Page 1590 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1942

A pleasant day. Had a bathe in the tank before breakfast & after that went by launch to Bina island, a sandy island full
& very smelly with bird guano. There the launch crew, several policemen & W & I went into the sea & sprinkled a
paste with some berry in it among the of fish, after waiting awhile they began to flop about & then the men, some in
a boat, went went round & round the island picking up the dead or dying fish. The poison does not affect human
beings. Then to Om al Nasan to collect some dates figs & melons, which we ate there & so needed no lunch & back to
Jidda for a siesta, coursed again in the evening & came back by moonlight reaching home about 9 oclock well baked &
browned by the sun.

Saturday 25th July

Fort, had a look at Biladya garden on way back, rather bleak, the off season. The second half of the Levies went over
to Muharraq. We lent them our band, they looked very smart marching past. The captain of the Dutch ship came to
call, very apologetic about not having known of my existence before, a large red faced man & pleasant to talk to, we
discussed all sorts of things, he knows most parts of the world. Went to the library pm to change books to Idari on the
way & then to the TTs for awhile & bathed after dinner. A hot damp day.

Reading Siamese White, a most interesting book the sort I should like to write myself.

Sunday 26th July

Letters from M after a long time with none, two together. Had the barber instead of Friday. Hot day, Sh Sulman & Sh
A came in & I persuaded them to hear a delegation from the Baladya who came to complain about the food control,
they seemed to have several sound complaints but their main object was that the merchants should run the show
themselves. Discussed other matters & Fighter Fund, Shs S & A both said what a bad temper GP has. They wont like
it at all when they hear he is revisiting this scene. Wrote to M, now only two mails a week. Went over to Muharraq to
look around the works and then to Bilad al Qadim where I did a pencil sketch of Jushi house. Too dark to start
painting.