Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes

Mrs Alice Dudeney ◆ Novelist, diarist ◆ 'A rival to Thomas Hardy.' ◆ Often STORMY & SOUR; striving to be SWEET & SERENE

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

1 Jan 1924

Letter through Post Office returned one I wrote to Philip at Southampton. Sent it him. Letter from dear Christopher [Fulleylove]. How much more valuable family love is than intermittent friendship with an attractive millionaire.

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

28 Dec 1923

Communion at 8.30 and I was specially sorry I had felt so bitter towards him all Xmas time.

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

Again the feather bed caressed me. Mr Gale sent a great big box of chocolates. Miss Doyle to tea. 2/2

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

Christmas Day 1923

Ernest practically never spoke all day. Sour gloom. Most embarrassing for poor Antony. I went to bed early and - after trying to keep gay and Christmassy all day in such an atmosphere - broke down 1/

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

At tea time Antony arrived. Slept on the feather bed. It comforted and petted me 2/2

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

Xmas Eve 1923

Broken hearted. Awoke feeling I'd give a year's income to get out of Christmas and the farcical, ghastly gaiety of the whole thing. In the middle of the morning he came up and apologised, but I cannot react all at once 1/

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

The Lewes ladies are going about in their typical summer rig: large patterned foulards, worn either with hefty boots or shoes and always black wool stockings - or very airy voiles with same shoes and stockings. 2/2

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

9 July 1923

He went off dear old thing looking very nice in a new Panama hat and not so nervously gloomy and irate as usual, when off on a journey... 1/2

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

8 July 1923

After tea Ernest and I strolled round the Bowling Green, quite happily, until we fell out about the Pavilion! ... washed his gloves, hair brush etc, getting him ready for London.

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

Found my little stays hanging down behind!! Sat down on the steps with an "afraid I'm coming to bits" smile and she departed. 2/2

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

6 July 1923

So hot that I furtively undid my stays but not the suspenders. Strange lady arrived from Mrs Fisher. Did I know of lodgings in the Isle of Wight? Heard I'd just returned. Did what I could and then proceeded to let her out the garden door. Sartorial contretemps. 1/2

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

31 May 1923

Frankfort Moore sent off a cartload of garden statuary. Miss Falconer said it was most embarrassing to have those naked females outside her house all the morning as she had two nuns staying with her.

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

17 May 1923

This morning for the first time I saw the man (a baker) who goes by every morning ringing a bell at 8 to the minute, a signal that I must get up! So he is flesh. Liked him better as a symbol 🔔

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

4 May 1923

Went to the police and said they must stop children toboganning down Castle Banks.

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

26 April '23

Possibly with a desire to air myself after too much Freud (this merciless analysis leaves you naked and ashamed!) felt I must have a morning out, bus to Brighton, a walk out to Black Rock, bus back. The sea was heavenly, greyish, greenish - everything-ish.

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

25 April 1923

At night I read Freud's Psycho-analysis book. Very clever and fascinating, but stuffy and one-sided, seems to me. Anyhow I read myself blind. Very stupid.

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

24 April 1923

Muddle about sort of morning. This is the way I get into when I'm not working and it is what the British Matron calls being 'so busy'.

Bless her kind heart and thick head.

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

17 April 1923

Miss Smythe said of Mrs Grant: "It's certainly a happy marriage - but then she had new teeth put in."

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

23 March 1923

Going to communion met a working man, very conversational and pleased with himself. Told me he was the soldier, mentioned in the papers at the time, who was deaf and dumb but recovered his speech suddenly at a picture palace, three years ago.

[Alice Dudeney - personage of Lewes @MrsDudeney]

8 March 1923

Finished the last cap of four, made it narrower and, so, without elastic it's a first rate nightcap into which I bundle my hair loose. Can't think how I've managed all these years without one.