the Box Appeal is back
Please support this worthy cause and put together a box (or two) of essentials for someone less fortunate than yourself. Boxes can be collected from any of the participating Radisson or Park Inn hotels in the UAE from 1 September 2013.
floating and flying
Since moving to Dubai almost 5 years ago (wow gulp) I have become more and more involved with helping the stray cats of Dubai and the UAE. Unbelievably its a big problem here, I can’t comment on what the root causes are but unchecked breeding of the local Arabian Mau cat population coupled with lost and abandoned pet animals has resulted in a neverending supply of cats needing sterilisation, vet care and eventual re-homing (for those that are tame enough). Its frustrating, upsetting, thankless work but happily it is also extremely rewarding, which makes up for the rest. Seeing that once stray animal reclining like a king (or queen) in its new home is one of the best sights in my opinion. As part of this effort Stu and I support the Feline Friends ball every year. Its a fun evening out combined with good food, dancing and some great prizes (the raffle is our firm favourite). All whilst raising money for a very good cause**.
Kayaks in the Abu Dhabi mangroves
the art of giving
I spoke about fasting and Iftar earlier this week. Ritual fasting during Ramadan is one of three types of fasting (Sawm) practised by Muslims. Sawm is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith. The other four pillars are:
- Shahada – accepting Muhammad as God’s messenger
- Salat – the five daily prayers
- Zakāt – alms giving
- Hajj – a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca
[great idea]
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it’s a battle!
The desert, as the name would imply, is a pretty hot and dry place. Dubai in the summer months (like at the moment) is an oven. Highs some days over 50°C – often combined with 50 or 80% humidity – makes it a tough place for life. And it’s especially hard for stray animals, and gardens.
We had an Arabian cat move into our garage about 2 months ago. A lovely, friendly little guy with a massive purr, one of several displaced from the labour camp nearby when they tore it down and moved all the labourers away (his friends and carers). So he arrived with a humongous appetite. We fed him and took him to the vet to be sterilised, and he seemed quite happy. Every time we did our kettle-bell class in the garden he would follow us, meow a little and purr a lot, happy to have some company.
[Larry in our garage]
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