One Daily Positive - Week 33

The summer has raced by, I've achieved so much, but it's coming to an end and before I know it, I'll be back home in Dubai.

Sounds ok some downtime, but my life alternates between super, hyper busy, surrounded by people to just me with nothing to do.

I've opened new Instagram @onedailypositive and Twitter @1dailypositive accounts for my #onedailypositive. I was getting fed up with family and friends commenting on my life, but not to me, word always gets back. Funny how most people have raced over to follow me there #FOMO I think. I used a phone number to set the account up and deselected fb contacts, but it appears as the 2 accounts run off the same phone it means everyone can I see I have a new account. How annoying?

MacBook Air now only works when on charge, full back up done and a new one will be purchased soon.

224 Sunday Said goodbye to Mary and the whirlwind, did the washing, remade the beds, packed for Greece as it's raining here the rest of the week. Went up mums for lunch with the family a Moving Tea party for my sister and niece who are moving to Gloucestershire next week. It was Child 2's bday and him and 2a came back to the flat afterwards before meeting friends at the cinema. When waving them off I spotted this lovely rainbow.

225 Monday I didn't wake till 9.30am, pottered around till mid day, went for coffee and in the evening walked to see my friend, she's off on Safari next month, on her own with 4 kids, I've lent her my camera and walking boots for her and one of the boys. Had an early night after a long, hot and deep bath.

226 Tuesday Woke at 4am vomiting, I think it's food poisoning from last nights gammon, managed to get to the chemist, it settled around 2pm and I went to mums in the afternoon to meet the builders to sort out some remedial work they've been fobbing her off with since she moved in, in January. This is a result of all the dry weather we're getting, people are out more and leave their rubbish behind.

227 Wednesday The all important holiday manicure and pedi and new gel polish in the morning, coffee, visited child 2 and 2a, popped in to say bye to mum and return her car and had an early night.

228 Thursday Caught the National Express Coach from Monmouth at 10.25am, arrived at Manchester airport around 3pm where I'm staying for the night.

229 Friday An early morning flight to Greece, had 2 hours to kill till Peter's flight arrived from Dubai, collected car hire and drove to our self catering accommodation. It's not how it's described online but then we didn't pay for a 5* hotel. There's a whole blog post on the shower alone to come.

230 Saturday I didn't sleep well, but thankfully the area we are in was quiet well before midnight, but for some reason the cleaners were sweeping outside at 5am and by the time the bin lorry came at 5.30am and had a horn tooting row with someone else, I gave up. Peter fetched bread from the bakery and after breakfast we headed to the beach (another blog post on that to come) At midday we had lunch, a beer and the afternoon is being spent chilling out, before dinner tonight.

On the blog this week:
I've been thinking about retirement - What are your plans?
I'm back in South Africa next month - I've started fundraising
The train station back in Dubai is almost finished
I found a new blog linky to showcase my Creating a Garden in the Desert - #MyGloriousGardens with @oldhouseintheshire

My Sunday Photo - Week 30

Last weeks My Sunday Photo was an entry on an Instagram competition for The Beach #HappyGatherings.

Today I went to collect my AED 1000 prize which consists of 5 x AED 200 vouchers for meals and beauty treatments.

The vouchers are valid for a year and having checked the restaurants and spa online I can get 2 for the price of 1. There is no minimum spend required and as we are always looking for new places to go, this is a fantastic win as we love eating out and exploring new places.

How often to you speak with your kids?

My kids all live in the UK. The eldest is disabled and doesn't speak, nor does she pay much attention to a computer screen or even recognise us.
The next one doesn't really 'do' internet and despite having an email address, a Facebook account and a mobile phone, he never uses them, so sending messages or ringing him, it could be months before he picks them up.
The middle child does respond to text and Facebook messages, but rarely makes contact with us outside of Christmas, Birthdays and Mother/Father's day.
The 2nd youngest is on twitter, Facebook, instagram and we chat daily, comment on each others pictures and updates and Skype often.
The youngest is in boarding school, Facebook etc is filtered through the school's wifi and 3G is almost none exsistant as the walls of the school are very thick and the location is remote, although I can see he's seen the whats app pictures and comments I send him, although he rarely replies. I do phone him on his mobile once a week but he only replies if he happens to be somewhere where there is reception and the call is usually cut off.

I send postcards but the boys always say 'don't bother Mum' or 'I'd rather you didn't as it gets read by everyone first'. I send letters with small gifts or money, but I rarely hear if they've received it.

I did get a post card from the middle child a few weeks ago, but only because he girl friend made him.

The thing is, it doesn't bother or upset me, the kids don't mind either, or so they say. I visit the UK twice a year, they come here once or twice a year and they have family in the UK, cousins, aunts, uncles etc that they spend most of their time with and the 2 eldest boys are in serious relationships so MUM is way down the pecking order anyway.

January's Letter home

So it's been over a year now since we arrived, still so many things to see, places to go and things to sort. This month I've been tackling a list of complaints and renewals for car and house insurance.
The UK Banks Santander and HSBC (overdrafts, change of address and missold policies)
Vodafone (lack of customer service)
Britannia removal firm (their continued failure to reply to my emails asking for help, which yes has now been resolved but all by me, funny that I don't recall paying myself 4K to do it)
Barlowworld Toyota (we will get back to you in 4 days, 11th Jan, in regards to the silly little problem of replacing a valve)
I've synced my diaries...well written down everything off all the bits of paper that have come home from school onto the wall calender and my handbag diary.
Written birthday cards up till the end of March for MIL to post from the UK, sent just as many emails to family and friends, updated facebook, twitter and my blogs and started an Instagram of a picture a day to reflect where i've been, what I've seen or what I've done.

So this months letter home is as follows. I've obviously personalised it with each and everyone.

'Wanted to wait a while before replying just in case anything exciting happened, like a herd of elephants on a drive or an unexpected trip to Bloemfontein or Alex back in hospital after a Heely accident.
Peter's mum was here for 3 weeks, it was lovely to have her, this is the 2nd full day with the kids back in school since she left and I'm missing the company..oh well...cant have it all.
We were in Durban for 3 days it was 40c and 89% humidity without any clouds, so hot our skin literally peeled off our bodies.
Dan was 17 this month and he went with Peter and his mates to Wanderers stadium in Jo'burg to watch SA v Sri Lanka, they were sitting right behind the batsman and were omn the telly every shot, they had a fab day, I stayed home watching crappy films and sleeping.
Alex is fine after his heely accident (official version was a stone jammed under his wheel, I suspect he was being towed by his mates in a golf cart) just a massive black eye which a week on is now green, bless him, the following day he was off to Durban on his school trip and Dan was somewhere in the mountains on his. Peter and I took the opportunity to drive to Bloemfontein for a night away (5 hr journey, combined with work) but it was time away without the kids, which is always nice.
We are starting to make a network of friends now on the estate and have started a school lift share, which I love, Peter takes to school and two other parents collect Alex after school and Dan after sport, I've given the kids a key so I dont have to rush back from swimming at the gym or shopping.
Jamie is coming out in May for 2 weeks, that's the hardest part of living here, is not just being there for the kids when they need us, probably would've gone months without seeing him in the uk anyway...lol. An old school friend is coming to stay also in March, I've seen her once in 20 years and that was in December, will be interesting to see how we get on. We are off for lunch in Soweto next month with a guy we met who is from there.
Still no word from the olympics, im resigned to the fact i havent got it, that way it will be a nice surprise.
Love to everyone
Suzanne and Peter'

I've also set myself a few tasks for February and hope that writing them down on my blog will prompt me to get on with them and blog them next month.

Get a post box...I'm fed up of post being stolen/going missing. We had one birthday card and one letter from the UK and two bills from Telkom arrive in January, the first post since October.

Plan a trip to Soweto for lunch out, make gifts, sort photos, find out if I've got the Olympic gig, book son's flight, get Dan's provisional driving licence (no additional charge for family members on insurance with OUTsurance) I have an appointment to see Discovery about how med aid works (fed up of being fobbed off by agent) I need to get my police check sorted so I can donate some more time with The Baby house and I have a few leads to follow about volunteer teaching in an informal settlement in Mamelodi.