Sunday 14 May
Went on a short cycle excursion to have a look at the spur  which goes from the line to Basingstoke to the guided missiles establishment near Burghfield.  This is being taken up and well over half has  already been cut up.  The chairs used vary tremendously.  There are LNER ones dated 1941, there are many GWR ones dating back to about 1905 and also some GW & GCR Jt R ones.

Monday 15 May
I went to Whiteknights at 9:00 this morning to find out about the economic theory lectures. Dr. Buddenn has decided to give them at 9:30 on Mondays. This is rather a nuisance as it means that I shall have to come back to Reading on the Sunday after a weekend out. I have done my washing this morning and have also been reading some economics. I went to the pictures this evening with Tommy and Dave Payne. The second feature film was not very good, it was about an American police dog. The first feature was however extremely good. It was called “The Magnificent Seven” starring Yul Brynner. It was set on the border of Texas and Mexico. A Mexican Village was terrorized by bandits. Seven Americans came and eventually freed the village. It was in technicolor and was very well done. Certainly the best western I have seen for a long time.

Tuesday 16 May
I wrote a couple of letters this morning and went to David's at about 10.30. I've been working on my essay for my first tutorial which is on Thursday. I sold one of my geography books back to the union bookshop then went down to Smiths with Johnny to have a look at the second hand books.

Wednesday 17 May
I wrote my essay for the tutorial tomorrow morning. This will be my first one and I can't say I'm very confident, still I will soon get used to it.

Thursday 18 May
I had my first tutorial with Professor Campbell this morning I had to read out my essay and he made comments upon it. It wasn't half as bad as I had expected. Immediately after that I had a lecture on comparative government by Mr. Sainsbury. It seems as if this will be very interesting. I went down to the library afterwards. This afternoon I had a lecture by Mr Harrison on economic organization, this is done with the second year political economy group.

Friday 19 May

Johnny Marsh had a 09.00 lecture this morning after which we set out to hitch hike to Aberystwyth. I still don't think we will make it even though we are half way there.  Our first lift took us to Pangbourne and then to the junction of the Wantage Road and the Abingdon Road.  We then very quickly stopped a lorry which took us via Oxford and Chiping Norton to Evesham.  We were very pleased with ourselves - Worcestershire by dinner time.  But things went wrong after dinner.  We managed to get to Worcester but had to wait 1½ hours for the next lift which took us 12 miles to Bromyard.  We then got two short lifts which took us to within 3 miles of Leominster - which we walked.  We caught a bus to Lyonshall and arrived at the hostel at about 20.00.  The hostel is a converted country house set in grounds which were once very beautiful.  There are many sub-tropical plants but it has been allowed to overgrow.  The Herefordshire country is really wonderful.  It is all pastoral.

Saturday 20 May
Left the hostel early and stopped a lorry which took us into Kington.  We were then given a lift into Wales (Walton) and then caught a bus to Crossgates. From there 3 lifts took us to Llangurig where John got a lift into Aberystwyth.  I got one about 15minutes later and arrived at about 14.30.  We met John's friend and had a tour of the town which lasted until about 17.00. We caught the 17.15 bus to Ponterwyd and were given a lift to Ystumtuen.  The hostel is the converted school. Most of the village is deserted. It was a lead mining community but the mines are not worked now.  In the evening we went for a short walk.  The scenery is marvellous.  Unlike North Wales, it is rounded with no peaks.  Even so there are many outcrops of slate-type rock.  The sky is a fine blue and the mackerel clouds have been coloured by the sun.  Most of the country is used for sheep farming, some has been used for beef and some ploughed.

Sunday 21 May
This was certainly the strangest Whit Sunday I have ever experienced. We left Ystumtuen at 09.10 and started hitching at 09.30.  There was very little traffic on the road going towards England.  After two hours we were a little disheartened and chalked "To England Please!" on a piece of tin and propped this by the side of the road with my rucsack.  The next car that passed stopped and took us to Hereford.  From there, after a good lunch, we went on to Ross-on-Wye and then were picked up and were taken right through to Wallingford.  The people who gave us the lift were Don Minter's sister and her husband who comes from Chistlehurst (near Orpington) - amazing.  After having a drink we had to wait 1½ hours to get back to Reading. 
We arrived back at 21.30 but had to break in because nobody was in.  When Mr. and Mrs. Whitehead came back she was very annoyed because we had broken in and had come back a day befre she expected us to.

Monday 22 May
I'm not at all sure what I have been doing today. The time just seems to have flown. We woke up late and had a late breakfast. Mrs Whitehead was still annoyed with us and didn't speak to either Johnny or myself during breakfast, but she soon cheered up afterwards. We have played with Raymond's train set. This is my first Whit Monday away from home and I must say that I feel particularly homesick- it's the first time I haven't seen the procession up the High Street. At least they have had good weather for it. Did some typing this afternoon. Tommy Williams came around this evening on his scooter which he brought up this afternoon from Cornwall. We went up the road for a drink.

Tuesday 23 May
I did some washing this morning and had dinner early. I was just going to get down to some work when John Palmer dropped in. He was on his way up from Bristol on his scooter. We went out around the town and then came back to David's to have tea. He left at about 5.00. I was just coming home and Tommy Williams came in to tell me he had got a puncture on my bike - he just left me to mend it myself - I was very annoyed.

Wednesday 24 MayI had to mend another puncture this morning, I have also been to the bicycle shop to buy a new pump. The rest of the morning and part of the afternoon I spent writing an essay. This afternoon I went down by the river to do some reading. I went back later to David's to watch the football match between England and Italy in Rome. The result was a 3-2 win for England which they certainly deserved. I went down the the river for about ¾ hour this evening.  The river Thames was dark and quiet, it seemed somehow menacing.  The sun was just visible from the fields near the river.  It was a deep red and seemed very large.  There was no wind and the smoke from two chimneys hung low over the river, all that could be heard was an occasional rippling of the water.  Very peaceful and pleasant.

Thursday 25 May
A busy day today, I started off with a tutorial and a lecture. After this I have actually been for a haircut, the first since I came up here in April. This is in preparation for going home tomorrow, and also for Professor Campbell's party which was this evening. I went up to the professor's room in Pat's with Tony. We found his room without too much trouble. The guests were mainly the first year honours people who have just taken F.V.E. but there were two girls from the second year. We didn't leave until just before midnight. The wine was stronger than I had thought and I was distinctly high headed when I left. Even so I managed to ride my bike home safely and got in without disturbing anyone.

Friday 26 May
Packed my bag immediately after breakfast and left for home at about 09.45.  I started hitching up Southampton Street at about 10.15.  I didn't have much trouble, I had to wait abut 15 minutes going round the Farnham by-pass but, apart from that, it was all plain sailing.  I was picked up at Guildford by a lorry driver who took me to Godshall, he stopped at a transport cafe which wasted half an hour.  The journey took me 4 hours and I arrived home at 14.15.  Mum was very pleased to see me, so was Dad, but Nin (my cat) didn't take any notice at all.

Saturday 27 May
I have bought a dictionary from Smiths. It is a deluxe edition of the Nuttall's dictionary, it cost 25/- and I bought it out of the money Auntie Edie, Uncle Jim and Trevor gave me for my birthday. I went up to see them and also to show the dictionary, they seemed very pleased. Watched wrestling this afternoon. We had quite a houseful this evening - Auntie's Vi and Pat, Uncles George, Reg and Jack and Richard and Suzette. This was an unbirthday party as my birthday is not until Monday. I have had many money so far paragraph

Sunday 28 May
I woke up late this morning and have been pottering about in the garden. This afternoon I have listened to a concert which included the Italian Symphony by Mendelssohn. I left home at 8:00 p.m.and just caught the 8.29 train from Orpington to Victoria, arriving at about 9:05. I then took the Circle line to Paddington and caught the 9.45 train to Reading General. It was quite good and arrived at reading at 10.26, although the although the run could have been made him much less time. Of course the last trolley bus had just gone but I was lucky to get a lift to the west station.

Monday 29 May.
My birthday, my first away from home. I had several cards about 10, which was very good because of the large number that I had at home. I also had a book from David, “The Art of Coarse Rugby”, by Michael Green. It is about the lesser size of rugby clubs and is very amusing indeed. I had a lecture at 9:30 and then a short talk by Mr Harrison about the economic organization course. I went round the town this afternoon, looking mainly in the bookshops. I bought two books these were “The Hidden Persuaders “ by Vance Packard and “American Government and Politics” by A. Potter. This is a paperback edition and is one of the recommended books. Have sent away for a book about the locomotives of the London Chatham and Dover Railway.

Tuesday 30 May
I was cycling merrily down Broad Street this morning when there was a thudding from my bike and suddenly a loud bang - the wall of the back tyre had given way and the inner tube, coming through, had burst. I had bought a new tube and put this on, as well as mending the inner tube, this afternoon, down by the river with Tony Challis
Went to see some wrestling at the Reading Town Hall with Dave Payne this evening.  I was most amused at the way everybody brought in their food - crisps, sandwiches, rolls, buns, cakes, peanuts etc., anyone would think they had come in just to eat.  There were four bouts.  I think the first was fixed, the second was stopped after the first submission from a Boston crab.  The third was the main bout - Mike Marina and Bobby Robinson - a draw.  Everyone wanted Robinson to win.  I think the last one was also fixed.

Wednesday 31 May
I went into Davids early today and wrote the essay for my tutorial tomorrow. This did not take as long as I expected and I finished by 12.20. After dinner I went back to the digs and changed into some old clothes and then went with Tony and Simon to the excavations at Sonning.  Nobody seems to know what the site is.  The diggings have the advantage in that the important levels are close to the surface.  The site is a univerisity farm to the east of Sonning, about a mile from the Thames.  It was very sunny and has made my hay fever worse.