News from the Land of Sand

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Doha – A View From Above

The view from Olaf’s office. His office has a balcony (which does not belong to him but to the many pigeons that have chosen to make it their home). The view is of Ramada traffic signals, so-called...

Jan 12, 2012 Like

News from the Land of Sand

House Updates and…Being Left Behind

Each house has its own feel, personality and needs (even expat rental houses). Our new house is a lot bigger than our last, we have a total of 6 bathrooms in this one whereas we had half that...

Jan 8, 2012 Like

News from the Land of Sand

While we were away…

Relocation logistics have kept me away for a while. No residence permit means no internet, no bank account, no phone line. You’re barely allowed to breathe the Qatari air AND there never seems to...

Jan 2, 2012 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Inspired at Aspire

Whilst people who live in countries that receive a fair amount of rainfall may not fully appreciate a public park or green spaces within the city, most of the expat desert-dwelling community remain...

Nov 29, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Merry and Bright!

In the build up to Valentines day in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, there is a city-wide ban on the sale of red flowers, especially red roses. The muttawah (religious police) make regular checks on florists...

Nov 17, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

A new kind of ‘normal’

When we first moved away from South Africa 6 years ago, I remember how very strange this new country of Qatar felt to me. From the moment I got off the plane I was struck with how different...

Nov 14, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

The New Digs

One of the first important undertakings when moving to a new country is to find a place to call home. People working for the large oil and natural gas companies in Qatar often move into compounds...

Nov 12, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

We’re here!

After a very long break in Cape Town, Luka and I have finally joined Olaf at our new destination. The good news is that the name of my blog remains appropriate even though we are now in a different...

Nov 11, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

A Break Away from our Holiday

Firstly, apologies for not blogging regularly at the moment. We have no internet access where we are staying which means I can only post something new when we are with family and I do not wish to...

Sep 19, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Glorious, glorious

We woke up to the MOST glorious day, yesterday. It was by far the best day, with regards weather, since our arrival 3 weeks ago. The morning air was cold and fresh against my face as I stepped out...

Aug 17, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Cape Town

Hello Cape Town! After bidding farewell to our lovely friends in The Land of Sand, we left Arabian Homes, tears streaming down our faces, and headed out with our favorite driver, Mr. Salaam. The...

Aug 2, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

It’s Moving Day

With 30 hours left in the Land of Sand we are putting the final touches on our moving arrangements. The house is mover-ready, the movers arrive in 30 minutes. We are so experienced at doing this...

Jul 18, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Surprise!

From a few months after arriving in the Land of Sand when our little people looked like this… until now, when they look like this… we have had a regular Monday afternoon playdate. The group has...

Jul 12, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

A Midnight Biathlon

One of the things I will miss about living in The Land of Sand is that in some ways, on some occasions, I feel like I am reliving my university years. I have a husband and toddler to keep me...

Jul 9, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Moving on…

It’s been a few months in the planning but with only 2 weeks left in the Land of Sand, I think it would be safe to say we are now officially moving on. Our formally happy home is looking more like...

Jul 4, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Finally, finally!

I know that I have not written a post for THE LONGEST TIME! There is no valid excuse, I have not been recovering from a near-fatal accident (thankfully), have not been ill, have not suddenly gotten...

Jun 25, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Lazy Friday Afternoons

Our ‘Friday’s in the Land of Sand tradition’ of everyone gathering at around 4 in the afternoon for coffee, to bring the weekend to an end, continues as before. It’s warming up now and some of us...

May 7, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

The Early Bird

…has new toys to play with! Yesterday Luka got a ‘too-prise’ (that’s surprise to you and I) in the mail. He is a huge fan of Toy Story and we have one really bad quality copy of Toy Story 3 that he...

May 5, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Caught – Red Handed

The toddler in our house does not enjoy the privilege of having separate meals cooked for him. He is served whatever is cooked for the rest of the family or he goes to bed without. I’m just not...

Apr 16, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

A Bad Weather Weekend

The wind blew in yet another sandstorm yesterday afternoon. EVERYTHING is covered in a thick layer of beige this morning and the air is thick with the dust still waiting to settle around us. The...

Apr 14, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Where ever he lays his head…

Just back from a quick 5km run in our recently acquired jogging stroller. It’s awesome and gives me the freedom to run everyday whenever it suits us (no babysitter required). We borrowed it from my...

Mar 28, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Friday Afternoon Traditions

It used to be 4 friends gathering for a cup of coffee and a chat at the end of the weekend. It was simple and we were done after an hour and a half, at best. There was no planning and certainly no...

Mar 26, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Riding the Fastest Rollercoaster in the World

We managed to get out of Riyadh and over to Abu Dhabi and back again over the weekend without any problems. There was very little protesting on Saudi Arabia’s planned ‘Day of Rage’, thankfully. The...

Mar 15, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Just Something To Make You Smile

You like? This song always reminds us of our trip to France last year as it was on high rotation on all the radio stations there at the time. Hearing it always brings a smile to my face so I’m...

Mar 12, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Under Lockdown

We are currently living in a country that has a curfew! Woo hoo! It’s hotting up here and getting exciting, I tell ya. We are not allowed on the streets from 11pm until sunrise. From Friday we...

Mar 10, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

The ‘homemade’ Challenge

One of the nicer aspects of living in the Middle East is that people generally end up having a fair amount more disposable income than they would do in their home countries. Most often, that extra...

Mar 4, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Cool and the Gang

Two days ago Luka attended the birthday party of a little friend named Rafael. It was a great little party; creative, intimate and personal. Because Rafael had just selected a handful of friends it...

Feb 27, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

The King Returns

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah arrived back in Riyadh on Wednesday amidst much fanfare and celebration. He has been out of Saudi Arabia for 3 months, spending time in the US where...

Feb 26, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Time for a Change – Luka’s New Room

It’s come to that time in our little man’s life where he has had to migrate from a cot to a bed. I have been putting it off for a while as I really struggled with the idea that he is THAT grown up....

Feb 11, 2011 Like

News from the Land of Sand

Holiday Guests

Whilst in South Africa on holiday we found ourselves accompanied by a variety of wildlife at most of the places we stayed. There are so few lizards, spiders, bugs, pets and animals in general in...

Feb 6, 2011 Like

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News from the Land of Sand

Doha – A View From Above

House Updates and…Being Left Behind

While we were away…

Inspired at Aspire

Merry and Bright!

A new kind of ‘normal’

The New Digs

We’re here!

A Break Away from our Holiday

Glorious, glorious

Cape Town

It’s Moving Day

Surprise!

A Midnight Biathlon

Moving on…

Finally, finally!

Lazy Friday Afternoons

The Early Bird

Caught – Red Handed

A Bad Weather Weekend

Where ever he lays his head…

Friday Afternoon Traditions

Riding the Fastest Rollercoaster in the World

Just Something To Make You Smile

Under Lockdown

The ‘homemade’ Challenge

Cool and the Gang

The King Returns

Time for a Change – Luka’s New Room

Holiday Guests

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