p.

5.

The Area Commander being Col Leicester is alright, because
he knows me & I know him. The next man is the
Brigade Major - in the last place he was an
awfully decent bloke & very able & sensible & good to
work with. Here, the man is just a bloody fool & so
goddamned pleased with himself - the very worst type of
Regular Army officer. I dislike him intensely, which I'm
quite sure he knows & so there is not so much love
lost. He comes round & talks absolute balls about
my camouflage & the lessons of Crete & its just
all rubbish. Bloody man. And the rest of them are
just idle, silly & useless which is bad enough, but I
just cannot bear incompetent importance.

It is really rather a pity, after my excellent terms with
the last Area & as Col Leicester is now here. But
I just cannot be friendly & polite to people
whom I dislike & despise. But it does not worry
me a very great deal, so don't take me too
seriously darling.

I'm afraid I'm not writing you a very interesting or
thrilling letter & I am going to finish this on the other
side of this page & so send you a six page letter, which is
against my principles & rules & which I have not done for
a long time. But the combination of circumstances is
all too much for me at the moment. An incredibly dull
life & nothing happening at all & no word from you. It
does not mean that I do not think about you, darling
because I do more & more - or that I do not feel
in touch with you because I do - or at least in
sympathy if not very much in touch. But it is