July 10, Wednesday.

Up late. To Posada put up corner-cupboard which Gelat bought for us at Casas. Masons putting stones on mina1 steps. Gave measurements of gates. Honor better. Electric light worked last night. Estacas2 being fixed.
To Fábrica got ice. Gelat says that Son Bujosa is nervous about permission for boat-house owing to espionage legends, and also upset that as a director Soller Succursal3 of Credito4 he may be called on to refund money & lose his all.[RG] Has offered road for sale to the Deputation5 at Palma. Will put up boathouse on shore. Has discovered law of Samper's about water which fixes water-rights, where hours are not fixed at 1/2 a litre a second for 10,000 square metres (or something) & the proprietors must fix a regulating tap. This[RG] Doctor's protegées will therefore have less than they were voluntarily offered. And Gelat [sic: Getal] will make the proprietors, by order of Obras Publicas6, show their claims. Then put in the water pipes at once – cueste que cueste7 – even if he has to raise the money from the 'hermitas'8... Concordia walls nearly to ceiling.
If he sells road we can do the Valldemosa electricity at once.
Gordon went off, alone, in Soller Ferrocarril9 bus. L. & I[RG]Discussed Children's University with Honor. H. & I would do Poets.
Frank Richards sent 2/3 of his book saying if it was not up to mark he would stop. I read a lot of it & found it just the thing.
A visit from Gelat. More details of road & water situation. Says now stop work, and only begin again when appeal comes from Ayuntamiento10. Has bought Florida11 stones: will dump them on our carretera12.
Hot nights.

Editorial Notes

1passage way. KG
2Pegs. KG
3Branch. KG
4refers to the Balear Bank. KG
5Island Council. KG
6Ministry of Public Works. KG
7irrespective of costs. KG
8hermitage. KG
9Railway Co. KG
10town council. KG
11sandstone from Hotel Florida. KG
12private road. KG

Hands Referenced

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

Places Mentioned

  • Palma

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

  • Posada, La

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    House on the Puig next to Deyá church. Originally part of the Es Molí property. It had been rented by the church for Sunday school. RG and LR bought it in February, 1935, to use as a guest house for their visitors. WG, eds.

  • Son Bujosa

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Farm-house on the way to the Cala. 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

  • 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

  • Soller

    Soller, Majorca, Sp
    Town of some 10,000 inhabitants ten kilometers from Deyá. WG

  • Valldemossa

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

People Mentioned

  • Laura

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

  • 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.)

  • Honor

    Wyatt, Honor
    Journalist. Arrived in Deyá fortuitously. Married to Gordon Glover...Son Julian. W.G. First acquainted with R.G. and L.R. early in 1934; returned to visit in 1935; continued friendship in England. eds (RPG 211).

  • Gordon

    Glover, Gordon
    Married to Honor Wyatt. WG

  • Casas

    Casas
    Antique dealer in Palma. WG

  • Richards

    Richards, Frank
    Author of Old Soldiers Never Die and Old Soldier Sahib which R.G. rewrote for him. Was in The Royal Welch Fusiliers, R.G.'s regiment. eds.; Birth name is Francis Phillip Woodruff eds. see Diary September 27, 1936

Bibliography

    • Title: Poets [prose]
    • Author: Graves, Robert/ Riding Laura
    • Editor: Riding, Laura