Friday February 9, 1979

_. Amusing day. Delia phoned this morning to thank me for the letter I'd written on the 7th. She found it delightful. She asked me if I fancied going out for a drink at lunchtime and I leapt with joy at the thought of it. ________.

Kathleen was thinking that I was taking a half-day so I held her to it and took one. Kathleen was chewing her hands like an imbecile when I gathered my possessions and left at 12.

Met Delia on Wellington Street and went to Len's Bar which is just around the corner. She must be quite at a loss with Sarah away with the mob of plundering, ravaging crowd of Swedes. Had a few drinks at the bar and then grabbed a Chesterfield settee. She told me that the Pakistanis are responsible for re-introducing tuberculosis into the UK, and no doubt she is right, but I hate to think they are going to take the blame. On the subject of Pakistanis, she says that if they can organise arranged marriages then so can she and that Sarah and I are to be married at Rawdon Church sometime in the very near future. I told her I am very willing to go along with this.

Joined by Barbara Wheeler and morky Marilyn, who sat in a near coma clutching a Martini. She isn't going to speak to me again after the party last Saturday when I 'upset' Jacq. I fail to see what this has got to do with Marilyn though. Barbara was pleasant though and we discussed Margaret Thatcher's hair, and the days of Harold Macmillan. All Tories together. They left Delia and I at 2. We then ate a ploughman's lunch which consisted of an apple and piles of raw onion. We sat on the Chesterfield breathing onion fumes over each other. She talked quite frankly about many things, things she would never dream of telling Sarah. We are a bit 'Margaret and Roddy'. Home at 3.

Sat by the fire tonight. Totally knackered. My back aches from last night's tragedy. Bed at 12.

-=-