Feeling well

Thursday, December 29th., Cadogan Square, London.

Splendid health. I have now cut my breakfast down to four or five kinds of fruit (raisins, oranges, apples, lemon and prunes) plus two cups of tea and two pieces of rye bread. And little or no meat for lunch. This regime seems to be agreeing with me. I wonder if I should become vegetarian, and might were it not that it would be such a fag in restaurants etc. I would have to stop eating out and would also have to involve myself in 'warning' all guests in advance. Damned nuisance not to be able to do just what would suit one best.

It seems increasingly apparent to me that I know best about almost everything, that is everything about how to live. Of course I wrote several self-help guides in my younger days but this feeling is more about really living. The older I get the less likely I am to actually tell people where they are going wrong; I find they generally resent such advice, and in any case rarely stick to it. But I often find myself metaphorically (perhaps sometimes actually) shaking my head when I observe the behaviour of others.

Yesterday afternoon to a performance of "West Side Story". Music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Excellent. Throbbing with the vital spark of life. For me the two central characters were the least interesting part of the performance. The supporting and peripheral parts had much more character and intensity. I can't decide whether this is intrinsic to the parts themselves or is a reflection of the actors' performances. Not that they were bad, just a little dull compared to the brittle glitter of the rest. Worth seeing.

Today, after chores, I walked along the Embankment to the next bridge west and down along King's Road, and then wrote 750 words of my "Millionaire" article in one and a quarter hours at most. Then by bus to Piccadilly. Lunch at Reform Club with Gardiner and Tudor Walters. I like Tudor more and more. Sir John Brunner and Vivian Phillipps joined us in the smoking room. We talked about our own defects and about the characters of politicians. I came to the conclusion that what Liberal statesmen lacked is courage.