Page 1146 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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went off very well & everyone knew their parts - though at the last rehersal they didn't seem to. First a
little sketch of Bahrain in 1590, scene in the Portuguese Fort, really a very good scene, I had painted the

drop scene & Steele did all the lighting - very clever, a sunset & all sorts of effects. Then Bahrain in 1990,
another drop scene - oil wells, aeroplanes etc all very modern, telephones, a tape machine & then the play
about nurses coming to Bahrain & all getting married - all very topical. Steele was the success of the
evening as an aged nurse of the Mrs Gamp style. It all went off very well. At the end we had snapdragon &
then hot soup & some went on to a dance out at the oil coy's club but we did not. The plays took a lot of
work but were well worth the time & trouble. In the morning the Shaikh paid the usual call at the Agency
with guard of honour & then all the leading people came to call on m. A fine sunny day but very cold. In
the afternoon we had our tennis & Bridge party as usual, everybody was very sleepy, & no wonder after so
many late nights.

Thursday 2nd January

Office, very busy morning after 8 days holiday. Fort before breakfast. We are busy practising for the Palace
Sports on the third day of the Shaikh's accession holidays. Drove in afternoon, early to bed.

Friday 3rd {January]

In the morning M & I & Mrs Skinner went out to Jufair to see the buildings. She had not been over them
before & was most interested, then to the Palace to see the work, & then to Biladya garden, didn't get back
till quite late. Drove in afternoon & then went over to Agency to a party which they gave for the sailors
from the Deptford. Mrs Loch showed the cinema, it is quite good. In the evening we went out to see the
"talkies" at the club, Katherine the Great, with Elizabeth Bergner. I thought it very good, we had seen it
before, but most of the people didn't seem to like it at all. A lot of the new men were there, a rough
looking crowd.

Saturday 4th [January]