Mistress & Mrs Hogg [the Peels’ married daughter, also living in Alexandria] drove to town & Miss Grace went out for a ride & Miss Winifred went on her bicycle. Polly & I were left in by ourselves... We got our teas while they were out & now have just had our supper. … Just fancy, a week today we landed here. I felt awfully strange but I am better used to it & know my way about now all over the house & all round. We have two very nice ponies & the young ladies ride them in turns …
It has been a very wet morning … but it has cleared up now & is
fine again. I hope it keeps fine for [Mistress] has promised to let us go to
church this evening. They are all gone this morning & we have just done the
clothes ready for the wash & we have builders & joiners & all sorts
of men here working today. It does seem so funny. I don’t know how they expect
to prosper I am sure with such carryings on. She never seems to think it is
Sunday, it is all the same with her so as the work is done. We have got the
roof off the drawing room. You never saw such a place as we have got, to be
sure it is awful. The men are busy doing the roofing & building two or
three more rooms on to the house to make it larger. I don’t know whenever we
shall be straight I am sure. … We have
just had our dinner & now we are trying to write a bit before tea, for it
is nearly tea time now. Polly is busy getting it ready & there is a lot of
gentlemen here to tea that have called to see our people & welcome them
back here to their home here. They are having tea in the hall. After our tea we
got ready for church & went about half past 5 oclock. From here to Ramleh
church it is about ¾ of an hour’s walk. We went down the railway line &
came back part [that] way . Got back here about half past 8 oclock & then
had our supper & to bed about 10 oclock pm. I did so enjoy my walk & it
was a lovely little church & such a nice minister. It was quite a treat to
be able to go to some place of worship or other so goodnight & sweet
repose.
Throughout the diary Kate is appalled by her employers’
willingness to work on a Sunday:
It is a beautiful day. I hope it will keep fine for we want to go to church tonight again … Two of the young ladies are gone to church. Master & Mistress & Miss Winnie are at home, all on business matters with the men. They are working here today, putting drawing rooms with doors in and knocking the tower down off the top of the house. You have no idea what it is like & now Mistress is gone to enamel the seat of the WC, on Sunday mind you, & we two have just done the clothes. Now I must dress for lunch, there is several gentlemen here to tea. We went to church again & got back here by 8-20 pm so we were not out late.
Sunday Nov 14th 1897
It is a splendid day today, such a change again. The men are here working today just the same as usual. After dinner Polly was messing about; she can’t rest without she is on with something or other all the time & I don’t believe in it. I shan’t forget these Sundays, never to my dying day shall I forget them. It is tea time now well we went to church and were back here by 9 x 30 pm. The minister was a splendid little man. I did so enjoy it for he spoke so plain & nice it was rather dark coming home
It is a splendid day today, such a change again. The men are here working today just the same as usual. After dinner Polly was messing about; she can’t rest without she is on with something or other all the time & I don’t believe in it. I shan’t forget these Sundays, never to my dying day shall I forget them. It is tea time now well we went to church and were back here by 9 x 30 pm. The minister was a splendid little man. I did so enjoy it for he spoke so plain & nice it was rather dark coming home
Amid all the upheaval of the alterations to the house, Kate
had to carry on with her usual routine, which was pretty arduous. As sewing
maid, she was responsible for making and mending day clothes along with evening
dresses for the many balls and parties the family attended. As well as this, she
had to clean the house, serve at the table and be on call for endless fetching
and carrying for the family. Mrs Peel had an ‘at home’ every week, with guests
enjoying tea and a musical evening, and dinner parties for 50 people were not
unusual.
I was up by 6-40 am & had breakfast by ¼ past 7 oclock. I went down to Mrs Hoggs at 8-30 am to put the sewing machine in working order so as she could use it & came back about 9-30 am. [I] did my rooms after & then sewing a bit & cleaning a bit & polishing furniture. I have to be jack of all trades. …. Mrs Hogg has been down to lunch & we have just had our dinner & I am darning now for dear life…
I was up 6-45 am & breakfast by 7-15 am & now am nearly ready for my dinner. Miss Grace is in bed ill all day long, it is so tiresome, there is enough running about without them stopping in bed now to make more work. Mr Pervice, an English gentleman … has arrived here this morning & is staying with us for lunch [Mr Purvis later married May]. … Polly & I went … to the station to post a letter for Mistress. We have just had our supper & I am trying to write a bit before bed. It is 9 o clock now, I don’t know how long they will leave me alone I am sure.
I was up by 6 x 50 am and have been busy sewing till lunch time. After lunch I straightened the work room up … the young ladies and midshipmen are having tea there today because the dining room table is laid ready for dinner tonight because we have a dinner party on. … We had 4 gentlemen & our young ladies in the workroom for the tea & two gentlemen & a lady with mistress for tea in the drawing room, & we have had 2 sailors & 2 soldiers & Mrs Hogg for dinner tonight. Now they are all in the drawing room, playing & singing… We have just had our supper … & we must get to bed as soon as possible for we are both tired … I am retiring to rest now at 11-10 pm.
It has been a very dull cold day. I fell upstairs this morning & hurt my leg rather bad. I was up by 7 oclock & have been busy covering chairs to day & beeswaxing the young ladies room. ..
She was soon back on her feet, though, and getting excited about Christmas:
Saturday Dec 25th 1897
Xmas morning. I was up by 7 x 30 am & we were very busy first thing
to get done. We went to the garrison church service, commenced at 10 x 45 &
it was so nice there. The soldiers were all there & the band played
beautiful. All our people went & us two as well. I had the thimble out of
the plum pudding & Polly the ring & Eliza a silver coin. I left the
ring on a plate & carried it out to the kitchen & it was thrown down
the slopstone in the water. I am as vexed as can be for Polly did so prize
that, it was a keep sake of hers & there it is lost. After that we went
down to the beach for an hour & when we came back I got a cup of tea but we
were all too upset to eat ... I have had a present from mistress & one from
Mrs Hogg & a box of chocolate between Mary & I from M. & G. Peel
& a card from W. Peel. Now it is nearly dinner time. We have had Mrs Hogg’s
waiter here helping to wait so as Polly & us could be by ourselves. I had a
card from Polly as well. They are busy in the dining room now. They have taken
the plum pudding in, the room all ablaze, it looked grand. It has been blazing
hot today, just like summer in England & now we must have our supper for it
is getting late. We got to bed about 11 x 30 & were both fairly tired out,
so that ended xmas day.
The next big event, of course, was
New Year’s Eve:
After dinner: well just fancy last of the old year to night, if we live
to see morning it will be in another year. How the time does go to be sure. I
must give over now for I want my supper & then to bed. So goodnight &
sweet repose & think if me so far away in a foreign land on the eve of the
old year & the new year coming in. It is 11 x 30 o clock & to sleep
& rest I hope. Our young ladies & two of the gentlemen have gone to a
dance at Mrs Wilson’s after dinner tonight. The carriage is waiting now to take
them so ta ta. Polly is having a donkey ride
outside, at this time of night! I got to bed, I was tired but she stayed up
& let the new year in. They came back from the dance at 2 o clock next
morning.
It
has been cold again today but the sun was shining this morning. I was up by 7 x
45 am & have been busy sewing all day long. They all went out this
afternoon … so we had tea out on the sea veranda. The sun was shining &
after supper we got to bed about 10 o clock. We were both tired & sleepy -
that is the commencement of the new year. So goodnight & god bless you all
in England, & think of me so far away.
Next time, though, we’ll see what
happened to her after she did, as well as finding out about the sad ends met by
some of the Peel family.
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