Page 671 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

669

1931

Tremendous gale in the night, one of the worst I have ever known, the trees in my garden were terribly dashed about and many
of the branches broken, I am afraid all the seeds will be cut off, it is very difficult to make a garden here there is so much to
contend against, wind, locusts and sand storms, all very bad for it. The electric wires came down in two places and two boats
were partly wrecked, one man, or two, being drowned in the sea. People say it is the worst gale there has been for eight years.
Called on the Kadi Shaikh Abdel Latif in the morning before breakfast, he wanted to ask me about some cases, in the afternoon
we motored out to a village called Kurzatan where I looked at some ground which was in dispute in a case. Very difficult to
get an idea about it as the pieces which were claimed as wakfs are all in among the gardens with no boundaries at all. Awfully
windy out of the town but in the evening the gale went down a little. Played Bridge at the D.Gs after tea, the Jordans called to
say good bye and then we met them again at the de Greniers, so awkward when one has finally parted with people to meet
them again. Too windy to go to the Municipal meeting at Muharrak, and hardly any boats went across during the day. Dined
with Major Holmes, the Hakkens were the other guests, quite a pleasant evening, afterwards we sat and talked. Prior was
giving a dinner party tomorrow as it is his birthday as well as mine but his cook became sick so he asked us to have the party
instead of him.

Wednesday 9th December
Got up rather later than usual. So windy that we put off our tennis party. Office, had a lot of people in among them Mohamed
bin Subah who recently sold a garden which is wakf, but as he is a big man nobody wants the Government to take any notice of
it!! Some people came round in the afternoon and we played Bridge and in the evening the Parkes and the Russells and Prior
came to dinner. A very lively party and afterwards went over to the Agency and danced, the floor is splendid for dancing and
it seems a pity it is not used more.

Thursday December 10th 1931

Court. Went out coursing on the Aali plain in the afternoon with two of the dogs, Siwa and Bint Hosha, the latter is the grand
daughter of a silugi which is now in England and has been showed a lot, she was given to Major Holmes by the Shaikh and
Major Holmes sent one of her pups back to Bahrain and the Shaikh gave me one of the litter about a year ago. We caught one
hare and put up another but it got away. Very nice out there and good exercise. I took my boy Hamood and he was very keen
on it. Major Holmes came in on his way to dine at the Agency and stayed till dinner time. We are all very busy arranging
dresses for the fancy dress party which Prior is to give on the 18th when the Navy come, that is to say the Emerald.

Friday [11 December]

Prior looked in in the morning to talk about his show next week, he is having a sort of little play. Lunched with Major Holmes,
as Prior is to be away at Christmas we are going to give a dinner party in conjunction with Holmes, he has a very good cook
and a boy who used to be in the bar at one of the Baghdad hotels so an expert at cocktails, they are both to be lent to us. Had a
very good lunch indeed and as usual a good gossip, also discussed the plans for our dinner party. Tennis at the Agency as
usual, Prior was playing football with the team who he is taking up to Basra so we had to act as hosts till he came back, I think
it rather annoys some of the people as he does it quite often now.