Week 17 - One Daily Positive and Project 366 Summer is here in Dubai

The temperatures have risen this week and are now averaging 35c plus. The cat and dog have now adapted to an indoor life, a new summer wardrobe has been purchased, flights back to the UK for July and August have been booked and the air con is running full time.

On the blog this week:
My Sunday Photo Bob's adoption and birthday.
Animal Tales Our first week with Bob.
HDYGG 5 minutes in the garden.
Charity What else could you buy with the price of a coffee?
Photalife Weekly photo prompt.

Sunday Day 115 ‪#‎onedailypositive‬ ‪#‎project366‬ 4.30pm and 32c. Bob and I are making the most of our time outdoors during daylight hours before it gets too hot for us both and we switch to night walks. ‪#‎dog‬ ‪#‎walk‬‪#‎summerindubai‬ ‪#‎pets‬ ‪#‎bob‬ ‪#‎daylight‬ ‪#‎heat‬ ‪#‎humidity‬ ‪#‎dubai‬ ‪#‎mydubai‬‪#‎myview‬ ‪#‎dubailife

Monday Day 116 #onedailypositive #project366 looks like #summer in #Dubai arrives tomorrow, with the temperatures rising into the mid 40s. I'm struggling to find a positive out of this other than the air conditioning works.

Tuesday Day 117 #onedailypositive #project366 been sick all week and today struggling with a migraine, with Peter away I haven't been eating properly and of course being physically sick hasn't helped. I cooked tonight and managed to keep my dinner down. On a positive though Bob enjoyed the left overs.

Wednesday Day 118 #onedailypositive #project366 Peter is back from a few days working in Saudi, prompted by a visit to @mulledred he whisked me out to the chippy for dinner. Amanda next time you see him please remind him of somewhere a bit more upmarket for him to take me to. Lol

Thursday Day 119 #onedailypositive #project366 pissed off does not do any justice in summing up how I feel at the moment, anyway, moving on quickly, new hair and nails this evening and Peter is home till Sunday.

Friday Day 120 #onedailypositive #project366 this used to irritate me, leaving the house or going to bed with a mess/washing up in the kitchen. But no more. There are no kids adding to the mess, searching for things, it is my mess, that I will clear up in my time and that time is not now, so there it stays, causing no one any harm. Same applies to the washing, ironing, cleaning. I'm not lazy or slovenly, I've just reached the conclusion there are more important things to worry about and more important things to do with my time.

Saturday Day 121 #onedailypositive #project366 food shopping and coffee stop @carrefouruae on the#AlWasl road with views of the @burjkhalifa #Dubai #dubailife #myview #MyDubai #desert#summerindubai

What else could you do with the price of two cups of coffee

Last year I visited South Africa for 6 weeks to work with a children's charity, The Santa Shoebox Project, who source and deliver over 100,000 christmas gifts every year to children living in poverty, that I'd been involved with for 4 years while I lived there. I paid my own air fare, borrowed a car from friends and had access to a transit van kindly donated by Ford SA which included fuel costs. I fund raised in advance and while I was there. The only other expense I had was my food and drink.

Most mornings I picked up 2 coffees on my way to collect the transit, one for me and one for my friend. I paid 44 rand.

I love a latte when I'm out, I stop at the local garage on my way to work every morning and buy one every afternoon on my way home. It costs me 28 Dirhams.

In the UK 2 lattes costs on average £5.20.

What else could you do with that money? Well if I stop drinking 2 latte's a day, within 6 months I would have enough money for a flight from Dubai to South Africa so I could support some of the many facilities I've been involved with over the years.

The cost of 2 lattes in South Africa purchases a months worth of electricity which enables a student to study after school for their matric.

6 lattes will purchase a pack of reusable sanitary pads from Dignity Dreams to enable young girls to continue their education by remaining in school.

8 lattes will purchase a christmas gift for a child living in poverty or provide a child with a birthday gift with The Viva Foundation.

With the current exchange rate, your money would go even further. In fact twice as far.

I'd like to invite you to join me and think twice about that latte you're going to buy and decide to donate the money instead to support good causes in South Africa.

                           

If you would like to donate you can do so here via paypal or using the Donate button on my blog.

5 minutes in the garden in Dubai with #HDYGG

It's 5pm and summer in Dubai, there's nothing I can do about it, other than move my life indoors now till the end of October, adjust to the coughs and colds from the air con and watch the garden fade back to beige until winter time.

The water in the taps both in and out is running brown, we shower and wash in the water, but we drink and cook from the water dispenser.

 The water is also now 32c from the cold tap and we've now switched our hot and cold taps round, as in, water in the hot tank is insulated and cools down during the day, the cold water tank is on the roof and in direct sunlight and it heats up enough to do the washing up in.

 The cold tap is currently running at 32c, we store water in containers in the shade for washing the dog and watering the garden as it cools down over night.

There's quite a bit of shade in the garden in the mornings and evenings, this plant is on wheels so I can move it around.

I treated and fed the grass, the other week, it's looking good and we'll continue to water it daily, it will start to fade, but it always comes back.

 I really must get round to getting rid of this furniture, although it still looks ok, a year of being out in the sun it has rotted.

 There's some interesting shoots poking through the ground, I've no idea what it is, but it obviously likes the hot weather.

 The chilli's are still producing

 as are the tomatoes.

 I'm trying to nurture some cuttings to provide ground cover, but I think I'll have to pay a trip to the garden centre, to see what's on sale for this time of the year and weather.

 I'm so pleased with the nasturtiums, according to the experts they just don't grow out here and certainly won't flower. I'm obviously doing something right.

 There are quite a few empty pots around the house from failed seed planting attempts, so a visit to the garden centre for some succulents is a priority.

 This is the area I'm trying to nurture the ground cover cuttings for. I'm also considering turning it into a vegetable patch with a couple of fruit trees.

That's it for this week, I'll leave you with a few shots of my travels out and about over the previous week.

A walk round the neighbourhood.

 At work.

 Out in the desert.

Our first week with Bob

We wanted a dog for some time, but with there being 5 kids at home and both Peter and I working it just wasn't possible. About a year after moving to South Africa and only 2 kids left at home, who were 12 and 16, we decided it was time to get ourselves a dog. Around the same time, we were adopted by a cat, little did we know at this time that we would have to move house within 8 weeks and that 2 weeks after that I would have to fly to the UK in an emergency after my dad had a heart attack. But we are great believers of what will be will be and we just got on with it.

As it happens we were turned down for adoption, we had less than a year left on our visa's and despite reassurances we would take the dog with us if we left, the answer was still no. From time to time to called in at the SPCA in Watloo, Pretoria and although there were plenty of dogs for adoption, there wasn't our dog.

Finally after renewing our visa, the SPCA said with our determination we could adopt a dog, so Dan and I headed off to the kennels to take a look. It was a wet day and again, we saw plenty of dogs, but just not the one. As we were leaving Dan decided to look right down the end of the last aisle and said 'Mum, come look'  We named him Bob, he didn't have a name when he was left there 6 weeks earlier.

It took a lot of coaxing to get Bob to come over to us, but we knew straight away, he was the one and he was coming home with us.

We paid the adoption fees, bought food, collar and lead and made arrangements for the house to be inspected, although we were informed as we had a walled garden, unless there were major issues we could pick Bob up in a few days.

I made a bed for him and we visited on the weekend and took Peter and the teen up to see him, neither of them were too sure, but our minds had been made up.

I decided to surprise the boys by collecting Bob a a day early, we wrestled with the harness after he slipped out of his collar in the car park, I drove home with one eye on him worried he could attack me, I knew nothing of his temperament and for the first time started to panic.

He settled in immediately, but wouldn't leave my side which 3 years on is still the case. The cat was really unhappy with her new house guest and it took a year before they would tolerate being in the same room together.

Within the first week we took Bob out for walks and let him run off lead, he came back straight away, he put weight on.

We took our first family portrait.

Now there is only the 4 of us at home, Peter and I, Bob and Pushkins, but they miss the kids.

6 weeks after we got Bob I had to return to the UK for 4 months, unexpectedly, but everything was fine, what will be, will be.

My Sunday Photo - Week 69 Bob's adoption day

Happy 3rd year adoption day and 6th birthday to Bob. 

Week 16 - One Daily Positive and Project 366

It's been a long week, not tiring, just feels like it's gone on longer than normal, including the weekend. We changed our routine and have decided we will now spend Saturday mornings in the desert and the rest of the day at home, catching up with house work (Peter is currently ironing, I'm currently sitting in Starbucks, but I did do the washing and shopping) and watching the football, rather than Friday's and so far it has been much more relaxing.

This week on the blog:
#MySundayPhoto The #teen has gone home, but there's chocolate in the fridge
#AnimalTales and the Rabbit on the beach
#HDYGG Indoor plants and update on the Geranium
#POCOLO Why my husband has to be my best friend

Sunday Day 108 #onedailypositive #project366 a nice relaxing evening after work, even had time to spend in the garden.

Monday Day 109 #project366 #onedailypositive I hate it when people say Peter and I are lucky to live abroad, as we weren't given this opportunity, we worked hard to get here. But this evening after a day at work for both of this we do feel lucky to be in this situation and say 'let's walk to the beach and grab a burger on the way'

Tuesday Day 110 #onedailypositive #project366 living life dangerously. Chicken soup in a tomato soup bowl. I'm home alone this evening while Peter dines out tonight.

Wednesday Day 111 #onedailypositive #project366 chilling out at home this evening after a trip to the shops for emergency cat food and a few treats as a way of an apology, don't worry Bob did get his share but not without a few hisses as I fed him some biscuits.

Thursday Day 112 #onedailypositive #project366 feeling very lonely this evening as Peter was late home and away a lot over the next few weeks, but cheered up by the pea eating cat.

Friday Day 113 #onedailypositive #project366 we booked a brunch last week but neither is knew what time it started so Peter phoned this morning to confirm. On arrival we were informed brunch was cancelled and replaced with an Indian buffet, so we dined in the @rainforestcafeuae instead with the added bonus of some shopping.

Saturday Day 114 #onedailypositive #project366 this was Bob 3 years ago today, unloved and unwanted at the SPCA in Pretoria. Now living in Dubai and couldn't be loved or wanted any more than he is. It also marks Bob's 6th birthday, there will be cake.