22.10.39

Very misty, not cold, a short spell of sun in the afternoon. No wind. Turned out & examined some of the bags of potatoes. Found that some K. Edwards had gone bad, but no Red Kings, or very few. Threw away the bad ones, changed into fresh bags & scattered a little lime on the heap. Hope this will be enough to prevent serious damage. Planted out a few clumps of aubretia. Cut the pumpkin which was ripening. Only about 10 lb. T. is selling first-rate cooking apples (called locally Meetrop or some such name – have not seen this apple before) at 1 d lb., eating apples (Blenheims) @ 1¹/₂lb. Cut the first savoy today. Arranged to let the milkman have our eggs @ 3/6 score instead of the 3/- the butcher has been paying. T. says you can get 3/8 at the market, but in that case there are commissions to come off.

6 eggs.

21.10.39

Very fine, clear, still autumn weather, with a touch of mist. Distinctly chilly morning & evening. E., Lydia[1] & self picked 4¹/₂lb. blackberries. Nuts seem to be already ripened & fallen. Oak trees now mostly yellow, hawthorn & ash leaves falling.

7 eggs. Sold 15 @ 3/- score. Total this week: 41.

[1] Lydia Jackson (1899-1983), a friend of Eileen’s from the time they met at University College London in 1934, wrote under the pen-name Elisaveta Fen; see 534A. After being bombed out of her flat in 1940, she and her flat-mate, Patricia Donahue, rented the Orwells’ cottage at Wallington. The 21^st was a Saturday, so Eileen could come down from London for the weekend. Peter Davison

20.10.39

Fine, still, sunny but not particularly warm. Finished digging the rhubarb bed, prepared the frame for dead leaves, made up a little more of the path, grubbed up the last lot of French beans. T[itley]. cannot get any stakes so shall have to buys some iron ones.

5 eggs.

19.10.39

Raining almost continuously till late evening. Impossible to do much out of doors. Dug a very little more of the rhubarb bed, cleaned up the remaining bit of the path, which however cannot be re-gravelled till I have got some more cinders (no coal delivered for the past 10 days). Tried experimentally some of the lime & naphthalene mixture,[1] also crushed rock salt, both said to be good weed killers. Tits are common about the house now. In the elm trees in the field some kind of bird makes a sawing noise every night. Don’t know whether this can be the owls.

If possible the following things have to be done before the end of November: [2]

Move wire of hen-run.

Clear all the grass off the new patch & the bit joining it to the old garden.

Heap turf so as to rot.

Rough-dig the new patch.

Transplant all the fruit bushes.

Clean out & dig the patch where the fruit trees have been.

Lime the vacant piece, the empty part of the rhubarb bed, & the place where the fruit bushes have been.

Clearing out the remaining patch under the hedge & prepare for rambler.

Remove most of the chrysanthemums when they have withered back.

Take up & store dahlia roots.

Plant shallots.

Sow broad beans.

Plant phloxes, michaelmas daisies (if not too early.)

Plant roses, rambler & polyantha. Transplant peonies.

Transplant apple tree.

Procure and plant blackberries.

Collect several sacks dead leaves.

Clean out strawberry bed.

Possibly also:[3]

Make up paths in kitchen garden.

Make new bed by gate.

5 eggs.

[1] Makes no impression whatever. T. thinks it would actually encourage weeds in the long run. However this mixture is also said to be good for expelling wire-worms. [Orwell’s note]

[2] All items have been ticked except ‘Clean out & dig the patch where the fruit bushes have been’ and ‘Sow broad beans,’ which are marked with a cross, ‘& the place where the fruit bushes have been’ and ‘Plant phloxes…’ which are not marked at all.

[3] These two tasks are marked with neither tick nor cross.Peter Davison

18.10.39

Rather cold, with some sharp showers. Could not do much out of doors. Cleaned up some of the path & put in some stakes for the blackberries. Two more stakes are needed.

7 eggs. Sold 20 @ 3/- score.

17.10.39

Still, fairly fine, not cold. Went into Baldock & bought mattock, 6/-. Also a little napthaline, said to be good weed-killer when mixed in equal quantities with lime. Cleared out place where the blackberries are to go. Elm trees are all yellowing, beech trees not so much.

6 eggs.

16.10.39

Sunny, very still, fairly warm. I believe there was a slight frost last night. Saw the white owl again yesterday evening. Limed part of the vacant patch, the part nearest the raspberries. That bit is not to be manured are I want it for root-crops. Dug a little more of the patch by the rhubarb. Soil here rather sour & must be limed when dug. Cut down the runner beans & added a layer to the compost heap. Made up a little more of the garden path.

Sold 4 cockerels for 9/- – poor price but they were very small.

3 eggs!

15.10.39

Continuous & mostly heavy rain all day. Impossible to do anything out of doors.

8 eggs.

14.10.39

Extremely heavy rain all night & in the morning. Cleared up a little in the afternoon. Began digging patch by rhubarb, otherwise impossible to do much out of doors.

5 eggs. Sold 15 @ 3/- score. Total this week: 42

13.10.39

Misty but not cold. Some swallows still about, flying very high. Mowed the lawn. Could not make much impression on it, as it has got long again, but this will probably have to be its last cut this year. Nothing more now to be done in the flower garden expect° the little patch up by the trellis & to trim off edges of the grass & make up paths, but I cannot do all this until the spade is mended. Cleared out the patch where the rhubarb is, preparatory to digging. Gave all the broccoli etc. superphosphate. This will be their last feed. Some savoys ready to cut & a few sprouts almost ready, but all that first lot are very poor. Planted 2 doz. snowdrop bulbs. Put some hen-manure in the shed to dry. Tried mixture of coal dust & tealeaves° in a paper bag, which will burn more or less, so shall keep sugar cartons for this purpose.

5 eggs (1 double egg).