Page 228 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1927

Dinner at Koysebis. He is Ibn Saoud's Agent in Bahrain, an important personage & the leading Negdi. Alban took me out,
in a taxi, as I didnt want to take the car over the bad road. The dinner was at his house at Rafaa, a very good show. The
house is on the edge of the cliff. The Shaikh & between 50 & 60 people were present but it was rather spoilt by the dinner
getting cold as they forgot to invite Parke & at the last moment sent a car back for him to the fort. The Shaikh was in very
good form & altogether I enjoyed it. There must have been about 400 plates on the dinner, all of course sitting on the
ground in two long lines, facing, & the food on mats down the centre. The host does not sit down but runs round all the
time seeing to the serving & looking after the guests. Drove to Idari on the way back & had a bathe there.

Tuesday 31st [May]

Interviewed an Engineer off the APOC oil boat about working in the Ice Machine. Then went down to the Customs, which I
now have to attend to as well as my other duties, so am very busy.

Drove out with Parke in afternoon to see about mending a Bridge in one of the roads, then sat at the Fort for some time.
Parke is very obstinate & strongly disapproves of taking on their engineer. Of course persons of that class are rather difficult
sometimes in a place of this kind.