I read this story in the paper earlier this month, and for some reason or other have forgotten to share it with you. So without further ado….
As you would imagine, being a South African, I am an avid rugby fan, and still love to follow the Currie Cup and Super 15 on TV. Rugby as a game is certainly getting more visibility in Dubai year-on-year. The sports results pages in the news-papers were pretty much all football and golf every week but lately there are more and more rugby results listed, albeit mostly about the UK teams and competitions.
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Blog
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a rugby dream – come true
[Ali Mohammed / source: The National] -
goats and hunch-backs
Well today is Friday the 13th – woooooooo. If you are superstitious you will most probably have avoided black cats, ladders and mirrors today. But why?
According to our friend Wikipedia, font of all information (true or not), the origins of this fear are fairly recent (the 19th century) but not exactly clear. There seem to be 3 theories in play.
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i love my Mom(s)
Happy Mother’s Day!
Today, the 8th of May, is Mother’s Day in South Africa and the US. Here in Dubai we had Mother’s Day on the 21st of March, the same day as Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Kuwait and Yemen. If you live in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, India or Pakistan you will have to wait until the 10th of May for your breakfast in bed ladies. Mothering Sunday in the UK falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, which this year was the 3rd April. In Mauritius it’s the last Sunday of May.
[image credit: Arnaldur Halldorsson at NordicPhotos]
I was going to start this post by saying I am lucky and grateful to (now) be blessed with three Moms as it were. Number one of course is my actual Mom, the woman who gave birth to me and put up with me firstly as a serious toddler, later a stroppy teenager and then a major party animal in my twenties, and who is still wonderfully supportive and non-judgemental. I love you Ma! Later there was my step Mother, who came along when I was all grown up, and has been a generous and brilliant person to me and a welcome addition to the family. And lastly I gained a mother-in-law, the last Mum on the scene who, despite some initial clash of wills, has become very important to me too.
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“Emirates baking” on the west coast
As I mentioned the other day I was lucky enough to have my Mom visit and spend some time with me in Dubai. One of her new favourite discoveries is the herb / spice / flavouring (how does one categorise it?) called Za’atar. Essentially a mixture of sesame seeds, marjoram, thyme and lemon all ground up together it’s a flavour sensation, and delicious with cheese (my favourite combo). Za’atar recipe here if you fancy.
[yum yum bubblegum!]
Anyway she took several packets home with her, as well as a lovely cookbook “When Suzanne Cooks” by an Arabian lady Suzanne Husseini. We had a copy that she loved the look of so much that she bought one for herself to take home. One of the recipes she was most eager to try, once home, was for Cheese and Za’atar Flatbreads.
They look delicious don’t you agree. Wish I could have tried one.
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feet of .. uh .. sand
I’ve had a wonderfully busy April what with visits from both my Mom and then my Dad, and then a little mini holiday in Spain to visit my Brother and his family (and that gorgeous nephew of mine). It’s lots of fun having visitors, especially people who have never been to Dubai before. Mom and I had a grand old time exploring the city, shopping, having lunch and generally catching up on all the chats and laughs we haven’t had for over a year together. One of the things I did here for the first time was the Big Bus Tour. I actually learnt quite a bit, although the commentary is horribly out of date in some places, and still refers to projects that have definitely been shelved. However it’s a great way to spend a couple of hours and see the city, especially the older parts of Deira and Bur Dubai where parking is a nightmare most of the time.
[lovely traffic circle in Bastakiya]
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