I got up and walked with Lara, and took Duke. He walked well, but there was a barking dog that we couldn’t see because it was dark, so that startled us a bit. Duke didn’t even respond with a bark. He’s such a good dog.
The kids started back to school and seemed thrilled to go back and see their friends. Our presentation was awesome. We gave all the continuous assessments for grades 1-5, in Mathematics and Science, that the teachers would need for the entire term. This would also be their grades for the term. We had some very happy teachers.
Rugby started for Jack’s team on Sunday, but not for Millie’s team. I worked out on the exercise bike. I think, after the holidays, I have discovered that 3 or 4 pounds of weight gain scares me!! Back on the strict diet I’ve come to love for almost 2 years. Home and to bed we all went after training.
I worked in my office all day on Monday. It was great to feel I was going to be organized for the start of this second term. Monday after school I picked the kids up, they did some homework, and we headed to the club because Stuart and I had a committee meeting. The meeting ran longer than normal, so the kids got to bed a bit later than I cared for. It might take a bit to get back into our routine for school.
Tuesday I walked with Lara, and worked most of the day in my office. I shopped after school in preparation for our camping trip over the coming weekend. The last time we camped it was disastrous. The wind nearly blew us off the beach and into the Gulf of Oman. We hoped for the best for the weekend.
We went to the club for dinner to meet up with the Richardsons. They were going to England the following day for Clare’s dad’s 70th birthday. This would be the trip where they would inform their kids that they will be moving back to the UK at the end of this school year. I can only imagine their children will have mixed emotions about it all. I can assure you that Jack will be upset.
We were home and in bed by 8:45 pm. The following day would prove to be a total bore. After school on Wednesday, Cathy came over to plan for camping. Stuart had all of the equipment ready and the food purchased. Our friends, Clare and Nin, informed us that they would meet us at the camp site on the Friday. Clare’s kids were going back to New Zealand on Thursday night so Friday morning was as early as they could get there. Jack was thrilled because Tua, Claire’s son, would be there for him to play with. After Cathy left on Wednesday evening, Stuart took the Richardsons to the airport.
Thursday my team presented our project to 8 other schools. Again, there was a huge relief and gratitude for all of the work we did to make teachers’ lives easier. It was nice (again) to be appreciated and to help teachers in a mighty way.
We got home really early from school as the presentation was short. We picked the kids up at noon from school to head to Fujeirah, another Emirate in the UAE. We left the house, packed for more than a weekend, at around 1 pm. We arrived around 4 pm and started setting up camp. It was extremely windy, but we decided to brave it. We set up so that we could see the ocean from our tent. The wind died down around 7:30 pm and all was well. We had a bonfire and spent the evening chatting, well, maybe I snoozed, under the stars, in my camping chair.
This was after we pulled over the first time Duke barfed.
And the tent is up!
Because you can’t trust the wind, we put sand bags on each corner.
Ready for a sleep.
And the best camper award goes to? Duke!
Marshmallows are a must at a campfire.
Duke was enjoying the evening, as were we.
Then, it turned too cold for my feet.
We awoke with the sun on Friday morning. After a breakfast of sausage, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and beans, cooked by Stuart, Jack and Millie, the kids got their swimmers on and headed out to the sea. Prior to that, though, there were fishermen who were bringing in he nets from the night before. Cathy took the kids down to see what they caught. They released a squid and a large sea turtle. The kids thought it was great.
Breakfast!
The kids tried to talk Duke into loving the sea.
Claire, Nin and company, showed up just before noon. We sat around and chatted while
The kids played in the water and dig out sand for some sort of mote. Our neighbors, Adam and Grace (and their three little boys) joined us around 2 pm. They were not going to camp, rather were staying in the hotel next to the beach. In hind site, I think hey wished hey would have camped. They ended up bar b queuing with us and didn’t even check into their hotel until almost 9 pm. What a great evening we had. The kids ate banana splits prepared on the barbie, the adults listened to music and smoked sheesha, while having a chat, and life was good and easy.
Nothing bothers this dog!
Snacks for everyone, even Duke.
Cathy, the babysitter
Never a day goes by that these boys don’t play rugby.
Ah, banana splits!
We were up again at the crack of dawn. This time it was because Duke decided to bolt out of the tent at 5 am, barking at the golden retriever camping next to us. Duke didn’t actually go past our tent, but he sounded as if he was going to. Duke was the perfect dog for this camping trip. We tied him to a long lead off the front of the truck and the worse trouble he got into was wrapping himself around the camping chairs with his extremely long lead.
Nothing says camping like a Nutella sandwich.
Millie was playing with our little neighbor.
The fishing nets.
Everyone went to see the catch on Saturday morning.
Saturday morning, after Duke’s ourburst, we were up and drinking tea to knock off the cobwebs. The kids were back in the water and we anticipated the dreadful clean-up and departure from, what Millie called, our ‘holiday’. It was simple, but lovely, and cheap.
We packed up around noon and we’re on the road back to Al Ain by half past one. When we arrived home, Cathy dropped me off and picked up her tent. Stuart, the kids, and Duke had ridden in the truck, while I rode with Cathy. Fortunately, I was not privileged to Duke’s barfing two times there and one time on the return trip. Poor Dog apparently gets car sick.
And this is what playing hard for two days on the beach looks like.
Once we were home I got into gear. Stuart unpacked everything from the truck and I started putting everything away. We make a great team. He gets everything ready for camping and is the main chef while we camp. Then I’m he clean-up crew when we get home. Kids showered and fed, Duke bathed, fed, and asleep, I showered, and the laundry was a never ending cycle until load 8 was in the dryer at 1 am. Whew! There were two more blankets to wash, but they would just have to wait. Camping was an excellent way to end the week.
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