Oct 2 Wednesday.

Gas drum changed.
Incorporated OSS [Old Soldier Sahib] [RG] corrections. Gelat came, & talked for 2 hours about things — removal of olive trees, Valldemossa electric scheme (but not until everything is settled about hours of water), the Sala café & the importance of keeping it under our control.
Alice1 brought her many 3 of her four[RG] kittens to Canellun (drain-pipe). Pepe came & Gelat, he & we worked out position of new casita2 at Can Torrent.
Two men now[RG] working at the fuente3 in search of water for the house: went there with Gelat. Very little water is needed for the garden, & since this is October in a dry year if water is found it is likely to last all the year round. To Margarita to try on my coat after many months; heard wireless news of invasion of Abyssinia by the Italians & of a possible Anglo-French naval rapprochment4.
Finished A.F.T. [Almost Forgotten Times] Chapter XXXVI & started A.F.T. Chapter XXXVII. To Café where failed to get Daventry5 news but played Parchesi with Juan & Modern Girl & A.N.OTHER & won.

Editorial Notes

1Laura's cat eds
2shed. KG
3spring (above Can Torrent) KG
4 rapprochement: combination of forces? eds
5Is Graves referring to Daventry the town in the English Midlands as a source of BBC broadcasts? WG/eds

Hands Referenced

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

Places Mentioned

  • Valldemossa

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

  • Concordia

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Salón Concordia. Gelat's café. Variously refered to as the Sala or the Salón. The village youths had shares in it. It was later called the Salón Deportivo. WG

  • Canellun

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Laura Riding and Robert Graves' house. Also Canellun (private) road. WG, KG

  • Can Torrent

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    House next to Canellun also belonging to LR & RG. Built by Norman Cameron. WG

People Mentioned

  • Gelat

    Más, Juan Marroig
    Juan Marroig Mas, called Gelat: Landowner on Deyá and friend of Robert Graves and Laura Riding (L.R. & R.G.'s factotum. W.G.)

  • Pepe

    Salas, José
    Master builder. Built Canellun. Pepe is a diminutive of José. WG

  • Margarita Modista

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

  • Juan

    Mas, Juan Marroig
    Usually refers to Gelat's son, sometimes to Gelat himself. WG

Bibliography

    • Title: Almost Forgotten Germany [Almost Forgotten Times]
    • Author: Schwarz, Georg
    • Editor: Trans. Graves, Robert/ Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Idno: A45
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: Old Soldier Sahib
    • Author: Richards, Frank
    • Editor: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London, New York
    • Publisher: Faber & Faber; Harrison Smith & Robert Haas
    • Idno: A44
    • Date: 1936