Week 90 My Sunday Photo and Photalife - Macro

This weeks photalife theme is Macro. I'm not very good when it comes to using the camera without auto settings and absolutely no good with editing unless it's on my iPhone, so I end up taking most pictures on it, rather than transfer the pictures from my memory card via iTunes. Seeing as I've spent all my spare time on the laptop, I thought this would be a good subject for the photo prompt.

It's been a busy week and I've struggled to keep up with my photo prompts and blogging, other than a couple of linky's, has been on stand still since the beginning of July.

I've been travelling and since getting back we've had 2 of the kids out for 2 concurrent weeks. My iPhone and SD card are full of photo's over the past 3 months and I really need to set aside some time to do so, but it's back to school with a new year and a whole new set of children, most of them are first timers so the settling in period will take a few weeks, then I'll see if I have any energy to do anything other than just transfer the pictures into a folder marked 'too sort'

Week 37 - One daily Positive and Project 366

Back to school the end of August and this week just gone, was a school holiday, thanks to Eid Al Adha, which marks the Hajj in the Islamic calendar. Apart from a few public holidays it is now full on until the winter break as it is called here or 2 weeks off for Christmas. It's going to be a long term.

Sunday Day 255 Gosh
An afternoon and evening spent on the beach with my son and his girlfriend for dinner and to watch the fireworks that mark Eid Al Adha.

Monday Day 256 Gate
Another blog post waiting to be written, I neither have the time or the energy. This was taken in July at the Dachau Concentration camp in Munich.

Tuesday Day 257 Love
Peter has been ill since his return from Pakistan the end of last week and hasn't joined in with many activities, I've really enjoyed the 2 weeks with my son and his girlfriend, but back to normal next week, Peter in Egypt so it'll be just me and my dog.

Wednesday Day 258 Hard
This is Clyde our new foster dog, who is Bonnie's sister. He was neutered today and needs to be kept calm and still, which was hard work, as he was so excited to be out of the kennels for the first time since mid June.

Thursday Day 259 Sunshine
It doesn't matter how much the sun shines, it doesn't makes things easier as an expat to say goodbye to my son who I won't see again until July next year.

Friday 260 Creation
The top photo was taken on Thursday, I assumed they were making a footbridge, there has been no access over the road since they started the canal 18 months ago, on Friday the bridge was elevated into place, they sure do work fast in Dubai.

Saturday 261 Moon
The Islamic calendar is dictated by the sighting of the moon, hence why we've had a whole week off and not just a few days for Eid Al Adha.

A visit to Malvern and a trip down memory lane

For 3 weeks in August/September, Peter and I were traveling around the UK, visiting family and friends.

We moved to Malvern in 2002, where we raised our 5 children for 8 years, before moving to South Africa and now Dubai.

We've made a couple of trips back to Malvern over the past 6 years, where we rent out our family home and make time to catch up with friends.

On this visit we spent 3 nights at The Montrose Hotel in the town and took a trip down memory lane.

The Garden at the hotel

The Winter Gardens or Priory Park

This tree is over 150 years old

Our youngest wouldn't walk over this wooden bridge and we'd always have to wait for him to go the long way round. Behind is the town's swimming pool.

The bandstand with the theatre in the back ground

The tree of life, where we'd sponsor a light in memory of my Gran

The view of the bandstand from the theatre

One of the many paths 

C S Lewis was a pupil at Malvern College and along with J R R Tolkien was a regular visitor to Malvern and took his inspiration for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe from these Victorian gas street lights. Tolkien is also recorded as saying the Malvern Hills reminded him of 'The White Hills of Gondor'

Great Malvern Priory

The grave of Charles Darwin's only child, Annie, who died aged 10

Malvern Spring Water is still bottled in the town. The Wells have been 'dressed' since the 12th century to give thanks to St Oswald for the water cures. Queen Victoria refused to travel without Malvern Spring Water and Elizabeth 1st would drink the water in public. 

Great Malvern and statue of Edward Elgar, composer of Pomp and Circumstance, better known as Land of Hope and Glory.

Looking down the town

Great malvern Train Station, opened in 1862

A game of petanque being played in the distance

Designed by sculptor William Forsyth 

Public toilets in Barnards Green

Morgan Motor Car Company

Pickersleigh Park, home to Malvern Town Wanderers Football Club, where most of my Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons were spent for 8 years 

Malvern Common

The best sledging spot in the whole of Malvern

View of the Malvern Hills

View from the Malvern Hills

Week 89 - Back to school and cold tea My Sunday Photo and Photalife

For many parents, they are celebrating Back to School by finishing a drink while it's still hot.

For me, I'm struggling to find time to make a drink let alone finish one while it's still hot, as my back to school is teaching.

Sunday is a working day in Dubai and despite only being back in school for 2 weeks, we are now off this week for Eid Al Adha.

Eid Al Adha is one of the holiest celebrations on the Islamic calendar. Known as the Feast of Sacrifice representing the end of Hajj. Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son, but God told him to sacrifice an animal instead.

The day is celebrated with a morning prayer and the exchanging of gifts and food, with family and friends and the poor.

Week 36 One Daily Positive and Project 366

It's been a busy week, son and girlfriend are here, Peter returned from Pakistan with food poisoning and I've been at work every day.

Jamie and Lottie have had plans for everyday, including the Burj Khalifa and a desert Safari and I've been running them around to various places in the evening, mainly the beach and I've enjoyed a couple of swims and just chilling out.

I'm off now for a week due to Eid, only been back in school for 2 weeks, then apart from a couple of public holidays, the next school holiday isn't until December 18th.

Day 248 Sunday - The laminator over heated from being over worked.

Day 249 Monday Bob enjoying his new toy

Day 250 Tuesday Shopping for stationery for school

Day 251 Wednesday  Chilling on the beach after a swim

Day 252 Thursday have now added a school laptop to the iPad and now my life is complete, no more e-mailing myself work and spending hours persuading 'someone' to upload my photo's to my desk top.

Day 253 Friday It's the weekend in Dubai, off to Dragon Mart for a spot of shopping, stopping off at the nature reserve to see the flamingoes. 

Day 254 Saturday Spent the day chauffeuring Jamie and Lottie and Bob around, 1st stop an unsuccessful breakfast trip to Denny's, followed by taking Bob to a snow party, having brunch that we were due at around 5pm, cancelled by The Ivy at 3.30pm, so drove round the Palm, stopping for photo's and dinner at the Madinat.