Page 1161 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

1159
1159
1940

Very busy day. Fort, office, the Shaikh came in to the Joint Court and spent a long time at my office -
wasting time & discussed Major Holmes as I told him I had invited him to stay he was very pleased. I had a
long talk with Sh Abdulla bin Hamed about traffic. In afternoon we had a tennis & Bridge party augmented
by the twenty or so people who had been playing in the Golf tournament, the club against the Jebel. We
had tea in the dining room & Bridge in the drawing room, a very satisfactory plan as people could start off
sooner on Bridge. Some very good tennis, the Duntons, new people at the Jebel, play well, unfortunately
Mrs Dame arrived & spolit a set, she is a huge female who has no idea of playing but always wants to play.

Thursday [20th February]

Fort. Camel section set off on a march, to be out there three nights. This time I sent the whole lot of them
out. Very grey day. Office, meeting with Skinner & Smith at the Agency about compensation for accidents.
Gardened, the family went to tea with Mrs Narayan. Early dinner & a Bridge tournament at the club
afterwards, a very good show & most interesting, the hands were set.

Friday [21st February]

All started off after breakfast in the car & the pick up with Hamood & Alik & a spare driver. Drove out to

Om al Jala past Sakhrir & Zellaq, got there at about twelve o'clock, the other car was later as they went back
to get my pyjamas which Hamood had forgotten. Very nice out in the country & quite a green tinge over
the desert & the sea in the distance a most brilliant blue. The hills at the back with the Jebel in the distance
looked very pretty. My camel section had arrived before us and were well settled in, cooking & baking
bread. I had the key of the Shaikh's little hunting lodge, a nice white building with two big rooms, we
settled in there & had lunch soon after. Young Billy Steele was of the party too & the two boys played
about all day on the desert & among the bunches of bushes. About five o'clock the others went home in
the car leaving James & one of the two boys to camp out with the camel section - actually we slept in the

house, very comfortable. James enjoyed it all very much & spent some time down with the men.