May 11

Mummy was over at The Towers this week supervising some bedding plants going in. She reels off the Latin names and I haven’t a clue what she’s talking about. I was at work but Deirdre (my wife) was there and Mummy wanted to see some more pictures of Saffron Walden. Deirdre found that there’s actually a Jacobean (is this before or after Tudor?) Mansion very near called Audley End House. Only about a mile out of the town. She says Mummy was obviously quite impressed, though she pretended not to be, and asked how many rooms it had. Deirdre couldn’t find out.

Talked to my mate Jeremy Fenning Ottway on the train up to town. We’ve been pals ever since Eton. Jeremy’s got a couple of brain cells to rub together. Well, a couple more than I have anyway. He says he thinks Saffron Walden is quite near Cambridge, so nearly IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE. Not really Essex at all! He went to Cambridge for an interview. If you’ve been to Eton and have a double-barrelled name apparently they’re quite interested in you. He didn’t get in though. He says Mummy would probably enjoy going for a boat ride on the River Cam. He said he thought floating along on Cleopatra’s barge would probably appeal to her. I said did he have an email for this Cleopatra? Does she rent her barge out? Anything to lure Mummy into EAST ANGLIA. He said he didn’t think she was around much any more and certainly not in England. He was laughing. He does try to wind me up at times. (Must Google Cleopatra.)