Original

Andrew and I looked for Helen Vaughan’s lodgings on Firth Street: all the houses have gone and the site is now occupied by car parks, wasteland and neglected buildings, but there's a small block of houses at the bottom by Lockley Lane which are doubtless original, based on their appearance.

We also looked at the fine buildings in Chatham Place and explored the backs of the shops, finding a passageway running parallel to and the length of Felgate Road that Dad had mentioned; it snakes between the backs of buildings, crooked and ugly with bins and weeds. We found Hutton Steps and dingy Hutton Square with its Chinese restaurant.

Today was depressing though, this not helped by rain and leaden skies.

At teatime we talked about what it will be like for me at Uni. and how I’ll cope. Dad said when Robert came back from college his first holiday he and Mum had great difficulty persuading him to go back. Dad found a note in his bedroom after he'd gone that simply said, “Oh God, I’m frightened.” This amused us all.

Dad picked up Nanna P. at 7.30.

Mum is going to the Lake District Buddhist monastery with Rob and Carol next month for a weekend. Mum are Dad are also talking about signing up for a weekend course in Lockley on the Victorian novel. Mum' s been in a good mood this evening.

I feel optimistic.