Back in the land of blog!
I so thoroughly enjoyed being home for the summer it was everything I had dreamed of and more.
A BIG THANK YOU to both our families and friends for making it special and for all the fun we had. It was heart wrenching at times to be staying in our home knowing we had to leave it once again. I recall crying as the rain lashed down on the velux windows in the loft, loving the sound, feeling so safe, warm and rooted. I was probably crying from exhaustion having painted two bedrooms and seeing Nige, the non stop DIY crazy man, fitting a new bathroom with much needed help from both our Dads.
The bizarre happening of the summer must be the demise of our green Vauxhall Astra Estate. We began to break down in North Yorkshire on a I in 3 hill. In the end we had to be towed back to Huddersfield and a big fella came and took it away to his scrap yard giving us a hundred quid for his help. Alas poor green car we knew so well! The past is gone, the present is here and now.
We have resettled back into our other world with some ease, it is more familiar now. My life has certainly seen a big change as I have begun working full time as a Teaching Assistant at the school. I really enjoy my role and am slowly building up my work confidence and seemingly balancing life and work reasonably well. We have clean, ironed clothes most of the time and something to eat, most of the time. My exercise regime and blog have had to take a back seat but I will endeavour to juggle more balls efficiently as time goes by. It all depends on the size of the balls.
I miss blogging as it's therapeutic, helping me to make sense of being here.
My big news is that I will be going to hospital on December 16th to have my left leg varicose vein ligated. Say that fast ten times. I beseeched the surgeon to do the right leg at the same time but he said no. If I like the result of the left, then OK, another time he will do the right! Gulp. I was hoping it would be removed so I could re-use it as a piece of rope or fashion some interesting, yet disturbing jewellery out of it. After all it has been such a big part of me for years, do I really want it to just disappear? YES I DO!
Mum and Dad came back to visit us in October and it was great to have them here again. I think knowing they were coming out made it easier to say goodbye in August. I have never been good at goodbyes. Are you?
They enjoyed the beach club facilities and had the place mostly to themselves the whole day until school finished. We enjoyed their company in the evenings and as always the time passed by too quickly. Then they were straight back into winter.
The school had a visiting author recently and I was excited to go along and listen to him perform. His real name is Donavan Christopher, aka Rappaman. He had rasta hair and charisma and as soon as he opened his mouth I heard the rapturous honeyed tones of my homeland, those elongated lazy vowel sounds of West Yorkshire. At the end of his reading, rapping, fast talking hour or so I asked which part of the county he was from. He retaliated, 'which part are you from?' I replied 'Shepleeeey' and he 'Faaaartown.' Was it just a literary love connection or could he have been that lad I disco danced with once when I was about 14, dressed in 80's style lemon yellow? I certainly felt a connection to him and appreciated his way with words.
We all camped out in Ship's Canyon on the Hash festival. It was a a torchlit, starry night trail, followed by fine food, then campfire singing. It was a really relaxing atmosphere as everyone joined in with the songs they knew. The kids did torch dance moves in time with the music. Their huge shadows looked great against the big backdrop of the jebel. It was mutli sensory magic. I finally plucked up courage to sing Martha's Harbour but felt really nervous and as though my heart was going to explode in my chest. I also had the joy of sleeping with Josh in a two man tent. He was so excited and wouldn't sleep for ages and kept fidgeting. We eventually managed to get some sleep but as the call to prayer reverberated around the canyon at four or so am, I acknowledged it was going to be a difficult day ahead. Definitely worth it though, for the great evening before. 'It seems like everybody's got a price, I wonder how they sleep at night?'
Nigel completed his first triathlon, here in Dukhan. I tried to talk him out of it but he was determined. He did really well, completing all three disciplines, recovering well afterwards. I was in a trio, the 'Triathamums,' and did the 35km bike ride which I found really hard at times. It took me about two hours in temperatures of about 38 degrees, but I sang as I cycled to keep me on track. Eleanor was also in a team and did a 3km run in 18 minutes. Joshua played football most of the day with anyone he could. He is loving kicking around in his birthday footy boots, or even barefoot.
We have just had our half term holiday and have had fun relaxing and socialising here. As the temperatures start to drop it will be a welcome relief and even more time will be spent playing outside.
To date I have received two wages, my first in ten years and had two illnesses. I have just read Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo (children's fiction) and can't wait to begin Walking Home with superman Simon Armitage.
Please bear with me followers and I will keep you posted on my continuing Arabian Adventure. Wishing you all well on your adventures x
I so thoroughly enjoyed being home for the summer it was everything I had dreamed of and more.
A BIG THANK YOU to both our families and friends for making it special and for all the fun we had. It was heart wrenching at times to be staying in our home knowing we had to leave it once again. I recall crying as the rain lashed down on the velux windows in the loft, loving the sound, feeling so safe, warm and rooted. I was probably crying from exhaustion having painted two bedrooms and seeing Nige, the non stop DIY crazy man, fitting a new bathroom with much needed help from both our Dads.
The bizarre happening of the summer must be the demise of our green Vauxhall Astra Estate. We began to break down in North Yorkshire on a I in 3 hill. In the end we had to be towed back to Huddersfield and a big fella came and took it away to his scrap yard giving us a hundred quid for his help. Alas poor green car we knew so well! The past is gone, the present is here and now.
We have resettled back into our other world with some ease, it is more familiar now. My life has certainly seen a big change as I have begun working full time as a Teaching Assistant at the school. I really enjoy my role and am slowly building up my work confidence and seemingly balancing life and work reasonably well. We have clean, ironed clothes most of the time and something to eat, most of the time. My exercise regime and blog have had to take a back seat but I will endeavour to juggle more balls efficiently as time goes by. It all depends on the size of the balls.
I miss blogging as it's therapeutic, helping me to make sense of being here.
My big news is that I will be going to hospital on December 16th to have my left leg varicose vein ligated. Say that fast ten times. I beseeched the surgeon to do the right leg at the same time but he said no. If I like the result of the left, then OK, another time he will do the right! Gulp. I was hoping it would be removed so I could re-use it as a piece of rope or fashion some interesting, yet disturbing jewellery out of it. After all it has been such a big part of me for years, do I really want it to just disappear? YES I DO!
Mum and Dad came back to visit us in October and it was great to have them here again. I think knowing they were coming out made it easier to say goodbye in August. I have never been good at goodbyes. Are you?
They enjoyed the beach club facilities and had the place mostly to themselves the whole day until school finished. We enjoyed their company in the evenings and as always the time passed by too quickly. Then they were straight back into winter.
The school had a visiting author recently and I was excited to go along and listen to him perform. His real name is Donavan Christopher, aka Rappaman. He had rasta hair and charisma and as soon as he opened his mouth I heard the rapturous honeyed tones of my homeland, those elongated lazy vowel sounds of West Yorkshire. At the end of his reading, rapping, fast talking hour or so I asked which part of the county he was from. He retaliated, 'which part are you from?' I replied 'Shepleeeey' and he 'Faaaartown.' Was it just a literary love connection or could he have been that lad I disco danced with once when I was about 14, dressed in 80's style lemon yellow? I certainly felt a connection to him and appreciated his way with words.
We all camped out in Ship's Canyon on the Hash festival. It was a a torchlit, starry night trail, followed by fine food, then campfire singing. It was a really relaxing atmosphere as everyone joined in with the songs they knew. The kids did torch dance moves in time with the music. Their huge shadows looked great against the big backdrop of the jebel. It was mutli sensory magic. I finally plucked up courage to sing Martha's Harbour but felt really nervous and as though my heart was going to explode in my chest. I also had the joy of sleeping with Josh in a two man tent. He was so excited and wouldn't sleep for ages and kept fidgeting. We eventually managed to get some sleep but as the call to prayer reverberated around the canyon at four or so am, I acknowledged it was going to be a difficult day ahead. Definitely worth it though, for the great evening before. 'It seems like everybody's got a price, I wonder how they sleep at night?'
Nigel completed his first triathlon, here in Dukhan. I tried to talk him out of it but he was determined. He did really well, completing all three disciplines, recovering well afterwards. I was in a trio, the 'Triathamums,' and did the 35km bike ride which I found really hard at times. It took me about two hours in temperatures of about 38 degrees, but I sang as I cycled to keep me on track. Eleanor was also in a team and did a 3km run in 18 minutes. Joshua played football most of the day with anyone he could. He is loving kicking around in his birthday footy boots, or even barefoot.
We have just had our half term holiday and have had fun relaxing and socialising here. As the temperatures start to drop it will be a welcome relief and even more time will be spent playing outside.
To date I have received two wages, my first in ten years and had two illnesses. I have just read Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo (children's fiction) and can't wait to begin Walking Home with superman Simon Armitage.
Please bear with me followers and I will keep you posted on my continuing Arabian Adventure. Wishing you all well on your adventures x
