C/O H.Q. No. 5 Port Operating Group R.E. C.M.F.
Dearest….Here we are again, and a warm evening. I shall probably filter vaguely down to spend a couple of hours with the Saviozzi crowd and may not. One feels unsettled these fine warm evenings. This afternoon a goodly cricket match, which we won by eight runs, and the last overs were quite nerve-wracking, however we did it and felt pleased. So I remain at first wicket down where I have stayed for a long time for the odd twenty every time and take my three wickets a match, which may be a childish cause for gratification, but it pleasant as a mark that old age has not got me yet. Indeed I am as lively and fit as ever I have been and leap about quite happily. So that’s a good thing;
A letter from you yesterday which was good. You’d been to see Fitz and liked it and Mrs. Jeavons had been dreadful and the garden was nice and Dickie Dickyish. Yesterday I had my day off and took Suzy Moretti and her Basso profundo to Taranto and Giorgio came too and we went off while they were negotiating and found a charming bathing beach and swam in the warm deep clear sea and lay in the sun and ate herrings on bread and butter and drank red wine and ate peaches and chocolate and all was nice a happy. The Basso Profundo bounced about in the back quite contentedly. In the evening I read and then called on the nice Gaons and stayed until all the children were in bed and made a little love to Bianca and so home and tired to bed to sleep soundly as I do in my cool little room.
Still no change in the situation, we abide our orders and there is nought else to do. A silly situation indeed: But there is nought we can do about it so we just carry on: I have got over the sadness now and am reconciled to it all.
I should be writing you know and of a sudden I will. This going out makes me feel guilty, but I think St. Anthony means it well, it is a stale life sitting about and tends to dullness. To move about breeds verve and your David without verve would be so unworthy of you. And It is you of whom I mostly think and do. More anon.
Anon. I did go down, having telephoned and spoken to them all in turn, and being ordered to go because they were having Pezze Napolitane. So I ate much too much and we teased and talked and so to bed where I slept stormily having dined a l’Anglaise at half seven and supped a la Napoli at ten. Sort of ommelette of Pasta with tomatoes, parsley, olive oil onions and all sorts. But so much.
More cricket tomorrow. Really I am pleased that I can bowl a dozen overs – with results, field hard and bat for half an hour or more at my advancing age. Some stationers get scanty on the top, flabby at the middle and hairy at the ear tips at nearly forty. So I shall not be too elderly for you and Dickie.
Oh no I shan’t. Now to bed, dearest you.
Ever;;;
David XXXXX