Page 710 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1932

Thursday [7 April]

Went along to see Ham at the Bank as he has hurt his leg and cant go out, he wanted to see me about lending Shaikh Abdulla
some money. He is always in debt and always asking for loans. Then I had a meeting of people who want telephones in my
office, they had some quite sensible things to ask about. Shaikh Abdulla came in before breakfast to discuss the new Budget, I
showed him a good many of the things I proposed to do and he quite agreed. In the afternoon we took Mrs Holmes out for a
picnic to Ain al Hakim, it was very nice out there and looked very pretty, the sea was a brilliant blue and the islands looked
very green and pretty. It is one of the pleasantest places in the island and I only discovered it lately.

Friday [8 April]

Played Bridge at the Bank in the morning and went for a drive in the afternoon after early tea and then to the de Greniers.
Welsh, the big man of the Flying Corps came down in a sea plane and came to call just as we were going to the D.Gs so we
took him along with us, quite a pleasant person. He talked about the Imperial Airways and complained a great deal about
Galpin, the man they sent down, as he said they should have sent a man who knew the Gulf or one who was a flying man.
Galpin was in the Navy and had never been out here at all.

Saturday 9th April 1932

Court. Very hot day, we had the fans on for the first time and would have used them in the daytime if the electric had been
working. The hottest day this year, it was over eighty in the house and quite like summer, worse luck. Did some work at my
history after lunch and again in the evening. M had some lady visitors, one of the Kanoo women and the wife of Ali bin
Hussein Secretary of the Municipality, she brought her small baby for me to see, the Jewish woman brought it in with M, a
funny little yellow creature but quite nice and clean looking, I expect it had been washed for the occasion. It was all tied round
with string, a custom they have here to keep them from waving their arms about and getting tired. Very uncomfortable I
should imagine. Went out a drive and when we came back found an elderly couple on the steps who had had a case in the
court, the old woman flung herself onto M and asked her to intercede with me, as a matter of fact they had no cause to
complain. Dinner at the de Greniers, quite a party, it was a farewell to Parke and D.G. made a little speech. Heard that the
down mail boat went aground at Kuwait for 24 hours. They are always doing it now, the harbours are so bad in the Gulf.
Parke had been for a drive right round the island with two of his men. It took him from five in the morning till six in the
evening to go right round the coast in a car, I must do it some day.

Sunday 10th [March]

Court. Very hot day. Motored in the afternoon after tea as it is now too hot to go out before tea and in the afternoon we had a
dinner party for Parke, about ten people, after dinner we played a round game, cards, which caused rather a lot of argument,
however they all seemed to enjoy themselves. They stayed till nearly one oclock. Its an awful habit that people have in
Bahrain.

Monday [11 March]