Aussie Native Flowers

How Beautiful,

Sunny Hot Dubai

Dubai ... great flight, loving Singapore airlines, great service and easy travelling, and they took all my luggage even hand luggage just had my handbag -fan damn tastic.

But now unhealthy, flu flu flu, nice egyptian Dr gave me half a dozen boxes of pills and drops to fix me up. not happening yet.

Miss the green, and freshness of home, but hey its nice and hot here. Lucky, not too bad, only sitting at 39/40, much better than expected 50s. SO a day to relax and chill out, lazed around the house, wow couldnt believe the sand inside, everything was caked. had to organise the cleaner in a hurry, cant come for two days, so had to give a quick go over. Oh well. Headed down to the Burj Al Arab Beach no one about, so a quite swim at 7.40am. crystal clear, and fresh not too hot at all.

Al Ain

Next day off to Al Ain where the late Sheikh was raised, has a 3,000 year old under ground irragation system and green oasis in the middle of the desert.

drive up the Jebel Hafeet mountains for lunch and a swim at the mountain top hotel . Little warmer than Buller. wow but much steeper, and sand sand. Darren reckons this is like a lizard - what do you think ???

Yep Nath having his usual bowl of chips, Me very car sick, too many steep windy roads, what a place high in the mountain overlooking the desert, but lush and sweet.

Is that Darren on the slide ?? What a splash.

The boys got a game of chess in before we left, Nath wasnt impress when i helped him out and Josh got checkmate.

Home for Summer Break

Yep real Kangaroos....gumies and and

old weatherboard house

Short trip home to Aussie Land (way to short)

We love our home and miss it dearly, family, friends, the gum trees, mountains, but not the cold! and damn it was cold. I couldnt get use to it. Jumpers and more jumpers but never enough. Loved catching up with almost everyone, so sorry I missed a few of my mates, but they know they are always close to me and i think of everyone all the time. Mum and dad love you.

What a way to start a visit, straight into my neices Alyce's 18th party, OMG, must have been the lack of Alcohol over the past 14months, cause boy did the Southern go down well. Well actually too well, lucky noone has given me the photos yet. Shes sooo lucky to have such a nice boyfriend in Jason....took him a bit to get use to my humor, but hes just great. Chris cooked a mean BBQ in morn for everyone, except me who spent time on the couch....Great night Lycee. cheers and hope to see you driving when we come back.

Loved all my lunches and dinners......and just to get out and about in melbourne and some country side. I have such a wonderful family, thanks for the car Chris and thanks for making your home welcoming Chris and Norma and Kel. Thanks to Bren and Ange who had us for a night in Ballan, loved the country smell and great company. Cant believe im home (yes our temp home....its where our beds are, so its home for now). So SAD. Maddy always there for me, sorry i didnt have more time. The kids loved catching up with there cousins, in fact couldnt get enought of them, thanks to Aunts and Uncles (and cousins) for taking my boys in and making them feel like they were home and had never left. Boys were sad to leave. But we are glad to be in the heat. But we are suffering bad, colds, flu and ear infection - ow. We crammed so much in in such a short time. Everyone was fantastic. Thanks also to the Granddads and Grandmas for being patient, we just didnt have the time we wanted with you all.

The boys made it to Buller, they had a ball with Craig and Mitch. Weather was great and kids said better than skiing on skidubai.

Way tooo cold for me and i had a Lunch with David, and wasnt giving it up. (Cheers David and Ann, enjoy the new place in the Country hope to visit next time we are home)

Thanks David and Sharyn for a georgeous neice, Darren was just so proud to be her godfather....i doint know who was worse Josh or I, just couldnt put her down. And the boys (Kayne and Trav) I loved our cuddles on the couch watching tellie.

Mum put us up for a night too, she has such a homely home, a great aussie garden. If you have time go have tea and scones, youll love it. yep, and we got ourselves a couple of surf boards - stay tune for the photos....... So Darren says no way were coing back in winter next time, so we will see everyone at xmas or visiting in Dubai !!! come on you can make it there! you too Rob!

DOHA

DOHA for the weekend,

Mid June, Darren had a fantastic offer for work so we headed to Doha, boys were so surprised the flight was only 1/2hr, but it was a very isolated place. Quite amazing really, to think that the Doha Games had been there last year and they had build such strange modern buidlings in the middle of a dusty/sandy desolate place.....hmm...one day it will be a thriving city in the desert but now nothing really....loads of building going on, a whole modern city being built at the same time.....wow these guys over here really want to compete with each other........not for us now, but if we were a couple of year younger and no kids (nothing much for them to do there) we would have done it! oh and dont be fooled by the locely green carpet, used for grass!!!!

The old arabic market place was interesting, music and local food, even a strange gelati....alot of reject shop type stuff with a smatering of arabic culture.