Baghdad July 16. Dearest Mother. I enclose a letter to Father which will you please forward. You may be still in London so I write there; after this I expect Rounton will be your permanent address.
I think I told you in one of my letters what I do every day. I get up at 5.30, do excercises [sic] till 5.45, and walk in the garden till 6 or a little after cutting flowers. All that grows now is a beautiful double jasmine of which I have bowls full every day and zinnias, ugly and useful. I breakfast at 6.40 on an egg and some fruit, interview my old cook, Haji 'Ali, at 6.45 when I order any meal I want and pay the daily books. Leave for the office by car at 6.55 and get there at 7. I'm there till 1.30 when I lunch with the High Commissioner - now with Nigel.

The first thing I do in the office is to look through the three vernacular papers and translate anything that ought to be brought to the notice of the authorities. These translations are typed and circulated to the H.C., the Advisers in the Arab offices, and finally as an appendix of the fortnightly report to the Sec. of State. By the time I've done that, papers are beginning to come in, intelligence reports from all the Near East and India, local reports, petitions etc. The petitions I generally dispose of myself; the local reports I note on, suggesting, if necessary, memoranda to the Ministries of Interior or Finance (mostly Interior which is the Ministry I'm most concerned with) or despatches to the Sec. of State, or replies to the French High Commissioner's letters. Sometimes I write a draft at once, sometimes I propose the general outlines and wait for approval or correction. In and out of all this people come in to see me, shaikhs and Arab officials or just people who want to give some bit of information or ask for advice. If there's anything important in what they have to say I inform the H.C. At intervals in the daily routine, I'm now busy writing the annual report for the League of Nations. I usually get a clear hour or two before lunch.

I get home about 2.30 and do nothing till 5. I don't often sleep, but I lie on a big sofa under a fan and read novels or papers. All the windows are shut and the room is comparatively cool. After 5, I go out swimming or I take a little walk or people come to see me - I very seldom ride in the summer; it's too hot in the evening and I haven't time before going to office. I dine about 7.30 on some iced soup or a bit of fish, and some fruit; and sometimes if I'm feeling unusually energetic I do an hour's work or I write letters. Generally I read again till about 10 and then go to bed on the roof. That's the hot weather life. And now, dearest, it's time to go and have my bath before dinner. Your very affectionate daughter Gertrude.

Now I come to think of it, it seems rather a hermit programme. It is. I hate dining out or having people to dinner in hot weather.