And additions to the group...

We had a BBQ at home and all the crowd came. Shona and Mal's family has expanded with the addition of little Emily, with Grant giving her a cuddle, and Kevin brought his son, Jaxson. Our group is expanding. It was a great night.

Home for Semester break.

I've just returned from 2 weeks in NZ. The one thing that stood out was how green everything is, and how blue the sky is. We have a wonderful view from our deck, and the new swimming pool is great. The grapes are ripening, one of the best crops we have had. Ash came to visit which was great, and the weather was beautiful!! I had a wonderful, relaxing break, and was able to catch up with a lot of friends.

Dubai scenes

Some Dubai scenes. Kate in front of the souqs with the Burj Al Arab in the backgound. Hannah, Kate, Karen, Julia and Martin at the souqs having lunch, and the Winter Wonderland at the Mall of the Emirates.

Day in Dubai

We took Kate to Dubai for the day and of course had to see the Burj Al Arab. Although it looks quite small in the photo it certainly dominates the skyline and is an amazing building - the only 7 star hotel in the world so they say. We had a great day at the malls, but the weather was not good and it was very misty all day - so we couldn't see the skyline very well. We drove past the Burj Dubai - the tallest hotel in the world, but I didn't get any photos of it. It is about 800 meters tall I think, and not finished yet. The workers are still putting on the the top mast - I pity the poor guys working up there.

Christmas Carols

Before Christmas 8 of us went to the Intercontinental Hotel for a night of Christmas carols with the Al Ain Coral Society and a lovely meal. Karen, one of our Advisors, is in the choir (blonde in the middle) so of course we had to go and support her. It was a lovely night - about as close to a Christmas feeling as I got.

Kay and Julia

Kay and Julia are both Lead Advisors with me. They have become very good friends and we do a lot together. Here they are in the gardens at Muscat. Today Kay and I went to the Hilton for a swim and just sat in the sun for a couple of hours. It might be the middle of winter here, but it is like our nicest days in NZ. Nights are cool and days are very warm - up to 27. Lovely for swimming.