SATURDAY 10/6/22

Another busy writing day (section #6 - MS pp 104-127, about 4800 words - from the Mosman Bay meeting, to "Jaz" arriving at "Torestin" with fruit and a talk with Harriett; also Jack invites them down to Mullumbimby). The days are closing in - sunset is at 4.58pm, but weather remains fine (63 degrees at midday). Lawrence is still writing about events that occurred more than a week ago, so he has plenty of interim material yet to "process".

SUNDAY 11/6/22

Today Lawrence writes section #7: MS pp 127-149, ie, about 4400 words - from the conversation with "Jaz" at the end of chapter iv, to going down to Mullumbimby and moving into "Coo-ee" in chapter v. (So, much of this "action" occurred almost two weeks previously, on Monday May 29.) In fact, he is "retreading" the first move into "Torestin"/"Wyewurk" - a "double-use" or reprise stratagem he will make increasing use of in coming chapters. He also writes letters to his U.S. and UK publishers, telling Seltzer that the novel is going well […pray the gods are with me…], and Secker that it's […a quite different…] novel […weird country…].

MONDAY 12/6/22

Another busy writing day. (Lawrence is still "catching up".) He writes section #8 - about 7700 words: MS pp 148-186 (so perhaps two sessions, one in the morning, and the other in the afternoon), from the clean-up of "Coo-ee" and a dip in the sea, to the end of chapter v, with Harriett lying in bed and watching the sea and sky through their bedroom window. […she liked to lie luxuriously in bed and watch the lovely, broken colours of the Australian dawn…]

TUESDAY 13/6/22

Section #9: MS pp 187-208 - about 4600 words, from the start of the "Kangaroo" chapter (chapter v) and the lunch in Cooley's chambers, to the Cape York tiger-cat story (which he extracts from the June 8 issue of The Bulletin). Lawrence is still catching up with events - though the lunch with Rosenthal is less than a week ago. It may also be that he is reassessing where he is going with the novel. He may have started a second notebook here. He may also have written something that he has second thoughts about, for it seems that some pages are cut out of the MS. Also his page-numbering seems awry, and that chapter vi is perhaps originally chapter vii. He may have intended the work to comprise several parts (chapter "vii" is originally the start of "Part ii"). It is possible that "Part i" is meant to be set in Sydney, and "Part ii" in Thirroul (hence the "two house arrivals" - "Torestin" and "Coo-ee"). Whatever his original intentions are, he is now, apparently, in full flight - with what he must have thought was plenty of material to use, and more in prospect. The meeting he has just had with Rosenthal, surely, would lead somewhere productive.

WEDNESDAY 14/6/22

Lawrence posts two letters today, one to Frieda's sister Else […We don't know a soul here…] and one to his erstwhile Ceylon host, Earl Brewster […I am writing a novel…queer show…]. He writes section #10 (MS pp 209-229), about 4100 words, from the Cape York tiger-cat story, to the end of chapter vi and the second meeting with Cooley. (At this stage he is probably assuming that Somers's dealings with Cooley - ie, his contact with Rosenthal - are going to provide the rest of the plot of the novel.) It may be that Lawrence has some contact with the local coal mine and its Welsh manager, a Mr Evans. He may have walked along McCauley's Beach in the afternoon and met Evans or someone else involved with the nearby Excelsior Colliery. Indeed, given his mining background, it would have been odd that he has no contact with the nearby mine (whose coal-jetty sticks out into the ocean between "Wyewurk" and Sandon Point).