Saturday May 4

To village to buy sheepheads1, stir up Miguel to get picture frames & netting done, take stuff to Margarita, ask Catalina to whitewash, warn Sebastian that the goat was loose on Son Canals land, leave packet for Karl at Old Café, inquire after Madora [sic: Medora] ,order cigarettes from Valldemossa [RG]. Heavy, heavy day with boira and a few drops of rain.
Rosa came, brought my silk nightshirts & socks: also two old Mallorquin waistcoats & a skirt with painted spots which we bought for 18 pesetas in all.
C.F.V.
Went with Carl to Marg. [Margarita] with two pairs of trousers & two of shorts to be cut down by her for him. Visited deposito2: about 3 weeks more to finish. Brought back mill paddle from the old wheel.
Contract of C.F.V. from A.B. [Arthur Barker] Karl witnessed it.
Strawberries from garden.

Editorial Notes

1for dog. KG
2small reservoir. KG

Hands Referenced

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

Places Mentioned

  • Son Canals

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Large farm-house belonging to Bernardo Colom at the entrance to the village. WG

  • Old Café

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Run by Margarita the Butcher, and mainly consisted of a table outside the butcher shop. Most frequented by LR & RG until the Sala (Concordia) was built by Gelat. WG

  • Valldemossa

    Valldemossa, Majorca, Sp
    Village on the way to Palma. WG

People Mentioned

  • 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.

  • Margarita Modista

    Margarita Modista
    Modista: Dress maker (in Deyá). W.G., eds.

  • Miguel

    Miguel
    One of four village carpenters. Others were Miguel Junior, Francisco and Antonio de Ca's Pintat. WG

  • Catalina

    Catalina
    Domestic help. Called in for white-washing, etc. WG

  • Sebastian

    Sebastian
    Gardener getting on for 80. KG

  • Madora

    Marroig Más, Madora
    Gelat's wife. W.G. R.G. often spells her first name "Medora," and precedes it with "the." eds.

  • Rosa

    Rosa
    Dress maker. Also made cushions, seat covers, etc. WG

Organizations Mentioned

  • Arthur Barker Ltd.

    Barker, Arthur
    The English publisher of I, Claudius and Claudius the God. WG

Bibliography

    • Title: Claudius Film Version [The Fool of Rome] [a condensed novel based on I, Claudius]
    • Author: Graves, Robert

Elements Mentioned

  • boira

    Mist. WG