Bumped into someone after Thursdays rock and pop thingy party and this was the comment I got...
"So you didn't bother to dress-up for the party?"
Excuse me:
Skin tight, white capri pants,
Tarty, floaty, floozy chiffon, strappy top in cream with pink and blue butterflies,
Pink plastic necklace,
Pink plastic child's handbag,
Blue suede stilettoes,
Silver heart hoop earrings,
Hair back-combed into an amazing bouffant, flicked ends and held rigid with a whole canister of spray.
DIDN'T BOTHER!!!!!????

Look carefully and you will see a stunted Acacia tree in front of the camel.

One Summer I counted 40 mosquito bites on my legs, you have no idea the itching that went on and the general misery that accompanied this condition. As I had left all of the sprays in Cyprus I asked Phil to get some from downtown last week. He came back with a new looking canister and brand name that I didn't recognise. Well I'm all for trying things that are new so I liberally sprayed every square centimetre of skin to ward off any attack from the little critters.
After returning from a party held on someone's patio, I just couldn't understand why I was covered in bites. On closer examination of the spray I was amazed to see that what Phil had actually bought was... FLEA REPELLENT! Can you believe this?

The proposal for exit, re-entry visas for us has sat on a desk for some time now waiting for a signature. It was granted a few days ago but unfortunately only for men! It will be sorted very shortly but it is infuriating.
Every time we leave Kingdom we need a visa to get out and then back in again. This involves a few weeks to process and therefore, to go out to Jordan for a weekend takes a lot of planning. Even to travel within Kingdom you need a travel document and so a trip to the beach involves documentation.
If everything gets sorted out we will be off to Jordan in a few weeks time for a weekend.

Owing to the incident previously posted, we can't go into town to get bits and bobs for THE PARTY! A friend suggested Phil and I go as "Old Spice"! As for boots, I have the ankle sort in Cyprus but why would I need them here? So I still need inspiration, so come on help me out!

I love to get text messages but the ones coming through to us yesterday were the sort we would prefer not to receive. We were getting news of a serious shooting incident in the town, a little bit too close for comfort.
What you may not be aware of is that the police and armed forces here do a wonderful job, and in some cases at great personal cost, in protecting us all.
Arabic News

One of the history units of study that I teach covers the period from 1930 onwards. The children have expressed an interest in the lunar landing and space exploration in general. Now I have always shared this fascination but recently I find the mission to the moon is causing me some concern.
Last week I watched a television programme on the American moon landing which proved almost conclusively to me that it was a NASA staged set-up and that they went no further than the Arizona Desert.
Would a government be so amoral as to deceive the peoples of the world? At the beginning of the programme you were asked to come to your own conclusions based on the evidence presented. I know what I think.



There's another of 'THOSE' parties this weekend; the fancy dress variety. This time the theme is rock and pop legends. Any suggestions for Phil and myself? (No we are not going as the Cheeky Girls!)

I've always loved those paintings by Bruegel where the smallest amount of canvass holds such fascinating detail. Not for me the 'stand back, elbow in hand, an index finger tapping thoughtfully against the side of a tilted head" type pose. I like to get up close and see that detail.
However, I'm not sure that I would have been too pleased if I had gone on the same Safari holiday as a colleague of mine did recently.They wanted to see lions basking in the sun, herds of buffalo and zebra crossing the plains, a glorious landscape called Africa.So they weren't quite prepared for the Ranger stopping at every opportunity to observe what he considered to be Africa's finest creatures, ANTS!
Since living here one of the ways to survive is to never lose sight of the big picture. To know what your goals are and to never forget the reasons we are here.Maybe in this one respect I have focused too long on the big picture and forgotten the pleasure that there is in the small things that bring delight on an everyday basis. Lions, you can keep 'em, I'm off to observe a few dung beetles!

This is one different type of hotel!

Well no need for a competition, I'm back!
My last few days in Cyprus saw my spirits trawling the depths of the ocean floor. Stress levels plummeted as I tried to close up the villa, and all that entails, single-handed. Covering the car was like wrestling with a circus tent and why is attaching a hosepipe so fraught with difficulties?
When I arrived in Jordan, Phil was waiting to rush me to the Movenpick on the Dead Sea. It is a very unusual hotel set out like an ancient Middle Eastern village; I fully expected Mary and Joseph to be taking breakfast along-side us the next morning.
On the Friday we made the long journey back along the shores of the Dead Sea, through Aqaba and then on to the border and Saudi. After unpacking and grabbing a few hours sleep it was in to work on Saturday morning.
So one week back at work and now it's the weekend! A quiet one I hope!