My SIL and nephew stopped over with us for a few days on their way through from the UK to visit family in Australia. J was born in August seven weeks early - he's six months old now and is just adorable :)
Showing posts with label family and friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family and friends. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The reason for my absence ...
My SIL and nephew stopped over with us for a few days on their way through from the UK to visit family in Australia. J was born in August seven weeks early - he's six months old now and is just adorable :)
Monday, January 05, 2009
Lovely PIF received!
This arrived in the mail the day before Christmas from Karen - isn't it lovely? An email of thanks is on it's way to you, Karen :)
Since I had no sign-ups I will be sending out random gifts over the next month or so.
My parents are visiting and well, to be honest, things haven't gone well for the start of their trip. However, this post isn't the time or place to go into details. Another time, perhaps.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Been Quiet Around Here!
The second half of November was busy - had a couple of things, stitching-wise, I wanted to get completed. Managed them but only just!
My November ornament:
Tipsy Tree by Charland Designs - Just Cross Stitch 2007 Ornament Issue
Stitched on 28 count natural linen with GAST threads
My Thanksgiving ornament for the Seasonal Ornament SAL blog:
Turkey Ornament from Lizzie*Kate's Fall Crazy leaflet
Stitched on mystery hand-dye remnant with DMC threads
I also completed a needlecase (my first ever) for the Monthly Finishing Challenge blog but I'm less than impressed with the finishing so didn't bother taking a pic and will probably ditch it.
I've been doing a LOT of reading over the last few weeks which means very little stitching so far this month! I have got myself hooked on the "In Death" series of books by J D Robb (aka Nora Roberts) in a big way (just check out my Goodreads widget in the sidebar!!)! No sooner have I finished one then I start on the next one even when I should be doing something else!! Not sure what it is about them that gets me in. I guess they have all the elements I enjoy reading - crime, action, humour and in-between-the-sheets action (although not necessarily always in-between-the-sheets!!) which takes me out of my reality for a while :)
I need it because the next few weeks are going to be crazy busy, next week is bad enough!!
My parents are coming for a visit in a week's time so I need to finish getting the guest room ready. The beds are made but I still need to move my craft stuff out of the wardrobe so they have room for their clothing, etc. They are staying for nearly six weeks so I won't have easy access to the room.
DH and I decided to revamp the upstairs activity area for the kids for Christmas. A new bigger tv, wall unit, new couch, get rid of the computer desks, give them more space, trend it up. Since the bigger tv is downstairs they (and their friends) have made the loungeroom their second home which means DH and I have to fight for the remote to watch what we want when we want or even just the chance or space to stretch out on the couch and chill. Another reason I haven't been stitching as much. They do clear out when we tell them too but they wouldn't need to if they had their own decent fun space :)
Anyway, because of that brilliant idea, I've been waiting for goods to be delivered - the wall unit came yesterday but one of the side pieces was damaged so it is still in pieces until they can bring a replacement one on Monday. Because of that I had to re-schedule the delivery and installation of the tv which has put things back a few more days. There is stuff everywhere, which will eventually go into the wall unit, but it is starting to drive me just a little bit batty.
I also decided, in a moment of insanity, that the kids' bedroom closets needed a thorough de-cluttering and re-organising - a process which is still ongoing and which probably would have been done by now if the kids were at school. They've been off since the beginning of December for the UAE National Day and Eid holidays. DD goes back to school on Sunday but only till Thursday when they break up again for the winter holiday until January 4th. Due to some program the high school has on next week, which has cause for the majority of teachers and students to be absent, DS is off till January 4th. Apparently there will only be six teachers and the remaining students will be split into groups and doing some sort of "fun" program instead of their regularly scheduled classes. I've given him the option of going to school or staying home and helping me out with the shopping and various other errands and the sorting out of things around the house. He opted for staying at home and helping me only because he doesn't think I'm serious about him helping. Boy, is he in for a surprise!!
Somewhere, somehow in the next few days I need to finish the Christmas shopping! It would be so much easier if I knew what to buy - the kids are easy and are pretty much done - but DH and the parents - bah!! DH, DD and I did a little today and I got a couple of ideas for DH so I'll hit one of the nearby malls one day next week and try to get him sorted out. Of course, it doesn't help that his birthday is three days before Christmas! I do have something in mind for that though, thank goodness! The parents I'm thinking I'll take Christmas shopping when they get here! I also need to figure out what we'll be having for Christmas lunch and start buying the food for that, although that could probably wait until mum and dad get here too. Mum, at least, would probably enjoy the chance to come along and help. I plan to do a quick grocery shop on Sunday for the regular stuff which DS will be thrilled about, no doubt - muwahahaha!!
Somewhere in between things being delivered and the shopping next week, I need to squeeze in a doctor's appointment, take the dog to the vet for her annual check-up and vaccinations, helping out with DD's class Christmas party (for which a date hasn't been set) and get my bicycle to the repair shop. The back tyre has a puncture courtesy of a massive bougainevillea thorn.
I will get it all done but I don't usually leave things like this to the last minute - my usual spark just isn't there this year. DH has travelled for work quite a bit over the last 12 months (and is off again tomorrow!) and I guess I'm just plum tuckered out :)
Well, this has turned out to be longer than I anticipated - if you've made it this far through my ramblings, congratulations and thank you :) I'll say goodnight now and go bury myself in a book!
My November ornament:
Stitched on 28 count natural linen with GAST threads
My Thanksgiving ornament for the Seasonal Ornament SAL blog:
Stitched on mystery hand-dye remnant with DMC threads
I also completed a needlecase (my first ever) for the Monthly Finishing Challenge blog but I'm less than impressed with the finishing so didn't bother taking a pic and will probably ditch it.
I've been doing a LOT of reading over the last few weeks which means very little stitching so far this month! I have got myself hooked on the "In Death" series of books by J D Robb (aka Nora Roberts) in a big way (just check out my Goodreads widget in the sidebar!!)! No sooner have I finished one then I start on the next one even when I should be doing something else!! Not sure what it is about them that gets me in. I guess they have all the elements I enjoy reading - crime, action, humour and in-between-the-sheets action (although not necessarily always in-between-the-sheets!!) which takes me out of my reality for a while :)
I need it because the next few weeks are going to be crazy busy, next week is bad enough!!
My parents are coming for a visit in a week's time so I need to finish getting the guest room ready. The beds are made but I still need to move my craft stuff out of the wardrobe so they have room for their clothing, etc. They are staying for nearly six weeks so I won't have easy access to the room.
DH and I decided to revamp the upstairs activity area for the kids for Christmas. A new bigger tv, wall unit, new couch, get rid of the computer desks, give them more space, trend it up. Since the bigger tv is downstairs they (and their friends) have made the loungeroom their second home which means DH and I have to fight for the remote to watch what we want when we want or even just the chance or space to stretch out on the couch and chill. Another reason I haven't been stitching as much. They do clear out when we tell them too but they wouldn't need to if they had their own decent fun space :)
Anyway, because of that brilliant idea, I've been waiting for goods to be delivered - the wall unit came yesterday but one of the side pieces was damaged so it is still in pieces until they can bring a replacement one on Monday. Because of that I had to re-schedule the delivery and installation of the tv which has put things back a few more days. There is stuff everywhere, which will eventually go into the wall unit, but it is starting to drive me just a little bit batty.
I also decided, in a moment of insanity, that the kids' bedroom closets needed a thorough de-cluttering and re-organising - a process which is still ongoing and which probably would have been done by now if the kids were at school. They've been off since the beginning of December for the UAE National Day and Eid holidays. DD goes back to school on Sunday but only till Thursday when they break up again for the winter holiday until January 4th. Due to some program the high school has on next week, which has cause for the majority of teachers and students to be absent, DS is off till January 4th. Apparently there will only be six teachers and the remaining students will be split into groups and doing some sort of "fun" program instead of their regularly scheduled classes. I've given him the option of going to school or staying home and helping me out with the shopping and various other errands and the sorting out of things around the house. He opted for staying at home and helping me only because he doesn't think I'm serious about him helping. Boy, is he in for a surprise!!
Somewhere, somehow in the next few days I need to finish the Christmas shopping! It would be so much easier if I knew what to buy - the kids are easy and are pretty much done - but DH and the parents - bah!! DH, DD and I did a little today and I got a couple of ideas for DH so I'll hit one of the nearby malls one day next week and try to get him sorted out. Of course, it doesn't help that his birthday is three days before Christmas! I do have something in mind for that though, thank goodness! The parents I'm thinking I'll take Christmas shopping when they get here! I also need to figure out what we'll be having for Christmas lunch and start buying the food for that, although that could probably wait until mum and dad get here too. Mum, at least, would probably enjoy the chance to come along and help. I plan to do a quick grocery shop on Sunday for the regular stuff which DS will be thrilled about, no doubt - muwahahaha!!
Somewhere in between things being delivered and the shopping next week, I need to squeeze in a doctor's appointment, take the dog to the vet for her annual check-up and vaccinations, helping out with DD's class Christmas party (for which a date hasn't been set) and get my bicycle to the repair shop. The back tyre has a puncture courtesy of a massive bougainevillea thorn.
I will get it all done but I don't usually leave things like this to the last minute - my usual spark just isn't there this year. DH has travelled for work quite a bit over the last 12 months (and is off again tomorrow!) and I guess I'm just plum tuckered out :)
Well, this has turned out to be longer than I anticipated - if you've made it this far through my ramblings, congratulations and thank you :) I'll say goodnight now and go bury myself in a book!
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Goofy Girls and Puppy Dogs
I looked up from the kitchen workbench last night and was greeted by this scene at the back door - DD and her friend were clearly bored of playing with the dogs - luckily my camera was close at hand :)
We are dog-sitting a friend's dog while she is away - Rabbit (yes, that's his name) is the brown/black dog on the left. He's a bit of a show-off :)
We are dog-sitting a friend's dog while she is away - Rabbit (yes, that's his name) is the brown/black dog on the left. He's a bit of a show-off :)
Sunday, July 20, 2008
but not quite :)
I've never been good at estimating how long something is going to take me to stitch and the Susanne Sampler was no exception :)
One more stitching session should see it done though (I hope!), which I may get tomorrow. I had planned a thrilling adventure to the school uniform shop for tomorrow morning but that has to be postponed until Tuesday because of a courier delivery I'm expecting tomorrow. So, a possible stitching day - yay me!
I bet you could hear the kids' collective sigh of relief where you are?
:)
Of course if the courier comes early morning, the school uniform shopping trip could still be on - muwahahaha!
One more stitching session should see it done though (I hope!), which I may get tomorrow. I had planned a thrilling adventure to the school uniform shop for tomorrow morning but that has to be postponed until Tuesday because of a courier delivery I'm expecting tomorrow. So, a possible stitching day - yay me!
I bet you could hear the kids' collective sigh of relief where you are?
:)
Of course if the courier comes early morning, the school uniform shopping trip could still be on - muwahahaha!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
High School Musical
The high school held a music performance tonight and since DS was playing guitar in one of the items we went naturally went along :) He was accompanied by several of his classmates on various instruments (there were three on classical guitar which is what he plays) and performed the New Zealand folk song "Pokekarekare Ana". They were fantastic!
(Apologies for the quality of the pic - DD decided she wanted to be the photographer tonight!)
I was blown away by the level of talent in this show. We were entertained by some very musically gifted kids. I just wish that some of the parents in the audience could have shown a bit more respect for these kids who had put a lot of work into getting this show ready and were putting their all into it tonight. There was one woman sitting two rows behind us who did not stop talking (and loudly too!) throughout the entire show (except maybe briefly when her child was on stage) and this was despite being told to be quiet nicely by a lady sitting in the row directly behind me! That's just plain rude! Unfortunately, the talker wasn't the only one and I felt really sorry for the kids up on stage. How can a child learn respect when his/her parent is incapable of showing any?
I guess all I can do is try to teach it to my kids the best I can :)
(Apologies for the quality of the pic - DD decided she wanted to be the photographer tonight!)
I was blown away by the level of talent in this show. We were entertained by some very musically gifted kids. I just wish that some of the parents in the audience could have shown a bit more respect for these kids who had put a lot of work into getting this show ready and were putting their all into it tonight. There was one woman sitting two rows behind us who did not stop talking (and loudly too!) throughout the entire show (except maybe briefly when her child was on stage) and this was despite being told to be quiet nicely by a lady sitting in the row directly behind me! That's just plain rude! Unfortunately, the talker wasn't the only one and I felt really sorry for the kids up on stage. How can a child learn respect when his/her parent is incapable of showing any?
I guess all I can do is try to teach it to my kids the best I can :)
Friday, June 06, 2008
Dance Awards Ceremony
It's been a long day! It was DD's dance awards ceremony today and we had to be at the theatre at 8.45am for hair and make-up to be done and get into costume for an 11am show start. I had my alarm set for 6.30am so I could walk the dog before we left but she had other ideas and woke me at 5.50am! Tikki is not allowed upstairs, knows the rule and obeys it ... except this morning!! Clearly she needed to go out in a hurry! I'm not sure she would have done it had DH been home (he's away on a business trip). Anyway, since I was up I decided to get her walk over and done with early :)
We made it to the theatre on time, found our seats and deposited DS and his book in one of them with instructions to guard the other two, while DD and I headed backstage. I pitched in to help out Miss Haley (DD's dance teacher) and a couple of other mums with getting the girls hair done. We had a serious production line going and I would hate to think how much hair gel we went through! I lost count of how many buns I did - several - but it was nothing compared to the braiding machine that was Miss Haley!
Once hair and make-up had been done it was on to the costumes.
I headed back out to my seat about 15 minutes or so before the performance was due to start and praised DS for being so patient. I am so glad he is a major bookworm! He defended our seats very well too as quite a few people had tried to claim them. There were no tickets - you just had to ring the dance school's office to reserve however many seats you wanted and that was it. So basically the earlier you got there the better chance of good seats!
The performances were great and DD looked very cute on stage. There is only DD and another girl in her tap class and they performed to "Monster Mash". The audience really got into it by clapping along to the beat which was great :) Miss Haley made a lot of the costumes or part of them herself (she also teaches ballet and modern) and she did the most wonderful job. We will miss her when classes start up again after the summer as she has taken a teaching position at the Performing Arts School in New York.
We arrived back home at around 1.30pm, I made some lunch and afterwards attempted to do some stitching. I just couldn't focus so I laid down on the couch in front of the telly and promptly fell asleep for about an hour and a half - lol!
I've just taken Tikki for her evening walk and am now about to organise dinner. Then the kids and I have a date with the tv and American Chopper :)
We made it to the theatre on time, found our seats and deposited DS and his book in one of them with instructions to guard the other two, while DD and I headed backstage. I pitched in to help out Miss Haley (DD's dance teacher) and a couple of other mums with getting the girls hair done. We had a serious production line going and I would hate to think how much hair gel we went through! I lost count of how many buns I did - several - but it was nothing compared to the braiding machine that was Miss Haley!
Once hair and make-up had been done it was on to the costumes.
I headed back out to my seat about 15 minutes or so before the performance was due to start and praised DS for being so patient. I am so glad he is a major bookworm! He defended our seats very well too as quite a few people had tried to claim them. There were no tickets - you just had to ring the dance school's office to reserve however many seats you wanted and that was it. So basically the earlier you got there the better chance of good seats!
The performances were great and DD looked very cute on stage. There is only DD and another girl in her tap class and they performed to "Monster Mash". The audience really got into it by clapping along to the beat which was great :) Miss Haley made a lot of the costumes or part of them herself (she also teaches ballet and modern) and she did the most wonderful job. We will miss her when classes start up again after the summer as she has taken a teaching position at the Performing Arts School in New York.
We arrived back home at around 1.30pm, I made some lunch and afterwards attempted to do some stitching. I just couldn't focus so I laid down on the couch in front of the telly and promptly fell asleep for about an hour and a half - lol!
I've just taken Tikki for her evening walk and am now about to organise dinner. Then the kids and I have a date with the tv and American Chopper :)
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Wow, thank you ...
for all the lovely comments about my latest ornament finish - I really appreciate them :) It was nice to see quite a few new visitors too - welcome and thank you for visiting my blog.
I have been remiss in posting lately (actually can't believe it has been quite as long as it has!) - things have been a little busy around here of late.
The painters turned up on Mother's Day (11 May) to finish off the interior paintwork. They did a great job and I'm very happy with the results, and only in two days - very impressive! It took me longer than that to put everything back in place! DD's room however I had to re-arrange differently. It actually looks better and has opened up her room and given her more space so it was worth doing :)
DH has been away for a week, back for a weekend, away again for ten days, back for a week, away again and there is at least one more trip in the works after this current one. He was also ill with a bad cold for the week that he was back so was working from home for a couple of days as well.
This weekend has been DS's turn to come down ill with a sore throat and bad ear ache. I kept him home from school today and took him to the doctor - he's now on antibiotics plus ear drops and I have to take him back to the doctor in a couple of days to check on the ears. There's a flu bug and a nasty tummy bug (one of DS's friends is currently off school with that) going around at the moment although I think the trip we had to Dreamland (water park) a week and a half ago may have had something to do with DS's current ailment. I think he's also trying to wangle another day off school tomorrow as he wss complaining that his throat was hurting before he went to bed which was the first time he'd complained all day! I'll see what he's like in the morning - he has exams coming up next week so I don't want him to miss too much school and revision work.
DD is preparing for her tap dance exam and dance award ceremony so we've had extra lessons and costume fittings etc. The exam is this week and the ceremony is the following week - busy times :) After the summer looks to be even busier as she wants to start up ballet again and maybe modern or Irish dance plus tap! Our girl does love to dance :) I think I'm going to have to limit her to tap and one other mode of dance though otherwise she'll just be overdoing it. Did I mention the piano and tennis lessons that are squeezed in there somewhere as well?
I have been stitching and I do have some pics to share - I just need to take a couple more and then upload them. It is quite late at night right now and therefore not great conditions for taking pics of needlework. Tomorrow!
Thank you again!
I have been remiss in posting lately (actually can't believe it has been quite as long as it has!) - things have been a little busy around here of late.
The painters turned up on Mother's Day (11 May) to finish off the interior paintwork. They did a great job and I'm very happy with the results, and only in two days - very impressive! It took me longer than that to put everything back in place! DD's room however I had to re-arrange differently. It actually looks better and has opened up her room and given her more space so it was worth doing :)
DH has been away for a week, back for a weekend, away again for ten days, back for a week, away again and there is at least one more trip in the works after this current one. He was also ill with a bad cold for the week that he was back so was working from home for a couple of days as well.
This weekend has been DS's turn to come down ill with a sore throat and bad ear ache. I kept him home from school today and took him to the doctor - he's now on antibiotics plus ear drops and I have to take him back to the doctor in a couple of days to check on the ears. There's a flu bug and a nasty tummy bug (one of DS's friends is currently off school with that) going around at the moment although I think the trip we had to Dreamland (water park) a week and a half ago may have had something to do with DS's current ailment. I think he's also trying to wangle another day off school tomorrow as he wss complaining that his throat was hurting before he went to bed which was the first time he'd complained all day! I'll see what he's like in the morning - he has exams coming up next week so I don't want him to miss too much school and revision work.
DD is preparing for her tap dance exam and dance award ceremony so we've had extra lessons and costume fittings etc. The exam is this week and the ceremony is the following week - busy times :) After the summer looks to be even busier as she wants to start up ballet again and maybe modern or Irish dance plus tap! Our girl does love to dance :) I think I'm going to have to limit her to tap and one other mode of dance though otherwise she'll just be overdoing it. Did I mention the piano and tennis lessons that are squeezed in there somewhere as well?
I have been stitching and I do have some pics to share - I just need to take a couple more and then upload them. It is quite late at night right now and therefore not great conditions for taking pics of needlework. Tomorrow!
Thank you again!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter!
It was also FIL's 70th birthday so we took him out to lunch. This is what greeted us when we walked into the hotel lobby, and a great photo opportunity for DS and DD - lol!
They had little bags of chocolate eggs at each place setting on the tables, and later the Easter Bunny himself going around handing out more :)
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Backyard Camping!
Even though we are in a Muslim country, the kids still get a long weekend off for Easter. With the in-laws here, my sis-in-law has come to stay for the weekend (she lives a good 30-45 mins away from us in the city) and decided that it would be a great idea for her and the kids to camp out in the backyard :)
DD was keen but DS less so although he changed his mind when we said his friend could stay over and camp out with him too :)
DD and "friends" heading out to bed! This is what she sleeps with every night!!!
DD was keen but DS less so although he changed his mind when we said his friend could stay over and camp out with him too :)
DD and "friends" heading out to bed! This is what she sleeps with every night!!!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Busy Weekend!
Boy, what a crazy busy weekend!
Friday night DH and I attended a corporate function at one of the nearby golf clubs. It was put on by our hometown State Government (they have an office here) in honour of a visiting bigwig. Lots of produce specific to our hometown region was flown in including Balfours Frog Cakes and Vili's Meat Pies!!! Plus local seafood (prawns, yellow fin tuna, barramundi and King George Whiting), Wagyu beef, Berenberg strawberry jam, Medlow fruit gels and Bickford's beverages.
On Saturday Australian Rules Football came to Dubai - Collingwood vs Adelaide - and with DS being a huge Adelaide fan we had to go :) The game was held on a polo field which was converted into a football ground for the event! It was a fantastic day and much fun was had by all. Adelaide won so DS was very happy!
Unfortunately, DS was off school sick today so my plan to spend most of the day with Dream of Purple for the HAED BB February Challenge SAL didn't happen. Instead, the day was spent catching up on the laundry I didn't do because we were out all weekend and taking DS to the doctor. He's fine and should be back at school tomorrow.
I did manage to put in the last few stitches left on my February Christmas ornament though! I'll post pics tomorrow :)
Friday night DH and I attended a corporate function at one of the nearby golf clubs. It was put on by our hometown State Government (they have an office here) in honour of a visiting bigwig. Lots of produce specific to our hometown region was flown in including Balfours Frog Cakes and Vili's Meat Pies!!! Plus local seafood (prawns, yellow fin tuna, barramundi and King George Whiting), Wagyu beef, Berenberg strawberry jam, Medlow fruit gels and Bickford's beverages.
On Saturday Australian Rules Football came to Dubai - Collingwood vs Adelaide - and with DS being a huge Adelaide fan we had to go :) The game was held on a polo field which was converted into a football ground for the event! It was a fantastic day and much fun was had by all. Adelaide won so DS was very happy!
Unfortunately, DS was off school sick today so my plan to spend most of the day with Dream of Purple for the HAED BB February Challenge SAL didn't happen. Instead, the day was spent catching up on the laundry I didn't do because we were out all weekend and taking DS to the doctor. He's fine and should be back at school tomorrow.
I did manage to put in the last few stitches left on my February Christmas ornament though! I'll post pics tomorrow :)
Friday, November 16, 2007
House Guest!
Meet Rabbit!
No, we haven't taken on another dog :) We are just looking after him this week while his owner (a lovely lady by the name of Trudy) is overseas for work. He'll be going home after the weekend - I think Tikki will miss him - they get along really well together. Still, she'll see him at Christmas when he and Truds come to house-sit while we are on holidays :)
No, we haven't taken on another dog :) We are just looking after him this week while his owner (a lovely lady by the name of Trudy) is overseas for work. He'll be going home after the weekend - I think Tikki will miss him - they get along really well together. Still, she'll see him at Christmas when he and Truds come to house-sit while we are on holidays :)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Camping Trip - Part Two (Warning: Photo Heavy Post!)
Okay, now where was I? Oh yes, trying to upload photos!! It appears Blogger Photos is being nice to me today but for how long remains to be seen!!!
Anyway, here are a couple of shots of the mountain goats (kids) continuing on up the hill - the bit I passed on!
We were only sleeping one night in the rough so after breakfast, we packed up camp and headed back down the mountains towards the main road and the Fujairah Rotana Hotel (ah, showers, toilets and comfy beds!) where we were to spend the second night! We all rolled in to the lobby looking rather dusty and hot, so much so that a lady appeared bearing cool (white!!) face cloths and another nice lady armed with a tray of ice cold juice for us all. I'd hate to be the poor soul trying to get those cloths white again - lol!
After checking in to our rooms, we all had a quick wash, put on our swimming gear, lathered on the sunscreen and headed down to the pool! Since I really didn't get all that much sleep the night before, I promptly crashed out for an hour or so on the lounger!
The kids had a great time in the pool on the water slide ...
and since the hotel is right on the beach as well, on the banana boat ...
in the giant tube ...
and on the beach itself ...
After the beach fun, the kids went back into the pool, while the adults relaxed poolside with a round or two (or three or four!) of cocktails :) We then all headed back to our respective rooms for showers and a change of clothes for dinner. The kids descended on the buffet and the chocolate fountain while the adults went for the a la carte dining. We had a reasonably early night (before midnight) and after a little sleep-in the next morning, buffet breakfast and another little play in the pool for the kids, we were on the road home by midday.
Going home!
Some of the amazing road side scenery!
We enjoyed our first camping trip and will definitely do it again - although DH reckons that next time we skip the first night under the stars and just head straight to the hotel - lol! Perhaps a compromise of one night roughing it and two nights in a hotel :)
Anyway, here are a couple of shots of the mountain goats (kids) continuing on up the hill - the bit I passed on!
We were only sleeping one night in the rough so after breakfast, we packed up camp and headed back down the mountains towards the main road and the Fujairah Rotana Hotel (ah, showers, toilets and comfy beds!) where we were to spend the second night! We all rolled in to the lobby looking rather dusty and hot, so much so that a lady appeared bearing cool (white!!) face cloths and another nice lady armed with a tray of ice cold juice for us all. I'd hate to be the poor soul trying to get those cloths white again - lol!
After checking in to our rooms, we all had a quick wash, put on our swimming gear, lathered on the sunscreen and headed down to the pool! Since I really didn't get all that much sleep the night before, I promptly crashed out for an hour or so on the lounger!
The kids had a great time in the pool on the water slide ...
and since the hotel is right on the beach as well, on the banana boat ...
in the giant tube ...
and on the beach itself ...
After the beach fun, the kids went back into the pool, while the adults relaxed poolside with a round or two (or three or four!) of cocktails :) We then all headed back to our respective rooms for showers and a change of clothes for dinner. The kids descended on the buffet and the chocolate fountain while the adults went for the a la carte dining. We had a reasonably early night (before midnight) and after a little sleep-in the next morning, buffet breakfast and another little play in the pool for the kids, we were on the road home by midday.
We enjoyed our first camping trip and will definitely do it again - although DH reckons that next time we skip the first night under the stars and just head straight to the hotel - lol! Perhaps a compromise of one night roughing it and two nights in a hotel :)
Monday, November 12, 2007
Camping Trip - Part One
Last Thursday we headed off with four other families for the weekend on our first ever UAE camping trip!
We planned to leave around 2.30pm so Ken took the day off work and I arranged early pick-up of the kids up from school. I had slowly been accumulating all the gear in our spare bedroom the week before and had done all the food shopping on Wednesday so all we had to do Thursday morning was load up the eskies (coolboxes or iceboxes for those non-Australians) with food and drink, load the truck up and head off.
I think we managed to pack everything including the kitchen sink - lol!! Unfortunately, I forgot to get a pic of the truck all packed up but you can imagine how much room two tents, four sleeping bags, one queen and two single airbeds, six collapsible chairs, one collapsible table, clothing, torches, BBQ kettle, eskies, first aid kits, shovel, rope, mini-compressor and other assorted camping gear took up!
We met up with the others at 2pm and by 2.30pm and armed with our trusty UAE Off-Road Explorer book, our convoy of four 4WDs were on our way towards Wadi Sidr/Sana on the East Coast near Fujairah - approximately 140kms. Roughly just under a two-hour drive, with an estimated arrival time of around 4-4.30pm leaving us about an hour of good daylight left to set up camp.
Well, that was the plan! With a couple of missed turn-offs by the lead cars trying to break the land-speed record (we were heading up the rear behind the third vehicle at a more "leisurely" 120kms/hr) we ended up travelling in two convoys of two and eventually meeting up further down the track. Then the route up through the mountains had changed since the last time the leaders had been there, so it made more like 2.5 to 3 hours before we finally got to the plateau where we camping for the night.
Still, given there were eight adults and ten children, we managed to get the tents up and the rest of the camp sorted fairly quickly (despite it being very windy to start with!). The kids went searching for firewood so they could get their bonfire happening and the adults set up tables and chairs, dispensed ice cold beverages, got the meat cooking on the barbie, and salads and other assorted snackage spread out just as it was getting dark. It was so quiet and peaceful and so nice to get out of the city for a change. A rather pleasant evening was had by all.
We were up quite early the next morning (6am) so I took the opportunity to take a few photos before breakfast. You can just see the open boot door of our vehicle on the far side of the camp. We were the only people up there which we thought surprising since the UAE Off-Road Explorer book is quite popular.
See that hill behind the campsite in the photo above? Well, the younger kids and I decided to climb up it! It doesn't look like much but it was quite steep and hard going to the point where I thought I was going to pass out! Anyway, about three-quarters of the way up is an unpaved road where I stopped to catch my breath and take this photo. The kids continued up to the top but I passed and after ensuring that the kids were making their way safely back down to the camp, I opted for the easier route back via the road!
*sigh* Blogger Photos is now being totally unco-operative and won't upload at all so I will save the rest of the photos and try to post them later.
We planned to leave around 2.30pm so Ken took the day off work and I arranged early pick-up of the kids up from school. I had slowly been accumulating all the gear in our spare bedroom the week before and had done all the food shopping on Wednesday so all we had to do Thursday morning was load up the eskies (coolboxes or iceboxes for those non-Australians) with food and drink, load the truck up and head off.
I think we managed to pack everything including the kitchen sink - lol!! Unfortunately, I forgot to get a pic of the truck all packed up but you can imagine how much room two tents, four sleeping bags, one queen and two single airbeds, six collapsible chairs, one collapsible table, clothing, torches, BBQ kettle, eskies, first aid kits, shovel, rope, mini-compressor and other assorted camping gear took up!
We met up with the others at 2pm and by 2.30pm and armed with our trusty UAE Off-Road Explorer book, our convoy of four 4WDs were on our way towards Wadi Sidr/Sana on the East Coast near Fujairah - approximately 140kms. Roughly just under a two-hour drive, with an estimated arrival time of around 4-4.30pm leaving us about an hour of good daylight left to set up camp.
Well, that was the plan! With a couple of missed turn-offs by the lead cars trying to break the land-speed record (we were heading up the rear behind the third vehicle at a more "leisurely" 120kms/hr) we ended up travelling in two convoys of two and eventually meeting up further down the track. Then the route up through the mountains had changed since the last time the leaders had been there, so it made more like 2.5 to 3 hours before we finally got to the plateau where we camping for the night.
Still, given there were eight adults and ten children, we managed to get the tents up and the rest of the camp sorted fairly quickly (despite it being very windy to start with!). The kids went searching for firewood so they could get their bonfire happening and the adults set up tables and chairs, dispensed ice cold beverages, got the meat cooking on the barbie, and salads and other assorted snackage spread out just as it was getting dark. It was so quiet and peaceful and so nice to get out of the city for a change. A rather pleasant evening was had by all.
We were up quite early the next morning (6am) so I took the opportunity to take a few photos before breakfast. You can just see the open boot door of our vehicle on the far side of the camp. We were the only people up there which we thought surprising since the UAE Off-Road Explorer book is quite popular. 
See that hill behind the campsite in the photo above? Well, the younger kids and I decided to climb up it! It doesn't look like much but it was quite steep and hard going to the point where I thought I was going to pass out! Anyway, about three-quarters of the way up is an unpaved road where I stopped to catch my breath and take this photo. The kids continued up to the top but I passed and after ensuring that the kids were making their way safely back down to the camp, I opted for the easier route back via the road!*sigh* Blogger Photos is now being totally unco-operative and won't upload at all so I will save the rest of the photos and try to post them later.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween!
The kids all dressed up and ready to go out and scare up some treats! Liam actually made the little boy from across the road cry when he answered the door to them. I gave him an extra treat and he was soon happy again :)
Tikki got in on the act as well! Ken put my lit-up pumpkin headband on her - I'm not sure that she was all that impressed actually - lol! I think if Caitlin and her friend, Nadia, weren't there she would have bolted!!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
14 Years Ago ...
DH and I were married. The day is a distant blur in my memory but I do remember it being cold and wet, I think it even hailed at one point! Just the sort of ingredients you need for a garden wedding :) Thankfully, we had a Plan B and the rainy weather went away long enough for photos to be taken.
Sorry about the pic - it is a photo of a photo - so not very clear. Gosh, we look young and DH had a lot more hair than he does now - lol! My dress, veil and head-piece were way more fancier than I'd intended too! So not me! But I guess that's what happens when you ask for your parent's opinion and you're their only daughter! No way was this wedding going to be the simple affair DH and I were hoping for - lol!
I guess that's why we don't usually do much for our anniversaries plus DH has in the past usually been away working for most of them. This year however he wasn't so we went out for a very nice lunch :)
Oh, and in response to a couple of comments from my previous post - I did buy them all - lol! I just want to START them all!! Although I think I've narrowed it down to four now - Green Dragonfly, Purple Dragonfly, Butterfly Dream and Guidance - lol!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
I have been quiet!!
Received a reminder from Nicole* today that I hadn't blogged in a while - she wondered if I was still stuck behind the ironing board - lol! No, ironing is pretty much up to date (thanks to our maid who caught it up for me while watching the kids one night a couple of weeks back). I've been a bit restless and just haven't been in the blogging frame of mind. Anyway, thanks for the push, Nic, I seem to be getting into the groove of things again now :)
Okay, so what have I been up to since I last posted? Well, let's see I've continued to read a lot. I discovered The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan, the Heather Wells mysteries by Meg Cabot and the first of JA Konrath's Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels mysteries, Whiskey Sour, all of which I've enjoyed. I've also started Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer, from DS's bookshelf, which is also looking to be a good read :)
I have also been stitching. There was a New Start SAL on the HAED BB at the beginning of the month which is all the encouragement I needed really :) I chose Ching Chou Kuik's Dream of Purple.
My progress ...
I also participated in September's edition of the Yearly Challenge SAL with Verdure and managed to complete the first page plus a little of the second page :)
This past weekend was the Background SAL on the HAED BB and I chose to work on Molly Harrison's Fairy of the Sea. I had moved over to the top right of the chart and started on the background there a little while ago.
Before:
After:
I'm way behind on my PhotoHunt entries, so much so that I think I will stop participating in it for now. Maybe I'll just do my own random pic of the month type of thing or as and when I take a memorable or amusing pic.
Like this one ...
DS was home sick a couple of days this week with pharyngitis. On Monday, his first day off school, he'd come downstairs to talk to me but I was outside hanging out a load of washing. This is what I came back inside to :) Tikki decided she needed her rest too - lol. Oh, and DS is fine now :)
Right, time to take DD to her tennis lesson!
~o00o~
*If you haven't done so before go and check out Nicole's awesome progress on her St Nick in his Study WIP. The detail is just amazing!
Okay, so what have I been up to since I last posted? Well, let's see I've continued to read a lot. I discovered The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan, the Heather Wells mysteries by Meg Cabot and the first of JA Konrath's Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels mysteries, Whiskey Sour, all of which I've enjoyed. I've also started Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer, from DS's bookshelf, which is also looking to be a good read :)
I have also been stitching. There was a New Start SAL on the HAED BB at the beginning of the month which is all the encouragement I needed really :) I chose Ching Chou Kuik's Dream of Purple.
My progress ...
I also participated in September's edition of the Yearly Challenge SAL with Verdure and managed to complete the first page plus a little of the second page :)
This past weekend was the Background SAL on the HAED BB and I chose to work on Molly Harrison's Fairy of the Sea. I had moved over to the top right of the chart and started on the background there a little while ago.
Before:
After:
I'm way behind on my PhotoHunt entries, so much so that I think I will stop participating in it for now. Maybe I'll just do my own random pic of the month type of thing or as and when I take a memorable or amusing pic.
Like this one ...
DS was home sick a couple of days this week with pharyngitis. On Monday, his first day off school, he'd come downstairs to talk to me but I was outside hanging out a load of washing. This is what I came back inside to :) Tikki decided she needed her rest too - lol. Oh, and DS is fine now :)
Right, time to take DD to her tennis lesson!
*If you haven't done so before go and check out Nicole's awesome progress on her St Nick in his Study WIP. The detail is just amazing!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Back from holidays!
In fact we've been back for nearly two weeks but we've been kind of busy during that time - mostly with unpacking and laundry and playing chauffeur for me and catching up with friends and snowboarding camp for the kids.
We had a great holiday - went away with three suitcases and came back with five! Mostly stuff for the kids (games, books, clothing, etc) plus a heap of books and DVDs for me that I can't get here. In Hong Kong on the way back home we spent a day at Stanley Markets and bought ski gear for all us - good quality stuff and very cheap! We are planning to go to the French Alps during the winter break hence the need for the ski stuff.
It was nice to catch up with family and friends while in Australia and I got to meet my nephew for the first time too. He's a cutie and a livewire and is certainly going to keep his family on their toes!! My niece has grown considerably taller and is getting more beautiful by the day. She is only nine years old but is now as tall as her 12yo cousin (DS) and me (which isn't very tall really!).
I managed some stitching (mostly on a mystery WIP which is going to remain a mystery for a little while longer ... because I'm evil - lol!). The lighting wasn't very good in the holiday apartments we stayed at, so I mostly stitched early in the mornings before everyone else got up. I did buy one of those little itty-bitty clip-on craft lights and it helped a little to stitch at night but we were quite busy socialising so I mostly read.
I joined the RBL Summer Mystery Reading Challenge earlier this summer and so far have managed to read nine books! All by the same author, Kerry Greenwood, an Australian author, who I read about on the RBL site. Our apartment wasn't quite ready when we arrived in Adelaide so we went for a walk down the main shopping street (five mins away from the apartment complex) and the first store I came across was a book store - lol! The kids and I walked out with an armful of books and several dollars lighter in the purse! Anyway, getting back to Kerry Greenwood (I am easily distracted!!), I picked up the first three books of the Corinna Chapman series - Earthly Delights, Heavenly Pleasures and Devil's Food plus the first six books in the Phryne Fisher series. Wonderfully light and quick reads - I really enjoyed them. I have two or three others on the go but whether I will manage to finish them before the 31st of this month remains to be seen - especially since the kidlets are still on holidays. A little over a week to go!
Okay, children need to be feed so I'll sign off for now. Hopefully I'll get a chance to catch up on my blog reading over the next week or two although I suspect that that may have to wait until the kids are in school. I also hope to have some pics next post too - just need to download them off the camera :)
We had a great holiday - went away with three suitcases and came back with five! Mostly stuff for the kids (games, books, clothing, etc) plus a heap of books and DVDs for me that I can't get here. In Hong Kong on the way back home we spent a day at Stanley Markets and bought ski gear for all us - good quality stuff and very cheap! We are planning to go to the French Alps during the winter break hence the need for the ski stuff.
It was nice to catch up with family and friends while in Australia and I got to meet my nephew for the first time too. He's a cutie and a livewire and is certainly going to keep his family on their toes!! My niece has grown considerably taller and is getting more beautiful by the day. She is only nine years old but is now as tall as her 12yo cousin (DS) and me (which isn't very tall really!).
I managed some stitching (mostly on a mystery WIP which is going to remain a mystery for a little while longer ... because I'm evil - lol!). The lighting wasn't very good in the holiday apartments we stayed at, so I mostly stitched early in the mornings before everyone else got up. I did buy one of those little itty-bitty clip-on craft lights and it helped a little to stitch at night but we were quite busy socialising so I mostly read.
I joined the RBL Summer Mystery Reading Challenge earlier this summer and so far have managed to read nine books! All by the same author, Kerry Greenwood, an Australian author, who I read about on the RBL site. Our apartment wasn't quite ready when we arrived in Adelaide so we went for a walk down the main shopping street (five mins away from the apartment complex) and the first store I came across was a book store - lol! The kids and I walked out with an armful of books and several dollars lighter in the purse! Anyway, getting back to Kerry Greenwood (I am easily distracted!!), I picked up the first three books of the Corinna Chapman series - Earthly Delights, Heavenly Pleasures and Devil's Food plus the first six books in the Phryne Fisher series. Wonderfully light and quick reads - I really enjoyed them. I have two or three others on the go but whether I will manage to finish them before the 31st of this month remains to be seen - especially since the kidlets are still on holidays. A little over a week to go!
Okay, children need to be feed so I'll sign off for now. Hopefully I'll get a chance to catch up on my blog reading over the next week or two although I suspect that that may have to wait until the kids are in school. I also hope to have some pics next post too - just need to download them off the camera :)
Sunday, July 15, 2007
PhotoHunt Catch Up Part 2 - "Sweet" & "Fake"
DS's deliciously "sweet" cupcake birthday cake from his recent birthday :)
My "fake" camels :)
My apologies for the small pic!
My "fake" camels :)
My apologies for the small pic!
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