Page 182 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1927

Holmes came in the morning & had a look at one of the pillars of this building which I, wrongly, thought was cracking, stayed
1½ hours - he always does. Went to the Municipal Garden in the afternoon. My seeds are doing well, peas & beans coming
up splendidly & flower seeds showing green. Its a big plot with a lot of date palms on one side. The trees a brought from
India are planted in 2 avenues & one side we have dug up & are manuring for seed grass. In the middle there is the big gush
of water from the artesian well enough to irrigate four times the amount. Afterwards went down to the quay & had tea with
de G & saw the Shaikhs cases of furniture.

Sunday [20 March]

The "Patrick Stewart" arrived having been pulled off the sand bank by the "Lupin". We asked the Gunters to stay with us
here but they went to the Spences, rather to our annoyance! Spent the afternoon at the palace fixing up the furniture, its a
queer collection, a huge number of chairs & sofas & a carpet for the Meglis, very nice, red covers. 6 awful iron beds with red
laquer which is already chopped, a bedroom "suite", pretty poor, like a cheap room in a second class hotel & a few laquer
tables, cabinets etc: also a grandfather clock, which I cant get to go & several awful sofas that turn into beds. Parke came to
dinner after church, he usually does on Sunday, we rarely attend, not caring for the peculiar brand of entertainment that they
offer at the Mission.