The UAE has strict rules on the use of social media, including publishing content which could be seen to dishonor or discredit another person or a company. Unfortunately this means that it probably wouldn’t be sensible for me to publish the post I have drafted about a couple of domestic administrative tasks which stretched my patience to breaking point and beyond last week. Maybe I’ll decide I’m being too cautious but for now better safe than sorry.
Family
BACK WITH A (NOT SO LOUD) BANG
There are lots of tips for bloggers if you look for them. One of the most common pieces of advice is to get into a routine of blogging on the same day each week, or every couple of weeks, or whatever. A number of the bloggers I follow and admire manage to do this very well, and I am sure a great deal of hard work goes into achieving that. Not me though. I have failed miserably to establish a routine meaning that this blog is at risk of joining the countless others that have started with all guns blazing only to fizzle out a short while later. In a desperate attempt to avoid this here I am again with a quick update. It remains to be seen whether this post is the final breath of a dying patient or the start of a new golden age of “The Quantified Expat” (I know which my money is on).
ABU DHABI DIARY (8)
On Saturday we waved goodbye to our first visitor of the year. Penny arrived last Monday and in the five days she was with us she and Jo packed a huge amount in, including a ladies night, cycling on the Corniche, multiple gym sessions, a day at the beach, a visit to the Grand Mosque, various other things I have forgotten (or never knew about), and (of course) a brunch. Hopefully Penny enjoyed herself, and we now have a break of a few weeks to get ourselves sorted before we welcome our next visitors.
A [BELATED] HAPPY NEW YEAR
Is 2015 really 12 days old already? The festive season is a distant memory. I have been back at work for a week, Archie and Flossie started at their new school yesterday, and Henry is busy with his mock GCSEs, so life is definitely back up to full pace.
Continue reading
STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND
The week after our desert camping trip we were lucky enough to be invited by friends to join them on another camping trip, this time the plan being to go on their boats to one of the islands off the coast of Abu Dhabi to spend the night. Due to double booking of one of the boats the plan subsequently changed to spending the day at the island but not the night. Or so we thought……
CAMPING IN THE DESERT
Some of you may recall that our first attempt at camping in the UAE was a bit of a disaster (more details here). Well a couple of weeks ago we decided to have another go, but this time we thought it would be nice to head into the desert.
ABU DHABI DIARY (5): DOLPHINS & GEOCACHING
With Jo back in the UK last weekend to attend her parents’ golden wedding anniversary party, the kids and I were left here to entertain ourselves.
ABU DHABI DIARY (4)
Just checking in to let you know we returned safely from our kayaking trip yesterday, in case any of you were worrying! Looking back sat in a comfortable air-conditioned kitchen 24 hours later I can say that we had a great morning. At the time it didn’t always feel that way.
ABU DHABI DIARY (3)
Another week ends and it has been a reasonably quiet one as life gets back to normal in the sandpit. It’s certainly been quieter than the same week last year, I was reminded yesterday by my “timehop” app (great app for you social media users) that yesterday was the anniversary of my “accident” in the compound swimming pool, which resulted in being rushed to hospital (when I say “rushed” I may be exaggerating, Jo recalls it as more of a leisurely drive) and receiving a number of stitches. You can read about the incident on my previous blog here should you be so inclined.
HUNTING & FISHING
We spent a couple of interesting hours at ADIHEX today. ADIHEX is the Abu Dhabi International Hunting & Equestrian Exhibition, one of the four biggest hunting shows in the world, which has been running for the last few days at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
