Page 1217 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

1215
1215
1940

Went out to see HH. Abdulla & Sulman there - talked oil, he was in poor form & bored. Then A & S came in
& we talked more oil then spent a long time at Agency still talking oil - sick & tired of oil. Don't know what
to do about going on leave.

Went out to tomb & then to Budeya. Nothing's been found lately. Cool weather, sleeping indoors still.
Dinner Steeles, also present Weightman, Mrs Sinnatt & Thornburgs. Feeling fed up & didn't enjoy it at all.
Sat & talked afterwards.

Sunday 29th May

No parade. Worked in office. Sh Abdulla came in, discussed oil. Packer came. Talked of Skiro's visit. A
new man from ... cars came to call. Decent fellow, commercial traveller. Very gloomy & fed up.

Dinner at Rafaa with Sh Ali, sat on the roof, pleasant evening. He talked very freely about people & customs
& how the old men of Rafaa thought he should behave when he became Amir - interesting light on arab
customs. On way back met a bad motor accident, two cars having collided in middle of road, half a dozen
people injured. Was at Agency in morning, still no news. Weightman left in Bideford for Qattar & Trucial
Coast. Mubarak & Ahmed came to see me both as usual on the want.

Monday 30th May

Fort. No parade owing to change over. Steele & I looked round about water arrangements at the new

married lines which are getting on well. Office. Sh Rashid about his debts - his point of view is impossible,
being a Khalifah he seems to think he just need not pay debts. Long talk with M Khalil who is being
tiresome as he thinks he ought to get more pay - everyone seems to think the same. Very tiresome
morning. At the Fort in afternoon. Gave out my list of promotions, quite a number. It is not easy to decide
who is suitable & I always do it myself & don't let NCOs have any hand in it. Bathed at Sanyan. Cool, strong
shamaal still blowing. Mohd Jazeb called.

Tuesday 31st May