Saturday 28 February 2015

Week 9 Project 365 Sea Shells

What a fab end to the week. Our visitors left on Monday and I was sad to see them go, when we lived in South Africa I would spend the run up to a visit worrying about how I'd cope when they left, rather than just enjoying every moment. in Dubai 'home' doesn't seem so far away (7 hour flight) and of course it is much cheaper so hopefully i'll be able to make more trips. I received my Emirates ID card and applied for my own bank account. This afternoon we collected our new car and can now go exploring a bit further afield and I won't have to manage the weekly shop on the bus.

Day 53 #onedailypositive #macro #fmsphotoaday #friends #snaphappybritmums #project365

Last day with our friends on the beach, in the rain, in Dubai. The morning was spent at Dubai Marina playing in the fountains, go karting and a spot of lunch. On the beach we collected shells and made some Beach Art and practised our cartwheels, a trip home on the train, bath and dinner.
Sad to be seeing my friends leave, but I will see them again when I visit the UK in April and our youngest son is visiting us over Easter, so not all bad.

This is my first attempt at macro and I'm still on automatic settings on my Nikon, I'm sure I'll get there, eventually.

Day 54 #onedailypositive #fix #fmsphotoaday #choc's #snaphappybritmums #project365

Fantastic photo prompts today, what else could I do other than buy some ice-cream on my way home from dropping my friend at the airport, after a fantastic, fun filled week and have my chocolate fix.

Day 54 take 2 #onedailypositive #fix #fmsphotoaday#cheers #snaphappybritmums #project365

Having misread yesterday's prompt as chocs and not cheers I'm having a second go at it. Nope I'm not drinking a Bacardi and coke, neither is the glass filled with red wine. We still don't have an alcohol licence and we don't care how many people flaunt the rules openly and get away with it, we don't want to risk heavy fines, possible jail and likely deportation. So my fix and cheers is vimto. In South Africa we could buy this from selected super spars but it cost around £7 a litre so we used to bring it back with us from trips to the UK for the boys. I'm not a big fan of squash, I drink far too much coke and fruit juices don't quench my thirst.

Day 55 ‪#‎onedailypositive‬ ‪#‎12oclock‬ ‪#‎fmsphotoaday‬ ‪#‎justbecause‬‪#‎snaphappybritmums‬ ‪#‎project365‬ 

Trying to keep in touch with family back home has just got a little harder as now we have a 4 hour time difference and a 2 hour time difference with our previous home in South Africa. I often have no idea of what day of the week it is, let alone what the time is. The kids have left home, I don't work and I eat when I'm hungry, go to bed and get up whenever I'm tired. These clocks are in different rooms in the house just brought together for the photograph and yes they are set at these times, just because they are. I can't bring myself to alter them after so long, I do sometimes confuse myself with the time though.

Day 56 ‪#‎onedailypositive‬ ‪#‎reflection‬ ‪#‎fmsphotoaday‬ ‪#‎nails‬‪#‎snaphappybritmums‬ ‪#‎project365‬ 

I couldn't be any more positive today if I tried. The house is spotless, dinner is prepped, caught up with letter writing and blogs and spending the afternoon on the beach. The sun is so bright it is causing a reflection on the screen so I have no idea how this photo has turned out. I have purple toe nails that need re painting

Day 57 #onedailypositive #grow #fmsphotoaday #allthingsred #snaphappybritmums #project365



These plants grow in a variety of colours in every garden in Dubai, in ours we have white and deep pink, walking around I see most gardens are the same and the plants/trees grow everywhere, but there are very few red ones. I've no idea what they are called, just that they flower all year round and they add a splash of colour to what would be a rather dull looking countryside of beigeness. 

Day 58 still life and hard at work 

Day 58 #onedailypositive #StillLife #fmsphotoaday #HardAtWork #snaphappybritmums #project365 

I love sea shells, I've collected them from the West Coast of America, Tunisia, Turkey, UK, France, Spain, South Africa and now Dubai. The variety of shells here is very small, but the quantity is great. My favourite shell collecting place is Mossell Bay in South Africa, the variety there is amazing. I spend my days alone and love to visit the beach for Beach Art, collecting unusual shells, swimming and walking as well as sitting and writing letters and having a picnic. I've always wanted to live by the sea and I'm very happy here. The Mollusks create these external structures form the salt and chemicals from the water, they process them and secrete carbonate which forms a hard outer shell, the shell is not part of the mollusk as it is formed from minerals and not mollusk cells. the mollusks are hard at work excreting carbonate in order for their shells to grow with them.
When you find a shell washed up on the shore it's because the mollusk has died.
A shell has an outer layer of a substance called scleroprotein which is similar to our fingernails.

Day 59 #onedailypositive #thankyou #fmsphotoaday #mytown #snaphappybritmums #project365

I currently live in Dubai, we live in the suburbs, we are no more than a 15 minute bus ride from a large mall, 15 minute walk from the beach, 5 minute walk to local shops and restaurants. We moved from Centurion, Pretoria, South Africa after 4 wonderful years, we lived in a security estate, but again no more than a 15 minute drive (no walking or buses) from a large mall. There are no towns, just malls and this is my favourite one where I can post letters, pay bills, shop and have a coffee. From birth to age 23 I'd lived in various towns, cities and villages across the UK.
I don't feel like I have a 'My Town' I don't actually fell that if you asked me where I was from I could answer that question. But I can say that everywhere I've ever lived has been home no matter how long I lived there for. I used to say home was where my children and family were, but it's just hubby and I here in Dubai, yet it is still our home. So in line with these 2 photo prompts I nominate Dubai as My Town (for the moment) and I say thank you to my husband for helping me feel at home here, until the next time we move.


10 comments:

  1. Glad that your paperwork is all coming together, and that you have a car to get out and about now. Look forward to seeing your adventures unfold #365 You might be interested in my #bwphotoproject post tomorrow

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    1. thanks Mary, i'll take a look at #bwphotoproject and join in

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  2. What a great ice cream choice, I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you are feeling more settled. I love that your clocks are all set to different times x

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  3. It's good to see how things are improving for you in Dubai week by week. I love your shell photos and it's really interesting to hear about the alcohol situation.

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    1. I'm only interested in the alcohol situation being over, our local shop is Waitrose and I have to walk past the liquor store when i pop in to buy milk

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  4. How lovely you feel everywhere you've lived is home Suzaane! I'm loveing all the beach shots this week! Awesome, what I wouldn't do to be on a beach in warm dry weather right now! ;)

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    1. I'm making the most of the beach Jo before the weather gets too hot

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  5. Lovely photos! It looks like you have such an amazing life....
    It sounds like things are going so well x

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    1. it's certainly different living as an expat

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