I'm on a Roll

Shhhh....sleeping lions

As promised, photo's from Scott's recent trip to Zambia. He had an amazing adventure, got himself there and back without problem and will remember it forever. I believe he did some work although he seems to always have a beer in his hand in each of his photos! I've included the conference room that he helped to renovate while there. These is also a photo of an elephant checking out the lounge. On one occasion Scott was brushed against as an elephant actually strolled right through the restaurant. Apparently you are supposed to remain still and not draw attention to yourself, fortunately Scott was not injured, unfortunately no-one got a photo. Many thanks to Jen, Mike and Ken for hosting Scott. Here is a link to the lodge: http://marulalodgezambia.com/

Beeeeeeep.....Zap..........Sigh

That's me, breathing new life into this blog!

I know there have been disappointed visits over the previous months but life changes and old things get replaced by the new. That has been the case with me and really, life just keeps on changing. I am no longer working at my previous job (between opportunities is a good description!) and have free time to devote to my neglected friends and family. So thanks for stopping by again and look forward to more comment and photos.

OK....where's that duster!

Merry Christmas

Dearest friends and family - Warm wishes to you all

Another year has almost gone, we are still here but are dreaming of our return.

Jake will be back first, he is looking forward to starting school at St. Kentigern College in Auckland. Grant is going to get him settled into school so I wont get to see Jake again until Easter. He has been warned that he needs to return with marshmallow Easter eggs! I have a few things to organise here like medical, dental checkups and getting every single thing labeled with his name etc. Grant will be busy in NZ organising Jake's school laptop, uniform, books, bank account and so on.

Scott will be staying in Dubai to complete his 'A' levels. Auckland University did not accept his 'AS' levels and although he could have applied to another university he decided to wait it out for another year. We are really wild with them because it has been a huge and expensive hassle to get his results certified and when they were finally happy that they were correctly signed, stamped and authorised they said "great - they're fine, but we wont accept them because they are only AS levels" grrrrr... Anyway, after much thought Scott has decided to complete the school year here and then take a 'gap' year (well almost). He is looking at his options and they include doing some charity work (habitat for humanity?), working in Europe at a 'summer camp' or looking for work back in NZ. Due to the rules in the UAE he cannot be a resident here unless he is in school/university or has a job. I'm sure he will do something worthwhile with his time before starting university in 2011. Please let us know if you have any ideas. It now seems that we are doing the right thing with sending Jake back and he will not have these problems.

My job has been very difficult. The follow on from the school inspections have meant a big increase in workload. I already have a full schedule with students so anything extra ends up being done on the weekend. I don't mind that too much and do it anyway but this is on top of all that stuff, so it is getting ridiculous. Consequently, I have decided not to renew my contract after June. This will free me up to spend the NZ holidays with Jake and Scott. Grant is already pretty flexible and it is easier for him to get leave around the NZ holidays. I told my boss a few days ago and she already has my replacement lined up. So much for being indispensable! The lady was previously offered a job in another department but it was withdrawn due to the economic downturn. This has ended up brilliantly for us all, I don't feel too guilty, she gets a job and if I need to leave earlier for any reason then she will be ready. I may end up doing private tutoring or relieving work - or just come back to NZ :)

Grant is soldiering away. He would love a bit of a change. He will be putting his hand up if there is any opening at Auckland or elsewhere. The karting trip to the world finals was a bit of a disappointment. Again things did not go well for Scott. He still had an amazing time and has some great memories to take away. Grant and Scott will complete the racing season here but it is finally getting too expensive for us. Time to move in a different direction. Scott may end up doing some racing in NZ eventually but a break will be good for the bank balance just now.

We are having a very quiet Xmas, just lazing around home really. We will have a nice lunch tomorrow, hopefully chat to some of you! and drink some good NZ wine that I have put away. The shopping and wrapping is all done but I do have some more cooking to do. Yesterday I made some Xmas mince pies (my first time) they were supposed to be for the neighbours - lets just say...they will stay here. Today went up to the shop and purchased a packet for next door! Hopefully my pavlova will turn out better!

I've added some photos of Jake's leaving party. Our poor neighbours - so much noise. Anyway it was great fun for the kids. Scott did a great job as DJ, he had to put up with me turning it down all the time. We had a shawarma man cook food (a bit like a suvalaki) and they were Delicious. We had quite a bit left over but it all get polished off the next day! Jake's best friend Rory came over from Cyprus for the week which made it extra special.

OK time for me to get back to the kitchen, I'm feeling very relaxed as I've sneaked a beer whilst typing this - that does not look too good for the baking does it!

Have a great Christmas day - we will be thinking of you all.

Love from us all XXXX

It's a Sunny Day!

Well, every day is sunny at the moment...and hot! It is getting to that time of year when the temperature is nasty, we are permanently into the 40's during the day and mid 30's at night. You can imagine what it is like to get into the car after work - everything is scorching hot.

7 weeks of work to go (not that I'm counting ha-ha-ha). It is far too busy at work and we have also been having a flurry of medical appointments. Nothing to worry about, just check-ups etc. Scott has seen an orthodontist and will need 4 teeth removing and braces. Poor lad, it has been expected and I should have had it done last year really but it certainly needs to be done now.


Scott is in the middle of his AS exams. He has done two psychology papers so far and the rest are over the next couple of weeks. So keep your fingers crossed for him. He has been working so very hard (when not out partying). I can't moan though because he needs some relaxation time and I never need to ask him to study, he just gets on with it.


Jake on the other hand would love to play his guitar all day. He has an electric guitar now (a very early birthday present). Yesterday he had a jam session with some friends and loved it. Funny how he seems to be surrounded by girls whenever I take a photo! That said, he is working hard at school and had an extremely good report just before Easter. He has his end of year exams coming up too so is busy revising.


Karting has ended for the season. Scott won both titles again. He should have a ticket to the Rotax World Finals again (Egypt this year) but he is waiting on confirmation of the team. They may not send the series winner so as to give someone else a chance. He is thinking of doing a couple of races in Egypt first if he is on the team. This will give him a chance to learn the track and to test out a mechanic from Europe that had been recommended.


It is Grants birthday tomorrow. We are going to visit a new area near the Burj Al Arab and have dinner at one of the restaurants. I'm looking forward to it!


Scott had his birthday a few weeks ago. What a seriously scary time that was. He wanted a party here which I agreed to. As the time got closer I was beginning to regret that decision. While Dubai is a very tolerant place they still have strict rules on alcohol. As Scott was planning on a big bash with all manner of 'special mixes' I was worried that something would go wrong. We also have the potential trouble with gate crashers that happens in NZ. Added to that we didn't want to upset any neighbours, specially the Muslim ones next door. It was the hugest relief when it all went well, actually it was a lot of fun! It was a fancy dress party and the kids looked great. We had no trouble with any of them (just a huge mess to clean up). Scott and his mates pretty much organised it all. Grant put lights up and Scott had strobe lights inside. The music was organised by Scott including a 'Retro Hour' of 80/90's dance music. Big sigh from me when it was all over, by 5am I had the place reasonably clean. Nothing was broken and the neighbours said it wasn't loud enough (they were just being polite - I'm quite sure about that!).


Jake is sitting next to me practicing his card tricks. It is something that he is really good at. Maybe he will end up cruising around the world as an entertainer? He teaches himself using the Internet and has me amazed at what he can do.

Today I will post some photos from the last few weeks. I need to start doing posts without pictures. It takes me longer to do a post with pictures, pathetic I know, but it does and often instead of a quick post I delay thinking I want to have nice photos and then the weeks go by. So if you find words with no pictures then that is why.


Dorene...Hi....I phoned mum last week and she said you my have been, just about, almost, getting grumpy with me. Sorry!! I will bring a big chocolate cake to your place and then you can tell me off over a cup of tea :)

I really don't know where time goes, I have recently figured out that I have just enough energy for daylight hours and that is it. When the sun goes down so do my eyelids! Joanne, I now understand how easy it is to fall asleep on the sofa when you sit down after a hard day!

Needless to say we are slogging our way to the end of the school year here and can't wait to get to NZ and relax and catch up with everyone.


Time for me to get on with the weekend. Yesterday I had to get to Scott to school for his exam. (we follow the UK with the exams so Scott had one even though it was our weekend), Jake to his friends and back for his 'jam'. I also went in to work for a while and did a weeks worth of laundry. Today I need to do all the ironing, supermarket shopping, get Grant a present, finish important stuff for work and do this blog (#1 on the list of it would be another week gone).


Love and BIG hugs to you all XXX

PS - I don't know why the photos are coming through too big. I've sent more time than I've got today trying to sort it out. Probably simple grrrr and ...... an ant bit me and it hurts, so I'm now as crabby as hell! So just click on each photo to see it properly (I hope).

Handsome Young Man

Hi Again - Lovely to see visitors!!! I don't deserve you after taking soo long to update.

Dorene I can't wait for our visit. It will be wonderful to see you. I'm glad Nic is doing well. Can't believe our wee babies will turn 18 soon - makes me feel old just thinking about it.

Dad, sorry I missed chatting to you. The phone ran out of power....it was a very long call! (Scott wished you a Happy Birthday Mum - he missed out too).

Happy Birthday Mum XXX I hope you had a nice day, I would have loved to be there. Jake could not stop laughing about your comment about the Slumdog Millionaire movie (which I can't repeat) It really struck a cord with him - I think he will be giggling all week!

I have a picture of Jake, all ready to go to his first ball. He looked fabulous and was a real gentleman.

Scott has had a busy weekend. He has been at the Rugby Sevens World cup with his friends (NZ out of the action). His social life has become quite hectic - better than mine that's for sure.
Jake and I were going to the movies last night as Grant was also away. We could not agree on anything so we got a DVD (X files) and watched it at home.

Today Jake is at rehearsals for the school musical. Next week is full on before the big event the following week. I just end up working late because it is not worth driving home then coming straight back. I can't wait to see the production but will be glad when it is all over and I can get home a little earlier.

Thanks so much for checking in.

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.

Scott racing at Spa, Belgium

Hi Again
Scott has said it's about time I got some pics of him up here. He had a pretty good start here, seventh into the first corner.

The last week was busy as usual. Work is good but I have just been doing planning and paperwork. I get real live students next week!!! I have found out that along with my other duties I now need to attend teacher training after school one afternoon as well as running two after school activities. The boys are not impressed! 3 late afternoons for them while they wait for me. Anyway, I have managed to team up with other teachers for the activities - we get a bigger group but at least we can work together.

Scott and Grant went up to Al Ain and picked up a new engine and tyres for the first race weekend (26th). I don't even want to know how much that cost!

Jake is taking Guitar lessons, at long last. The poor lad has been wanting to for years and got a guitar several years ago. His name has been down on a waiting list but nothing ever came of it. So now, much to his delight, he is going to have lessons at school.

Daisy got into another scrap a few days ago, Grant rescued her smartly but she was bitten around the neck and ended up needing to go to the vet. Dhs600.00 later she is all better. Poor wee thing, she stays on our section now but still gets hunted down.

Time to go have dinner, Burritos tonight - Jake made a nice salad to go with it.

Bye for now

(PS this blog seems a bit mucked up now that Jake has added his, will get it sorted when time allows)

Back from Europe

Hi everyone
We have been back a couple of weeks now and time has flown by. I had one week to get organised for the new school year. New uniforms, shoes etc. I have also now been back at work for the last week. It has been absolutely crazy!

I will aim to keep you all updated on a much more regular basis - promise :)

Our holiday was totally fab!!! New Zealand was a bit short but we all had a great time and loved being back. France was lovely and we did and saw amazing things. Belgium went well, we even got into the Netherlands for a day trip. Scott's karting was successful, it could have ended just a little better but the mechanical gremlins weren't behaving. 11th place out of 28. Still a terrific learning experience for Scott and Grant and excellent prep for the worlds in Italy.

Scott did great with his GCSE exam results Science (2 papers), ICT, Business studies and Geography - all A*
English Lit A, English B, French and Math C. He is now looking forward to 2 years of study for his A levels.
Both the boys are back to school tomorrow, we are all on reduced hours because it's Ramadan. Not that you would have known it last week, I was very late home every day.

I will give you more details soon but just wanted to say Hi. I am off to do some errands now, Scott got his new trousers shortened and they sent one pair off that was the wrong size, so they have to go back. I have to collect pants for Jake, hopefully they are right! My stuff is ready from the tailor (I got some super material from Spotlight in NZ). Then need to pick up food for lunches this week. All on the other side of town and it's now 6.30pm.

So for now - Goodbye - I'll back later in the week.

PS Jake has just started his own blog - called I'M ON MY WAY He would love you to check it out.

More Photos

Grid walk at the Middle East Karting Cup
Media Star

The boys thought I was taking too long to take the photo

1st place at Al Ain

Jake with the new camera

Mixed Photos

ASIA GP2
Scott 1st at the Autodrome

Chief Mechanic

Jake at his Rugby prize giving

Scott makes 3rd place Middle East Karting Cup

A smile from Scott at last

Sorry to be MIA

Hi again patient friends and family

I can't believe how much time has passed since my last entry. Sorry to you all, especially Dorene, hope you are still talking to me!

Yes, I have been busy but the year started badly with my illness at Christmas. It took months to clear, very nasty bug. The doctor here thinks whooping cough but by the time I got to him it was too late to say for sure. Anyway, I struggled through.

My course is progressing, it has been much harder than I imagined. Not the technical side but just the workload and making the deadlines. I have managed to keep on track but only just, would love to get ahead and give myself some breathing space but I never manage it.

I have been doing the teaching part for two months now with wicked weekly deadlines and have till the end of June to go. Then it will just be the two last units and I will finally be able to relax.

I applied for a new job several weeks ago and have been accepted, just have to pass my course! Next September I will start teaching dyslexic children full time so I have a brand new challenge to look forward to.

Well, an update on the rest of the family is in order.

Jake had a good winter season with his rugby, his team finished second overall so it was a good result. He is now enjoying water polo, Dorene, I recall Sam was also into that. Jake loves it so I hope it continues next term. Jake has also been very involved with his drama, he recently sat his LAMDA exams (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) and is still waiting for the results. Jake was a big help with an English production that came to Dubai. It was a children's drama called 'The Gruffalo'. He helped with several performances, giving out sponsors material etc, he got to have lunch with the cast and his tutor was really impressed with his enthusiasm and maturity.
He is about to start his end of year exams but has been home sick for the last week. Poor lad has bronchitis, that is why I'm having this catch up here, because I came home from work early to be with him. Hopefully he will get back to school soon, it's a bad time to be away.

Grant has been working hard as always. He has just started the A380 course, has a couple of weeks here in the training school and then at the end of June he is off to France for 8 weeks. The good side is we will get to join him for a couple of weeks, the bad side it that he had to sign a bond for 3 years so we will be here in Dubai for a while yet!

Scott starts his GCSE exams tomorrow, he has so much pressure at the moment. He has some very important karting events right in the middle of the exams. Luckily he is very well motivated and is always studying (when not karting). He has been on the podium for every race this year and is currently leading the Rotax Max Series. This weekend he is back in Al Ain for the final (a night race) and he is determined to get a good result, big prize - so fingers crossed. We are using some airmiles points for two nights in a hotel so I'm also looking forward to some R&R for a change!
Finally, after two 24hr race meetings with lovely but not very quick teams Scott has at last been picked up by a top professional team. The 'Speedsters' came second last time and are focusing on another podium place. Scott was second fastest out of over 100 drivers in the last 24hr race so he is a valuable addition to the team. This race will be hard because the day time temps are now in the low 40's.

Home life here is just the same, too busy for anything interesting. The house is still the same. Daisy is still the cat queen! I'm still waiting for my pergola, we joke that the best I can hope for is to drape tarp over the old bent chassis and support it with all the worn tires!

Dubai has seen a few dramas, we had flooding after heavy rains that lasted 3 days. Schools were closed and it was quite serious for a while for some people. The only problem we had was the pool pump box got filled with water and the pump stopped working - not a submersible! So that cost us a new pump.
We also had the big factory explosion that happened as we were nearly at school and only about a km away. Very scary with a huge mushroom cloud appearing in front of us. The schools in the vicinity ended up being shut down because we were in line with all the fallout with ash and debris everywhere. It was caused by illegal fireworks, destroyed a 1 km square of factories and 10 people died. At least the schools did well with their evacuation procedures.

We are planning on getting back to NZ for a holiday as usual, no dates yet as we are on standby this trip. The general plan is that we have 6 weeks of school here to go, then I need at least two weeks to complete my course (not going anywhere with that hanging over my head). Then hopefully we can go to France for two weeks and then down to NZ via Dubai. We may only get about 3 weeks this year as I need to get back in time for my new job. Working life has its downfalls :(

Now I will make a super effort to keep the blog up to date, I may go quiet from time to time but I am feeling a little more in control of my course work just now. This will change in a few weeks when another batch of deadlines loom!

I have a mixture of photos that I will load separately just in case they muck things up.

Best wishes to you all - thanks for being understanding (and hopefully still talking to me!)

Back from Al Ain

Well I've guess you have been wondering how it all went!

To quote a popular phrase heard around things with engines more than once "shit happens" just about everything that could go wrong did!

Things learnt this weekend - just because it's new doesn't mean it works

- drivers should stick to driving and not try to fix things

- starting at the back of the grid is very bad

- when a kart spins in front of you and you hit it hard expensive

stuff will get broken

- when you think nothing more could possible go wrong, something

will for sure!

It was a week of extremes and pressure. Luckily Scott and Grant are still talking to each other and planning the next seasons racing. Jake has discovered he is quite good with a spanner!

My pergola is slipping further into the distance, due to some expensive repair bills.

What a week! The racing was amazing but that evil first corner claimed many casualties. Luck played a huge part unless you were in the top ten.

You will get more details at some stage, for now I will leave a few photos. I have been at the computer all day doing my course work and my back is real painful.

That is Scott, number 146 wearing the UAE team colours


This is when things were manic - Grant had to buy a new chassis (old one bent) everyone is helping to get the engine etc moved to the new chassis.

Back soon

PS can't wait to get back to NZ for Xmas!

Jake Turned 12!

This month is moving too fast, time to give you all an update.



Jake had a very unusual birthday. Two days before the date we all went out for a family dinner to celebrate, the next night he had his yummy birthday cake and presents, finally his actual birthday arrived and off he went to camp at 7.00am! I managed to smuggle some treats onto the bus with his teacher so he didn't miss out totally! He got all the goodies he wished for, top of the list was an MP3 player.

Kit is Zesty by Lasa Whitney at ScrapArtist

The week that Jake went to camp (he had a fantastic time) Scott and I both got sick, just the usual cold thing but it sure didn't help having a birthday plus all the organisation for camp at the same time. We got through it OK but last week I was just really tired. I feel so much more on top of things this week thankfully.

We had cat troubles last week, Daisy disappeared for 24hrs, I was expecting the worst but she finally came home very much the worse for wear. She was exhausted, covered in dirt and oil, had some minor injuries and was terrified. She wouldn't eat or drink for another day and Grant ended up taking her to the vet. After some painkillers and a big bill she finally decided to drink and is now slowly coming right, almost back to her usual cat aloofness.


I have been constantly busy with my course, I got the first unit sent in last week and now I'm into the second one which is even more work. I had a good day at school today and managed to squeeze in some study (a happy combination of students on trips and Christmas carol practice). So I'm devoting this evening to this update. I was late home because I went to the hairdresser straight after work (Jake sat in the cafe next door, ginger beer and pizza did the trick!). I aim to get the next unit done before we head to NZ for Christmas but its a real struggle.



We went to the motor racing last weekend, they had a big meeting at the Autodrome. It was fun, plenty of noise and action! There was a new class called 'Speed Cars' kinda like Nascars and of course Scott was keen on the single seaters! Grant and Scott managed to snag some media passes and could roam all over but Jake and I got stuck in the stands. Still, the weather was nice and it was something different to do. Unfortunately half way through the day my camera died, I've tried all the easy fixes to no avail so I'm thinking its the shutter. It has had a hard life and done a huge number of shots so I can't complain too much (they don't make 'em like they used to, that's for sure!). Anyhow, with the Rotax Grand Finals coming up this weekend Grant took pity on my and said OK to a new camera! It would have been too painful to just have the little point & shoot. Ended up paying more by getting it in Dubai but no time to wait for someone to be going to the States. I got a Canon 40D, been too busy to even play with it yet, sooo not fair! But at least I will be in business for the weekend.

And speaking of the Karting - WOW it's all happening! Scott and Grant have been away in Al Ain for 3 days now, Scott is all registered and ready to go. Jake and I will go over on Thursday after work and then stay for all the racing over the weekend. At the moment its all the official stuff and they should finally get onto the track tomorrow for practicing. The qualifying heats are on Thursday. I will try to add a link to the official web site, hope it works. I noticed there are a lot of 'coming soon' pages but hopefully they will keep it updated when everything gets going. Scott is very excited, he will do his best but knows that it's going to be super tough. We will all be back on Sunday and I will have some photos for you all then.

http://www.maxchallenge-rotax.com/events/2007_united-arab-emirates/united-arab-emirates.html

OK time to get to bed, I'm trying hard not to get too tired, it makes life miserable!

Hi Everyone!

Jake relaxing at Al Ain on Friday

Scott in action!

R&R Dubai style at the 24hr race

24hr race, driver change

It's about time I know! My life has been so busy over the last two weeks, I've had every kind of meeting and after school activity you can imagine. It's been a totally exhausting whirlwind.

Anyhow, this week kinda looks better (fingers crossed).

Work has been interesting for me, we are in the process of going through some changes. The result will make me very busy, not sure how the timetable will work out but it will definitely be a challenge!

I have begun my course, wow it's a lotta work! I have been plodding through it whenever I get the chance, hoping not to fall behind. I like the learning side of things but finding the time is very difficult. All my books have arrived from England and the course seems well set up. Unfortunately we have yet to have a tutor assigned so I'm not sure if my work so far is up to standard.

Jake is still liking college. He has had a couple of games of rugby, no photo's yet (left camera behind once and Grant took Jake the other time) Hopefully I will get some this weekend when he has another match. Jake is away on camp in two weeks, he actually leaves on his birthday - very worried about when he will get his pressies. He is going back to Oman, same trip a last year.

Scott has done really well karting. Last weekend was the final of the Rotax Max series and he came 2nd. This has given him 1st place overall so now he can go to the Rotax Worlds as part of the UAE team!!!!! He is very very happy about that! I will get some links up when I get a chance and you will be able to follow the action. The weekend before last saw Scott get a spot in the Nivea for Men 24hr Endurance Race. He was a very last minute call-up, got a place with the Emirates Today newspaper team and really shone through for them. He was exhausted at the end of it all but had a great experience. It seemed strange to leave him at the track all night but the team made him welcome and he did a great job for them. They came 12th out of 28 so it was a very respectable effort for a last minute thing against many professional teams.

Seems not a lot of news really but between sports, meetings, work and my course there is not time left for a life!

Time to get on and do the dinner dishes, I'm trying to get an early night, if I don't then the rest of the week will be miserable!

PS - Thanks for stopping by :)