10 Fictional Diaries

 

1. Diary of a Nobody George and Weedon Grossmith
2. A Journal of the Plague Year Daniel Defoe
3. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4 Sue Townsend
4. Bridget Jones's Diary Helen Fielding
5. Diary of a madman Nicolai Gogol
6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney
7. Dracula Bram Stoker
8. I capture the castle Dodie Smith
9. Notes on a scandal Zoe Heller
10. The Yellow Wallpaper Charlotte Perkins Gilman

10 Diarists

1. Samuel Pepys
2. John Evelyn
3. Anne Frank
4. Robert Falcon Scott
5. Virginia Woolf
6. James Boswell
7. Lewis Caroll
8. Noel Coward
9. Alan Bennett
10. Alan Clark

Five More Books Recently Read

I liked that idea of reviewing five books recently read, which I did last month. Here are another randoom five. I so enjoyed Alexander McCall Smith's collection of stories last time that I read another recently. Ths time the gifted story teller takes a series of old photographs and crafts his stories from these. It's a bit like Vivaldi perhaps - every piece well told but may be it's too easy. I also read for the first time Douglas Adams'  The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy., I bought a little box set years ago and have never looked at it so now I've made a start. A well written novel that is still quite funny. Secret Societies by Nick Harding simply goes through different ones informatvely and encyclopediacally. Filled a few gaps in my knowledge. I know Mack Tomlinson through my father-in-law and he recently gifted me a copy of his new hardback on the Brainerd brothers. It's a brilliant book - very informative. By looking at David alongside his brother John, a more realistic and nuanced picture emerges. This is really worth getting hold of. And then finally, Rev Samuel Davies Abroad is a book I've long known about for years. My recent studies on Samson Occom prompted me to look for it again and having found an old library copy online I have devoured it. Samuel Davies came to Britain in around 1754. His diary for the period os fascinating.

Diary of a man in despair

I currently seem to be drawn to books about the world wars. Diary of a man in despair came out in English translation in 1974. I became aware if it reading Richard Evans trilogy on the whole Nazi movement. It's taking me a little while to get round to reading it. Friedrich Malleczewen was a very cultured writer who the Nazis eventually caught up with and killed even though he was a minor character in every sense and no agitator. He kept a secret diary through the year wars and before which is a fascinating and well written read. Not sensationalist in any way it gives a good idea of the horror of those years. Malleczewen's Catholic faith peeks through at certain times. It is difficult to see how anyone can look at those years with any degree of composure without a theistic worldview. Always the remarkable thing for many of us is that it happened here in Europe and not so very long ago. How sobering. 

John Mason Neale Diary Entry 1839

John mason Neale's Diary entry for March 4 and 5 1839 reads as follows

 

I never miss a whole day without thinking what a very stirring sermon one thereby preaches to oneself on the insignificance of one's own history. We pass over unnoticed those poor twenty-four hours, and yet they had their little joys and sorrows, their hopes and fears, and contained in themselves a little epitome of life. And just so it will pass; granting that our warmest wishes are fulfilled, we know well enough that when some journaliser, taken up with his own cares and joys, shall have entered an account of March 5th 1939, there will long have been erected - I hope in soem quiet village - a tablet " To the memory of the Rev. J M Neale - years rector of this parish, and of Mary, his wife' and so on. You will say I am seized with a fit of melancholy. Oh no, and these thoughts do not make me so ; but they do make me long, and sometimes more ardently than I can express, that before that time comes I may have done something which may exempt that tablet from carelessly being passed by ...

Past diary entry Jan 08 1994

"Not an over taxing day" it says (it was a Saturday). I'd read the papers, taken Rhodri for sweets, put up a poster, listened to a broadcast interview with Charlie Watts. Eleri had had a deserved sleep in the afternoon (a very rare thing even then). My father-in-law was with us in the evening and we had chatted until late, sermon preparation being under control it would seem. I took several phone calls and one person was obviously moaning at me for some reason but I was hoping in the preached Word.

Past diary entry Jan 07 1994

Still at the Carey I was up a little late and decided on private devotions rather than the prayer meeting (always hard to call). Phoning home I was told there was snow (all gone by the time I got home later that day). Back at the Carey Bob Godfrey was excellent on women's ordination and Bob Sheehan on sanctification. Took the train home. Several at the station. Talked to Tim Mills en route. As we arrived at St Pancras I saw that the great Gordon Banks was also on the train. Back home put Rhodri (5) to bed then had a candlelit supper with Eleri. Worked on a sermon on Ephesians 6 until quite late. 

Past diary entry Jan 06 1994

Still at Swanwick I was up early for my own devotions then led the prayer meeting using Psalm 5. I enjoyed Robert Godfrey again, this time on Calvin and the Pentateuch. I made a note to read more Calvin, something I'm still telling myself 17 years on! We also had Erroll Hulse on the Law in the NT and Peter Jeffrey on the Law and Gospel Preaching. We also had a discussion session on discipline and ministers falling into sin. I'd felt very much under conviction at one point but a conversation with Bob Sheehan (now with the Lord) had helped - not that I consciously remember any of it now. By the time I got back to my room I was on a high with a million thoughts (typical of me to be at extremes). We also had a question session with Bob Godfrey that day and it says that I asked him "how to be an average minister" and he had replied in terms of having a high view of the call and remembering that God is present when we preach.

Past diary entry Jan 05 1994

Up early with Dylan (12 months). It is my regular practice to attend the Carey Conference near the beginning of each new year. In 1994 it was in Swanwick, as has been the case for some years. I bought a meal for a beggar at St Pancras and enjoyed reading RT and BoT mags en route but appear to have got there in something of a bad mood. I don't know if it was the train delay due to flooding, feeling sick on the bus journey from Derby, being behind with sermon preparation or guilt at leaving Eleri home with two kids and she still not quite well. Professor Robert Godfrey kicked us off with a great paper on Luther and the Law. Up until late chatting with my father-in-law and several others. Also bought some books (Farley on Providence, Derek Thomas on Ezekiel).

Past diary entry Jan 04 1994

Tuesday was a long day starting at 7.15 am and ending gone 11 pm. It was less efficient but I got some things done and did some shopping and bathed the boys. I also visited a member of the congregation who'd had a baby boy. Relaxed in the evening with newspapers and TV. I was concerned at the lack of reading and sermon prep.

Past diary entry Jan 03 1994

Monday January 3 was apparently a pretty efficient day, mostly in the study. In those days one wrote letters and I'd done some of that as well as making phone calls, trying to track down missing congregants. Got lunch from MacDonalds in Golders Green (now gone) and shopped in Sainsburys (smaller then) with Rhodri (5) in tow. Tried to help Eleri still not well and did some tidying in the study (not sure where in the house it was in those days). We watched some Ruth Rendell thing from 9 pm, then a member phoned late - a family member not returned home and a cause for concern. Eleri and I got into an argument after, sad to say, and so we were late to sleep.

Past diary entry Jan 02 1994

Another past diary entry
The boys (ages 5 and 1) woke me around 6.15 (which didn't please me well). Eleri spent the day in bed and I muddled through making some sort of dinner and taking the boys for a short walk in the afternoon rain. I preached on Psalm 146 and Hebrews 10.20. Several who heard me that day are no longer in this world. There was communion in the morning. I was rather sleepy completing my preparations for these. We relaxed later in the evening, read from Isaiah and hit the hay around 10.30 pm.

Past Diary entry Jan 01 1994

I thought we might try some past diary entries again.
January 1 1994 was a Saturday. We (Eleri, me and the two boys) travelled back from Cwmbran where we'd been staying with my mam and dad (no longer with us sadly). I'd been at the funeral of a deacon from my home church the day before (Mr Harwood - who had the endearing knack of putting in aitches where they shouldn't be and leaving them out where they should be). Eleri was not well and the doctor had to come (highly unusual). She coughed so much her ribs were sore. I felt tired and was on a post Christmas come down with lots to do. The place was a bit of a mess and I stayed up late watching TV. 

Past Diary Feb 01-03 1974

As I may have intimated the 1974 diary runs out once we hit February, where I make just three entries. As far as I can see I don't try diary writing again until January 1975. On February 1st I was still feeling unwell but able to go to school. I was still working through my list of vices and got to bad language. I note that I had given up swearing a year before but various euphemisms had begun to creep in and I was determined to quash them. We had a Mr Davies at YPF. I think that is a Richard Davies, uncle to the wonderful Irene, who gets another mention. Besides my regular reading from Matthew that day I was having a go again at 1 Samuel, conscious of my need to "gain a greater overall knowledge of the stories of the Bible".

I didn't go to Greek the next day as I was too ill. I did some Greek, though,  it says, and some homework, listening to Focus. That day I reached the final one on my list of vices - worldliness. Still struggling with that one, I'd say. An interesting note says that "I spent some of the afternoon and evening writing The continuing story of Adolf Hitler's moustache in my book". This was a short story that I think I had started sometime before and was keen to include in a book of writings that I was trying to assemble for myself. I think I have it somewhere. I also read a bit more of Whyte on prayer. It was a late Saturday night as usual.

Sunday's sermons appear to have been am: John 15:11 (could be 16:11, a version had appeared in the latest church magazine too I note) pm: Revelation 22:17. The Bible Class continued through John's Gospel covering 9:1-7. In the YPF we read two of Spurgeon's Sermons from newspapers. I prayed at the well attended prayer meeting before the evening service. I also read 1 Samuel 14-16 at home as well as my regular reading from Matthew (22:23-33). Despite all that I still felt I'd been rather worldly! Perhaps I had.

Past Diary Jan 31 1974

The last day of January 1974 was a Thursday. I had a headache all day but managed to keep going. I began and ended with the next bit of Matthew and could report at the day's end "I have continued to keep busy, I have not borrowed, and I have kept my temper". The next day I was planning to train my guns on dishonesty (where again I had plenty to confess). I think, prompted by something I read or heard, I must have made a list of my main sins and tried to work through them putting them to death. Sadly, victory is not the easy thing I seem to have expected. We had a CPBSU meeting that night and my friend Stephen Price led us in a Bible Study from Zechariah 1. The Banner of Truth Trust had just republished T V Moore's commentary on the last three books of the Old Testament I recall. We had a rather fruitless discussion about what a vision was. After a little homework I went to bed.

Past Diary Jan 30 1974

This day I was working through my sins again. Did I have a list or something? I seem to have done well with the temper. With a little irony I say that "tomorrow I intend to refrain especially from laziness" (to be fair I was writing at the end of the day). It was an evening of homework but at some point earlier on I was either out buying the Focus album Moving Waves or (more likely) I bought it off a friend. That surprises me as I would have thought that I bought that album before Focus 3. I'd certainly listened to it before then. I describe the experience somewhere (On first listening to Moving Waves). The day began and ended with Matthew 21:33-46 and I give six lines of commentary. I had a headache at the end of the day and seemed to be going down with something.

Past Diary Jan 29 1974

Bit behind with this. I rarely quote as the entries are so utterly cringeworthy (a fair bit of bad grammar too). Perhaps I can cope with this. "My mother finished knitting my tank top, which I wore to the prayer-meeting". Only 13 words but there's a lot in there, hey? At prayer meeting we were finishing 2 Corinthians and one point Mr Garwood made was not to be afraid to say "grace be with you" rather than us. I've remembered that, though I couldn't have told you where I first learned it. I was still working through my sins and wondering about restitution. There is a curious note about temper where I claim to rarely lose it but to be tempted to hold small grudges. I would have thought it was the other way round. I was quite tired when I went to bed as I'd been up until 11.15 the night before. I seem to have been getting to bed 10-10.30 those days but would often be up late on a Monday night and always went to bed at midnight Saturdays.

Past Diary Jan 28 1974

My Monday entry is very brief. I say something typically banal about my daily reading (Matthew 21-12-20), bemoan my failure to witness though I mention that my sister is reading her Bible still (I guess she was converted somewhere around this period) and bewail what I call the "many sinful vices creeping upon me lately". The only example of this that I give is (shock, horror) BORROWING! I tend not to name things that really did trouble me as a teenager but as someone who had been brought up not to borrow things I can see how this would have been on my conscience. I spent the evening, unusually, doing homework. I was also listening to Focus, of course. Probably on the old radiogram. I don't think I got my Philips 303 until the following May.

Past Diary Jan 27 1974

January 27 1974 was a Sunday so I heard two sermons (on John 14:20 and Acts 5:42). In the afternoon the Bible Class was on John 8:33-59. I preserve a quote from the morning sermon "The water of heaven fills the shape of the vessel it is poured into" which at this distance seems a little inane but obviously struck me then. The evening sermon prompted a confession of lack of witness. I felt that the previous year (I had been baptised the previous June) I had been witnessing all the time but not now to my shame. I also attended a prayer meeting (a new thing it seems) before the evening meeting and prayed and went to the YPF where we had a quiz followed by news of missionaries in Romania and China. I also had my own reading from Matthew and read from the book of sermons by Whyte again (which I have now discovered was first published in 1922 - see here). It had een a wet weekend.

Past Diary Jan 26 1974

January 26 1974 was a Saturday. In the morning I got ready for my Greek class then went along. (I think I only ever looked at Greek just before class and so didn't learn very much). We were on prepositions and came across the middle voice in the exegesis from Mark. In the afternoon I was off to town to buy a belt and the double album Focus 3 which had come out in 1972 but that I was only then able to buy. I listened to it while doing homework. It's a superb album and still one of my favourites all these years later. In the evening there was a birthday party at the home of a friend from church, Carol. Her father was a deacon. We are still in touch (at Christmas) and she is in the Lord. I have a vague recollection of the party. I was reading a book on prayer by the 19th century writer Alexander Whyte.