My Sunday Photo - Week 117 E is for Earth Hour, Dubai

Whilst I understand the need for safety and that they build 24/7 and safety lights need to be left on for low flying aircraft, I am very disappointed with Dubai's effort for this years Earth Hour. I'm sure quite a few more buildings and businesses could've switched off a few more lights, maybe the arch could've been turned off also, as there is plenty of light on the footbridge for the handful of people out tonight in the rain.

Week 12 - One Daily Positive and Project366

The week started off hot and by mid week, the rains had come back, doubling my journey time to and from work. I'm still not well with a nasty cough and congestion on my chest. I really should see a Doctor asap. The teen is here next week for the Spring holiday and I really need the time off work. Peter and I went a way for a few days to the Hajjar Mountains to a spa hotel with natural hot springs. The cat and dog were booked in for boarding. As well as missing the family, especially the kids while living in Dubai as expats, it is also doubly hard when a family member is ill and you're 3000 miles away unable to help. My Father had surgery over the weekend, I was glued to Facebook solidly waiting for my sister to update me, so I could relax once I knew all had gone well. The 21 year old was visiting from Ireland so he was able to help my mum with moving a single bed downstairs so my dad can be comfortable during the day. Hopefully I'll have quite a few more interesting photo's to use over the coming few weeks, all I've taken recently is pictures of the cat and dog and/or food.

Sunday Day 80 #onedailypositive #project366 I finally managed a 5 hour block of sleep last night, finished work today on time and had no work to do at home. For the first time this year I cooked dinner AND washed up. I also did two loads of washing and sat down to watch the Manchester Derby eating chocolate and ice cream. I took this photo to show my niece the shell I found on a night walk on the beach yesterday.

For My Sunday Photo this week I posted a picture of Earth Hour 2016, viewed from the beach towards the Burj Al Arab.

Monday Day 81 #onedailypositive #project366 suffering with a bad back and neck after an injury in 1996 which has been aggravated since I've returned to work and a perpetual cough and cold, and no more than 3 hours block sleep every night, I've taken to sleeping the odd night in the spare room so not to disturb Peter. When I woke this morning these two ran in and jumped on the bed, they weren't there for long.

I blogged today about my life in a male oriented family as the #teen is visiting next week for the holidays.

Tuesday Day 82 #onedailypositive #project366 sitting outside in shorts and t shirt in the rain in Dubai. It's beautiful. It will end soon and the relentless heat of summer will be here. I left work on time today, sat in a coffee shop to do next terms planning and chilled out watching tv and eating dinner. The Doctor at work put me on a nebulizer this afternoon after hearing me cough, fingers crossed for a good sleep tonight.

This weeks #AnimalTales is a Desert Safari with camels, goats and a falcon.

Wednesday Day 83 ‪#‎onedailypositive‬ ‪#‎project366‬ bloody cat swipes at Bob every time he walks past her. They're off boarding for the weekend. Bob got excited when I got his car blanket and Bob bag ready and the cat investigated her bat cage (cat basket) and shouted at me.
Today's blog post is what happens after your kids leave home? 

Thursday Day 84 #onedailypositive #project366 with the cat and dog deposited in boarding for the weekend in Ajman, Peter and I are on route to Khatt Springs in the mountains.
A slight cheat this week, as I'm linking up Tuesday's post, Animal Tales with this weeks #HDYGG plants and their uses in the desert.

Friday Day 85 #onedailypositive #project366 The light at the end of the tunnel. After a 5 year break I returned to work in January, teaching FS1 in an Arabic school, to say it's been hard work is an understatement. There have been tears, less than 5 hours sleep a night and ill health while trying to adjust to working again, adapting to yet another culture and way of life that differs greatly from South Africa and the U.K., coming to terms with the kids leaving home and everything else being an expat has to offer. But things are looking more positive over the past few weeks, i feel confident I'm teaching at the expected standard....feed back from 2 observations says 'good' and I'm happy with that.
Today I wrote about our disconnected family

Saturday Day 86 #onedailypositive #project366 after a lovely weekend away from it all with Peter, we returned home and I cycled to the beach where I swam and fell asleep for half an hour.

Week 64 - My Sunday Photo #EarthHour2016

Last year's Earth Hour 2015, we sat in Safa Park in Umm Suqeim, when they switched the lights off over Bur Dubai and the Burj Khalifa. Due to ongoing and 24 hour building works and the sheer height of the buildings in Dubai, many lights have to remain on for safety for the workers and of course for the planes.

This year Peter and I headed off to the beach in Umm Suqeim at the bottom of our road, the one we spent New Year's Eve on, to witness this Earth Hour 2016 as they switched off the lights on the Burj Al Arab.

The green lights in the photo are again left on for safety as there is a harbour wall and there were lights out at sea to warn of rocks.

This year it was more dramatic. In the top photo you can see the Burj Al Arab at the left of the orange poles, which are the masks on many yachts, lit up. To the right of the poles is the Atlantis Palm. 

In the bottom photo, lights off. I was in a different place when the lights went off, the Burj Al Arab in the bottom picture is to the left, between the two green lights.

Peter and I took a stroll along the beach, but sadly it wasn't as dark behind us, again all the safety lights of the city were still on and the mosque on the beach front was lit up brightly, although the beach lights had been switched off.

If we are still in Dubai this time next year, I want to go down to the Marina to see what happens there, it is further away from the airport and not quite as much building work going on as there is in Bur Dubai, but who knows? I'll let you know.

Week 13 My Sunday Photo

For Earth Hour yesterday, hubby and I visited nearby Safa Park in the evening to take a photo of the city at night. Then took the same photo when all the lights were switched off.

It was quite foggy and cloudy and many buildings had turned their lights off early so the contrast between my two photos isn't that good.

Some lights had to stay on as the buildings are so tall, there's a risk for aeroplanes and lots of buildings had these weird blue lights traveling up and down the side of them, which we worked out were the lifts.

Before and After