Olave's diary for Dec 1921 Index
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Transcriber’s notes are in [square brackets]. [?] indicate something which could not be transcribed. If you can help, please click here.
Click here for People she mentions or here for a Glossary of terms she uses
< November 1921 Notes for 1922 >
December 1921
Our grateful thanks to Katharine Lander for the transcription.
X
Thu 1 Dec 1921
Pete to wolf cubs 5.? or 5.30 at Institute
Fri 2 Dec 1921
Mrs Baldwin & Mrs Linzie to tea.
Sat 3 Dec 1921
Mrs [?] fetches me at 2.0
Attend Helens Hants Conference at Wolvesey Hall Winchester 3.30
Brother in law Baden B-P. to stay
Tuesday 1 November 1921
Lettice to stay for one night & did about 40 letters for me.
Wednesday 2 November 1921
[Page left blank]
Thursday 3 November 1921
[Page left blank]
Friday 4 November 1921
Robin to London for the day.
Poured with rain all day for first time this year.
Did letters, sewing, tidying up house etc. How heavenly this home is & how happy we all are.
Saturday 5 November 1921
Took babies to Farnham for dancing class. Did shopping & watched them for last part.
Quite delicious.
Miss Gammon (possible successor to nursie Hilda Austen when she leaves) came from Woking for an hour & tea. Liked her, & asked her to definitely consider coming.
Sunday 6 November 1921
Helen Whittaker 1 to tea – such a lovely and enchanting person - to look at as well as to know, and a very good County Commissioner.
It is fun to see what fine people we have got as leaders in the counties now.
[1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Whitaker]
Monday 7 November 1921
Old Mrs Burkhard-Ashton, who now lives in Farnham & Pickie come for lunch to talk Scout migration with R.
Old B-A. managed the Scouts Hut in France & the Mercers Y.M.C.A. that I worked in at Calais during the winter of 1915-16 and is an ardent “Legion of Frontiersmen” leader.
Tuesday 8 November 1921
Ilkley
Run up early to office & see Miss Gibbs etc & then to the big “Ben Rhydding Hotel at Ilkley for North of England Commissioners Conf. organised by Alice Behrens.
Wednesday 9 November 1921
Conference continues
[Page left blank]
Thursday 10 November 1921
[Page left blank]
Friday 11 November 1921
Left Ilkley early for London.
[Pencil note] Miss Gibbs at H.Q. at
2.15
[Continues further down page in ink -]
Home with Robin.
Saturday 12 November 1921
Motored over with R. to Sheffield Park near Uckfield (Sussex) to stay with old Uncle Arthur Soames.
The gardens that he made for years are lovely but the house hideous – and all very rich and soul-less.
Sunday 13 November 1921
R. unveiled War Memorial at Fletching Village – more or less financed by Uncle Arthur who owns most of the land about here.
Motored home to Pax late.
Monday 14 November 1921
Nasty feverish chill, so stay in bed all day.
“Beckie” Manser to stay to talk Guides. She was kind to me years ago before I married & used to play tennis at the Parkstone Tennis Club & made me help with the I.C.A.A.[Invalid Children’s Aid Association] Boys Home there.
Tuesday 15 November 1921
Robin to London for the day & night.
Wednesday 16 November 1921
Babies to Harraps for tea party.
Thursday 17 November 1921
Robin & I to London
Guide H.Q. Committee.
See Miss Randall (from Bahamas) and Mrs Fleming who does Guides in S. Rhodesia.
Mrs Guggisberg (formerly Decima Moore the actress) to lunch.
Return home and Alice Behrens to stay.
Friday 18 November 1921
R. to London for the day and night.
To Hindhead to see a possible Guide nursery maid, and engage her – Hazel by name – found for me by dear nice Nanette Bewley.
Saturday 19 November 1921
R. in London all day & evening presided at Camping Club Annual supper, getting home to Pax at midnight.
Sunday 20 November 1921
A sort of “Peace Parade” in Farnham and Robin and I go and inspect the Scouts & Guides in Castle Street.
Monday 21 November 1921
Went to London in the car and took Peter to try on and buy all his Dane Court School clothes.
Collect Yvonne & her tiresome old nurse & all her luggage & get home to Pax for tea. Yvonne is a bit younger than our Betty, but is big for her age.
Tuesday 22 November 1921
Yvonne’s old nurse left & the child cried a bit, but soon settled down.
Took all of them to Farnham & went round looking at houses for Aunt Ger, who thinks she would like to come away from London & live in the country. None of them would suit at all.
Wednesday 23 November 1921
The new nursery governess Mary Gammon comes.
Children all took to her at once.
Thursday 24 November 1921
Nursie (who we have had over 2 years) left to go to her home for a few weeks.
R. to London for his Scout County Commr's meeting. He was not a bit fit poor dear.
Aunt Ger left.
Nursery tea. Such a big party & Yvonne quite happy & good.
Friday 25 November 1921
Robin returned.
Mrs Griffiths, Bishop & Miss Chandler to tea. Several more ought to have come & didn’t.
Saturday 26 November 1921
Robin & I take Miss Gammon (Gammy) & our 3 children to the dancing class.
Yvonne shall go later on. She is “coming on” splendidly & beginning to join in with the others' games. Thick fog in afternoon.
Sunday 27 November 1921
Sent little Maisie black cocker spaniel off to be married[sic] yesterday to a nice cocker dog at Chertsey.
Monday 28 November 1921
[Written in pencil -]
Mrs Baldwin brings a guider from Devon to see me at 3.0.
Carpenter &
Mr Power to stay, arr
4.27
Tuesday 29 November 1921
[Written in pencil -]
Carpenter &
Mr Power leaves
Wednesday 30 November 1921
[Written in pencil -]
Robertson children to tea at 4.0
Mon 5 Dec 1921
Mr Christian, Nisbitts the publisher's director, to lunch to talk over book about Princess Mary
Local guide committee at H.O.to talk of local guide affairs & then large tea .
Tue 6 Dec 1921
Baden left, but came back again unexpectedly & on way up from station hind wheel brokeb off jimmie.
Nurse maid Kathleen left & new one, a Patrol Leader from Haslemere, Hazel Weeks came.
Wed 7 Dec 1921
Robin shoots with Mr Summers.
Nurse St George & Robertson small boys to tea. Great noise & hilarity afterwards with the whole pack of children.
Thu 8 Dec 1921
Baden left and Robin to London for day and night for various Committees & things
Dear delightful Olivia Burges came by road from her home in Glos, to stay
Fri 9 Dec 1921
Robin to London & back in evening
Work hard at revisions for book of rules for guides.
Carpenter to lunch, & then she & O. go off back to Chipping Sudbury in O’s car.
Sat 10 Dec 1921
Take babies to dancing class & do shopping.
Ann Kindersley comes to lunch to talk over a propaganda book for guides next Year.
Robin to do two Scout shows in London & back late.
Sun 11 Dec 1921
Mon 12 Dec 1921
Leave home in morning
Lunch at club with
Mr Heather, D.C. in Canada
See [?] Leicester at H.Q
about book about H.R.H.
Princess Mary to be
written by Miss Cary
a secretary at [?]
guide office. Tea with
Lady Carmichael at
her house to talk over
India guide matters.
Dine & stay at Blue
Triangle Club & attend
jolly party there of all
London Guide [?].
Tue 13 Dec 1921
Go to see Princess Mary
at Buckingham Palace.
Congratulate her & discuss
the book about her,
our guide wedding present
etc. Gladys Strode
Miss Rennie to lunch
at the club to talk
over the proposed gift
of the house (Foxlease
at Lyndhurst) to the
guides.
To stay with Mother
at her flat. Join
Robin at the old
Charterhouse Founder’s
Day party.
Wed 14 Dec 1921
Shop with Mother
& lunch at flat.
Leave at 3.30 & go to
talk over wedding
present with Princess
Mary’s lady in waiting
& have tea with her at
Buckingham Palace.
Shop & go to talk
At the club with
[?]. Lettice Hill to
dine with me at [?]
restaurant & both go
to Christian Science
church in Curzon Street.
Stay at Rubens Hotel.
Thu 15 Dec 1921
Go up to breakfast
At the club with.
[?] Olivia, etc.
Guide H.Q. Committee
I chair first part &
then R. comes up
from Pax.
Lunch at the club.
Finish committee
in afternoon.
R & I catch 4.0
train home to Pax.
Fri 16 Dec 1921
Robin to London
for the day.
Turn out clothes
of babies, do Xmas
presents and sew
Mrs Furneaux called.
Sat 17 Dec 1921
Wades come to stay.
To tea with Mrs Joy
to meet a new guider,
Miss De Wend, from
[?]. Robin and I to
dine with Robertsons.
at Binstead. The nice
Hadows staying there
Nice couples.
Sun 18 Dec 1921
Garden
Mon 19 Dec 1921
Major Wade left,
but Eileen stays
on & helps Robin
with his book
“Horses, Wine
Women and Highbrows”
Tue 20 Dec 1921
Eileen left.
Wed 21 Dec 1921
Run in Jimmie
to Farnham to
shop for Xmas.
What a business it
is!
Yvonne settling
Down quite splendidly,
so happy and gradually
catching our ways.
Thu 22 Dec 1921
Fri 23 Dec 1921
Sat 24 Dec 1921
Xmas cards pouring
in & it really is
rather wonderful
getting kindly
greetings from personal
friends & Scouts &
guides practically all
over the world.
Great joy amongst the
babies over the
hanging up of large
stockings
Sun 25 Dec 1921
Downpour of rain
stopped us all going
to church as we
had intended.
Babies wallow in
parcels – & in evening
We have a riotous
tea & Xmas tree. It
is almost too exciting
for them but they love it.
Mon 26 Dec 1921
Tue 27 Dec 1921
R. shoots at Chawton
with Col. Booker. &
then he & Major Hoare
& Col. Richardson & Miss
Booker call for tea
at Pax on their way
back to Windsor.
Miss B. Is engaged
to marry little Col. R.
on Jan 9th.
Gladys Ainsworth came
up for a guide talk
Wed 28 Dec 1921
Nursie (Hilda Austen)
came back to
prepare “the Den“ for
herself & [?] to
live in when they
get married on.
Jan 12th. R. shoots
with Mr Summers
Village school children
have tea party and
Xmas tree at the school
[?] and I walk
down to see! &
“show interest “!
Thu 29 Dec 1921
[?] and I take
all four children to
Mrs Joy’s children’s
party. Very jolly &
they loved it.
Peter to Cubs with
Mrs Eggar as usual.
Hilda B-P. to stay.
Fri 30 Dec 1921
Robin to London for
the day, speaking
at an educational
conference. Hilda &
I go to Bentley
Women’s Institute
party at the school
at 6.0 for high
tea!
Mis Sinclair, Eileen
Wade’s assist. Sec.
for Robin's work to stay.
Sat 31 Dec 1921
Robin and I [?] in Jimmie to
lunch at [?]
with Nicholsons. The
son General John is
Robin's old friend &
the party consisted
of him, his old mother,
& 3 sisters.
Stella (née Ashton) & her mother to tea.
[1] The voyage when she was Betty B-P
