Page 412 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1929

Meeting of the Muharrak Biladya, quite a good meeting and no dawdling. Settled a lot of business about building a
sort of esplanade along the front of the town and about the overflow from some of the wells. People have taken to
sinking wells in the middle of the town and building tanks and water places with taps but they never consider the spare
water which flows out and collects in the streets, flooding them and breeding mosquitoes, the people seem to expect the
Municipal Council to do this, and it costs money. Had a talk to Shaikh Abdulla after the meeting. A shower of rain as
I was leaving but not really much. Motored out in the afternoon looking out for Parke who went out for me to do a job
about a case in one of the gardens. He had gone out to see the Shaikh and came round later on to tea. De Grenier came
also. Parke talked incessantly about his murder case. He takes everything much too seriously. They both stayed a
very long time. Our two lots of chickens are for the time being in one of the spare bathrooms. We got nine out of one
sitting, of ten eggs, and six out of a sitting of nine eggs. They are very nice little things. Abdulla bin Jabr came in.
They decided that the Ramadan moon was due so although it was not actually seen they fired off the guns in the
evening. The gun firing started quite a hullaballoo of dogs and cocks and donkeys all over the town.

Monday 11th [February] 1st Day of Ramadan.

My office and everywhere else was quite empty. I shall have an easy time I hope during this month with only one
court every week instead of three and few people bothering round. The headmaster of the Shia School called about
some business of passports for his relations coming from Basra. He wore a sort of ulster, rather a loud plaid, and his
blue suit and spats. Went over to the Agency and then to the Customs where Parke and de G met me and we had a
meeting about the Landing Contract and a discussion about the murder case. D.G. is wonderfully good at figures and
really enjoys working out awful statistics. A very strong shamaal wind blowing. The boat came in about tea time.
Went to the Mission and had quite good tennis there for a change. D.G. came in after the Mission. Dr Dame returned
from the mainland, with a beard. Horrible sight. Very stormy weather and cold again.

Tuesday 12th Feb.

It is very pleasant during Ramadan as so few people come to the office being too busy sleeping in the daytime to make
up for being up all night. Its an absurd idea. They talk about fasting for a month but as they are allowed to eat and
drink they more than make up for it at night as I know myself from seeing the extra expense of food for the Shaikh's
household during Ramadan. Saw various people in the morning, Shaikh Mohamed Medani, who is in charge of the
Shia Wakfs. He is youngish, pale yellow and clean shaved very like a painting on the wall of an Egyptian temple. He
wears a dull blue turban. Various other people called. Young Mubarak, one of the Shaikh's sons came in, a nice boy
about 20, one I have always liked. Went out a drive in the afternoon off the Budeya road to the tomb which Daly
opened. Smith and Dr Holmes came to dinner, easy people to entertain and both very pleasant. It is a pity that all the
people dislike Parke so much. None of them mention him except with aversion. One of the hens got drowned in the
goose's bath. We have now quite a farmyard, one goose, 14 hens, 4 pigeons, two dogs and a large turtle, and 15 chicks
which are doing very well.

Wednesday 13th Feb 1929
Went out in the morning to a garden out in the country to see about a land dispute between some of the Khalifa Shaikhs
and the Imam of a mosque. The latter claimed that the father of the Shaikhs had dedicated a large piece of a garden to