flat trousers and drive-through ATMs
Last year, or was it the year before that, I switched to a chemical free cleaning solution for our home called Enjo. Made in Austria these special fibres work with water to pick up and hold dirt, leaving your home clean and free of chemical residue. Yes its a big ask to believe that this works effectively, but it does. And it makes cleaning quick and easy. And I love not having black feet any-more from walking around barefoot on my tiled floor (no more soap residue). Anyway this isn’t really the point of my story. The problem, or shall we say challenge, I am facing is finding (and keeping) a maid to integrate with this new system. Unfortunately the lovely lady we had for several years, and who was “ENJO trained” by then, left us as she was going back to the Philippines. So I have been on a quest to find a maid that cleans well (my thing), irons well (Stu’s thing), keeps our pet cats inside and the friendly stray cats outside (very NB) whilst not demolishing my walls with the vacuum cleaner. After trying several agencies I have basically given up and gone back to cleaning my own house – although my one concession is having someone do the ironing as I hate ironing. Which ultimately brings me to the point – I have noticed a very strange phenomenon here, pretty much every maid I have tried irons trousers in the same bizarre way. Namely flat, instead of with the fold in the front. I can’t understand why. Combine this with trousers that are sometimes a little short to begin with (in my case anyway) and I end up looking like a clown in the circus. All I need are those big floppy shoes to go with it.
not a flattering look
Happily we are off on our summer mini-vacation soon, another 2 lovely weeks in beautiful France. I can’t wait and have been brushing up my very limited French in preparation by way of a set of CDs by Michel Thomas. Stu and I have both been using the CDs actually, and I have found the Michel Thomas method to be a very interesting and engaging approach to teaching the language and I have to say I do recommend the program if you are looking to learn a language (although they only have the method for a few languages at the moment). CDs I have purchased in the past for language learning always start with the same stuff – how to order food, how to get a hotel room or find a doctor – useful phrases in some cases I guess but its rote learning and you don’t really build any understanding of how to build your own more complex sentences. So that is where I feel this course is most powerful. And despite having done 2 modules at a language school in South Africa once upon a time (via the full immersion method which is not easy) I actually understand the whys of some of the structure now for the first time. And I also feel more confident to actually speak now. Its been fascinating to learn about not only the structure of the language, but also about the history. Its amazing how many English words come from French – and for the most part the meaning is the same. Just remember to use your best Inspector Clouseau accent when pronouncing them 🙂
Our vacation will be just in time as the summer temperatures have certainly made a debut appearance this week – yesterday my car told me it was 45 degrees C at midday when I popped out for lunch. Eina! Thank goodness Dubai has a number of heat beating initiatives – air-conditioned bus stops are one. Drive-through ATMs are another – really useful when you don’t want to leave your vehicle. In fact Stu has just fitted this system to his car that will switch on the air-conditioning 15 minutes before he needs to go anywhere, all he has to do is send an sms to the vehicle to “start” the system. The doors remain locked, only the aircon comes on. If, after 15 minutes, the car is not started with the key then the system will switch off. Its also a way to recharge your battery whilst you are travelling. Pretty nifty especially if your job entails a lot of daytime driving. Actually if you are here during the summer you may not realise that from the 21st of June until the 21st of August the World Trade Centre and Dubai International Conference Centre host something called Dubai Sports World. On offer are a wealth of sporting activities for all ages – in the comfort of their air conditioned halls. Daily from noon to midnight. Nice idea!
Oh and Michael McIntyre is having a show in Dubai (I didn’t know this either til yesterday). Sadly we will be missing this – but if you fancy it get your tickets soon, they are selling fast.
Well if you are heading off anywhere for the Summer have a great time! Speak soon.