Page 458 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

456

1929

and made plans for a new Palace. The thing is who would buy it. So few people want to buy a Palace. The doctor
came in after I got back to talk about the hospital boat. Went to tennis at Agency.

Saturday [13 July]
Office in morning, a good many people came in to see me. Played tennis in the afternoon, Dame and I were beaten,
and then bathed in Idari. Mrs Straker was there. I do so object to her going. Went in to the Agency when we got back.

Sunday [14 July]

Very hot damp day and last night very hot, but I didnt notice it myself, everyone else complained about it. I am less
busy now having finished all the annual accounts. Got up to lunch at half past one. Played tennis again, thank
goodness the last time I shall have to play, its a bore. Bathed after tennis. Crowds of Arabs and all the English people
there, including Mrs Straker. Prior more or less told her how we disliked her being there at which she, rudely, said we
could go somewhere else.

Monday July 15th

Court. Not many cases. Hot steamy day, very unpleasant, still it is overdue, until now there has not been one really bad
day this summer. Mission in the afternoon, Mrs Dame's last At Home, she sent notes saying that she hoped everyone
would come. Deplorable tennis but nice ices. Bathed in Idari after tennis. Mail arrived, not much of one. Mrs Straker
at Idari, she apparently goes every day. Ali bin Hussein came in after dinner to go over the agenda for the Biladya
tomorrow. He talked about the position on the mainland. It is very serious and people think that the chances are that
Ibn Saoud will lose Hassa, I hope so. The country is quite upside down and there is no public security. The Ajman are
sitting outside Hassa waiting for some other tribe to join them and Ibn Saoud is hurrying from Negd.

Tuesday [16 July]

Manama Biladya. A very long meeting, lasted over four hours and not very interesting. They all got very heated on
the question of ghee. They want to forbid import of mixed ghee as they say people sell it as pure ghee. There is
apparently hardly any difference. Prior and I took a firm line about what the Biladya could and could not do, they all
got very cross including Shaikh Mohamed who behaved very obstinately. Hot and damp. Didnt get back till 12.30 and
it started at 8 a.m. Drove out with Prior in the evening to call on Ahmed bin Khamis, who has been behaving well
lately. He was full of the coming downfall of Ibn Saoud and said a lot of Bahrainis from Katif were coming here and
all Katif was going to ask to be put under British protection. They wont get it. Bathed at Idari and then went to the
Agency till dinnertime. Got a lot of peaches from Kosaibi which I had made into jam, it looks extremly good. Much
cooler in the evening. Not much news these days.

Wednesday 17th [July]