07 Feb 1943, W J Carrie's wartime diary

It has got much colder again after 2 days of muggy drizzly weather.  Friday 5th was C. N. Y. - again this year as 19 years ago the day after Joy's birthday.  I had a terrible day yesterday.  We have at last got a little allowance - it's supposed to be 20 Military Yen for all over 12, and Y 10 for those under 12 but the I.R.C. delegate miscalculated  and only sent enough for Y15.  I had to pay out to all in I.Q. - 743 persons - totally Y10,835 - and I had awful trouble as I hadn't enough 5 Yen notes.  I let the Police pay themselves and so got rid of Y3,300.  When I totted up at the end I thought I was down 10 or 15 Yen and if I was I'd have lost my own allowance.  And as each Yen is supposed to equal $H.K.4 it was a hefty loss.  I went to bed last night very unhappy and it wasn't till this morning that I found out my little mistake in subtraction!

I am going to have coffee or Cocoa with Dora tonight and perhaps play bridge. I play very little - I can't be bothered. 

All my love    L.O.   B.