Dusty Doha

Well today in Doha is NOT worth writing about. It is hot and windy and dusty. We are having a dust/sand storm and it just gets everywhere. You can easily see the air you are breathing - which can't be a good thing. I can't go to the Dip Club because I would need dusting if I lay outside. Mind you a good sand blasting might be good for the complexion.

So I will write about last weekends Athletic Mete.

Every year in May they have the international circuit of Athletics and we get quite a few international stars. I have now been 4 times! The ladies high jump has been my favourite and the woman who won the gold in Bejing has been here each time.

I like this photo with the two very different amounts of clothing that you can see!

Anyhow its neat night out and good to see these events close up. We especially like all the little things you don't see on TV like the remote control car that delivers back the hammers from the hammer throw and the javelins etc.

Some of the officials and a lady from the press.

The lady below is a 100m runner from Bahrain. She was at teh Olympics too. She is a great role model

Up Zekrit with two paddles

Title per courtesy of my friend Lynne, who is more creative than me! This weekend we went camping! Yes me with an aversion to places without proper toilets, comfy beds and room service! I am even the twit that went out and brought the tent so we could go on this adventure.

We set off at 3.30pm which was straight after work on Thursday and were going to our favourite picnic spot up the Zekrit peninsula. It takes about an hour and a half from here and as dark arrives about 6.30 we needed to be there and set up before that. We set out and Raewyn, who took Gaye’s daughter Anna, managed to get two flats tires so a diversion to Dukkan to get them fixed took up some time. The three 4x4’s (Lynne and Brian Thomas came too) then hoofed it up the rough peninsula tracks to arrived about 5.30 and Steve did the most important thing for him. He got the tire tub dinghy (aka The Titanic) organized and set a fishing line for overnight.

I put up the tent – which was very clever of me has I haven’t done this before luckily Lynne and Brian helped. This help was especially necessary as when I unpacked the new tent someone had cut the elastic things that held the poles together to create the dome! A bit of kiwi ingenuity and much swearing saw the tent poles assembled though.

During the evening the wind got up and so Steve tied our tent and the Thomas’ to the Suzuki. At once stage during the night we wondered if it would all hold together but it did. If you have ever wondered what sleeping in a bag of chippies would be like try sleeping in the wind in one of these nylon tents!

The wind dropped just before dawn and it was very pleasant about 36 degrees. Steve put together the proper boat christened Michael as in “Michael row your boat ashore” and the guys went out to check the line for fish. I got out the BBQ with anticipation of fresh fish for brekkie. We had sausages!!

After another swim, imagine all before 6.30 am we started to relax for the day. AND then about 8am wind came back. So eventually we had to take down the two big tents before they blew apart and ended up in Bahrain! This was a four man job in the wind and even then the Thomas’ tent ended up in the sea for a bit. We decamped for a second spot that was more sheltered for the days picnic and Monica, Haven and Jackie drove up to join us.

This new beach is spectacular and as the temps crept up to the low 40’s we spent much of the time in the water. Monica and I snorkeled and actually saw some lovely reef fish with yellows, silver and black around one rocky outcrop. These are the best we have seen. Brian and Steve were surf casting off this area but unfortunately no bigger fish took the lines.

Don't you just love Anna's (on the right) hat !

We lasted until early afternoon but then the night in a tent, the early start and the sunshine made us tired so we had a more leisurely drive towards home and guess what? Raewyn got another puncture!

I might do this all again mainly because I love that beach area and the sea is just so nice to swim in BUT I need to invest in some good airbeds as the ones I had were terrible. I am too old to sleep on the hard ground. I will just take another volatrin and I will be all go for the rest of the weekend