Walking Koalas and Flying Foxes. The things you see in Abu Dhabi!

It is school holidays for MissM at the moment. Only one week off, then only 12 more weeks of school until the Summer Holidays and the end of Grade One for her. With MrL at work, we've been taking it easy.

Monday I decided to take the girls to the Heritage Park down on the Corniche in downtown Abu Dhabi. Having never been to this particular park I have to say I wasn't too surprised that it was pretty - most parklands down in that area of town are...

The girls had fun, running around, blowing off some excess energy. It was nice in the park, only sharing it with one other family. Schools around here take their holidays at different times, depending on the curriculum they follow.

MissM was thrilled to see a 'flying fox' (which she didn't have to share)...

...and MissL spent half the time walking herself around with her Koala Backpack. =)

Three Years Ago Today...

Can't believe it has been three years since our wedding at the gorgeous Palm Cove, but it has been!

Happy 3rd Anniversary to my MrL. May there be many, many more. =)

I have an IDEA....

Abu Dhabi has gone and built itself a new IKEA, roughly a 5 minute drive from where we live. The previous IKEA store was a good 30 minute drive away, but that's now closed and making way for a new Marks & Spencer *happy dance*.

MissL and I actually went to the grand opening a couple of weeks ago. Lots of handsome, high end business Arabs, dressed in their crisp white dish-dashes, lots of Swedish business men in freshly pressed suits, loads of media - felt rather like a celebrity as we went up the escalator into the store, let me tell you!

MrL is very scared that his home will consist of IKEA this, IKEA that. Our aim though, is to return to Australia (at whatever point) without any IKEA furniture, even if it is much, much cheaper than back home. One thing I do love about that Swedish home store is the knick-knacks and the weird and wonderful names. I quite love the prices too.

Our new massive store has a massive restaurant, but MrL and I had a giggle at the sign which states that 'You should clean your own table when you leave' - as if that would happen here of all places! It also has a little supermarket of Swede goods (anyone recommend anything?) and a little cafe where the 1 dirham soft serve cones have three new fans....

My goodness, talk about deeeelicious!

And only 5 minutes down the road. Wanna come? Chocolate or vanilla?

Piggy Tails

Somebodies hair has just got to the right length to be put into 'Piggy Tails'...

And the most impressive thing is, she doesn't pull them out!

However, I have a concern - I live in a Muslim country where pigs are considered dirty creatures, so what shall I call MissL's do then? I know, how about 'Cutie Tails'. ? =)

Times Gone By

I'm loving that I have recorded (recent) times gone by in this blog. Especially of MissM. Oh boy has she grown since I first started blogging when I was 7 months pregnant! (She's now 6.5 years old!) I've used 'Blogger' since late 2006 so my older, previous posts don't exist on the WWW but are instead saved onto CD-roms somewhere.

And now with MissL in the picture, it is good to look back and read those previous posts, because my two have a lot in common. I've been trying to fish around here in finding some 'similar' pics but I know they were on the 'previous' blog!

MissM, at around MissL's current age (18 months) used to pose for the camera, against a door, or a wall, showing off her outfit or sit with her teddies and dolls and I'd have to take a snap. I have quite a few in my photo albums but none on this computer to share. And you will see why I mention this, because my memories came flooding back when the girls did this the other day...

I'm pretty sure MissM loves being the older sister and MissL just adores her big sister. And I'm glad I've been blogging away for, coming up to 7 years. (Even if it seems like no one reads this blog any more! lol )

The Things You See

I love seeing weird things in this country.

Growing up in a Dairy farming community in Australia, it was not unusual to see cows being transported around in the back of a truck, or sheep for that matter.

Here in Abu Dhabi, we get chickens roaming around developed city streets (true!) and once in a while we'll see a camel roaming around somewhere (usually on the way up to Dubai.)

Driving home from school pick up the other week, the girls and I spotted this, in the back of a new 4-door ute. Hopefully you can figure out that it is a camel.

However, on a more serious note, last week at school pick up, one of the 'local' mother's picked up her Grade 2 daughter, with the girl's pet in the back of the family's SUV. The girl's pet cheetah. I kid you not. I didn't see it for myself but word and vibe in the car park was buzzing. I felt sick to know that a cheetah (A F*%^ING CHEETAH!) was in a place of school children when it clearly did not belong there - obviously it belongs in the wilds of Africa. No doubt this animal was declawed and the family probably had it since it was a little 'kitten'. Having 'wild' animals as pets here is not unusual, I hate to say, but it is illegal. I'm pretty sure this family has been dobbed in to the right people, according to a lot of horrified western parents, at MissM's school.

Seen anything weird in your neck of the woods lately?

38

How quick is 2011 going? Oh my. I also can't believe how quickly my 37th year came and went too, considering on the weekend I celebrated my 38th.

I had a few neighbourly girlfriends pop around for a couple of pre-birthday drinks on Thursday night (which in the UAE is like 'your' Friday night) and I had made some pizzas which went down a treat - it was like they had never had homemade pizzas before. (They were very pleasantly surprised! Lol.)

Late Friday morning MrL and the girls took me up to Dubai Marina, where MrL had booked a 2 bedroom apartment. We stayed here and we were upgraded to a sea-view...

That's the view we got from level 8, looking out towards the Palm Jumeriah, towards The Atlantis Hotel. The Dubai Boat show was also on at this time so there seemed to be a constant flow of cars along the road, in front of us, but all was good.

Down at the Marina there is restaurant after restaurant, all in a row so the choice seemed endless. We settled on some delicious Chinese for a very late lunch which had us all holding our bellies, we were so full. Oooo it was good Chinese.

After having a rather sleepless night (having something to do with a certain 18 month old who wouldn't sleep in her Portable Cot), we were up and walking down to The Walk (click here for a 360 degree view of The Walk) for breakfast. It was f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g (seriously) but MissM and I soon warmed up on big mugs of Hot Chocolate to go with our breakfasts.

We ended up getting home early in the afternoon on Saturday, where I proceeded to enjoy a small birthday nap on the couch. MrL went and got takeout Indian for dinner and a bottle of Moet for the two of us to enjoy in celebrating me turning the big 3 8. (Shite, does this now mean I am in my late 30's? When did that happen??)

So yes, a birthday surrounded by food.

Oh, and what did I get for my birthday? I got this little beauty.

(And yeah, I know it is a household appliance but I have been after one, especially when my last mixmaster blew up a couple of months ago and was sorely missed - not any more.)