Page 134 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1927

to Rafaa where he spends the night tomorrow. Went early to bed, after two late nights one feels rather tired -
so exceptional here. We usually go to bed at 9.30 or so.

Monday Dec 27th

A very busy morning. Shaikh Abdulla came & stayed for an hour and a half but talked very sensibly about
diving & we drafted the proclamation announcing amount of the tesquam, the allowance made by boat
captains to their divers, which is less than last year. I myself always advocated this policy of cutting it down.
Heaps of cases some of them long complicated ones. These inheritence cases are so very complicated & take
hours to unravel often going back 50 or 60 years. de Grenier came & took on the job of auctioning the
Govt:date leases - I was too busy to do it. Went to tennis at the mission & to tea there. The Hakkens have a
son, arrived last night, he seemed very pleased. Parke came in after tea for a while & we discussed local
politics, which are intensely interesting. Lovely day again but coldish after sun set. Wrote a few letters &
early to bed. Barrett closed his office from 24th Dec till 2nd Jan! He certainly isnt one to overwork himself.
Parke & Robinson are evidently not getting on very well together, & no wonder.

Dec 28th 1926 [Tuesday]