FROM DOVER TO THE RIVIERA

Illustration: harpersbazaar.co.uk

T H U R S D A Y,  2 7  J U L Y

Had to get up at 6.30 but poor Ma and Pa were working till 3am so they only had three hours’ sleep.

I wore my Liberty’s dress and flip-flops. Had to queue in the car quite a long time at Dover, but at least we heard 'Ame Caline' in the car. Had the Lord Warden again - it’s the most dead-beat boat you can imagine. Had our own snack lunch on deck. Chump and me got bored, so timed people as they went in and out of the Gents (some took ages).

Drove all the way to Paris. Fab weather, fab scenery too. Stopped on the way at Beauvais where we had patisseries in a cafe and went into the cathedral. It’s really beautiful. What amused me were all the little sentry-boxes where you confess your sins - the priest stands on one side and you speak through a hole to him!

Got to Paris in plenty of time. It was very, very hot in the car and Chumpy complained and complained but Ma did some very good map work and we were soon at the station. There we met up with this awful fat English man in a Rolls.

“He had a pink shirt and a blazer with gold buttons that he could hardly do up. I’ve never seen such a pompous ass!”

I didn’t realise there were such people. At the station I bought ‘Mademoiselle Age Tendre’ and a corny paper (worse even than the Daily Mirror) because it had something on Johnny Halliday; I think he’s giving up singing. Then got the train, and went along to the restaurant car for dinner. Had melon – ugh – then a lovely egg sort of thing, then veal and potatoes, and lastly coffee ice cream.

It’s lovely to be on holiday but I wish I could get really joyful about it. I wish there was someone of my own age.

The "dead-beat" Lord Warden (1951-1979)