Page 670 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat
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1931
and rather frightened crowd. People here are not accustomed to seeing drunkenness as it is a dry place so its a pity that white
people should be the first to introduce it in public. Major Holmes came in to dinner with us after the Agency tea.
Saturday 5th Dec
Court. In the afternoon we went out to Senobis and I called on the old Kadi who seemed very cheerful as he had a son a few
days ago, he looks about ninety but admits to being seventy. M sat in a garden outside the village while I was calling. The old
man had a good deal to say about local politics but nothing very exciting. The people seem very fond of him out there, he
walked with me to the car and everyone he met hurried forward and kissed his hand. Very nice weather, quite cool and not too
cold, the clouds are banking for rain which is overdue now and may come any day.
Sunday [6 December]
Meeting of the Wakf Department which lasted till one oclock, I was late for it as several people came in before and kept me,
among them Khalil Moayad who as usual inveigled against the Municipal council, and one of the Shaikh's sons, Abdulla, with
his tutor who did a few sums and things for my benefit to show how he was getting on, he seemed to have picked up quite a
lot. In the afternoon we went out to the plain near Ali with two of the dogs and did some coursing, we put up four hares but
lost them all as there was so much cover for them to get away in.
Monday 7th December 1931
Office in morning. A lot of people to see.
Monday 7th December 1931
Office, very violent shamaal and very cold. Mrs Skinner came to lunch after playing Bridge in the morning with M and the
female population here. She seemed interested in the idea of seeing my office so we went down after lunch and I showed it to
her, then round the garden, when in the court I noticed that the carpet had sort of mounds underneath it and apparently had not
been taken up or cleaned for years. Decided to have the court thoroughly spring cleaned. In the afternoon we had four men to
play tennis, Ham, Prior and the doctor and myself. Very windy so not much fun playing but we got plenty of exercise.
Afterwards the Parkes came in to call. Played Bridge, the doctor produced a copy of the Spectator with a rather pompous letter
in it from de Grenier about English and foreign hotels. I hear that all the ladies who were not deported owing to their morals
have hurried to the Kadis and got married, we had a clearance of about a hundred of them from the bazaar as they had become
much too brazen lately. Terrific gale in the evening, the lights went out twice, Steele, the Engineer, is being kept very busy
these days.
Tuesday [8 December]
