April 1 Monday.

To Palma, early. Dentist 9.30, charged 40 pts1 for 3 visits. Collected pension2. Incident of bumbling army-officer with green & red reg. tie[RG] waiting for pension saying to officer no. 2 "I see you belong to my old corps." This no. 2 was the sort of officer one would draw if only allowed to draw in parallels and oblongs. Bumbler was colour-blind. I had long before registered 'Scots Guards', so bumbler had to apologise, he was only Sherwood Foresters. The man was called Major Fotheringay—×××× [crossed out]Hannibal as far as I could hear. Long wait at Banco March. Laura & Karl and Isabel did all general shopping. Bought typewriter 800 pts, less 375 for L [Laura]'s old typewriter. Bought L. [Laura] early 19th century emerald and diamond ring for 190 pts. At Casas bought brazier shovel for Fábrica: theirs had been broken for the last six years — family joke. Also old glass bottle, Hapsburg seal for 2 pts. and 3 blue plates 3 pts each. Casas threw in an old wooden-stand suitable for my Luna[RG]3 cannon ball. Lunch Mallorca. Coffee and cream éclairs at Schwarz & Strenge's. Schwarz gave me a sesterce4 of Claudius with Civil Crown and OB5 Cives Servatos. In recognition gave them the blue plates.
Gave Focus to Esperanza. Ball for Francisquito. Home at 6.30.
Notice of 4800 doll. [dollars] on way to Hispano Bank and letter from Middleditch giving authority to collect German money but counselling against smuggling.
Alice had her kittens, all black, three, in bush by electric light post.

Editorial Notes

1RG indicates "pesetas" in different ways (and sometimes not at all). According to KG, "pts." is the correct abbreviation. eds.
2RG drew a wound pension for damage to his lungs. KG
3"Luna" was Laura Riding's company. KG
4a small silver Roman coin. eds
5obverse/other side. KG/eds

Hands Referenced

    • Annotation: ink correction
    • Character: regular
    • Ink: black

Places Mentioned

  • Palma

    Palma, Majorca, Sp
    Capital and largest centre of Majorca.

  • Fábrica

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Home of Juan (Gelat) and his wife, the Madora. K.G. The ground floor was a nave extended over the equivalent of two more lots. This originally was a factory with an oil press, a flour mill and a soap making machine all run by a steam engine. Gelat replaced steam by fuel-oil and installed an electricity generator. When he put in the turbine at Ca'n Madó he removed the machinery and built a Café in its place (the Sala Concordia). WG

  • Mallorca

    Palma, Majorca, Sp
    Palma restaurant. WG

People Mentioned

  • Laura

    Riding, Laura
    (1901-91) American poet. Laura Riding (née Reichenthal; then Laura Gottschalk).

  • Karl/Carl

    Goldschmidt, Karl
    Karl Goldschmidt, later Kenneth Gay: Graphic artist, friend and secretary of Robert Graves and Laura Riding since 1934. R. G. spells both as Carl and Karl.

  • Isabella

    Isabel
    Live-in maid from Murcia. Her mother (Carmen) then came over with Josefa who also came to work later. WG

  • Casas

    Casas
    Antique dealer in Palma. WG

  • Swartz

    Schwarz, Georg
    German Jew. Deyá neighbour. Antique dealer. Lived with Frau Emmy Strenge, his house keeper, in Can Caballo some hundred yards from Canellun. RG and LR translated his "Almost Forgotten Germany." WG

  • Strenge

    Strenge, Frau Emmi
    Schwarz's house keeper and ? mistress. WG

  • Esperanza

    Esperanza
    Sabater? ran a printing press in Palma and printed Focus.

  • Franciscito

    Vives, Franciscito
    Gelat's grandson W.G. Son of Anita, Gelat's daughter in Rennes. KG

  • Miss Middleditch

    Middleditch, Miss
    Editor with Arthur Barker Ltd. WG

Bibliography

    • Title: Focus I, II, III, IV [newsletter]
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá
    • Publisher: Seizin
    • Date: 1935