BOXING DAY TELLY

T U E S D A Y,  2 6  D E C E M B E R

Us two took Grandma and Grandpa round the garden. Grandma certainly has got the complaining disease. She can’t help it now. I feel so sorry for Grandpa. But I'm sure he enjoyed being here. 

They went and Wally and family arrived. Karolina and Livvy got maxi-skirts for Christmas, lucky things. We went round the garden first and then I played with the little ones. They're sweet - I so wish we had little brothers and sisters. Karolina stayed up in my room listening to my transistor and reading S.L.C’s. She’s very envious of my Otis Redding LP.  Had a fab tea. Wally treats K. shockingly.

Saw very good TV. Super Frost Report. Then the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour (rather mad!) then the most marvellous programme with Peter Ustinov. He, Judy Dench and Patrick Campbell were talking with Kenneth Allsop and it was incredible. As far as I’m concerned, Peter Ustinov is the most wonderful man in the world; like Polnareff, he has Russian and French blood. He also believes exactly the same about America that Daddy does, that it’s going through the egoistical stage England went through in the Victorian era. He’s fantastically intelligent and the marvellous thing is, he’s not a cynic at all. We were killing ourselves the whole way through. He can imitate anything, from a violin playing 'God Save the Queen' to Queen Mary and Nanette de Valois!!!

London Grandma phoned in the evening. She annoyed me terribly by going on about how wonderful Karolina is, and how beautiful. She thinks it’s a shame we’re not friends. Well, as far as I’m concerned we never were.

The marron glacés have gone, but there are tons of liqueur chocs.

 Peter Ustinov, multi-lingual genius and raconteur, spinning tales from Japan