Week 40 - My Sunday Photo and 1000th Blog Post

Today marks my 1000th blog post, which I started in October 2009, my first post was all about 'My week as a Dalek' and has gone on to describe family life as expats living in Africa and Asia and travel to Northern America and Europe.

I wanted something special to photograph today, something that sums up my blog and my life, something that describes my life 6 years on. My week is just as busy but with no kids at home or a job to go to. In many ways not much has changed, I still do daft things as my husband will vouch for.

This week I've been trying to book my flight to South Africa, I have very flexible dates and no preference of which airline I travel with. I have enough Avios with British Airways for the trip, but as BA don't fly directly from Dubai to Johannesburg, I have to fly via Heathrow making it a journey of 19 hours.

The whole purpose of my trip is to work with a couple of charities I was involved with in the 4 years I lived there and of course to catch up with some very dear friends. I've been trying to raise funds to support my charity work, but not my actual personal expenses. I have money saved up to spend in addition to my flight, accommodation, car hire and food, for various equipment and gifts for the places I will be visiting so the cheaper I can get my flight, the more spare cash I will have.

I'm struggling to understand how Emirates can charge me £587 If fly from Heathrow to Johannesburg and back again with the plane stopping over in Dubai. But if I travel from Dubai, getting on the same plane that has come in from Heathrow my flight would cost me £718. 

With other airlines I would have to fly the following return journey.

 Dubai - Seychelles - Johannesburg - Johannesburg - Abu Dhabi - Mumbai - Dubai

It's only 90 minutes by road from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, I would not be able to get off the plane in Abu Dhabi and my case wouldn't be returned to me, due to air regulations for travel.

I gave up trying to book my flight and tackled the house work instead, which took me most of the morning after the cat and dog ran through an open door straight over my still wet mopped lounge, hall, corridor and dining room.....grrrrrrrr.

Suffering with cabin fever and the air con drying out my skin and being extremely noisy, I walked to our local Starbucks and received a very interesting telephone call, which I'll tell you about later this week and one email with a request for more paid writing work.

I like My Sunday Photo to reflect the week I've had or the week ahead, but this today has caused me some confusion, the flights and the phone call. The flights I can work out the phone call will require a lot of thought, starting with do I stay with what I know, where I've finally become comfortable? do I take the plunge into something new? or do I return to what I do best?

Summing up my confusion. Nope, it's not an Ostrich.

How to ride an Ostrich with #AnimalTales

A couple of years ago, hubby and I drove to Port Elizabeth in South Africa and drove to Cape Town along the Garden Route.

We set off inland on from George to visit the Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn, it had been raining heavily the day before so we called on route to be told the caves were flooded, so we decided to visit an Ostrich farm instead.

We started with a snack and a few drinks on the terrace over looking a lake then wandered around the gift shop and the museum. We took a guided tour of the Ostrich farm and learnt about the history of trade with ostrich feathers, had the opportunity to see some chicks and watched 2 guys racing.

Then came the most out of the blue question to which hubby replied 'er no thanks' and I said 'ooh can I?'

To ride an Ostrich they must first be blindfolded, I sat on it's back and was told to hold on underneath the wings. The Ostrich stood still when it's blindfold was taken off and walked slowly backwards out of the V shaped pen, then with some encouragement she ran with me holding on firmly, gripping my knees into her sides.

It only lasted a few seconds and then I said I'd had enough, how was I to get off and I was told 'Just let go' to which I did and the two men with me stopped me from falling.

The question we get asked a lot of in Dubai is 'do you want to ride a camel?' to which I always say I'm not interested, thank you. I've ridden an Ostrich.