The Richard Burton Diaries (215 page)

Friday 6th
Sun, the great sun! Went to Geneva for physical check. All good. Got home about six o'clock to find Brook here together with 21 year old MG in very good nick both of them.
³³
Got sloshed (not very) in celebration. JB took pictures of the car.

Saturday 7th
Another brilliant day. Lay or sat in the sun all during its burning hours. Hid my face from it as am bright red. Brook feels helpless in a hopeless
world. So do I. JB a gem. Vote yes or no for Europe, overwhelmingly in favour. Nobody seems to have realized that ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ is the same date as D-Day.
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Very odd.

Sunday 8th
Great sun. None of us went anywhere except JB to the airport for hot-dog (her) and newspapers for all. Otherwise got tanned again and read again but wrote nothing. I must start on something soon.

Monday 9th
Discovered that JB leaves for LA tomorrow morning. Leaves Geneva at 8.50. Sad to see her go as adore the child – albeit 31 but has to be there for passport for son. Back in a week. Wrote letter to ETB but can't bring myself to send it.

Tuesday 10th
Saw JB off. Lunched at La Réserve.
³⁵
Took MG to be overhauled. Read, but still no writing. All this stuff bursting to come out but no response from the body – writing I mean. Weather at end of day turning around. Tomorrow likely to be lousy.

Wednesday 11th
Boozed a bit.

Thursday 12th
Nothing to report. Reminisced with Brook about things past. Drank wine.

Friday 13th
Wined and am getting fat around the sides.

Saturday 14th
Same again. Read a book but can't remember it.

Sunday 15th
JB arrived back.

Monday 16th
Brook left for London. Took MG in to be overhauled.

Tuesday 17th
Read, wrote, biked. Still drinking but not much. Wine only.

Wednesday 18th
Boozed mildly. Weather dreadful.

Thursday 19th
Same.

Friday 20th
Same.

Saturday 21st
Same. Starting to feel ill.

Sunday 22nd
Going into DR tomorrow.
³⁶

Monday 23rd
Verdun, wife, Hilda and husband arrived from Thun where they are on package tour.
³⁷
Met them at Cornavin full of vitality.
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Tuesday 24th
Weather good. Went round lake on ferry boat. Good time had by all. Drank beer.

Wednesday 25th
Relatives stayed extra night.

Thursday 26th
Up to Gstaad stayed one night. Gloomy place. Picked up Maria from school. Said farewell to staff at school.

Friday 27th
Went to Thun. Lunched with family. Drove home. Lecture from Verdun on booze. Salutary.

Saturday 28th
Stopped booze and Richard is his shaky self again. Dustman off as suspected.

Sunday 29th
Booze or drug-ridden call from E to JB (who said I wasn't here) in which she told JB to leave me and Céligny was such a dull place. Is never going to call again. Well. Well.

Monday 30th
Sober and shakeless. Report from Dr OK but must watch cholesterol count.

Blood group A-Neg. Never knew that before. Biked, played ping-pong with Troy.
³⁹

JULY

Tuesday 1st
Biked and read am perfectly content when not boozing.

Wednesday 2nd
Gained 2
¹
/
₂
kg. Back on diet. JB buying every conceivable gadget for kitchen. Biked to lake with Troy. Have taught him to drive Mini-Moke. Can't get him off it now. Must check on MG.

Thursday 3rd
Arose at 6.30. Walked around block at spanking pace. Sun out so sat and read and pondered. Got rid of hired car. Biked in the evening with kids and JB. Read again until minuit.
⁴⁰
Awoke at 6. Full of vitamins and fit as 30. Not a drink in sight for days.

Friday 4th
Walked round block 7am. 28 minutes. Read Angela Davis’ autobiography.
⁴¹
Not very impressed. Watched Wimbledon B. J. King whopped Goolagong 6–0 6–1.
⁴²
Massacre. Went to bed early. Slept like proverbial log last night. One of the rewards of sobriety though Dylan told me otherwise. Over-ate.

Saturday 5th
Walked block. Sat in watery sunshine. Solowicz came from town. Smug odious little man. Think might go to NY and LA ‘to be seen’ as they say. Much prefer solitude. [...] Dinner in Founex. Good. People at next table very German, very English, very loud.

Sunday 6th
Sunned a bit read and read biked a bit. Bored. Troy drives moke all day long unless stopped. [...]

Monday 7th
JB crashed into tractor from next door farm so sent for Hertz.
⁴³
Lunched. Stopped at service station and found that MG was fully serviced so now have one crashed car, one wreck (temp I hope) and hired one. Talked to E and Liza (both in London). Liza expecting (hoping) to come here on Tuesday.

Tuesday 8th
Made various arrangements with Kate who's in Paris and Liza. They arrive Tuesday. Brother Will and wife Betty plus Rhian (daughter) want to come but date not fixed yet. Gawd help me.

Wednesday 9th
La Réserve for lunch. Very hot. Read [...] biography of one Hankey never heard of him.
⁴⁴

Thursday 10th
Table tennised with Troy. He could become very good. Stiff as a brace afterwards. Weather brilliant but suddenly turned. [...] Am insane for sweets and ice cream. Can't stop and sleep a lot. Very bad.

Friday 11th
Took crashed car and MG to carrosserie.
⁴⁵
Meantime hired car again. Maddening. Read book by Shirley MacLaine.
⁴⁶
Not very good but did increase interest in China. Must go there. Early to bed. Ate ice and chocs all day long again.

Saturday 12th
Weighed 81kgs! 176lbs! 12st 8! Disgraceful. That's what Tete de Negre, Suchard, et al. can do to a slim lissome lithe limber 49 year old. Went on stringent diet (OK, WD
⁴⁷
of low carb). Talked to Liza who wanted to get hold of Kate in Paris [...]. Biked to Grans beach with Troy.
⁴⁸
Horrid. Lunched at Dominos.
⁴⁹
Pedal boated. Swam in lake. T. Tennis with JB and Troy. Exhausted.

Sunday 13th, Céligny
ETB returned Leningrad. She sounds a harassed mess. Wonder if I can put up with all that again. Try I suppose. Have an idea it won't last. Also she is beginning to sound like her mother at times. Frightening prospect. She denied what she'd said to JB about ‘Why don't you leave. You're young and life must be boring in a Swiss village etc.’ JB said nothing except let her ramble on.

Monday 14th (80kg)
Glorious morn. Awoke at 5.30. [...] Very hot and sweaty. Couldn't read in the sun as sweat poured into my eyes. [...] Keep on dreaming that I've been drinking and then awake with delight to find I have not!

Tuesday 15th (79kg)
Awoke at six. A beautiful morning. Hope weather holds. Kate arrived looking glorious. Hasn't grown which is a good thing. They, the females stayed up until 2.30 where I found them when I came down for ice cold water. Liza arrives to-morrow. Fullish house. Swam in lake at Céligny with Troy. Lunched at D'Alleves.
⁵⁰
Table tennis with Troy.
LOST
! Now for Liza!

Wednesday 16th (79kg)
Liza arrived à l'heure!
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Still short with yellow teeth but lovely nevertheless.

Thursday 17th (79kg)
Kids settling sleeping arrangements. Maria has dreadful cough. Taking for X-ray. Turned out to be sinus. [...] Kate and Liza corporate devils. Troy very spoiled but not by me. Getting better. Bit of a smart-ass. He'll learn.

Friday 18th (79kg)
Will Betty Rhian arrived 1
¹
/
₂
hours too early. I was infuriated. Will in bad shape. Has become very old man. Wheel-chair, stick and all.

Saturday 19th
Weather lousy. Will and I stayed all day together. Took girls and Troy to discotheque at Nyon. Danced! Twice. Left and took taxi home after 10 minutes. Sanka with cream and off to bed with Kipling (biography).
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Sunday 20th
Awoke with the dawn. Sat on terrace and read tedious book by Michener clept
Drifters
what a poor mind he has!
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Played ping-pong. Sat in sun. Still on diet. Down from that appalling 81kg to 77. Will broke my sword-stick silly bastard and fell to boot. Putting in hospital tomorrow. He's a mess. Wife Bett f. stupid. Daughter fat and staggeringly tongue struck. K leaves tomorrow.

Monday 21st
Sunned swam read – even letters. Aaron intolerably repetitive. Have dreams of firing him but after 26 years together with multiple sclerosis haven't the courage.

Tuesday 22nd
Took Will to hospital. Endless corridors. Started smoking herbal cigs. Not bad. Girls went to discotheque in Geneva. Little ones not allowed in.

Wednesday 23rd (77+kg)
Swam, biked, sat in sun with Liza, read visited Will in hospital. They may have found root of trouble. Hope to God yes.

Thursday 24th (77kg)
Woke 6am spent all morning at hospital with Will in agony. Impossible to find doctor. Saw nurse. Insisted she gave him shot. Better after that. Went home after that in fury and as usual ate and ate chocs and ice-cream. Will show on scales tomorrow. Read sad and silly little book called
Exterminator
.
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Re-reading
Golden Bough
.
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Friday 25th (77kg)
Saw Will in hospital. Looks terrible and is in great pain all the time. Insisted they gave him stronger painkillers.

Friday
[
Saturday
]
26th (77kg)
Went to bring Will home from hospital.

Saturday [
Sunday
] 27th
Took whole family to Rolle to eat, swim, row, sunbathe. Will much better.

Monday 28th
Talked to Will all day practically. Surprising how little one knows about one's own brother.

Tuesday 29th
Sunned. Had tea with producer [...] at D'Alleves. Very German. Have a feeling this film won't surface either. Has the same air as
Jackpot
. Takes place in Israel so I might see it at last.
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[...]

Wednesday 30th
Exercised but irritable all day. Liza going through yet another crisis with some bloke in Geneva via discotheque. Had eyes tested again. Bloke says I read too much. [...] Wish to Christ that Liza would grow an inch or two.
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Talked to Gwen Gwyneth Kate. Norma. Brian Tashorne popped in to talk rugby. Told highly suspect story about Carwyn James and Llanelli.
⁵⁸

Thursday 31st

Liza and Maria leave today for Leningrad. 33 days booze-less. I'm as brown as I can get so didn't court the sun yesterday. Read biography of Dorothy L. Sayers –
Such a strange Lady
.
⁵⁹
Will still boringly ill some days.

AUGUST

Friday 1st
National Holiday. Went shopping Geneva. Bought new typewriter.

Saturday 2nd
Lindsay Anderson and Gottlieb arrive today.
⁶⁰

Sunday 3rd
Glorious day. Liza, ETB, phoned. Latter finished on the 14th inst. Can't believe it and think of nothing else. What will it be like seeing her again. I'm a little scared. Jeannie Bell desperate. Keep my fingers crossed.

Monday 4th
Very hot.

Tuesday 5th
Sent telegram to Liza. ETB up to some game I don't quite understand.

Wednesday 6th
Liza's birthday. Send another gram to Liza. Obtained temporary hearing-aid for Will. Revelation he says.

Thursday 7th
Talked Solowicz. Cannot find room anywhere for weekend for Jeannie and me.

Friday 8th
Went ‘La Réserve’, Versoix for weekend with JB. Tiny room. Hated it.

Saturday 9th
Weather uncertain. Under façade hotel is gimcrack. [...] Saw film in a cinema yet! English version Burt Lancaster and Paul Scofield. Indifferent thriller.
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Sunday 10th
Went home to Céligny. Had left roof window in bathroom open. Place soaked by furious rains while away. Had to remove carpet.

Monday 11th
Terrible weather. Stayed home all day apart from morning visit to Coppet for ‘Boules des Berlin’ – otherwise doughnuts fresh from oven. Talked Aaron. Sounded 100 years old. ETB did not call as promised. Troy very recalcitrant. Needs stiff discipline.

SEPTEMBER

Saturday 6th
Céligny with ETB and Liza and friend Ali (Alexandra) Maria. Raymond took them all dancing. Both according to telegram should have arrived yesterday but muck up and arrive today. ETB got tearful about HW's father.
⁶²
Good God the man is 80. Sq. for the 4 or 5th time. [
sic
] Still no booze.

Sunday 7th
Troy arrives, Layton arrives. Both arrived! Tremendous thunderstorm. Phones have been dead for (so far) 16 hours. Maria, Ally (Liza's friend), Layton, Maria, Liza, so full house.

Monday 8th, Céligny
Children back to School? [...] E and I more nervous than they. Bags, bikes E called HW. Long. E sounds so dramatic on telephone. She's just apologized by saying she has a lousy cold. [...]

Tuesday 9th
Slept late. Went into Coppet for doughnuts. To Au Domino for E's handbag. Lunched D'Alleves. Kids have day off on Thurs. [...] Terribly sleepy all day after bad night. Article
McCall's
hanging over my head.
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