Page 14 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

13

1926

Spent the morning at de Grenier's office trying to get an idea of how the customs work. It seems full of accounts,
which I don't care for. I don't care for de G, such an oily bounder, & very complacent. After lunch did a couple of
candle shades. The cook came & said he didnt think he could stay, mainly because he cant talk English & had no oil
oven. The Dalys came in after dinner for coffee & liqueurs & admired the room & the furniture very much indeed - &
it does look nice too. Writing late - mail was due today but did not arrive. Daly went out to see the Sheikh with draft
of a sort of letter to me which we concocted.

Tuesday [13th April]

Spent the morning at the Customs again with de Grenier. The accounts seem very confusing & very many of them.
That is the part I like least of the job. Went to sleep in the afternoon & M played tennis at the Dalys with Dr Holmes,
the Residency doctor, who is quite a decent fellow. Had an Arabic lesson in the afternoon & the Spences called, but
did not come in as I was obviously busy. Dined at the Dalys, the Levy Officer, Captain Geike, was invited but refused.
Sounds a swollen headed youth & is almost illiterate. The new moon appeared, the sign that the month of Ramadan,
the fast month is at an end, guns fired & a few fireworks, but all very mild & not half the excitement that one would
see in Egypt. From the roof of our house one looks across the houses of the town, its very pleasant in the evening &
very cool. I always rather fancied living in a house above an Eastern town, such a lot to see down below. The Arabic
teacher seems quite good, he is one of the mission masters & teaches a number of people here. Cool day, at no time
unpleasantly warm.