Page 443 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

441

1929

Court. I am getting so sick of Courts. The mail boat came in yesterday but we only got the letters this morning, quite a
number. Dick's links came, his christening present, very nice indeed, and a very nice little silver brush and comb from
the Strakers. It is most kind of them. Tennis at Mespers. D.G. was there with a Father Lamb, an R.C. Priest who is
staying with him, a nice little man, elderly but very pleasant and a gentleman, but a little too fond of titles, mentioned,
casually, how he had been staying with the Duke of Norfolk lately and various other personages. His brother is head of
the carmelite monastary on Mount Carmel. He played tennis quite well though quite an old man. D.G. asked me to
dine with him and I accepted, though hating the idea, but when I got home sent a note saying I forgot I had a lot of
letters to write for the mail, I really had too. Hope he was not offended. I really dislike dining there as there are so
many finger prints on the plates. Sticky night and a sudden squall in the evening.

Monday [27 May]
Court. Sulman brought me in two brace of sandgrouse, very useful as I had D.G. Lamb and Prior to dinner.
Unfortunately I had ordered one of the ducks to be killed and it had already been killed before the other birds arrived.
Tennis at the Mission, then Prior and I went along to D.G.'s, he had got a thermos full of ice but it seemed to be rather
grubby so we didnt quite fancy it, poor D.G. was very disappointed so I took some. He got it off the boat. There is a
real row going on about the ice, the Agent wont accept the Biladya. Mohamed put up a very good dinner indeed, but it
was very hot. Afterwards sat outside and listened to the gramaphone. Prior seemed very sleepy. Down mail came in
and left, very early. Sudden wind storm in the evening so slept indoors. No divers are coming from Hassa so there is
rather a shortage of divers. Went across to see Prior in the morning about some news from the other side, quite
interesting.

Tuesday May 28th 1929

Very windy in the night, very noisy and all the doors banging about. Slept inside. A Swiss commercial traveller is
staying here travelling for Nestle' from Vevey, I have not met him yet as he called at the office when I was out. Didnt
go to the Biladya as I have such an accumulation of office work here. The Doctor came in, we are sending a different
man out on the hospital boat to the pearl banks as the people in Muharrak complain that the Muharrak man cant be
spared from there. Straker came about the Landing Coy, and we went across to see Prior about it, there is now a
complete deadlock as the Bombay people refuse to accept any reductions. Didnt get any further. Its a tiresome
business. Tennis at the Agency with the Strakers. Much cooler day after the storm. Yesterday there were a few drops
of rain and it looked all the time very like rain, late in the season. The Shaikh has been seedy and not in here for
several days, just fever.

Wednesday 29th [May]

Office in the morning. The Shaikh did not come in, he has been having a little fever lately and has missed several court
days. Not I think really much wrong with him. Went up to the Fort and then to the Joint Court where I took part in a
big diving case which they have been at for a long time without much result. Tennis at Mespers, the Swiss commercial
traveller from Nestles milk was there, a fat round faced man but quite pleasant, very Swiss, talked much of Montreux
and various people there. Bridge. Hot day.