Page 929 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

927

1935

gone out to a certain well in the desert & picked a macelendar fern which was used for decorating the table
mixed with a little of the yellow acacia which looks like mimosa. We had the silver candle sticks and the
sede lamps. It looked very pretty & lots of green & gold crackers. After dinner we had a comic circus in the
court room which had been arranged like a travelling circus with a stage & a space roped round with sand on
the floor & suitable lighting. The show went off very well the biggest success was a performing horse, Dr
Holmes & Hakkem, were the two pairs of legs, it was really wonderfully good. James came down in his
dressing gown with nannie as a special treat to look on. At midnight Steele appeared as the Old Year in a
white beard with an hour glass & Mrs Holmes as the New Year in silver tinsel and two of my drummers in a
side room drummed in the New Year, then we had hot rum punch, made by Loch, soup and sandwiches. I
think they all enjoyed themselves. One or two of the people went out to the oil camp afterwards to a party
which was being held out there. Yesterday afternoon I got a telegram to the Shaikh from P... congratulating
him on getting a KCIE in the New Year Honours. This morning another long wire from the Viceroy &
Foreign Secretary. When I spoke to Loch about it on phone he was very surprised as he had not been told.