'A vegetable garden and an orchard, a hen house, all of it only separated by wire netting from the pine forest, which Grete and the hens are free to roam. All of several degrees more natural and less park-like than in the allotment settlements closer to Berlin. Then there is the landlady's mother, something of a forest witch, 88 years old, deaf, garrulous, idiotic, inquisitive, stealing and hiding food, roughly treated by her children. 'Me old mother', physically robust, was in the Buch alcoholics' asylum, was taken out a little while ago because of the cost. On the last election day SA men turned up to get her to the ballot box. She thought they were forcibly fetch her back to Buch, screamed and struggled, was seized by the arms into the car. At the polling booth she was shown where to put her cross. given a glass of wine and taken home in a state of bliss. Thus she was one of the 99% of Germans who voted for the Fuhrer.... We were out up in grete's living room, it was very simple and makeshift, but all done with the greatest affection. e breakfasted in the summer house, the jalopy spent the night on the street in front of the house.
Friday 21st of May.
An excerpt from 'I Shall Bear Witness -The Diaries of Victor Klemperer 1933-1941' first published in German in 1995, translated into English by Martin Chalmers 1998.
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