Bob and Pushkins go on holiday - Animal Tales

Both the cat and dog get sensitive when I get ready to travel. Bob normally follows me around the house, from room to room and will sit outside the bathroom to wait for me. If I uncross my legs, he's up and ready to follow me. However when the suit case comes out, Bob takes himself to bed and sulks.

Pushkins becomes over friendly and gets under my feet and will do anything to hinder my packing process.

Bob spent the holidays with his girlfriend Jelly, he was eager to get in the car and settled in really quickly in his holiday home for the next 2 weeks.

Pushkins spent 2 weeks at the vets, she's normally reluctant to get in her cat basket, but as the zip had broken from her last escape attempt, I got her travel box out the shed, which she explored and went straight inside.

When we got back from the first part of our trip, we had an over night stay back home. I visited the cat, who purred, moulted and snuggled into me and after a few minutes, she jumped down and walked back in the other room to her cage.

In the evening I went to see Bob, he knew I wasn't bringing him home, I have no idea how he knew that, but after his initial excitement at seeing me, he took himself to bed, with a backwards glance at me.

Peter collected both the cat and dog after the 2nd week and I returned a week later, arriving the same time as child 3 and his girlfriend. They left on Saturday night, Bob was over the moon to see us both as he'd seen the suitcases come out, but had no idea if I was staying or going.

Child 5 will be here soon for a week and in mid June I shall be going back to the UK for the summer. Peter will be looking after Bob and Pushkins and there will be a visit from Jelly for 2 weeks and he will have to board the pets for a few days when both him and Jelly's owners are away with work.

My Sunday Photo Week 123 L is for Letters

Duabi launched it's own font this week, sadly despite downloading it, I am unable to install it right now.

This isn't the first time Dubai has designed something so inventive with it's letters and words.

This is the official logo for Dubai tourism. It integrates both the English word (read left to right) and the Arabic word (read right to left) for Dubai.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum says 'Dubai speaks with one voice' when it was introduced in 2014.

One Daily Positive Week 18 Still on holiday

I've decided to continue with the holiday theme for the week while child 3/5 and his girlfriend, 3a, visit.

Despite travelling since 27th March I don't actually feel like I've had a holiday or even a rest. I've been walking Bob before 8am every morning as it's starting to get too hot to be outside during the day and Peter walks him around 8pm. I've split the day into 2. I spend the morning with some quick household chores, blogging and sorting out emails and photo's and go out for a coffee and the afternoons having a nap and watching TV, then the early evenings getting dinner ready (mainly salads) some ironing and washing up or going out for something to eat.

I've been following up on a few issues, cancelled flight, damaged case, deposit refund for car hire x 2, mobile phone, child 5's flight for Witsun and his applications for apprenticeships, upcoming job interview and police checks, HMRC to get son's NI number, register for Proxy voting for the General Elections and sorting out online accounts for the UK flat and paying bills here. I also packed a few bits and pieces for my next trip, stuff we can use in the flat and started cutting out triangles to make bunting and sewed a couple of dog beds for donation.

120/365 Sunday. Magazine.

I visited the Jumeriah Madinat for a coffee, did a bit of shopping, visited the nail bar for a manicure and spent the afternoon booking brunch for Friday and a few trips for child 3 & 3a. We had an early night while child3 & 3a explored Box Park and City Walk.

121/365 Monday. Holiday.
It's child 3's 25th birthday today, I spent the morning online, dropped them at the beach, chilled out for an hour, had a coffee and blogged in the afternoon. There was birthday cake and 3 & 3a went to Jumeriah Madinat for dinner, we watched Netflix and had an early night.

122/365 Tuesday. Food.

I dropped 3 & 3a at Dubai Mall, they went up the Burj Khalifa and to the Aquarium and I spent an hour on my blog, drinking coffee and eating cake. I did some food shopping and returned home and went to bed with a headache. Apart from cooking a chicken curry for dinner, nothing much else was achieved.

123/365 Wednesday. Contemplate.

I took 3 & 3a to Dubai Marina, they caught the ferry to Diera and I had coffee and a walk. I did the ironing in the afternoon, we went out for dinner and an early night. I'm fed up of waiting for others to make decisions in regards to my life. I'm waiting on a date for a job interview, until I know if I've got the job or not I'm unable to make any plans other than returning to the UK in June. I'm either a) staying till September and Peter will join me or b) return mid August to start new job and Peter will join me early July instead.

124/365 Thursday. New

A drive on the Palm and lunch at Jumeriah Beach Residence and a stroll round the shops. 3 & 3a spent the afternoon on the beach and to Dubai Mall in the evening to watch the fountains and LED display.

125/365 Friday. Sharp.

Brunch and end of the day, also the end of my extended holiday.

126/365 Saturday B&W.

Job interview in the morning, will hear in 7-10 days. Rest of the day spent ironing and sorting paperwork while 3 & 3a were on the beach, sent hubby to the supermarket to get dinner and took 3 & 3a to airport and said our goodbyes.

Next week will be spent spring cleaning and the next visitor is child 5 at the end of May.

On the blog this week.

My Sunday Photo H is for holiday

Parenting, PoCoLo, Tweens Teens and Beyond and Triumpant Tales - Disabled toilets in the UK

Disabled toilets in the UK - JD Wetherspoon, I'm talking to you.

Whilst I appreciate there is a lack of space in older buildings and disabilities vary from wheelchair users to those who are mobile and those with hidden disabilities, there is no excuse for the toilets and facilities to be so dirty.

A disabled person has the right to use public toilets like everyone else, but for someone with a disability toilets are often needed fast and in many places they are shared with the baby changing units, meaning long waits and as they tend to be on the ground floor in public buildings, they are often locked requiring the user to go and fetch the key before they can gain entry.

Our 29 year old daughter is profoundly disabled, she can walk short distances, but wears nappies and requires changing in the upright position fortunately, I have no idea how people manage when they are out if their family member needs changing in their chair as the baby changing units won't support heavier weights.

If I'm out with our daughter on my own, I too need to use the disabled toilet as I cannot leave her outside a public cubicle or even ask a member of the public to keep an eye on her, as she can lash out without warning and left unattended will wander off and is a danger to herself.

When our daughter needs to be changed, I need a clean toilet with running water, soap, toilet paper, a sink big enough to wash my hands in, something to dry my hands on, a shelf to put her bag on and more importantly a clean floor that I often have to kneel on whilst changing her.

Disposable gloves would be too much to ask for.

What I found on my last visit to the UK was over flowing nappy and sanitary bins, that were dirty, where foot pedals didn't work, broken changing tables, emergency pull cords that were hanging over the sink, lack of rails for our daughter to support herself with when standing, no soap, broken hand dryers and taps that didn't work. I opted not to take photo's of over flowing bins.

This tap didn't work and there was no soap, I was unable to take my daughter to the upstairs toilets so I could wash my hands after changing a full nappy full of faeces and I had to use baby wipes only before eating my meal and feeding her.

I complained in every place I visited where the toilets were as above, but the staff weren't interested and I didn't have time to wait for the toilet to be cleaned, which obviously wasn't an option anyway. I congratulated the staff at the Cafe Nero in Monmouth for keeping their toilets spotless. Sadly this was not a toilet I visited with my daughter, I just popped my head in to see how toilets varied from place to place.

The toilet in Costa Coffee in Monmouth.

It's not difficult to keep a toilet cleaned and well stocked, life is hard enough with a disabled adult child as it is, without all this.

JD Wetherspoon in Gloucester, you really need to up your game, we won't be visiting there again and I doubt the staff passed on my complaint to anyone either. Sadly it wasn't just the Gloucester branch. We tend to take our daughter to your establishments as the food is prepared quickly and brought to the table, but the lack of empathy from the staff leaves a lot to be desired when I ask for table service as I can't take my daughter to stand at the bar and manage her and drinks back to the table.

The supermarkets don't fare much better in Gloucester in regards to cleanliness but staff are far more helpful and will help when asked.

My Sunday Photo Week 122 H is for Holiday

I'm not actually on holiday, despite the photo of the Burj Al Arab, a holiday destination, where I'm currently sitting, drinking coffee, only 3 miles down the road from where I live.

I've travelled 23,000+ miles since March 27th from Dubai to the UK, back to Dubai, to Hong Kong, back to Dubai, the UK and finally reaching home in Dubai on Friday morning.

Child 3/5 and his girlfriend are visiting for a week and I've decided I'm not going to get anything done while they're here so I'm treating this week as a holiday, staying in one place, chilling out and relaxing.

One Daily Positive - Week 17 Back home but still on holiday

I arrived back in Dubai on Friday morning, my son and his girlfriend arrived a couple of hours before me and are here until next weekend. It's nice to be home and know I'm going to be in one place for a few weeks, before I return to the UK in 8 weeks on an open ticket to sort my son, child 5/5 out when he finishes school in July.

I'm just switching my brain off for a few days, catch up with blogging, join in on a few days out and make the most of not having to get back to the real world of job hunting and housework and being on my own.

113 Sunday. Nature. A coffee with friends in the morning and then I took my son back to school for his last ever term, mixed emotions for me a) for saying goodbye b) for my days as a school mum coming to an end. I called in on a friend on the way home.

 114 Monday. Relax. Spent the morning rearranging the flat and getting some washing done before heading over to Malvern to meet a friend for a coffee and another friend for dinner.

 115 Tuesday. Sun. A visit to the Ross on Wye in the morning to drop a gift with a friend and over to the Forest of Dean to see my ex SIL and child 2/5.

116 Wednesday. Stripes. Today's photo prompt doesn't fit. I went to visit child 1/5 over lunch time and then met Sarah, a fellow 365'er

117 Thursday. Moon. An early start at 5am as I dropped my Nephew in law to Abgergavenny hospital  where was niece was booked for a C section, ready for the birth of their 3 child. I then cleaned and tidied the flat and packed and headed off to Birmingham airport for my flight home.

118 Friday. Red. I arrived home at 7am. Child 3/5 was already here. I grabbed a couple of hours sleep before we headed off to the beach, dinner out and a walk along the canal, calling in at the pub on route.

119 Saturday. Spirit(ual) I've given up on trying to get anything done during the coming week.

On the blog this week:

Animal Tales - A visit to Nagshead Nature Reserve
My Sunday Photo and PoCoLo - B is for boarding school
Triumphant Tales - When did holidays become all about entertaining children?
Gardening - A visit to the flower market, Kowloon

Woodland walk in the Forest of Dean with Animal Tales

There are no photo's of birds in this post because the 2 men in the hide with their massive cameras were occupying the available space and made it quite clear they were not tolerating amateurs, with a camera and lens that could fit into an over sized coat pocket. However I worked my way onto to the bench and to the open window and sat for a few minutes, just to wind them up.

I'm really hoping that we can back to the UK with Bob while he can still enjoy life. We adopted him in South Africa and he now lives with us in Dubai. I'd love him to experience the freedom of woodland walks, something he never does in Dubai and in South Africa, they were infrequent due to personal safety and snakes etc.

This must be the noisiest door in the world, no wonder the twitchers/birders/photographers weren't happy with my arrival.

My question is what do you do if the bat comes home when you want to leave the hide?

We lived in the Forest of Dean for 8 years and I've never stopped off at The Nagshead Reserve, although I have visited most other places and I plan to spend more time in this area when I'm back in the summer. Maybe you could join me for a walk, picnic or coffee.

My Sunday Photo Week 121 B is for Boarding School

I've tried several times to write how I feel about taking my son back to boarding school this afternoon for his last ever term and my last term as a school mum, but I'm struggling to put how I feel in words, so I'll just leave you with this photo of his school instead.

One Daily Positive Week 15 Hong Kong to Dubai to South Wales and the teen turns 18.

In the past 18 days I've flown almost 18000 miles, spent 44 hours in the air and 24 hours in airports. That's the equivalent to a return trip to Aberdeen from London every day. I started the week with Peter in Hong Kong at the Rugby 7's on an all expenses paid trip. I didn't find out till Tuesday night who had actually paid for this trip. It was a raffle with Emirates Leisure Retail, which I'd entered at Mr Toad's on our regular Wednesday night pub quiz we go to with friends.
Sunday was spent at the Rugby 7s finals, there was a fair amount of beer drunk and cheering for South Africa against Fiji in the finals.

Monday we explored Kowloon on the mainland and all the markets. 

We arrived back in Dubai late on Tuesday evening. 

On Wednesday Peter was in work. I visited the cat, who clawed, purred and moulted and walked back to her cage, unpacked and repacked cases, did a couple of loads of washing, ran the hoover round and went off to see Bob, who was very pleased to see me, but when I left after the pub quiz (which we won) and dinner, he took himself off to bed, with just a quick backward glance in my direction.

Thursday we flew to the UK, Peter had to go into the office in the morning and I went out to a mall for coffee, before arriving at the airport at midday. A stress free flight and straight through passport only to wait 90 minutes for the ground crew to unload the Airbus A380. Birmingham airport may be able to accept the Airbus for landing but it is not equipped to deal with that many passengers at one time. We collected car hire and drove to South Wales.

Friday was the teens 18th birthday and we celebrated in a local restaurant with all our family and close friends who have been involved in the children's lives since they were born.

Saturday we collected various kids and all met up in Cheltenham for an hour or so. This is the first time we've all been together as a family of 7 since 2007. It is also the first time in 10 years that we've all been in the same country at the same time.

99/365 Yellow. Hong Kong Rugby 7's.

100 Dance. Hong Kong viewed from Kowloon.

 101 Wide Angle. Hong Kong viewed from Victoria Peak.

 102 (throw my) HAT (in the ring) Back at quiz night in Dubai which we won (again) and the pub where I entered the raffle for the Hong Kong trip.

 103 Flower. In my garden in Dubai.

 104. Road Trip. Me, Hubby, the teen on his 18th Birthday, child 3 of 5 who travelled down from Leeds to South Wales.

105. Bunny. The first time in 10 years we've all managed to be in the same country at the same time, let alone all meet up, it was a logistical nightmare and who cares it was only for 30 minutes and in a supermarket car park. It made me very happy, yet equally sad as we all went our separate ways. 

On the blog this week:

My Sunday Photo - H is for Hong Kong 
HDYGG and PoCoLo - A visit to the flower market in Kowloon
Animal Tales - http://www.chickenruby.com/2017/04/bird-market-in-hong-kong-with-animal.html
Monday Escapes - Viewing the Big 5 at Kruger National Park
Triumphant Tales - Marriage after the kids leave home

The Flower Market - Hong Kong with HDYGG

Catching the train from Admiralty station in Hong Kong over to to Prince Edward station in Kowloon on the mainland, it's a short walk to the flower market, clearly signposted and one street back from the main road.

With limited land space and the cost of housing in Hong Kong, only the very rich can afford properties with gardens and there was a distinct lack of balconies on buildings due to typhoons.

Although there are public parks, with no smoking/music rules, which were beautifully laid out with stunning plants and flowers, I would be lost without a garden and outdoor space, so if the move to Hong Kong was ever on the cards, I'd be a regular visitor to the flower market for both fresh cut flowers and potted plants to create an indoor garden.

Please ask before taking photographs, especially inside the shops and close ups, most people said yes, but a few said no, especially when taking photo's of bouquets, I suppose to stop you making your own, using their ideas.

The flowers and plants ranged in price but you could buy a substantial bunch of flowers of the same kind for a under $100HK or £10.