Page 524 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

after thinking about the matter. In the meantime the schools are to open on Saturday. The two plants of
narcissus which Shaikh Mohamed gave us are in pots in the house and coming out well, one has seven
blooms on it, as big as any one sees at home. Until now I had no idea that they grew here, next year I shall
get some bulbs from Persia or from home. Motored in the afternoon. Mrs Holmes came in after tea.

Thursday [13 February]

Fort. Motored with M out to Suk al Khamis, the Thursday out of door market near the old Persian mosque
about a couple of miles out of the town. Took a couple of photos. Its very picturesque and a good place for
photographing, all the country people come in with their things to sell, pottery, vegetables, chickens,
donkeys etc etc. Mohamed Sherif's son came to call in the morning, he is a young man, son of one of the
leading Persian merchants. He has just done a tour in Europe and was very full of it. He spent Christmas at
St Moritz and New Years Eve at the Savoy, he travelled through most of the countries in Europe and saw the
Italian royal wedding. Seemed very impressed by everything. A good thing if more of them went farther
afield. Barden, the Bank Manager, called to discuss the question of buying a piece of ground for us for a new
Bank, or at least leasing it for a hundred years. He has made out a rough plan which I had vetted by my land
Dept who thought very little of it. Motored round the gardens in the afternoon and got some flowers. Had
people to dinner, Prior and his sister, Barden and Walker, played pontoon afterwards. Prior's sister is rather
difficult to get on with, a shade on the heavy side conversationally. I think she will be bored out here.
Mohamed's wife died at Muscat, (the cook) A south wind now for several days quite warm and rather stuffy,
it always is when we have a south wind.

Friday [14 February]

Went down the bazaar and then to the Bank for Bridge. Tennis at the Agency in the afternoon, good tennis.
Only seven Bridge players so not enough for two tables, so tiresome that Prior does not play. Ibn Saoud is
coming to the coast opposite and sailing from there by the Patric Stewart to Basra where he is to meet King
Faisal in mid sea on a man of war. The meeting has been put off several times. I am glad he is not coming
here en route as there seems to have been some possibility of this, the Kozaibis would be quite unbearable if
he did so. The garden is coming on well but I was alarmed to see a lot of locusts about in the afternoon,
hope they fly over us, it would be too bad to have another swarm here, they have been far worse than usual
this year.

Saturday February 15th 1930

Took a few cases in the morning, one of a man who had been deported and returned to Bahrain, who I gave
three months and thirty lashes, and a youth who went into eight different shops in Manama and Muharrak
and stole an abba from each shop. His method was to ask for rice, then say he wanted it fresh out of the bag,
while the shopkeeper went behind to get the rice he picked up his bisht and put it under his arm and walked
off. I gave him three months too and twenty lashes. When I asked him why he stole he replied, "a devil
possessed me". Its a usual answer, and I always beat people who say it to me. Dinner at the Pennings, also
present Prior and his sister and D.G. Quite a good dinner but very dull. The mail arrived in the evening.