Oh boy, what a week it's been ! After a great time with our friends, Dale & Karen filming the little tortoise, Flossy playing and chasing Tina all over the yard and lawn, tragedy struck again last week. The day after all this playing, I went out in the morning to check on the giants only to find Flossy dead in the sun and I JUST COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. I'm starting to feel I'm jinxed where tortoises are concerned. The more I love them, the less I can enjoy them and things happen when and how I least expect. I had left a plastic basin outside just under the edge of the lawn - this is used to soak the giants so that they can drink. Of all things for Flossy to do, she managed to jump over the step surrounding the lawn, into the basin where she was then stuck cos she couldn't climb out. I found her cooked in this bloody heat and I was so f*^%ing upset and angry. There's hundreds of metres where she could go and she had to jump out into a 12" space where the basin was..... of all bloody things to happen - I swear, I still can't believe the things that happen to my tortoises. Now I'm so paranoid, I keep going out to check on the giants - I mean like every bloody hour and I can't concentrate on anything cos I worry so much about them. I wish they could be happy living in the house like Hercules used to in Malta.

Then to top it all off, yesterday Pete called to tell me that Spencer had passed on the night before and I just sat here and cried all day. We were actually at Paul's house the night Spencer died and we hadn't seen him because Paul said he had left the dog upstairs because he had appeared a little tired and stressed in the afternoon. And then when we left and Paul went to bed, he found him still warm but asleep for ever and Oh God, we're all so upset. Poor Caroline is finally coming in a couple of weeks and of course she's devastated that her baby died before she could see him. We've enjoyed having Spencer so much - he became part of our family these last few months and we're going to miss him so much - especially Kyo who had made him his best buddy in the whole wide world.

Isn't life a bitch? One minute there's something in your life, the next it's bloody gone! I wish I could lock Pete and the pets up to keep them with me all the time - I don't want to waste any time being without them in case they disappear just like Hercules, Spencer and Flossy have done - all in a few weeks. Unbelieveable!

This is our good friend Caroline who, together with her two boys, are joining John, her husband in Abu Dhabi tomorrow - finally She went to see Smooch in Zebbug yesterday to be able to send me photos of her and to see for herself what I'm always crying about! I think she now agrees that I have every reason to cry and pine for my baby - she was pretty impressed by Smooch and by how happy she is and how Johann and his gang dote on her!! We had no doubt that we were leaving her in good hands, but boy, did I cry for hours when I saw the photos - I bawled my bloody eyes out Isn't she as lovely as ever though? Caroline's and my mission is to start attacking the system to see how we're going to get Smooch to join us here asap!

Persephone eating her favourite broccoli ! What a messy eater!!

Meet our girls - PERSEPHONE & OPHELIA. Our beloved Persephone is back and this time she came with a friend. We are so delighted to have her again. And you know the nicest thing about this return? She remembered us and the garden and went back to her old hideaway straightaway :-) She is so adorable, I'm crazy about her. Ophelia is a much younger girl who is a lovely, friendly soul. She's also growing very rapidly this year, Ellen told us, so before long we will be back to having 2 gentle giants in the garden once again.

Tina had the greatest time with the tortoises who are, of course, bigger than she is :-)

Kyo - the most beautiful shepherd in the entire world . No need for more words!

This is my friend Renatta with Nemxa while Persephone watches at the side. Today we had a great day. Persephone & Ophelia arrived to a great welcome from all of us here at Nr.2

This is the street where we live; our house is the one on the right with the skips in front of it. You can just about see Betsy car parked there too! It is very hot out there during the day so Pete took the photos last night!

My God! Do you see the time I'm sitting here? Can anyone believe it? Tina decided that she needed to pee at 5:45 this morning, so silly muggins here took her out to the garden with Louise and Spencer and we had a good game of ball with Kyo. Nemxa is the clever one - she's still asleep on the bed with Pete :-)

It was nice and cool in the front yard so I decided to hose it all down from the sand because today is a very exciting day - PERSEPHONE IS COMING HOME with her sister! Yes, Ellen is bringing them down this morning and I'm so excited to have gentle giants around me again!! Which is why I didn't go back to bed - I'm bouncing up and down with excitement and I can't wait for the phone to ring!! That would be Ellen asking for directions to our house - woo hoo what fun I shall have with them today!

Last night we went to some friends for drinks - they live round the corner from us in the most amazing house I fell in love with. They are Americans - Dale is a Pilot with Etihad Airlines and Karen is a crazy artist like me. They've just come back from a weekend in Indonesia where Karen spent hours choosing sarongs and fabrics. She brought me back some gorgeous sarongs and a sari which I have been wanting desperately for ages. I can't wait to wear them! Karen is planning on using her drop dead beautiful fabrics to make up a bedouin tent in one of her spare rooms ...........I can't wait to see that cos I've been thinking of doing one here too. Thing is, we've been in some of these rooms in a variety of places and all those carpets and fabrics, surprisingly, make the room appear so much cooler than the rest of the house. It's like being in a humongous cocoon; mmmmmm imagine the decandent feeling lying on cushions in a bedouin tent - I like the idea more and more!

I'm coming to the end of my 12th patch for my wall hanging and it looks pretty good. I have to learn how to quilt next when it's time to put it all together but I have no idea how many more patches I'm going to make for it. Perhaps I shall just leave it like this. The one I'm working on is coming out pretty - black and gold Arabic caligraphy - I think it's only right to put in an Allah Hoo Akbar in the middle of the wall hanging; it sure has a pretty design when it's written. Maybe I was a Bedouin in a previous life - I love everything about this place though I think it's been spoilt with modernity now. We're planning on visiting Oman soon where it's much more unspoilt - I know I shall love it better there. Oh and I also found out that in Al Ain there's a man who will take us out for an hour's ride on camels - but this will have to wait ghax it's so damned hot now, we would die if we were to stay in the heat for more than a few minutes!

So back to my desk for now; I'm sure I will be writing more today and possibly take photos of my giants to show you guys. In the meantime, have a good one!

And the one you've all been waiting for ....... Woo Woo ....... Pete and I at the beautiful Madinat Jumeira in Dubai. You can see the Burj Dubai in the background. This is one of my favourite places and we make it a point to go for lunch there whenever we're in Dubai. Ejja chicklet - another weekend when you come back? Maybe we'll deliver Tina and stay :-))

This is the gorgeous Spencer, Kyo's old buddy who's now fallen in love with Tina :-) Kyo is pissed this morning; Spencer is ignoring him and actually sleeping next to Tina now by my feet. As you can see, we're having loads of fun today and will try and take photos of all 5 dogs together - which will be difficult, but I'm going to try just for the hell of it! We're having a great weekend with these guys

Meet Louisa, our favourite Pekingese who's visiting us for the weekend again :-) Louise and Spencer, her brother who's a Lhasa Apso and Kyo's best friend, lived with us for a few months and we really miss them now. So they come for weekends while their daddy is doing his thing! Isn't she a pretty girl?

This is the baby Tina - she who keeps us all amused all day; sleeps round my head at night and wakes up full of beans at SIX in the morning, ready to play - aaaargh!!

Wow !! I actually managed to download a picture finally - all Debbie's fault ta :-)

Mela lots of responses about my blog which shows that all our friends like to, if not keep in touch, see what we're up to in this neck of the woods! Today I've been in all day so really nothing to say except I finished one patch and starting another. I've spent most of the afternoon attempting to design a pattern in Arabic caligraphy so watch this space. I now have 11 patches ready for the wall-hanging so it's moving along ........... slowly ......... but moving nevertheless.

A month ago I started watching an HBO series on DVD called Six Feet Under. I had borrowed the first 2 seasons - some 26 episodes and they were very riveting. Pete then discovered that there are 3 more seasons so we managed to find 3 and 4 and still looking for 5. I don't think you guys will ever see it on TV (not the ideal for Maltese TV!!) but it is an amazing serial and everybody who sees it becomes part of a cult of followers of Six Feet Under. Hence, for the first time in 5 years, I sit in front of TV to watch without beading at the same time - this has never happened - I always bead!!

Nemxa is none the worse for her anaethetic yesterday and although the vet put on one of those ghastly, inhumane victorian collars round her neck to wear for 5 days, I'm afraid I took it off as soon as we got home cos she couldn't even drink with that horrid thing, and told her she must NOT scratch her nose otherwise it comes back on. Well, she's been good as gold and her stitches are still in place. She's such an old girl, poor thing, all she wants to do is sleep - a bit like me in fact! I have to go back to the vet on Sunday - must remember what day it is - I didn't even know tomorrow is the weekend

This is one of my latest patches for the wall-hanging I'm working on. I love camels so I decided to make one in beads as a reminder of the Middle East :-) Isn't he cute? The picture is from my favourite calendar which consists of 12 camels - all taken from original paintings by Fay Lawson. I would love to meet her to show her my version of her camel :-) He's my favourite one!!

A quickie tonight ghax I'm knackered! Took Nemxa to the vet at 08:15 this a.m. and had to leave her there for the tests. Then, since I had just driven 30 kms to the city, I went to Spinney's shopping for the weekly foodstuffs but first I went to the coffeeshop and played tourist :-) Last Sunday's papers, a large cappuccino and people drifting in and out started the session well. Then downstairs for the trolley loads of veggies etc and finally got home at 12:30 by which time the temperature had reached 49 degrees!

Came into the house, started unpacking shopping when they called me from the vets to tell me I can pick up Nemxa ............... aaaaaargh! I had actually asked them to call me when she was finished so that I could wait around for her. So I said I would leave in 20 minutes or so which would have been too late ghax they close for siesta between 1300 and 1500. At the end I went for her at 15:15 - she had to wear the lampshade collar for 5 days suppost - in fact, I removed it for her ghax she couldn't even get to the water poor thing. Blood tests are all good but we have to wait 10 days for the biopsy results which were couriered to UK today.

Pete brought home a lovely surprise for me - I received my very first parcel from Malta. A lovely piece of wedding cake and perlini - yummy! The best part was the CD with 195 wedding photos which Pete and I are drooling over. I think this is making Pete feel a little homesick!!! Me? No way - he's the one who feels more at home in Malta than I ever did :-)

Still trying to get around getting Smooch here - today I was told that they've lifted the ban in Oman so we're checking this out. Going to the vet always does this to me - Chloe and Ivan sit perched on their tree, nuzzling each other and make me want to cry. To top it all off, Chloe started making kissy noises and meowing just like Smooch does. Shit!

Dazzit - still trying to post pics in this blog but they don't appear for some reason. We're also off Skype right now - we reckon that Etisalat Telecommunications have blocked it for everyone so that's the end of telephone calls :-( Oh and just today the internet is really slow - in fact, Pete is swearing ghax he can't even go into my blog from his desk!! Ajma what a world we live in.
in!

tata
j x

Oh Boy - totally mega pissed off today and I shall go into the reasons cos I don't see why I shouldn't piss everyone else off too :-( I get emails all the time from a variety of people complaining that I'm not ringing/writing/speaking to them - like I have zillions of exciting things to speak about! So since you all want to share the "excitement", you might as well share the pains too!

Right now, it's hotter than hell and I'm even hot indoors with the airconditioning going 24/7. I reckon it's hot flushes combined with temps of upper 40's and early 50's! With a maximum of 4 split units going daily, the bloody bill came in at Lm 130 for 4 weeks ..... and that's switching off 3 of them at night too! So I daren't keep all 17 units going cos we won't be able to afford the bill when it comes.

Another reason for being pissed off is that we're now on a diet and you all know HOW I HATE DIETS ! Apart from everything else is the fact that I hate not baking bread - and not eating it - so this is another reason for being PISSED OFF. See if I had baked a loaf of bread today, for example, I would have beaten the shit out of the dough and my mood would have eased off - I might even have been in a good mood tonight instead of feeling like a damned maniac - ooof! And don't ask how much I'm weighing cos I'm not telling.... so there!

Third reason is that I hired a bloody full-time, live-in house-keeper after ages of searching for the right one only to be told that she has to go on vacation for TWO months after working with us for only 2 weeks................. grrrrrrrr ! My house-keeper is on holiday whilst I am cleaning and ironing in this bloody heat - great fun! Am I a sucker or what??

Yet another reason for being pissed off is that Nemxa has something wrong with her nose and I had to take her to the vet yesterday only to be told that they have to have her anaesthetised tomorrow to be able to take a biopsy for her. Also some blood tests etc ............ all this to the value of Lm 200 - that's apart from yesterday's consultation (5 minutes) which cost me Lm 12. If anyone thinks coming here makes you rich - forget it !! There are no taxes but boy! is everything else expensive............... Fingers crossed for my poor Nemxa - results come back in a couple of weeks or so.

In the meantime, one thing that is not pissing me off is the lovely TINA - the Maltese terrier we're baby-sitting for the next 3 weeks? She's is such a bundle of fun -except at night when she starts yapping at the least little noise but that's another story :-) We love her! And she's already nearly house-trained so by the time her parents come back she should be perfect .... are you reading this Chicklet??????!! Oh and by the way ......... she's sleeping on my pillow - every night :-)

Major reason for being pissed off - I am not beading enough :-( With all this going on, I can't seem to have more than an hour at a time to bead and what the hell can I do in an hour??? I have so many things in my mind that I want to bead but days are dashing by before I know it, it's evening and time for bed and I haven't done anything - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!

And now I'm trying to post some photos and it won't do what I want it to so I'm out of here - I'm going to sleep off today cos it's been one of them days :-(

Later ...........................

j x

Oh well, the high we were on about Smoochy joining us has now disappeared and we're both down in the dumps - big time! The Ministry of Agriculture have decided that they can't make any exceptions and due to bird flu scares, they are still not allowing bird importations. Never mind that there are exceptions for Falcons - I know for a fact there are falcons coming in constantly; but, of course, those are for the locals not for the inferior ex-pats. So Smooch stays with Johann where, I am told, she is extremely happy - singing away to her little heart's content, calling everyone who comes into the shop, answering phones and all in all keeping everyone around her happy! I will not give up trying to bring her to join us though, so watch this space .............

Other than that downer, a little upper came in the form of Charles & Cikka's little Maltese Poodle - 3.5 months old, Tina is a ball of white fluff who has the other 4 dogs chasing around her to see who she will play with. We are baby-sitting Tina for 4 weeks and we already know it's going to be a wrench to give her back :-) In the meantime, we are still looking after Spencer and Louise (a Lhasa Apso and Pekingese) and their daddy, Paul, who have lived with us for something like 3 months I guess. They are, sadly, leaving us this week to go to their own home, although Paul has promised that he will still be in charge of my barbecues ............ his barbecues are to die for! We're also counting the days for his wife and son, Caroline and Harrison, to join him and for us girls to go shopping together :-)

I've just finished cleaning (as usual) - 5 dogs chasing each other in and out of the house doesn't help keep the house clean - sand everywhere! But it's done for the day, so I'm going to sit and bead finally.

Incidentally, I wonder if anyone is actually reading this blog? Anyone? Oh well, it would be nice to see a comment from whoever, if anyone, is seeing this!

Have a good one ............. tata!

Ok, here I am again. Last Thursday the dude and I went to Dubai for the day - I love everything about Dubai, the malls, the people, the restaurants ...... I love it all! So we started by visiting our friend Ellen - she's the vet who had given us Persephone for Hercules. She said that she's still keeping Persephone and her sister for us and they're ready to be sent to us anytime our garden is ready for them! So hopefully, I'll have my gentle giants again - this time it will be 2 girls, no boys :-(

I tentatively asked her about the situation for bird importation and she sent me to a lady who has boarding kennels and helps to import/export people's pets. Anyway, seems like there's a possibility of bringing our Smoochy finally - we'll know definitely tomorrow - so get on your knees and start praying because we have missed her terribly - every single day of the last 6 months.

After this happy news, we went to the Mall of the Emirates for lunch and a browse around the hundreds of shops there which, as usual, led us to my favourite shop, the Marina where we have bought most of our furniture from. Needless to say, we walked out of there some 3 hours later with the lights for the sitting room and with the wall unit we'd been searching for since we moved to this house - yippee! It will be delivered to Abu Dhabi tomorrow! The next thing, we'll have to start saving for the TV to go on it now!

We drove back from Dubai feeling really happy - especially with the news about our beloved Smooch. I called the lady today and she said she went to the Ministry to check it out and they said they would need to consider each case individually and that they're thinking about it till tomorrow. It's all because of the idiotic thing about bird flu - God, so many more people die of other things and newspapers had to latch on to something stupid like bird flu! aaaaaaargh!!

Anyway, today I've finally found some time to bead and answer some emails. Later the dude will pick me up to go and buy the bulbs for our new lights, plus some paint to go over one of the sitting room walls - the entire house is pure white and I keep feeling like I'm living in a clinic!! So I'm going to start using colour wherever I can - watch this space ..................!

Dazzit - tomorrow our friends Charles & Cikka are coming with their little Tina who is a 4 month old Maltese terrier/poodle. We are baby-sitting Tina for 3 weeks or so while they're on holiday - tomorrow we introduce her to Kyo and Nemxa and see what happens! Can't wait - she's adorable - just like a white puffball who runs around like a little duracell toy ;-)

Later ....................

On the 12 February this year, my husband and I left Malta to come and live in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. This blog is created as a diary for me to remember things as they are happening and for friends to keep in touch and up-to-date with our adventure.

I have no idea what will evolve out of these pages, but I will try and keep them interesting. At the very least, it will save me from having to write updates every month to keep everyone informed on how we're doing......!

Dudes, you all know I prefer to spend my time beading, so if you're still interested, you're all going to have to visit whenever you remember :-)

Originally I thought of posting my previous updates here, just in case anyone wants to know how we managed to find our way to where we are now ........... hmmmm, lots of typing - I'll think about it.

Now, having spent all afternoon figuring out how to start these pages - with great difficulty I might add since I am not at all computer friendly - off to bed I go and catchya all soon.