a Marble Trout & Sad Rudd ditto, & a very good Sad Rudd — so not bad at all for B. Underhill of the Bywater Fishing Club!
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Spent all day on a Foraging Club mission, looking for butterfly cups — found not a one. Not a one.
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Was quite pleased with this drawing, but Orlo shuddered when he saw it (even though he sees that boat every time he brings or collects a letter at Old Noakes’s place) — “Ruined!” he said, “the only way a boat should be!” (“Unsightly and frightening,” Fosco added.)
Thursday. Fine.
Had a gents’ luncheon yesterday on Mooma’s Island with Fosco, Sandyman, & Young Tom. Fished a bit afterwards, off Ladle’s Jetty. Made a spiced pie in the evening at Lily Cotton’s request — the Rich Rhubarb with lots of cinnamon & clove — was dropping on my feet delivering it, it was so late — had to dash home full-tilt just to stay awake.
Spent much of today thinking about re-arranging my garden. It is a bit of work to move the beds, but it can be done, certainly. I might have the upper garden — to the east, along the stream — which is still more or less only grass, for a sitting area, & keep the others for a kitchen garden. It would be very pleasant to sit outdoors & listen to the water & the birds, & enjoy the flowers.
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Went out looking for Hops this afternoon, saw that young man who is always sitting on the bench there, gazing out over the Bywater Pool. Heard him murmuring to himself — I think he is sweet on Willow Took.
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in the afternoon, telling me about her life here in Bywater, and some things I did not know. (She called him “Noaksie”!)
Tuesday.
Took a Foraging Club mission to collect 8 Currants & did it all in one day! Wasn’t that lucky! Was hosting a very late luncheon — so late that it was almost tea — at the Three Farthing Stone, & discovered masses of Currant bushes up there, a few on the hillside leading up, & more in the road cutting to the south.
Did a lot of sketching waiting for everyone to arrive — beautiful views on a beautiful afternoon.
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Wednesday. Fine.
Got a very pleasant surprise this afternoon, that Willow has opened up the blocked doorway off of my kitchen — there is a little passage & just beyond that a cosy little room with a really wonderful mural of the hills around Bywater on the ceiling between the beams. I had no idea at all. Spent quite some time lying on the floor just looking up at it!
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Friday. Very fine.
A bit of a spring fever has seized me, & I thought I might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a goat — as uncle says! — & so I took yesterday & today to turn out & re-arrange the rooms, moving my painting desk & a table that Fosco gave me to the “new” little south-west room, & moving the bed in uncle’s room to the wall across from the fireplace, making it into a proper bedroom with a sitting area where the bed had been, with all of the furniture I’ve accumulated & that until now has just been shoved higgledy-piggeldy into the alcove. I re-hung all of the pictures, & put up some new ones as well. It was rather a lot of work, but I am quite pleased with it all.
Saturday.
Discovered an Apricot tree yesterday! whilst fishing at the Old Stone Tower. The tree is up in the little stone circle across the Road from the Tower, near an Apple tree, so perhaps I missed the Apricots last autumn — they are not always easy to see when the grass is autumn-golden.
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the Walnut trees between Old Ruby’s Pond & the Road are loaded with nuts, so spent a while gathering them, needless to say stepping carefully around the duck poo.
Tuesday. Fine.
Made luncheon for Daisy & Willow & Delphinium, wh. I lugged over to Delphinium’s Tree — Lovely Tater Slices, a Rustic Plum & Berry Tart, & an Adventurous Shepherd’s Pie, wh. recipe Orlo gave me, and I owe him much, for it was a superb pie, quite superb. It was more than a meal — it was a feast!
Wednesday.
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most of the day & then in the evening hosted a shared meal at the Ivy Bush. Old Noakes, Hobson Hornblower, Farmer Cotton, and Sandyman all at the same table! — I’m sure I saw Marigold wink at me!
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Not as close as I would have liked, but I had to do it from across the water, he grumbled so much!
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Saturday. Fine.
Bought 3 new quarter-round garden beds & a small square in the morning. Had Delphinium & Daisy here for luncheon — promised the latter yesterday that I’d wear my party waistcoat & my Cape of Fellowship.
After Fosco gave me a really splendid copper bath (!!) the other day, I have decided to use the little passage off the kitchen as a bath room! It is not entirely suitable, being really a route to somewhere & not an end in itself, but it will make quite a pleasant change from sponge baths, to be sure. It is certainly convenient for hot water, being just off the kitchen, & warm ditto.
Wednesday. Rain.
Bought two more quarter-round garden beds from Farmer Cotton this morning, put one on each side of the rectangle bed next to my front gate — I do like a rounded corner, it must be said! Filled them with flower seeds.
Spent the wet afternoon planning out another re-organisation of my kitchen garden, after having put up a new washing-line at last. My inner debate was between setting it up just outside the kitchen door, to save hauling laundry any further than that — but then having nothing but a washing-line to look at through the kitchen window — or setting it up further out for the breezes to dry things lickety-split, & put up with the extra work. The latter won out — I don’t really mind carrying the baskets, these warm days at least, & things do dry very quickly. I’ve put it in the gate-yard, after deciding that I want to keep the big lower garden “for best” (as grandmother used to say).
Fetched everything from the pantry to make Cheesy Garden Soup for supper with Orlo and Nora, then discovered that I had no cheeses atal. Dashed out in the rain to the Green Dragon to trade some milk & salt for a round of Bywater Blue from Lily Cotton.
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& he said, “You might not know a lot about fishing, but you know more than you used to.” I suppose he’ll be saying this for years!
END OF DIARY.
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