Nadir

Environmental Specialists in the desert - 1, Days in the desert - 40, Beers in the desert - got battered last night and nicked a Stella glass, Kebabs consumed in the desert - ate some more when I was battered last night, fruit juices in the desert - continues to experience a hiatus, kilometres walked across the desert - the distance and speed continue to grow, dead goats/dead camels - the body count has ceased, Cars Killed - 1.

Nadir is not my new bloke.

The start of the week was a bit rough, Oskar and I were out on survey on Sunday, with temperatures hitting the mid 40's centigrade this has turned into a bit of killer. We did quite a bit of walking but it started to thunder and lighting so we decided to continue the survey in the car as we were just about the tallest things in a flat landscape... To cut a long story short, we had a bit of really, really bad luck and ran over quite a large rock, the suspension was high enough to have cleared it but for whatever freakish reason, it caught the transmission box and holed it. The hole was probably about 5-7cm across, we lost the transmission fluid and were stranded in the desert. I was, and continue to be very upset about this. I consider myself to be a careful driver in the desert, they are reg deserts so it is very rocky and, unless on sandy or silty tracks, you cannot drive quickly. I had also gone 5 weeks without a puncture and I was quite proud of this, well its true that pride comes before a fall... and boy what a fall... Anyway, the vehicle was recovered by the car rental company and has gone to be fixed. On the positive side, we didn't loose any work time on any of the 3 days we were effected by not having a car. Oskar and I continued to survey, lithics continued to be picked up.

I should add, the car wasn't even my beloved 402810, it was Oskar's car... This made me feel even worse...

We headed down to Doha on Tuesday for some data processing and a night on the pop with Howell and Richard as we thought that this would be the last time they got to see each other as Richard should have been heading to the UK for a wedding. Ultimately, Richards flight was cancelled due to the Icelandic volcano and he couldn't go. He had to leave the country cos of his visa so has gone to Abu Dhabi to see Mark Beech and go to Womad. He needs the break, a bit of time away will do him good!

I have spent the last couple of days writing up my report on the environmental material from site 141 at Wadi Debaiaan. The sequence is extremely interesting from a number of perspectives. Environmental evidence has been preserved but in terms of insect and plant remains, I think that we are out of luck. What the samples do have is an excellent sedimentological record and for this reason, we are reopening the pit so I can do some proper geoarchaeology/geomorphology on it. We have got Faslan and a group of Sri Lankans over on Monday to reopen the original hole and I will swing by to have a look on Tuesday as I will be Aerospace City on a Qatari commercial excavation from Sunday onwards.

The Aerospace City job is happening in the North, at a place just south of Al Khor, there appears to be a fishing settlement, a load of burial cairns which contain human remains and some possible agricultural features. This is the work I have been asked to stay the extra time to consult on, which is really cool.

To be honest, it looks as though very little of my last two weeks will be spent in Shamal, perhaps a couple of days this week and next. We loose no. 10 the day before I leave so it will be sad to see it shut up. It does feel like things are now coming to an end, Howell leaves on Thursday, Team Llanbed leave the following Monday and I leave 2 weeks tomorrow. It is now time to make the most of it!!!

We are in Doha for the weekend and went out and had a few too many beers last night and a couple of kebabs on the way home. Oskar has persuded us to visit Iceland with pictures of his Marmalade coloured bunny... We have also been talking about the next season, which is kind of cool. I shan't discuss this now as it makes me feel kind of sad.

Today, we are off to see some sand dunes and then head to the Souq Waqif for some ice cream. We are heading down there tomorrow as well for some tat shopping... Tonight we are possibly out for further drinks.

Despite the difficulties at the beginning of the week - the Craic remains mighty...

Desert Rat (or Mau'dib, if you are that way inclined...)

Environmental Specialists in the desert - 1, Days in the desert - 32, Beers in the desert - actually I have lost count, Kebabs consumed in the desert - off the scale, fruit juices in the desert - has stalled somewhat, kilometres walked across the desert - not as many as some but at a respectable 5-6km an hour, dead goats - 4, dead camels - 2 (2 adults and a juvenile).

Again, nine days since my last post but we are really, really busy. Since my last post, I have done quite a bit of driving about Qatar, down to Doha and stuff. The previous weekend we said bon voyage to Lesley, Andy and Alison and hello to Kit Kat (just to seperate her from other Welsh Cat). We left Doha on Friday and travelled north via one of Faisal's 'camps', we had loads of barbecued fish and I went crabbing with Faisal's twin sons, Abdullah and Khalid. My Father would have been proud of my efforts at this as three of the crabs were actually big enough to eat. The following day we went down to the Carrefour at Landmark so Kit Kat could get some supplies and had an incredible waffle piled with marshmallows, honeycomb crunch and ice cream with chocolate sauce. I felt a little bit sick afterwards. I also had a fight with a Canadian man in queue which was a bit dramatic. He was a bit of a twat.



Anyway, on Sunday I excavated a further burial cairn at the Oryx farm which was entirely devoid of human remains. I then spent the remains of the day down at Rubayga talking to Daniel and Ifan about the environmental potential, this was largely as I thought I was going home ten days later ... This was all to change the following day. I travelled down to Doha on Sunday as I had to do some work at the QMA offices, on Sunday evening, Richard, Howell and I went dinner with Faisal and his brothers at one of these places the men gather at. We had a big plate of rice, some meaty stew (with gubgub) and loads of fish again, basically, we all just dug in. I quite like being in male dominated environments but I don't usually behave as well as I do at these 'camp' gatherings, my mother's turn to be proud of me, it is very difficult to find a modern word to describe Qatari men and the first one that comes to mind is gallant. I would really, really hate to cause any offence, also as there is no alcohol involved, I cannot do anything REALLY stupid I ate with my fingers and the gentleman who sat to my right kept giving me the choicest bits of fish, now you wouldn 't get a fella doing that in An'ster now, would you? I was also quite pleased I managed to constrain the mess, not known for being a tidy eater, I suspected carnage having to eat with my fingers ... Anyway, for desert we had a huge bowl of fruit and then Richard chatted to Faisal for a bit and I talked to Howell about stuff.

The following day I went into the office to sort out some samples to send back to the UK and to Beta for Radiocarbon, it is always a major faff packing stuff up to send away but this was relatively quick. I was also asked to stay to work on further aspects of the project which, I am happy to say, the management at Headland are very, very kindly allowing me to do. More about this project when it takes place. That evening we had a curry and the following day I changed my flight, did some work on the fish trap paper and then Howell and I headed north. This was actually the most fraught journey I have ever undertaken in Doha, Howell must have experienced my worst driving since I've been here and was quite probably in a world of pain. I drove him up the kerb three times and managed to get lost on the way out, I eventually managed to rectify the situation. We did some shopping at Carrefour (you can't go north without European bread) and had a dirty burger ...



The following day I did some walkover survey in the desert with Oskar, whilst Howell and Kit Kat worked on a lithics pick up at site 141 near the Oryx Farm and the environmental sampling pit. I have to say, this site is top drawer. The site lies to the north of Wadi Dhebaiaan, to the south, east and west lies a bowl of higher ground dotted with funerary (?) Cairns, the site is lower ground to north which shelves gently down to the shores of the wadi. Sedimentary evidence clearly indicates coastal / intertidal environments and there is evidence of peat-forming activity, probably an effect of negative sea-level trends. When the nature of the site was explained to me I thought 'Somerset Levels / Goldcliff East', I am even more convinced having seen it ... Very exciting indeed.



I also managed to get a bit of sunstroke, the first time on this trip so I can't whinge. Just felt fuzzy and a bit shite, I couldn't get my words out and had a blistering headache. In the end, it was Ed's electrolyte drink which sorted me out and I had to have two. Felt fine the following day.

Yesterday, Thursday - the beginning of the weekend - I finished the survey with Oskar and then we all headed back to do data crunching. Except myself, the grubby environmental specialist who processed three bulk samples in the shower tray. It worked really well and I managed not to block the system up. I got in a proper mess, I know that I am known for making a mess when undertaking this type of operation but god almighty, I've never got THAT wet before. I will get a pic next time I have a go at this procedure ...

Last night I started to watch 'My Life as a Dog' which is a work of genius but was so knackered I retired to bed at 9.45pm, I didn't wake up until 8.15am (mild chemical inducement ...) It absolutely p *** ed it down in the night, there is standing water on the tarmac, I bet every biting bugger in the desert is out to play today ... I reckon it had got to having been blowing an 8 or 9 and gusting 10 to 11 (Beaufort for the uninitiated), it was epic. It woke me up at 1.30am and I thought I was back at the top of Brock Street in North Queensferry until I realised where I was.

Today, we are off to Al Khor for lunch (burger, anyone?) And then to Jebel Al Jassasiya to see the petroglyphs. Possibly another camp this evening ...

P. S. The Craic is absolutely Feckin 'Mighty ...

Scorpions & Skeletons, Mattocks & Middens - This isn't just any archaeology, this is Qatari Archaeology...

Environmental Specialists in the desert - 1, Days in the desert - 23, Beers consumed in the desert - actually I have lost count, Kebabs consumed in the desert - likewise, fruit juices in the desert - indeed I have also lost count, skeletons - 1, middens - lots and lots and lots and lots, scorpions - see left...



It has been really, really manic up here Ruwais/Shamal, I am currently working my way around the archaeology of the North and I have been working both Team Birmingham and Team Llanbed's... The other great news is, I have found a dish I like at the Hinese... more on this later.



In terms of archaeology, I really have been working like a demon. I was seconded on to the Welsh site a Rubayga to have a look at their middens, taboons and occupation horizons. The middens are great, there are about 9 or 10 of them and they are enormous, I started with the biggest, of course, and hacked a section through it with the assistance of my new Sri Lankan friend, Faslan - a fellow cricket enthusiast - and the ubiquitous Daniel Jones... Anyway, the idea is that we compare the midden deposits to known floor and taboon (a type of oven, a bit like a really small tandoor oven)and try and establish where the midden fills came from - COOL!!! This is probably going to be a bit of an ongoing thing as my presence is required elsewhere... Also, there have been access issues so today (Wednesday 7th)is my first day back on site since Maundy Thursday. I've recorded the strat and sampled the middens, all I need now is some floor and taboon deposits... It is really, really very interesting but just at the moment, I cannot post any images of it... Managed to sieve most of the midden samples (took a total of six) there are some obvious differences and others less so... I will go into this in more detail in later blogs, I aim to keep up with myself a bit more...



The Birmingham stuff is really ace, even better - dare I say - than Team Llanbed. We have been working on a series of prehistoric cairns to the south of the site at Rubayga, it has been a real challenge in the heat (was 40C today) excavating them but they have been very interesting and I have learnt a lot about (very) dryland archaeology, including the art of mattocking... We started one off on top of the ridge and then I got sent down to work with Howell and Richard. Richard and Howell have been great teachers (both exceedingly patient with someone as hamfisted as I). We started one off on top of the ridge and then I got sent down to work with Howell and Richard on a second one which has proved less interesting. The first throwing everyone into a frenzy by producing a crouched burial which we excavated, I have just finished packaging it up. It really, really has exciting. I suspect that the individual was a juvenile, possibly early to mid teens and very, very tentatively female. The bones are exceedingly gracile and by and large, the ends of all of the long bones (the state of preservation was pretty shonky) are absent.



More entertainment is afoot at a place on the east coast at Al Khor where we have more burial cairns and fishing structures and other exciting bits and pieces to look at.

On a personal level, it has been equally entertaining, however, any real archaeologist knows that it is a bit of a challenge to split the two... Went into to Doha with Daniel at the weekend, for a bit of treat and my new mate James, the cameraman. Had a good drive down to the city, which can be a little intimidating to drive around to say the least. Went to the Irish Bar in the Sheraton on Friday night which was a bit on the rough side and had two pints of Stella and a dirty burger. Woke up feeling majorly sick (after two pints, Wuss!), had a swim in the pool at Cuttler Mansions and then hit Villagio for a late lunch and some shopping. We then headed to the Souq Waqif for a bit of tourist tat - I saw THE most dishy bloke at the Hagen Daaz, he was GORGEOUS... Anyway, I digress... We then dropped James off at the airport, got changed and hit The W for a night of excess - went into the poolside Wahm Bar and The Crystal Lounge - both full of Doha's beautiful people... Next day we lived it large again, went to the Gold Souq to look for a gift for my prospective God-daughter, Charlotte Evelyn and then we went for lunch at The W, which was AMAZING, I had Calamari, Parmesan crusted chicken with asparagus and mango tart - Yummy - Cheers Dan :-) X (I should quantify this, Dan is like my youngest brother, nothing else, I have known him since he was 19). On the way back we stopped off at Carrefour and picked up some goodies and treats, got back to Shamal and went to the Hinese with Team Llanbed - finally found a dish I like, the vegetable fried rice...



All is currently in a state of flux at the moment, a couple of new people, very good friends of Richard have been up here (Lesley and Andy) and they have been great fun. Sadly, they are going home tomorrow, as is Alison, we only have one new replacement, called Kat who arrives this evening. I shall return to my old room with the balcony, smaller and more cosy, I also like my bed the way it was facing... We are off back down to Doha tomorrow for a party and to pick her up, don't know if I'm back on Friday or Saturday yet...

I have also fallen totally in love with my V6, 4l Nissan X Terra, registration number 402810...

Anyway, working hard at the moment would just about sum it up at the moment but bloody hell, it is great fun - the Craic is Feckin Mighty...

Fish traps, auger surveys and other stories...

Environmental Specialists in the desert - 1, Days in the desert - 10, Beers consumed in the desert - 3, Kebabs consumed in the desert - 9, fruit juices in the desert - 7, Fish Traps surveyed - lost Count ...

Well, it has all been go go go the past couple of days as we kicked off with some quite hardcore intertdial archaeology with a fair bit of geoarch so boy, am I happy! After our recce on Sunday, we decided that the fish traps, for a number of good reasons including socio-economic, cultural and demographical as well as archaeological, could prove an extremely interesting set of features to focus our attention on. There are quite literally hundreds of these things across the foreshore of Qatar, they have not been dated and by and large (although there are exceptions), they have fallen into disuse. They vary considerably morphologically and the have been constructed in an extremely methodical manner. The aggregate is limestone which appears to have collected from the beaches and not quarried.



What we decided to do, in brief, was attempt to define the stratigraphy within the traps and at the periphery, and the method of constructionl, we also hoped to define the geophysical signature using magnetometry. We are hoping to find buried ones in the Sabkha (saltmarsh) as there are a number of former estuaries along te west coast. This would be followed by a systematic survey of the fish traps in a given stretch of coast to further support the evidence from the two fish traps we planned to excavate and plan.



Due to the tides, we have not managed to complete this venture at this time. Paul was keen to press on but the tidal frame thwarted our best efforts, it is possibly the worst time to be out there. The tidal regime here is quite peculiar, the fisrt low tide is lower than the following one, ie it is asymmetric which means the area uncovered by the first tide is greater than that by the second but the same tide the following day drops again. We have managed to open two trenches, one to establish the internal stratigraphy, the second to determine the stratigraphy associated with the wall itself. The first is closed, work on the second requires completion. We have done some Geophys and also started the survey. Today, the tide is so restrictive, it isn't worth going out and we are doing PX on what we have already. We have also been working split shifts, 05.30-10.30 then 12.00-17.00 on Tuesday, and 05.00-09.30 then 13.00-17.00 yesterday, it is really, really tiring. We obviously have quite a long break, I managed to sleep yesterday but not today.

Next week, we aim to finish the fish traps off. I also have to go down to Doha to finish some environmental samples off and we have a few further sites up here to start looking at, several associated with the Palaeolithic site.

On a personal level, the last few days have been interesting. We go down to the guys digging at the fort in Zubara occassionally and have a chat with them, we are off to their end of excavation party tonight, hopefully the Craic will be mighty! We also have a minor trauma with the tyres on one of the vehicles which made for a REALLY long day on Monday.



Food wise, it is not good up here, there is the Hinese which I think I have already mentioned which is a rank blend of Chinese and Indian, they reckon Arabic as well but I am at a loss to see the Arabic influence. I had the first decent meal I have had from there last night, a mutton shawarma (mutton kebab) which I shared with James our Cameraman and some veggie rice, this was OK. We eat in most nights, the fish from the fish market is excellent, however my current favourite 'hamour' or Tawina Grouper is currently as overfished as cod which is closely resembles.

We are currently waiting for the bloody cleaners to finish cleaning Team Llanbedd's flat's ... Procrastinantion on previously unseen levels currently appears to be occurring. We should be out of here soon, hopefully, bukra Inshallah. I am currently attempting to learning arabic, my favourite phrase is mish mishkallah
- 1st to guess what that means gets a fruit juice.

Wadi Bashing, Bedouin Feast, Jamelia Camel and other stories

Environmental Specialists in the desert - 1, Days in the desert - 6, Beers consumed in the desert - 3, Kebabs consumed in the desert - 7, fruit juices in the desert - 5, Dead camels in the desert 1


Hello! Hope you are all well, been of the grid for a couple of days, largely because things have got a bit exciting...

Well, had a quiet weekend, carried on catching up with Daniel and familiarising myself with driving in Qatar. Dan was a great help, we drove down to one of the deserted villages and then on to the site where Dan was working last year. We then went down to the fort at Zubara where a further estuary chum, Gareth Rees, had been working. Sadly just missed him, he travelled back to Doha they day I travelled up. some interesting people, had a funny turn (I think it was a heat related thing) and got invited to a party. Top!



Even better, was the desert barbecue hosted by Faisal that evening in the desert, drove across the desert in the dark, which was epic and was treated to a genuine Bedouin feast under the stars and with a bonfire... Quite Lawrence of Arabia-esque. If anyone would have told me on the 19th March 1990 I would be doing this on the same date 20 years later, I would have probably said something quite rude. You truly never know what life will throw at you.

I also won £20 at Cheltenham on Imperial Commander...

Sunday, Paul and I went forth to look at fish traps and explore my great archaeological and geographical love, the intertidal zone. We had an entertaining afternoon rounded off by a non alcoholic beer, these things are quite I then went off for dinner with Team Llanbedd (the University of Wales, Lampeter Crew), they are a very entertaining and friendly bunch, came home and did some more brainstorming with Paul and Oskar.

Today, Alison and I went to have a look at prospective sites for both Paul and I. I We have found a Wadi I am interested in, this is associated with a previous find of relatively deep peat, possibly intertidal, and a Palaeolithic flint scatter. I would like to do some serious coring across the Wadi, to test the theory that between 28000 and 8000 years ago, the Arabian Gulf was a refugia. If we could just find some really deep organic rich sediment or intertidal deposits, I reckon we could have a really good project. I would be an interesting mini-project just to establish the stratigraphy and see what it bottoms out onto/into. Went round and had a look at some fish traps and I also went up to the Copenhagen site at Old Zubara and saw the most amazing midden. We also had a bit of an unexpected find in the form of Jamelia the Camel. Alison and I were off, heading towards the coast for further fish trap fun when I spotted a scatter of bones which turned out to be a dead camel. I think it is a she and she was certainly 15+ years old, obviously without comparative material, I cannot make any firm assumptions.

I have also had great fun off roading, it is mentally challenging but good fun, I have a great vehicle, a Nissan X-Terra, I don't think we have them in the UK, largely due to the 4 litre engine, mind you, unleaded here is only 14p a litre... It only costs £10 to fill the damn thing up...

The Craic is currently mighty, more work on fish traps tomorrow and I really hope I am becoming aclimatised. I have felt really quite ill in the afternoon the past couple of days but felt much better this evening. You just have to make sure you eat properly and drink plenty of water. I have lost loads of weight and not had a drink for 5 days, it would be nice to have a beer of glass of cold Sauvignon Blanc when you finish but believe it or not, I don't crave it.

Baby Camels, Daniel and Al Ruwais

Environmental Specialists in the desert - 1, Days in the desert - 3, Beers consumed in the desert - 3, Kebabs consumed in the desert - 5, fruit juices in the desert - 1.

I was a wee bit knackered last night and didn't write my blog! Travelled up north and went shopping in Carrefour, was staggered, you could Reblachon and bloomin' President Butter, not that I will be making much tarteflette in Qatar...



Was a very interesting drive up, desert is something else, we did a bit of off road to find the rest of the crew and in the process found a two day old baby camel and its Mammy. Just as we pitched up they 'camel drover' for want of a better phrase appeared and gave the mother camel an post-natal check up. I have to say, he was very kind to it and, despite the camels attempts at biting and kicking he was very gentle with it. His donkey was also beautifully groomed and maintained, lets face it, you can always tell how well a donkey is looked after by its hooves, these were beautifully manicured. Once he had been hobbled, he grazed away merrily on the spinifex. I am well impressed by and large by the attitude towards their animals. They have falcons as well which they really, really love. One fellow I have come across lost his recently (it died) and he is very, very upset.

Anyway, met the new posse and have evolved a really interesting pump-priming project with Paul Breeze, was really good to see him. It is intertidal so I am very excited!!!



Anyway to young Mr. Jones, cannot believe I haven't seen him for the better part of two years, we are catching up at the mo whilst watching 'Borat'. The craic will be mighty. Going to have a little drive in a bit to have a go with the automatics and on the wrong side of the road! Don't think we plan to do much today, have a wonder around Al Ruwais and stuff - just chill out a bit! We are having a desert barbecue tonight, so hopefully the Craic will be mighty.

Starting to struggle a bit, re-alcohol. I can't say I crave it but I frankly miss having a beer. Have discovered the Juice Bar, which is great - Dan and I had a Guava and Mango respectively - they were really lush for £1 each! I think the detox will do me good and I don't aim to resort to the no alcohol stuff. Lets try and do without it. My liver is probably partying at this moment...

Anyhow the Muzzein has just started, despite all the air conditioning and western trappings etc. it does remind you where you are.

A spanner in the works...

Environmental Specialists in the desert - 1, Days in the desert - 2, Beers consumed in the desert - 3 (sigh, St. Patricks Day as well...), Kebabs consumed in the desert - 2, free spanners in the desert - 0.

Had an interesting day today, sort of did some work, felt massively jetlagged tho' until lunchtime and then felt a bit better. Feeling happily tired at the mo and hoping for a good nights sleep. Went into the Dept. of Antiquiries and had a look at the GIS etc. Then we went to get some kit and had great fun, stopped off at a Turkish fast food place and had the most amazing kofta kebab and chicken kebab, yum, yum, yum, yum. Had a nice felafal as well, first time I have actually enjoyed one. We then headed to the Tool Store to kit ourselves out and get some paraffin, couldn't get any of the latter but caused a stir again.

After this we headed to the Souk Waqif to buy spades etc. which was successful, Richard also bought a HUGE cooking pot. Aims to cook curry's in the desert, hope I'm involved... Had quite a laugh driving round with Howell and Richard today, Doha traffic is like Russian Roulette and I am slightly nervous about driving round in it. All the bloody cars appear to be automatics as well...! That being said, they 'truck' Richard has got is well swish. The highlight of today was the Indian fellow in the Tisco Toolstore trying to give Richard a 29mm wrench, it was one large wrench... Richard refused.

Anyway, tomorrow I am off up to Shamal, have missed Gareth :-( but still looking forward to seeing Mr. Jones.

I also had a horse come in 3rd at Cheltenham, I was reasonably pleased til I found out I'd only won a quid. I've got Kauto Star in the Gold Cup and Imperial Commander... We shall see.

Manana...

Sushi in Doha

Environmental Specialists in the Desert - 1, Days in the Desert - 1, Beers consumed - 3.

Well, had a great drug-induced nights sleep, slept from 4.30am to 1.30pm (jet lag, jet lag, I know) and woke up refreshed, no strange dreams about turtles tonight... Spent the day lounging about the apartment, revelling in the heat (didn't switch the A/C on, why? This is warmer than central heating...)

Richard and Howell came back, we had a catch up and then went out to the Ramada for dinner where I had my very first plate of what I would call proper sushi, it was GORGEOUS!! The tuna, which was so pink the fish must only have passed on as the chef sank the knife in to remove my fillet, it was better than anything I have ever had in Barbados, high praise indeed! Anyway, we met these two TV company guys who are making a documentary for Qatari national day, Richard and I chatted over some ideas for coring etc. it was all pretty interesting.

Tomorrow, the real work starts in ernest, anyway, have to be up for 6.30am to head for the office at 7 to sort what kit I need out and meet a few more people. Looking forward to it, I must say.

I am supposed to be heading north tomorrow as well, although it looks as though Richard will be busy with Hugo the TV guy, so we'll see. Already suggested to Daniel that he may want to prepare the legendary juice bar for St. Patrick's Day, I'm sorry, I am partially Irish so I have to celebrate my roots!

I am happy, I have drunk beer and eaten choclate... :-D

Anyway, off to bed...

Well, I'm here... I have also had a lovely bit of news en-route, Kate and Jon have asked me to be little Charlotte Evelyn 'Lottie' Northall's Godmother, I am absolutely stoked and very proud :-D

Had a trouble free trip from Edinburgh to Glasgow, Emirate flight into Dubai was superb, apart from breaking my seatback entertainment system and having to move. Watched 'New Moon' and 'The Hurt Locker', the latter is an absolutely incredible film, I am in love with Will 'Blaster 1' James, what a man... As for 'New Moon', why does Bella insist on fancying the insipid Edward and thinking so much of the Cullens, is she bloody daft? Jacob and the Werewolves would be much better fun, dare I suggest that the Craic may be Feckin Mighty?



Glasgow flight was however, delayed which meant I had to run from one end of Dubai Terminal 3 to the other, had not had time to reattach my belt to my trousers and they started to part company with my waist... I felt this may lead to an international incident so stopped to remedy the situation and made my connection just in time. In fact, it was a virtually identical re-run to the events at Munich on the way back from Sarajevo in 2006, jeans parting company with waist, delayed flight etc.... There were 5 Europeans on the flight and I was the only female, I would suggest that if you want to cause a bit of a stir, this is the way to proceed. I was asked if I was a Chelsea fan to which I curtly replied no, it got worse in the Visa queue where the European men started it as well, none of them were British...

Anyway, now in my temporary abode in Doha with some organic-rich samples to look at (Toppings), don't know when I'm off up to Al Ruwais (sp) to catch up with Danny Boy and do some augering but I imagine it will be soon. Transpires another mate from the Severn Estuary, Gareth Rees is out here... Will be good to see him as well. On that note, it was good to see Cuttlefish and be back with the Birmingham Crew...

Anyway, I really should go to bed... More news from the Desert a demain...

5 minutes peace...

Well, the carnage just hasn't stopped now for three weeks, yes I know I am only having fun when I am so busy I don't know what day of the week it is but I do actually feel a little frazzled. Hence an afternoon with Nurse Jackie, The Bahrain GP and possibly Being Human or Skins is actually feeling quite good. I miss the 'Hereford Posse' loads, the office posse and the Cathedral Crew.

Had much fun with the Edinburgh Office posse on Friday evening, Ed and I then departed for Fish and Chips at the Tail End, been making sure I have had my favourite foods - Fry-Up, Roast Beef and Fish and Chips - aim to have a dirty burger at GLA tomorrow morning - or do I have a further fry up? Would it be innappropriate to have a pint or indeed, rude not to? Murrayfield was fun and it was great to catch up with Edward who buggered off home early. Likewise, it was nice to see Scott, Steve and Kirsty D last night.

So, this is my first blog, I will try and write every couple of days but I do have Season 1 and 2 of Rescue Me, The Lakes, Space: Above and Beyond, Warriors and Season 5 of The Wire to watch. Forwarned in this case really is potentially forearmed...

My bag is packed, I have checked in, just need a shower and then I'm off to Dr. Timpany's...