Monday, February 16, 2009

A selection of Photos

Grant and Scott at the Toyo Tyres 24 hr race Dubai

The beach at our hotel on the Seychelle Islands was just perfect. The boys loved playing chess in the garden. There was plenty to do so we never felt the need to venture beyond the hotel.




Xmas 2008 in Dubai








Grant, Scott and mechanic Richie in Italy





We watched an amazing medieval show in the medieval town at Carcassonne, France











Don't fall over....it's an update!!!!

I'm not doing very well with this blogging. It seemed like a very good idea when I was not working but the last couple of years have been have seen my free time disappear in a cloud of dust!

It is not all bad...I help struggling children, work with lovely people and get a nice little pay packet. However, I am always getting home late, bring work home and have sleepless nights because of the pressure. And this poor wee blog suffers as it's just about at the bottom of the list.

So...this weekend I have two extra days off. Time for that long awaited update.

Italy- Rotax Grant Finals. I think we passed on all the details but not a great trip for Grant and Scott. Mechanical problems and torrential rain caused huge problems. I think the end result was 44th/75.

Christmas. That seems like such a long time ago. We had a very quiet family day at home. We all helped cook a traditional turkey lunch, we had smoked salmon form NZ for a starter and pavlova for desert. We walked over to visit some neighbours in a afternoon and drink bubbly then strolled home for desert. A lovely day.

On Boxing day we flew to the Seychelles for a few days. It was fab. We didn't go anywhere, just spent the whole time at our hotel. It was on a perfect beach and had everything we wanted. Some other time we will do the sightseeing and shopping thing but we were far too relaxed to complicate this short trip with any running around.

Turkey - Jake has just returned from Space Camp Turkey. It was cold and wet but he had a fantastic time. Moon walk simulation, space mission planning and sightseeing kept the group busy. I hope to get photos from one of the teachers soon.

Karting - Scott and Grant have had a mixed season. Scott has not had it all his way this year and has had to fight hard for his podiums. The senior class is becoming popular and there are many new drivers. Scott is leading the series with two races to go. He has some buffer with points but still needs to finish well. It continues to be expensive, with another engine blown this year.

World Financial Crisis - Wow - where did that come from? Dubai is certainly feeling it. Property prices have fallen sharply, job losses... doom and gloom abound. The flights have less passengers but work continues to be busy for Grant. NZ and the rest of the world are all pretty much the same. The big question is what will happen next, a continuing recession or rebound? I have no idea. We will just wait and see. The idea of heading back to NZ early seems to be flattened, at least for a while. We continue to keep a close eye on NZ property and would love to move back.

Work - my job is super busy. I have new students starting all the time. There are not enough hours in the day. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes. After school activities, meetings and inspections. Working with the children is lovely but the bureaucracy and paperwork are not. I am already looking forward to my summer holiday sooo much! This year the plan is to buy a car so that Scott can get driving experience and get his license. It will be very strange to be driven by him, not sure how my nerves will cope!

Home - The garden is looking really good. Some bigger plants have really taken off and we are getting more privacy now. The house hasn't fallen down but we did have to spend quite a bit to repair one of the AC units. The weather has been fantastic. We have had a little rain twice but no big floods like last year. Daisy is fine, she still gets picked on by other cats but has learnt to stand up for herself.

Jake - He is doing really well with his guitar lessons and is coping with school better this year. Year 7 was a bit of a shock but it has settled down for a less pressured Year 8. He has a ball this week. It is at the new Atlantis Hotel on the Palm. I'm not happy that he has to wear a suit, who organises these things!!!! It would be so much better if it was a disco dance.

This is part one of the update, I will add a few photos in the next post. Best wishes from us all here.