Mac Moments

Qatar Flag So this is our first Eid Celebration, a completely new experience for us. Ramadan is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It is the Islamic month of fasting (sawm), in which participating Muslims do not eat or drink anything from true dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the person patience, sacrifice and humility. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of God, and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance into the future, ask for help in refraining from everyday evils and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds. This month happens on different months each year. The Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of the fasting period of Ramadan and the first day of the following month, after another new moon has been sighted. (THIS MOON WAS SIGHTED TONIGH...

Photos: Our little terrors, Sean's new mohican hair style (he has discovered hair gel to its' full potential now) and Jessica's little angel face wow what a week, it has been so busy and interesting at the same time. So where to begin, perhaps on a philosophical note. If you can call this that. I have never liked having a big car, although the Freelander was fun and we now own a 4x4 (I really loved my Golf and A merc the most), however I am now of the opinion that when you live in Doha you need the biggest 4x4 you can possibly find.....you know those revolting GMC's or Hummers, well that is what you need here. Drive one of those and most other cars stay very very far away from you and I must admit, I never come in the way of one of those....so don't be surprised if my next car is one of those big revolting American giants.... On to my week... Part of it was finding some metal kists to store camping gear and other household things that just needed a space to be s...

A very busy two days - We have managed to get the kids into the expat hockey team here, at the moment it is a mixed group between the ages of 6 and 10, Jess being the youngest and toughest. She climbs into the group and is absolutely fearless, our next little provincial player!! Sean loves the game, but is happiest in the goals defending!! The group is coached by a South African guy - Neville - he is so good with the kids and they had so much fun and that is what it is all about is having loads and loads of fun. We all get so grown up so quickly and we forget that life is all about having loads of fun..... Swimming lessons have also started, the kids each have a coach so get undivided attention and the coaches are fantastic, they play with them and then do some swimming work and play again and onto the work ..... etc etc, but what they are doing is teaching them while they are playing. Like balancing on their shoulders, and Jess can now stand without holding on and Sean can jump ...

Photo: Diplomatic Club, Kids mattresses (too cute) Decided to chill a bit after working like crazy on Friday, the apartment is getting there, went out on Friday evening to a Ramadan Feast "tented feast" at the Carlton-Ritz Hotel. Started at 9:30 pm and finished around 1:30am and managed to get into bed by 3am....There was a fabulous Egyptian dancer and the dance was magic, with loads of colours and strength to get through it....sorry you had to be there to understand! Needless to say, there was no alcohol so a bit dry....roll out October! Saturday we watched Batman, at last then went to the Diplomatic Club to chill out for the afternoon after ballet. So all in all a chilled weekend. 6 days to Sean turning 8, he is so excited and I spent an hour in Toys R Us to buy all his pressies, boy is he going to be a spoilt little boy....again! Just a quick by the way: On the way home from getting the kids matresses, we stopped next to a bus and the driver was so sweet - chatting, s...

Photo: Well, what can I say....the last few days have been so very very difficult. With boxes piled up to the ceiling and furniture unable to be moved from the basement up to the apartment, we are pulling our hair out a bit. I have probably finished unpacking about 20 boxes so far and there are so very very many that still need to be unpacked. I am feeling quite overwhelmed with it all. The pleasant nods from the people that work here and promise to help out and for days you don't see them again, then when you query why your furniture is still in the basement, in a pool of water - when you find them and ask what is going on - they nod their heads and smile and tell you that they will do it today and then, well then nothing happens..... Yesterday they eventually brought up the bookcase and left it outside the lift, so kippy here had to push it into the apartment. Needless to say I am not a very happy chaplet at the moment....Betty would be such a wonderful relief for me right n...

Photo: to follow shortly Our container arrived on the 11th yay, and most of the contents made it upstairs. What did not make it was the Dining room table which we now need to shorten and the bookcase, which needs to be separated (shelves from base) and brought upstairs. Otherwise everything is in, we are now sorting out what to keep and what not. A few boxes have already made their way out of the door and there is going to be a lot more to follow. I have unpacked the kitchen (most of it) and all the furniture is more or less placed in the final positions they will definitely remain in for many years to come. I packed so many wine, champagne and sherry glasses away today and had a good old chuckle at the fact that there is no alcohol in the house. So sad! The kids are very excited about everything arriving and Steve is going to build their beds tomorrow. We ordered them in November last year (2007) and they will finaly be built after only arriving towards the end of May this year f...

I am at the stage that I feel like I am going a little off my head, it's like when I went and bought some clothes and a few of the items were on sale and when I went to pay for them I was told that they weren't on sale anymore, even though the For Sale signs were still up in the shop and the items were marked down. Have you ever!! My point being that our container was to be delivered yesterday, and Steve took off work. Lo and behold, by 11am when nothing had arrived, I phone and ask where it is..... ooooooo No madam, the port authority did not sign it off yesterday, you will have to wait until tomorrow.... once again, have you ever. Stuff the fact that Steven has taken time off to be around or that i have to fit in fetching the kids at lunch time without a Maid to leave to watch over things. Which means locking the house up, locking the moving people out for however long it takes for Steve to get back from work, which means wasted time. But oh no, we don't think like ...

Photo: Diplomatic club which we are now joining So as I was drinking in the scenary on the way home from dropping the kids off at school, my mind drifted to a couple of things. One that I have been so blessed in life with the family and friends I was given in this lifetime. Usually you can count the true friends on your one hand in your lifetime and I know I can count more than that. At school I had the most wonderful friends and I am so lucky to still be friends with the same people today, we have stood the test of time and come through loads of happy, sad and frustrating times, from single life to marriage to children. To meeting new friends as my life has progressed who have meant something to me each stage of my life and how these friends (who came to my wedding 17 years ago) are still my friends today. That we email each other and chat on a weekly basis (with me no longer in the country). To meeting people further down the line in my life, that have just grown to be amazing sup...

Photo: Evening shot from the apartment Jessica, thank goodness has finished her course of anti biotic injections and she was oh so very very brave. I am very proud of her for putting up with all that pain. What this poor child hasn't been through in her short little life. And yet it just doesn't stop!!! We go tonight to see if the injections have worked and if the grommits are still in her ears. Hold thumbs, I seriously do not want her to have another operation. Sean has been bumped a year up, and will now be in Grade 3, he is not too keen on this, but it just shows the level of the education in SA, not bad from struggling in Grade 2 in SA to being bumped up to Grade 3 on an international syllabus. Needless to say, he is not too charmed about the move, it means leaving behind the mates he has just made in the last week and was really enjoying getting to know. To having to make a whole new load of friends. I am hoping they keep him here, as they are saying that he may ju...

Photo: Sunset from the apartment I drive along the most beautiful strip every morning to drop the kids at school, on the way the "Corniche" (as it is called here), stretches for about 5 km's along the West Bay of Doha, with the sea lapping along the shoreline with a calmness that speaks tranquility. Every morning to school I notice the buildings along the right of the road going from the magnificent creatures they are building encased in glass of different colours, from black to silver to blue to gold, on to open spaces and then into the buildings from the past. The Post Office built with strange little archways, the Emire's palace, the government buildings, clock tower, museums, souq and turrets all old with specific Arabic shapes and engravings and meanings. It is a wonder to behold. On the way back I marvel at the extent of the new city, as it slowly appears to me once again on the right. It stretches across the bay water and seems to appear as a mirage as t...

Photo: View from our Apartment and the first day of school Yes, we have been offline for a very long time, but in case anyone is wondering it is because we moved from our villa to the apartment and it takes this long to get back online. ok I got back online 3 days ago, but who's counting!! it has been a hectic move just the small little amount we have here, so I am dreading the container arriving now. I have a feeling we will have boxes piled up high for a good couple of weeks as i make my way through them all and unpack. 40 foot container, omg what were we thinking, we should have left half of it behind. During this move I have realised how little "things" mean in the greater scheme of life. IF I did it all over again, I would bring only that which had sentemental value like photos and perhaps a few pieces of furniture and books. But everything else could just as well have remained behind. None of it actually means anything! They are just things which can be replaced...