In this most lovely spot, a shallow valley curving slightly, running inland from a rocky, cliffy, covish coast where a lazy sea whispers over rocks and polished stones, – in this spot, with my camp all established and smoothly running, tents camouflaged with corn to match the corn fields around us, and dug in, here I have been thinking a lot of you.  The moon, great and silver, finished the mood, no accentuated it. And the Army Post Office, most efficient of all the efficient British Army produced mail two nights ago, with one from you, one from Mother, one from Bill Hughes and one from Uncle Jack (Scarf) Hancox.  And now even the typewriter is out of its case and is in use.  Bless us all.  Its great fun, this Forward life, and everyone is brown and hearty and eats mightily,

                        I sent off the two parcels for Dickie and for you and hope they’ll make swift progress. They are aimed at your birthdays but might miss the mark. The pictures are for Dickie’s bedroom in due course when he has a bedroom and wants his own pictures. I like them immensly and think you will,  I have seen nothing like them. Nor like the lovely materials I resisted buying, largely because I had no money !

                        Its good that my advances up to May are in the debits but they shouldn’t have pulled us down to £45 minus, Have they credited us with (a) pay, (b) Corps pay, (c) Med, allowance ? My witdrawels can only be £13-10-0 a month, which is less than two thirds the full intake. I’ll be saving up here anyhow, unless I get a trip down to Rome as I have arranged for Peter ! I fixed a Duty Visit for him, bless him. But to return to mondayne matters, you might check up on the balance sheet that we have received, each month, about 30 or 31 times 13/-, plus 30 or 31 times l/2d. Corps pay, plus 30 or 31 times 4/6d. Med. Pay. If there are diserepeneies ask Careless to write to the Paymaster, (officers Manchester and ask what-the-hell ?.

                        Tullock has come back to the Mess having been relegated to his section for laziness for six months, you remember him coming to the Read’s cottage with ill-gotten rations for you at Broinborough ?

                        Living dangerously as you do at home, with these disturbing aerial bombs and poor living and rations and no travel and coupons and no petrol I hesitate to tell you that yesterday when we drew rations they gave us twenty eight turkeys, great fat turkeys, and the men today have turkeysfor dinner with apple sauce and spinach and beans ! And turkey broth for supper and turkey mince after that ! We are on American rations for the time being, and get American cigarettes and vast tins of fruit juice, pineapple, orange and grapefruit. Quite silly, I do hope Great Alne is out of range of the aerial things.  But it is, I feel Jerry’s last shot, I am most ashamed of our luxurious life, abundance of everything and even the best weather of Europe. Frauds, the lot of us. This, for example, is the ideal holiday camp, scenary good, weather constantly good, a little boat for sailing, bathing in two places, a cove a la nude and a little lido with shorts P.T., and but little real excitement to disturb our slumbers. The enemy has a pronounced tendency to go away from us. And you have War with you all.  Its hard and anxious making for sappers with folk in London and coastal towns. Heigh ho. May it all end.

                        I think of your son Richard much, my son Richard, – sharing to the full, with children – and wonder. He is of a friendly disposition I gather, likes people and is affectionate to you – as all people of good taste must be,  I wonder if he’d be affectionately disposed towards me and let me bounce him about – oh so sensibly.

            I’ve named you my voting proxy on the army form we are all doing.  I have no objection to you voting for Tony Eden, he seems to earn his keep and would be fun in opposition I should think. Failing that do as you wishwith my vote.

                        I must try to do some Things.  I’ll think it out and find (a) time and (b) energy. We need it.  Some time before Dickie will bring in much except in the presents he wheedles by sheer ingratiatingness it seems. How much has he made so far ? A fiver ? Like to know what we have in the way of hidden resources in the family.

                        The people here are better than in the South, more adult, more careful and fond of their children, who wear diminutive shorts only both sexes, and look brown and Upright and have good teeth. They are honest and when you give a woman a piece of soap for washing your things she brings back what she doesn’t use, unlike those in the south. They are more dignified and cleaner, and were violently partisan until Jerry moved away tactfully a few days ago.

                        How does the garden grow ? Fruit yet, currants and plums ? Dickie, your goodmother says, propels himself around his cage, so said also Bill Hughes, Good, very. Maybe a letter from you this evening. Dear how I need to see you both and all. I am a fond person, and think, in my hole in the ground, on Christopher’s bed, under my bivouac (I’ll try to hang on to it for Dickie in the garden ) think of you for a sweet period and then to sleep.