You don't need to entertain children 24/7

Back from a recent trip to Egypt, the one thing that struck me the most was the number of children playing.

Playing by themselves, without any electronic items in sight anywhere.

This may have something to do with the lack of and poor wifi in Luxor, or the effects of the revolution in 2010, in terms of income, it might have something to do with the weather being good most of the year and the big open spaces, either way it reminded me of the differences between when I raised my kids in the 90's and the way other people raise their kids today.

In the UK and here in Dubai I see children all the time with iPads and mobile phones. Sitting in the trolley playing a game going round the supermarket, in restaurants, coffee shops and in their pushchairs. Nearly every single person I know has at least one gadget available for their child's use and in many cases I know of people who have bought a 2nd iPad for the 2nd child so they don't fight over it. Most families own game consoles and children as young as 8 have their own mobile phones with access to the internet and in many cases even social media accounts. 

As a mum now to 5 adults (almost, the last one turns 18 in April) I'm totally amazed and quite often stunned that (some) parents feel the need to have to entertain their children 24/7 and that (some) children without electronic devices can't seem to entertain themselves these days. With many parents quoting 'but we only have educational apps on them' Of course the child is going to complain when their 'screen time' is limited or interrupted, but they'll get used to it, over time, you'll just have to actually parent them for a little bit and teach them/show them how to behave without a hand held gadget.

I didn't own a mobile phone until I was 28 in 1999, that was also the year we purchased a computer and connected it to the internet at dial up speed. Up until that point I'd had a ZX Spectrum and a hand held packman and a walkman. My kids had various construction toys, toys for the garden and very few toys that required batteries, due to the expense. Toys were bought and sold at car boot sales, saved up for, for christmas and birthdays and borrowed from local toy libraries. We didn't have sky TV, but we did have a video player and borrowed and lent from family and friends.

Weekends and evenings were spent with friends, playing in the garden, with family and out in the street. The kids played unsupervised in the garden while I got on with household chores or played over the park with the neighbours kids, with at least one or two older children supervising or us parents with a flask of tea. Trips to the supermarket were done on the weekends and I usually had at least one child in tow whenever I had a doctors or dental appointment.

Holidays were 1 week a year camping and the occasional trip to the seaside, if the weather was nice. Trips to theme parks were reserved for birthday treats and school trips were local and only for the day.

When ever we went anywhere with the kids they packed themselves a small bag of toys and we added snacks, crayons and a colouring book. These bits and pieces would entertain them for hours on long car journeys, at the doctors or dentists, round the supermarket in the trolley, in their pushchair as we walked round town. We never took the kids for meals out, we didn't even have a McDonalds near us until we moved to Malvern in 2002.

My kids went through their entire primary school years without a mobile phone, none of their friends had one either, without TV's in their bedrooms and without demands for me to entertain them 24/7.

We didn't have the money, several of these years were spent as a single mum, there wasn't the number of gadgets around then as there is today.

We asked our family to club together for a DVD player for Christmas one year, for long car journeys in the mid 2000's that just ended up causing arguments and fights about who wanted to watch what. Eventually the kids had TVs in their bedrooms once they were over 14, they had mobile phones around the same age, but then there was no internet and few were capable of taking photo's. Then there were laptops when they went onto college or 6th form.

Don't get me wrong my kids were still little shits from time to time, or even most of the time. I couldn't blame it on technology, just 4 brothers, fighting to be the alpha male, bored with each others choice of activity but I did see a huge change in their behaviour, attitude and response to me and other adults once they did get access to game boys and TV's.

There's nothing wrong with having bored children, when I told my mum I was bored she'd find me some household chores to do, I soon decided I wasn't that bored and managed to entertain myself.

As an adult I probably spend way too much time on my laptop, phone and plonked in front of the TV, but as I'm an adult with no kids to parent and no job to go to, I can choose how to spend my time online, once I only do after I've done all the things I should be doing including going for a walk and cycling most days.

111 My Sunday Photo - V is for Valentine

Despite the picture which may lead you to believe I'm single, over 40 and lonely, you'd only be right on 2 out of 3.

I'm not looking for a valentine, I'm happily married, I am over 40 and no one warned me that when your kids left home one would fill the space with pets and I'm lonely in the day during the 8+ hours Peter is in work.

Peter and I are going out on the evening of February 14th. Me with a friend for dinner and him with his colleagues for work. 

#BobTheDog will be my valentine's date on Tuesday and we're off for lunch with a group of dogs and their humans.

My dog is how I meet people and make friends, now the kids are no longer at home.

One Daily Positive 2017 Week 6

I woke up Sunday morning full of dread, since finishing work in December and back to back visitors, followed by a long weekend away, I'd actually only had 1 full week of being a SAH. With only Peter and I in the villa with a well behaved cat and dog, there is little washing, ironing, food shopping to do and cleaning.  I make a plan to go out everyday to escape cabin fever, it is winter now and the weather is ideal for walking, cycling and spending time on the beach.

I started the week writing a list of things I wanted to achieve, then spread them out over the week. I find I achieve more this way, don't get bogged down with doing just one thing and it helps me get organised with the important stuff.

Sunday I cleaned the house, top to bottom, it didn't take long as we'd been away half the week. I then spent an hour in the dentists, having more work on a root filing and the salvaging of a tooth that's visible in a broad smile. I stopped for a coffee on the way home. Peter was home by 5pm and we walked Bob, ate salad for dinner in front of the TV. I went to bed early and Peter stayed up late to watch the rugby and football.

Monday morning and Peter worked from home, I made 4 dogs beds, which Bob road tested and we went for a coffee. Peter had a meeting at a dairy and he left me at the mall to do some shopping.

On Tuesday I took Bob out into the desert for a run around (him not me) I spent the rest of the day doing nothing, other than watching you tube, blogging and rearranging the kitchen, as you do.

Wednesday and the week is whizzing by. I had a cheque to pay into the bank and Peter ran out of coffee, so I did the food shop a day early and popped in Tesco, I spent far more than I intended and got excited when I saw a swede for sale. I also took a stroll into Safa Park for the days photo prompt. The afternoon dragged, on and on and on..............

The phone rang at midnight on Wednesday, no one ever rings the landline, in fact the last time it rang was back in October to say my Uncle had died. My dad had to go into hospital after the results for his latest blood tests came back. Although alarming, there was no need for me to dash back to the UK, just yet.

Thursday and a quick tidy round and hoover, pet beds washed and the ironing done. I really must set myself a budget. I'd gone 'off list' but did complete everything I'd set out to do and a fair bit more.

Friday out into the desert again with Bob and Jelly. The rest of the day was spent watching Netflix and I made new cushions for the outside recliners.

On Saturday we went for coffee and cake and a stroll round City Walk, I took Bob to soft play, Peter had some work to do in the afternoon and I caught up with the soaps.

36/365 Really!

 37/365 0:800

 38/365 Child

 39/365 Landscape

 40/365 Colour

 41/365 Pretty

42/365 Cake

On the blog this week:

My Sunday Photo - T is for Tour Dubai

HDYGG - Making papyrus paper in Egypt

PoCoLo - Parenting Highlights, reflections on 25 years of parenting

Travel Experiences - Travel 'then and now'

Taking care of the future - Getting your affairs in order

The importance of papyrus paper in ancient Egypt and how it is made.

We came back from a visit to Luxor last week, the last time we were there was in 2008 we visited a papyrus factory. We didn't visit one on this trip as there are only so many pieces of decorated papyrus one can have. The picture below was actually brought back by my father in the late 70's/early 80's.

Papyrus was very important to the Egyptians and they modelled their columns in their temples on the plant.

This is the largest Hypostyle hall in the world, in Karnak Temple, consisting of 134 columns representing the papyrus flower. Built in1292 BCE by King Seti I and completed by his son Ramesses II in 1225 BCE.

The papyrus plant was grows due to the fertile soil and warm weather, making Egypt an ideal place for it to grow, along the banks of the nile and its many tributaries. 

The Cyperus papyrus paper is harvested, with the outer fibres peeled away and then the core of the stalk is sliced into very thin strips. The centre of the stalk provides the higher quality papyrus paper. The strips are then soaked for 3 days. Soaking the papyrus for up to 2 months and during for 6 months produces a much darker colour of papyrus. The quality of the paper was affected by the area it was grown, the time of year it was harvested and it's age. The finest paper was said to have come from the delta area, lower Egypt.

The papyrus is then rolled flat and to dry a little before being laid side by side, slightly over lapping and a 2nd set of papyrus strips are placed at right angles, again overlapping slightly.

It is then pounded and left to dry for about 6 days under a stone slab and once dry it is polished to a smooth finish by rubbing it with a shell or piece of smooth ivory.

The cheaper, more coarse papyrus was used by merchants as wrapping paper, and the finest used for religious or literary works.

Paper made from banana's is cheaper and an industries process using fibre from the banana plant, it can also be made using the same method as papyrus paper.

Meanwhile back in Dubai.

Rain and some snow in the mountains a 2 hour drive away.

Getting your affairs in order

I'm 46 this year and if I live as long as my Gran, Nan and other females in my family then I am half way through my life.

There is plenty of time ahead to get my affairs in order, life has only just started for me in reality, now the kids have left home, after started my family at 21.

Last year a friend of mine died, we were very close once, but a few years ago we just stopped being friends.

She was 49, she died of a heart attack, no indication of ill health, just went to bed one night and wasn't alive in the morning.

I think about her often, our kids were a similar age and I think about the chaos she must have left behind for her loved ones to deal with on top of her unexpected death.

My Gran was admitted to hospital on the day of her 92nd birthday, she died 4 weeks later. About 2 weeks before she died she asked if she could go home for a couple of hours 'to put her affairs in order'

It saddens me that she was too ill to go home, at 92 she knew death was not far away, despite actually being well for a 92 year old and her affairs were in order, but I suspect what my Gran meant was to throw out of date food out the fridge, make sure all the washing and ironing was done and probably run the hoover round.

We received one of those phone calls last night at 4 minutes past midnight. it could only be bad news, it was, the last time our landline rang was in October to say my uncle died.

It's not the type of news I need to rush back for the UK for, although I'm sure that day isn't too far away, but it made Peter and I talk about 'getting our affairs in order'

We have sorted, wills, the pensions, investments etc. That's all in order, but it's the little things we need to sort, to minimise the impact one of us dying unexpectedly would have on each other and the kids.

We have no preference for funeral plans, other than to be cremated, (which is mentioned in our will) we've decided that the details are for the living, their choice of songs, the where and the when.

So this weekend we shall be putting our affairs in order as such:

• passwords for our phones and laptops
• sign in details for bank accounts, insurances
• social media account details
• locate the spare car keys 
• label documents in files with a list of policy and phone numbers and expiry dates
• write a list of which child/family member/friend gets things such as jewellery 
• update address books and calendars with numbers and birthdays
• back up photos and other documents

I'm sure we'll think of other things when we start.

What else would you add to the list to minimise the impact of your departure to your loved ones?

Travel experiences 'then and now'

Ever since I was a baby I've travelled, from wherever we were living with my Father's job in the UK, Newport, Leicester, York, Ross-on Wye to see my grandparents in Brighton and South Wales, during the holidays as well as caravan holidays in the North East, South West or West Wales.

Our one and only foreign holiday was aged 15 for 2 weeks in the South of France and I had a day trip to Calais when I was around 13, with school.

All travel for us was by car, bags were filled, picnics were made, a few toys and books were selected for the journey and all lose items were thrown in the boot. Blankets and pillows were taken for comfort on the journey and we'd often end up with only 1 cassette tape for the trip and little radio coverage.

Fast forward to the 90's and I became a parent myself, holidays were camping at holiday sites near the beach, we travelled by car and the same method of packing took place. There was a special trip  to EuroDisney about 5 years after it opened, after saving hard, collecting the tokens in a newspaper and redeeming them for cheap flights.

Up until 2000 the only other trips I'd made were aged 17 to Amsterdam and with a friend to Dublin for a weekend. I'd also won a competition with a national newspaper and spent a week in Barcelona for the Olympic games.

As with all the trips, tickets, souvenirs were kept and scrap books were made, photo's were taken carefully and sent for developing arriving back 2 -3 weeks later.

My only other experience of travel was that of my Father, who travelled the world with his job between the mid 70's and early 90's. Everything he brought back was treasured and I had a collection of plane tickets, napkins, postcards, gifts mainly from South Africa, India and Egypt. I still have quite a few things from his travels.

All our holidays were out of term time, I never noticed a price difference, I didn't have the means to check out deals, it was either booked by calling a number in the newspaper, visiting a travel agent or obtaining a number for a camp site from a friend's recommendation.

Fast forward to the last 17 years and my travel has widened. Now living in Dubai and previously in South Africa, my approach to travel has changed. As the children got older we travelled to France and round Europe by car, and then further afield to Turkey, Tunisia and America. We thought nothing of getting in the car and driving to Manchester or London from the Midlands for a football match.

Peter's travels now take him further afield, although working in Europe is now a long haul flight away and while most of our holidays are now to the UK, in the past year, between us and together we've travelled to Europe, Canada, Jordan and Egypt.

The kids now come home for a fortnight, bring a mate or a girlfriend, family come to visit for holidays in far flung, foreign places.

In the past 10 years I've noticed  how many people now think that having a holiday is a basic human right, taking children out of school as it's the only time they can afford to go and feeling that unless you travel to a far flung, tropical location they're all missing out and getting into debt to do so.

What happened to the good old British Holiday, a week or two camping or in a caravan, by the sea?

Saying that, I'm flying to the UK for summer, we're off to Turkey in July, me flying in from the UK and Peter from Dubai. I'm also travelling to visit one son and hopefully to Dublin, Munich and South Africa to visit friends.

The rest of my 'holiday' will be spent travelling around in a hire car, visiting family with everything chucked in the boot.

Parenting highlights

Well that's it, this year marks my end of being a mum to kids, as the youngest turns 18 and enters the world of work.

I've been parenting for 25 years this May. In a way I'll never stop parenting, I'm still and hopefully always will be the first point of call when the 5 kidults need advice and support.

Over the years, we've managed to lose children, had battles with schools, illnesses and a few broken bones, hearts broken, disappointment, falling-out with friends and dealt with petty squabbles that have escalated beyond our control.

When we manage to get a few of us together we spend hours talking about holidays and days out and general events that have happened in our lives. At times it's been hard work and often felt like the end of the world, but we now reflect and laugh about certain events, that we've shared over the years.

Our best holiday escapades are summed up in one blog post, Peter and I are both crying with laughing reliving these times. Peter and I have tears rolling down our eyes reading this post from 2010 'when holidays go wrong?'  

Losing various kids has never been funny, but these incidents are ingrained in our memories and we often talk about these situations also.

Child 4 wandered off in San Francisco, he was missing for an hour, found on Pier 39, none the worse for wear and oblivious to our panic.

Child 5 has always wandered off in various locations and the one we've had to call the police out to on several occasions. He walked out the toilets whilst under the supervision of child 2, aged 18, and was found an hour later wandering over the Golden Gate Bridge.
He ran away aged 2 in France and was found by the boys after a frantic 20 minutes, hiding under an ice cream sign. The police were called in Abergavenny and the park sealed off, whilst I left him in the care of child 2, aged 13, while I went to the loo. And once for 2 hours he was missing on Perranporth beach aged 8. BBC seaside rescue were politely told to go away after following me around with a camera no less than 2 inches from my face, he was finally found by one of his cousins wearing a black wet suit with a turquoise spider on it, that they'd given him earlier that day and I had no idea what he was actually wearing, he'd been safe the entire time, but I hand't known that of course, again I'd left him in the care of someone else while I went to the loo.

In no particular order here are some of our funnier times:

Child 5, aged 8, drinking fizzy pop as we drove from Oregon to San Francisco, a 9 hour journey plus stops. Eventually Peter got fed up with endless stops and the child being so desperate to pee, in moving traffic, opened the side door and proceeded to take a pee as we were driving, child 2 grabbed hold of the back of his trousers, for dear life.

Child 5, aged 3, wanted to buy a large fire truck while in France, we said there was no where to put it, he said we could leave child 2 behind and spent the rest of the holiday shouting 'you're a crap mummy'

Child 5, aged 5, in France, go this head stuck in a bench, was yelling 'mummy I'm a duck' it was 10 minutes before I fully investigated to discover his head was wedged into the A frame of the bench, he soon learnt to say the letter 'S'.

Child 2, aged 10, arguing that as the oldest child he should have his own room on holiday and a fight broke out, in the morning he willingly offered the room to child 3 who he'd beat up the previous night, because it was next to the cesspit and smelt like chicken shit.

Child 3, aged 10, who got left behind at home and locked in the house when we went on holiday and we got a mile down the road before child 2 asked where his brother was.

Child 4, aged 5, who refused a bath and was unceremoniously dumped in the bath fully clothed and turned into the tasmanian devil, spinning around in the bath and screaming his head off for half an hour, yet refusing to get out once he had been washed yelling 'you can't do this to me'

Child 2, aged 17, coming home at 2am drunk one night, denying he'd been drinking and he's fallen in the fountain and it was chlorine I could smell, was woken at 6am, made to clean up his mess and sent to collage. Following weekend same occurred and rather than face a telling off he opted to sleep in the shed.

Child 2, aged 10, asked at every meal time for ketchup, before the meal was brought out, despite refusing to help lay the table, so one day when all the plates were served, apart from his, I just squirted the ketchup directly onto his placemat, full melt down ensued.

Child 3, aged 13, the police turned up in the street, assuming they were there for the neighbours child (again) we were shocked to hear our bell ring. Son had witnessed a friend throw a tennis ball, almost 100m's hitting a teacher on the side of the head and knocking him out.

Child 3, aged 16, got into a fight with a mate and was punched in the face and was on route to the hospital, husband dispatched after ambulance crew informed me son was adamant I wasn't to attend so he didn't get a telling off.

Child 4, aged 13, phone call to say son had been in rugby scrum, which had collapsed and he needed hospitalising, the first of 3 occasions where new sports kit was cut off and had to be replaced.

Child 4, aged 13, phone call from school at a rugby match. 'Your son is Ok, we're just waiting for the air ambulance to arrive'

Child 4, aged 15, phone call from paramedics 'we need permission to give your son a tracheotomy' after he was hit in the neck by a cricket ball.

Child 5, aged 11, fell over his own feet and broke his wrist, I gave him 2 paracetamol and an ice pack and finished drying my hair before taking him to hospital.

Child 5, aged 12, got a black eye after crashing on his heelies (wheeled shoes) whilst being towed by a golf cart.

Oh and the poo accidents, where I'll not assign a child number, they know who they are.

110 My Sunday Photo 2017 T is for Tour Dubai

Stood at the roundabout at the end of our street on Saturday to watch the 5th and final stage of the Tour Dubai 2017.

The 4th stage on Friday was cut short after high winds, heavy rain and snow along the route.

One Daily Positive 2017 Week 5 Egypt

We returned home from Egypt on Monday evening, our flight from Luxor was delayed but we had to clear security while we transferred through Doha, we had 25 minutes before our gate closed, there were only 2 X-ray machines open, yet loads of staff with iPads, testing a new and quick security system. We asked if we could queue jump, but were firmly told no. All other airports I've been to in the world, allow this when you're running late for a flight. It was only when we got through, that we could see a board with our flight, which thankfully had been delayed by 45 minutes, but we were still cutting it fine.

Sunday we walked the 5km from our hotel to Karnak Temple, we walked because we wanted to, and were pestered the entire way to get in a taxi or a horse and carriage.

The cat was pleased to be home on Monday evening. We started planning our next trip together to Turkey in July.

On Tuesday I had unpacked, washed and put everything away, by 10am I was drinking coffee at the mall, before doing the food shop. The dog was collected from our friends in the evening.

Wednesday's dental appointment was postponed till Sunday so I caught up with some paperwork, popped to HSBC, coffee at Costa, shopping in Waitrose, for a while I forgot I was in Dubai. I'm half way through my first book in over a year.

Thursday I cleaned the house, it didn't take long as there's only the 2 of us and we'd been away half the week, then I set the table up for dinner and BBQ tomorrow. I had my first article to write for the first time in ages, then I cycled off to the beach, had a coffee and popped into Hallmarks to buy a card, I ended up coming home with 2 huge bags from Mothercare balanced on my handle bars, having done the Christmas shopping for my 3 great nephews and my niece. I have a list of things I've been wanting to do for over a year, yet despite all this free time, I never seem to get round to doing them and after putting everything away in the garden, due to stormy weather, I had a lie down.

Friday we went out into the desert with Bob, it had rained heavily during the night and was very cold in the desert and extremely windy. We had friends round for a BBQ which was cooked inside due to the weather and we just chilled at home. The weather was very cold today by Dubai standards, 17c high, 14c low, warm clothes were required for the desert.

Saturday we had a lie in, cooked breakfast, then off to Ras Al Khor nature reserve to see the flamingos, coffee and cake at the Souk Madinat then watched the Tour Dubai as they cycled past our house at 3pm all while the slow cooker worked it's magic for an early dinner.

29/365 Transport

30/365 News

31/365 Sky

32/365 First

33/365 Cold/Hot

34/365 What I'm wearing

35/365 Sunday Roast

On the blog this week:

My Sunday Photo - L is for Luxor and lack of tourists

PoCoLo - Are we ready for our last child to leave home?

Animal Tales - How much does it cost to foster a dog in Dubai?

HDYGG? - A walk round the neighbourhood

A walk round the neighbourhood and gardening in the sand.

I took a walk to the beach yesterday afternoon and realised just how green Dubai is at the moment. Despite it being winter, it hasn't rained since March 2016, the temperatures are much lower, below 30c, and it's very pleasant to be outdoors at the moment.

An empty plot behind our villa.

 Every few villas there are shrubs and trees planted on the pavement with irrigation systems. I have no idea if these are owned by the villa's or maintained by the municipality. 

 I'd love to see the other side of this wall, the outside is beautifully planted, I imagine the gardens inside to be spectacular.

I love how people can leave pots outside their house and not have them vandalised, however it does annoy me that they are blocking the pavements.

There are random patches of colour along the side of the road, planted by the municipality.

My theory when it comes to gardening in Dubai is 'try' If they sell rose bushes, then rose bushes must be able to grow here. I dug a huge hole in the sand and filled it with compost before planting this bush. The roses have bloomed in the last 4 days, I wish I'd kept the box now so I knew what this was called.

Despite being small in size the tomatoes are doing well.

Chilli's

My first strawberry. I bought the plants as I've tried and failed several times, growing from seed.

Broad beans.

Im sure people will wonder what I've buried here, but the green fences are to mark the area where I've planted bulbs to stop the gardening digging them up like he did last year.

Plenty of sunflowers.

Treated myself to some flowers, now the air con is switched off for a few months, cut flowers last more than a few days.

How much does it cost to adopt a dog in Dubai?

Different rescue organisations charge different amounts, but that will all depend on the good will of the vets that they use and how much of a discount they get. Adoption fees range between AED 1500-2500.

I've heard many people say they're doing the rescuers a favour by taking the dog off their hands and don't see why they should have to pay an adoption fee. I'm sure a lot of people think that fee goes into the pocket of the rescuer, but more often than not, it is the rescuer digging deep into their pockets, after the adoption fee is made to pay the vet bill for all other costs involved.

When a dog is surrendered or more often the case, dumped or found wandering the streets, the dog will be taken to the vets, where a full health check is carried out, it will be dewormed and given up to date, relevant injections. This alone can cost AED 1000, and can be several thousand if the dog is injured or unwell.

The next step is to get the dog spayed or neutered, most 'dumped' dogs usually aren't spayed or neutered. The cost for a medium size dog is in the region of AED 1150. The dog then needs to be microchipped, around AED 200.

Once the dog has been through, and during, the above process, the dog will require somewhere to live. Kennelling ranges from AED 60-80 per night at a minimum cost, so unless the dog can be adopted straight away and a foster family isn't available the costs add up rapidly.

Another argument heard from people wanting to adopt a dog are 'you chose to rescue it' and they often don't see why they're being asked to pay kennelling costs. But as you can see from above, kennelling is usually funded by the rescuer, either personally or through donations.

These costs vary greatly and are just an approximation, breed, size and health of dog need to be taken into account, but you do get an awful lot of dog and peace of mind for your money.

A puppy bought through a pet shop or imported from abroad will cost around AED 4000 upwards, and there is no guarantee that they are in good health and the owner will still have to bare the costs for spaying or neutering and injections.

There are 1000's of dogs in Dubai that need homes, not many pure breeds are available, but there are a lot of puppies and young dogs that come up for adoption weekly.

By adopting, not only do you get a loving, healthy companion and friend, you provide a much needed home for a desperate dog and help the rescuers continue their good work.

109 My Sunday Photo L is for Luxor and lack of tourists

We're in Luxor for a long weekend, it's the height of the tourist season.

What is the first thing you notice in the photo?

The lack of tourists.

I didn't have to wait, till the coach load filed by, or for the children to run in-between the pillars. I just took the shot and 100's others like it, undisturbed, no one getting in my way, just peace and quiet, a photographers dream.

Whilst the lack of tourists is good for me, it is not good for the local economy. Luxor is a city built 1400BCE. It is already a ruin, but it doesn't need to become run down as well. The Egyptian Pound has devalued so much, that people are struggling here, desperate for the tourists to return.

So why don't the tourists come here anymore?

One Daily Positive Week 4 2017 Toothache, dogs and Egypt

I suffered with chronic toothache over the weekend and after years of neglect I finally plucked up the courage to visit the dentist and finally get them sorted, unfortunately there's not much that can be done and over the next few weeks I need a 2nd root canal filling, an extraction, new crown and several fillings.

I've neglected the dentists due to a couple of bad experiences in South Africa and bone disease, which means implants without a bone graft aren't possible.

Back in October I suffered with chronic tooth pain on a flight, where the cabin pressure causes trapped air in fillings and decay to release and the pain is excruciating. I flew to Luxor on Thursday for a long weekend with Peter and I knew the issue had to be addressed or it would spoil the weekend.

I was also very tired this week as I'm fostering a English Staffordshire Terrier and boy is she hard work. I hadn't seen her over the weekend and she was back at square one with jumping, scratching and biting and I had to physically separate her and Bob more than once. By 3am on Monday morning, I dragged the crate out the shed and put her in it so she could sleep. I couldn't lift it in the house so slept with the bedroom door wide open and woke up at 8am covered in insect bites. I then spent the next 2 hours walking around the neighbourhood as I did again for the next 2 mornings and in the evenings, till it was time for her to go back to the vets on Tuesday to be spayed. I'm seriously hoping this helps to calm her down, although next week I shall only have her during the day while I continue to help look for a forever home for her. Thankfully some of the bad behaviours stopped with a little love and guidance.

So here's my week in pictures and a few words, it's been busy.

22/365 My Bestie
Just me and my dogs today, however I did declare undying love to the dentist for her patience and kindness.

23/365 Hello
In pain with my tooth

24/365 Woof!
Rory went to the vets to be spayed and she'll be there till I get back from Egypt on Tuesday.

25/365 Where I'm Standing
Poor Bob was so confused, I visited Rory and he could smell her on me, took the cat to the vets for boarding, a dental visit and nail bar, plus a hair cut. I was coming and going all day. He's off for a sleep over with Jelly and her humans.

26/365 Dance
Arrived in Luxor, after a connecting flight in Qatar, driver failed to turn up on arrival, room not ready, hassled to buy stuff, no wifi, but fantastic views over the Nile.

27/365 My Secret Wish
Words and pictures aren't enough to sum up the beauty of Luxor.

28/365 Smile

Back home on Monday, travel doesn't have the same edge to it anymore, when home is in Dubai and most people think I'm on one permanent holiday anyway.

On the blog this week.

My Sunday Photo - D is for Dentist
PoCoLo - Marriage after the kids leave home
HDYGG - Workmen and gardening just don't mix

Gardening and workmen don't mix with HDYGG

Gardening plans were put on hold in December due to painting work that had to be carried out on the house. I got as far as weeding the sandpit, when the decorators arrived and had to gather up all the newly bought plants and seedlings and leave them until the workmen finished.

You can see why we had to move all the plants as this was the state they left the others in.

And there is quite a bit of repair work to carry out as well as junk to remove from the garden. I've asked them to come back and sort these things, but they're really not bothered.

 The lawn has suffered quite a bit after having 2 dogs over christmas, hopefully it will right itself soon enough.

 In the local garden centre they were selling christmas reefs between £28 and £44 and real trees were retailing at around £160 for a 6ft tall one.

There has been a lot of artficial ground coverings for sale in various locations at around £15 for a square meter and of course artificial turf. Neither appeals to me, but it seems very popular over here.

 Down on the beach near the new canal, planting has taken place to try and restore some of the area.

 There's a bit more weeding to be done in the sandpit, which has to be carried out in the evenings as it's still too hot for manual labour in the garden. Peter has rigged up some LED strips under the sun umbrella and the table has been decorated to add a bit more colour to the garden and we are enjoying evenings sitting outside enjoying the cooler weather.