Another (but perhaps less interesting) way to transcribe this diary would be to transcribe the words in English and those symbols whose meanings are obvious (the three meals), and to indicate the unknown food items with dashes, either one for each item or one for the whole meal. This at least provides some structure and gives an idea of what the diary is about. So, for example, pages 42 and 43 might look like this:

24 September 1888. S34 1/2 cooked brown no sugar so far as I can judge Breakfast: -. Dinner: - . Tea: - . S31 5 1/2 pts

25. S32 Breakfast: -. Dinner: - . Tea: -. 6 pts

26. S37 Breakfast: -. Dinner: -. S32 1/2 Tea: -. weight 148 lbs

27. Breakfast: - . Dinner: - herrings - . Tea: - .

28. S30 Breakfast: -. Dinner: - . Tea: -. the worse night I have spent for many years vomiting &

purging milk a little sour curdled in my stomach with letuce for tea

29. S31 Breakfast: -. Dinner: - . Tea: -. exceeding week in the morning but improved throughout the day no appetite for dinner and eat very little

30. S40 Breakfast: -. Dinner at Pooleys corned beef only. Tea: herrings -. S36 before going to bed cocoa & a little cold -

1 Oct. S31 Breakfast: - . Dinner: -.Tea: -. S26

2. S28 Breakfast: - . Dinner: - . Tea: -. S25