Hiding in the Sand Dunes

Above - In Australia the local lawn mowing guy has a ute with a dog in the tray. The UAE's postmen moonlighting on the side.


Above - Lunching at the Madinat, our favorite restaurant is Toscana, situated right on the beach canal with great alfresco dining.



Above - Jumeriah Beach during October. The beaches in Dubai are nice, even though the sands are mostly re-claimed sea-floor, meaning that there full of shell grit.


Above - FS and the boys chilling on the beach, Dubai.

Above - Further down the beach, kite-surfing is really popular.

Above - Back in Al Ain for the Internationals Cricket match at Jahili Park. All the Indian and Pakistan labourers in the area were gob-smacked to see the ladies playing.

Above - Sanaiya; Not exactly 'Ladies of the Night', more like Men of the Morning. Dozens of men wait each morning for the hope of being employed as labourers on building sites and factories etc. The average labourer wage in the UAE is about AED700/month which equals about AUD$280/month. For this they have the pleasure of working 6 day weeks, 10 hour days!

Above - Back to the expat world, B2 makes a clean break against Abu Dhabi and is proving to be fleet footed and handy at both fly half and wing.

Above - B1 after a solid victory over Abu Dhabi. We relish any of our wins over the 'big-city' teams such as Dubai and Adu Dhabi.

Above - FS and NS at the annual Dinner in the Desert Ball, held this last October.

Above - Halloween is a pretty big deal over in the UAE, probably an influence of the USA expats. All the kids from our Oyoun Village get in to the spirit.

Above - Witch FS, Sindbad the Sailor B4, and Pirate B3.

Above - An afternoon picnic lunch on the plains of Fossil Valley in Oman turned out to be invaded by a troupe of grazing camels. They literally took over our picnic, chewing rubber toys, stealing chocolates and fruits and trashing the esky and plates. NS was chased around a tree while carry a bag of marshmallows, while FS and the kids headed straight for the car!

Above - Some mountainous and valley sites in Oman.

Above - A bit of family time during a walk through the Al Ain Oasis.

Above - I took the boys a a half-arsed 4x4 drive one afternoon. We thought we were pretty gnarly before coming across this massive dune buggy which literally flew over the dunes...the locals are crazy at anything they do.

Above - B1 and NS camel riding during a safari trip. Poor camel looks like it's straining under the weight of our 'brave' B1.

Above - From out of now-where an Egyptian belly dancer appeared during our desert safari trip. Nice uumm...bells.

Above - Thinking we were the only ones out 4x4ing, we came over the crest to see every man and his dog out there. Great fun when in someone else's car...the sand duning smashes the engines.

Above - A stay at the Hilton Hotel in Jumeriah Beach during December was a special treat with a first taste of Xmas.

Above - Xmas Eve party at our villa. Some of the Oyoun Village gang, Allison, FS, Lorraine and Karla.

Above - Xmas morning 08'. B4 loved his spiderman outfit, even if he couldn't breathe properly in it.

Above - Xmas morning, B1 sporting his Aussie boxers.

Above - Our second Xmas away, but all together is what counts. The whole tribe during our Xmas Eve bash.

I think the last post was waaay back when , during August some time. I spent the last blog recounting the numerous waves of perfection encountered in the Maldives, only to be met with a lot of puzzled responses from people who knew little about surfing, and thought I'd starting writing in a some sort of a secret foreign language or code. I make no apologies for such, because the post was aimed at those who would appreciate the groomed swell lines and every drop of excitement that went with going on such an awesome trip. I'm certainly glad i wrote the blog in question soon after arriving back from the Maldives, as it has been four months back now, and if I'd left it till now, my memory would have served me to taking off on perfect 15-20 foot waves and scoring 14 second barrels, whilst riding switch-foot. None the less, i certainly hope i can make another similar trip before this life is over, but be sure to take my surfing buddies and surfing prodigies with me next time. Mafi (NO) more surf talk, i am too easily distracted in the matter.

So, four months have past and before i recount where exactly we are today, i should make a quick mentioned of what has happened during this time. Firstly, the weather, the bloody hot weather finally dissipated and the summer was over by about mid November, with temperatures dropping to perfect low 30s and high 20s. School resumed in September, with B1 moving into highschool, (yr 7), B2 into year 4, B3 from Nursery to Reception, B4 continuing on at Kindy 3 days a week, FS taking a 3 day job as the head ILN coordinator, and turning it into a 6 day a week job with all of the preparation and after school work she has been doing to get things running there and myself reluctantly continuing to battle with, what seems at times, senseless and counter-producing systems and bureaucracies, (i remind myself daily that it is these frustrations and local short-comings that are the very reason we have the opportunity to travel and work here though). The boys started up training and playing rugby again, amongst other after school activities such as music and swimming. My days were getting longer again with alot of travelling to Dubai and Adu Dhabi on a daily basis,spending little or no time in Al Ain, except to 'work' from home occasionally, and of course all the hours Fran was spending with the new job meant things were going from being very relaxed to bloody hectic. A solution was needed?

We tried to sell the boys at the local souk, but their long hair and argumentative manners no longer meant they were different from the locals; so the prices offered were not enough, and we were better off keeping them around even though they were the ones causing all the mess around the place. (don't get me wrong here, the boys are great. It is only recently as they have grown bigger and wiser, and i have perhaps also wised up a little...albeit at a slower rate...but I've started to reflect on what i was like as a young boy/man, and i am starting to realise what the hell FS and I are about to be in for over the coming 10-15 years, oh my god), anyway, again i have digressed, but i am procrastinating at the thought of writing for all to read, that yes, we have fallen into the UAE comfort trap, the class ridden society lare, the potential lazy man's zone, yes...we...have...gone...and...hired...a...a....a....(just type fast and say it you coward)...afulltimeliveinmaid. There, i said it, and if you can't read it too bad!

Truth be know now, it is not a big deal over here to have a person for this. We have always been very skeptical of the idea, but push came to shove and FS was doing the pushing, so the thought of a live in maid (helper we prefer), was finally accepted. We were really fortunate to find Marpuah, she is a lovely girl from Indonesia, 28, about 4 foot tall and only about 3 words of English to speak of. The process for employing a house helper is pretty far-fetched and actually a bit daunting. There are actually 'agencies' all through the cities specialising in the recruitment of such help from countries like Indonesia, India, Philippines, Sri Lanka and the like. In a nut shell, you flip through a booklet with passport size photos attached and a brief bio on each applicant, (can cook, can speak English, good with kids etc), in the 'shop' you're sitting there flicking through the booklet all the time feeling like your potentially demonising these third world people, and around you are the women who have already been flown over and are awaiting pick up from their sponsor/employer, or some who have been rejected and now sit in the shop window waiting for someone to walk past and hire them. As i said, this is a very daunting experience, i can't imagine how the poor women are feeling while waiting in the 'shop'. At the end of it, we were so fortunate to have found Marpuah, but of course i now worry about her too with regards to not knowing what we'll be doing or when we'll be heading home or some where else.

It's hard now to recall all the interesting stuff over the last 4 months but we've had a couple of memorable events that spring to mind. Firstly, was Fran's return trip from Australia, where a drunken passenger tried to attack her, to the point where 3 other male passengers had to intervene and wrestle with the bloke and pin him down until the flight security arrived. The guy was then handcuffed to the seat by his hands and feet. He kept yelling threats at Fran and some other passengers, until finally the captain was alerted and the flight was diverted to Singapore, the fuel load was dumped and the bloke was escorted off the plane by the Singapore authorities and later arrested. Funny thing was, i didn't hear a thing sitting up in business class!...Just kidding, i wasn't even on the flight, God help him if i was there and this sort of thing had happened. I got in touch through Etihad, with one of the guys that intervened and helped FS and the boys through the whole drama. He was really gracious and was happy to tell me that he,"landed a good knee to the head of the guy when he started throwing punches and biting them"...Between all the flights they've had so far, I'll be lucky to ever get the family on a plane again. N.B: I am yet to have ever flown with them, so I'll be doing no more solo flights.

On a funnier incident, we were doing a little day trip through Oman, showing off some of the Wadi's and Oasis to a friend who was staying with us that week. We got to find a couple of scorpions, met some local date palm farmers, did a little bit of 4x4 across the rocky plains of Oman and finished with a picnic lunch on the desert plains of Fossil Valley. We set up a small camp at the foot of a large Gaff tree and lit a fore for some toasted mashmallows. The rug was laid out, the food spread across it and it was time to chill out and enjoy some food and drink. Ten minutes later, we're being ambushed by not 1, not 2, but 3 camels who were out grazing on the desert grasses and weeds. To put this into perspective, camels are not really a tame animal, they are large and smelly and will try to eat anything, not neccessarily successfully, but try none the less. We were fine with their arrival at first, until they decided to come a bit close and went straight for B4 plastic toy dog, unsuccessfully chewing it, but certainly providing plenty of slober and stink. B4, B3 and FS were scared witless and bolted straight for the car. They were followed by B1 pretty smartly when the camels picked up and tossed the esky full of food. B2 hung tight until the camels noticed he was holding a bag of marshmallows and proceeded to him. He chucked the bag to me, "don't let them eat them dad!", and then bolted to the saftey of the car with the others. Thank-god we were based near the tree, i spent the next 10 minutes hiding and dodging the camels using the tree as my sheild. Glancing over at the car, i could see half of them laughing and the other half crying. It was time to stand tall, protect the family and show my male dominance. Bravely stepping out from behind the tree i called to the camels, they tirned to face me, slobber dripping from their mouths dags from their bum. There were three of them and 1 of me...good odds i thought. I strode towards them, ready for the inevitable fight that would ensue. I was within 1 metre and realised i still had the bag of marshmallows with me. I realised these things were bloody big and were not goiing to fight fairly. Reaching into my pocket i knew i now had only one chance...cuck the marshmallows in different directions, split the camels, collect the picnic stuff, jump in the car and do the harrold holt! It worked and we all recoiled with laughter at our failed picnic as we sped off in a puff of blown sand.

The only other news, not unique to the UAE mind you, is the world economic crisis. At the beginning of December, we were all hearing of the slow-downs and hardships of the USA, and UK and talks that Australia would likely pass through unscathed, in terms of recessions etc. Everyone was saying the UAE would be immune from such economic woes because of their Oil Money and development. 1 week later, the Dubai government announces thay have a $200B bad dept and any development not already 15% complete is stopped indefinately and all other projects in planning phases are shelved. Thousands of expats have already been laid off and alot more are expected over the coming months. In my case, i have been fortunate enough to have aligned myself with some clients who are running key-stone projects with a 'must proceed at any cost' approach for upcoming events such as the Formula 1, some Sheiks palaces and other projects, this has meant that there is plenty of work for the short term in any case. Getting paid by anyone here is another matter altogether at the best of times and the economic woes have only exemplified this, so as far as our plans go, we'll wait and see, but 2009 has definately got a lot of travel included in it for us.

Fran's mum arrived Xmas eve and is staying with us for 3 weeks, it's always nice to have people come and stay and being xmas will make this even more special. We had a cracking party on Xmas eve at our villa, with most of the people of Oyoun (we call it Onion) Village swinging by for a BBQ seafood feast and a few too many beers. Santa even made a special surprise visit. Xmas day was great fun, really relaxing and enjoyable to lounge around, play the kids new toys etc and generally have a lazy day in the winter sun. It's the Islamic new year today, generally speaking, December has been a great month with loads of days off for Eid, Xmas, National Day, Islam NY and also the Gregorian NY. We're looking forward to doing some more exciting things over the coming months and logging it all here.

Business Trips...someone's gotta do it!

Above - Departing Oz after a brief 2 week visit. Customs had trouble clearing B3 and B4 but after much haggling and a couple of 'lobsters' in their palm, they eventually allowed my boards and golf clubs on the flight.
Above - The mighty 'Gulfaam', my island for the next 7 nights. She was a great vessel and got us to every possible perfect surf break.

Above - Just a taste of the perfect left barrels on offer at 'Gurus', probably the best wave i have ever surfed.

Above - NS, a new board, a fresh cake of wax, middle of the Indian Ocean...someones gotta do it.

Above - Perfect right in the middle of no-where, no-one within a 9 hour boat trip, 25c water, razor sharp coral 3 feet below, sun blaring down....ppperfect!

Above - Another steaming left churns through.

Above - Down in the Neemu atoll, the righthander of 'Muhli' was a thrill. A speedy outside section, that mellowed off for some good lip smacks, before getting serious and dredging out over a coral shelf only 1 foot deep, but throwing a seriously loud and tasty barrel before the channel exit.

Above - Lefthander at 'Twin-peaks', i thought this was the best wave i ever surfed until we found 'Gurus' later that afternoon.

Above - The Spaniards were demons for wearing their sluggos saying that it is such a cultural thing in the Canary islands that some people even get padded budgie smugglers? L to R; Jose', Miguel, Chris, NS, Alexis.

Above - Maldivian kids playing off an island lagoon.

Above - Maldivian kids island hoping. Enlarge the photo and check out their anchor and paddles.

Above - On the island of Meemu, Maldivian women weave rope for fishing nets.

Above - A touch of island flora. Species unknown (to me).

Above - Island life is pretty simple, sand roads, no cars just bikes, here a mum on her way back from school pick-up.

Above - Catch of the day. Maldivian islanders primary income is from fishing.

Above - Aboard the Gulfaam, board storage.

Above - Another reef and wave found, jump in the dingy and zip in for a surf.

Above - Photos will never do justice to the awesome colours and scenery of the islands, lagoons, reefs and channels.

Above - The only other people we saw checking out the surf.

Above - "Is that Kelly Slater coming hard off the bottom turn setting up for a big carve?"

Above - "he's riding NS' new board and wearing a silly hat though."

Above - "the hat was for the smaller days and helped with the intense sun and glare...still looking good in the turn Kelly."

Above - "OK, it's NS, not KS." Small but fun session out at 'Quarters'.

It was bloody hard to say good-bye when the time came in Oz. Lucky for me no-body had their phones on anyway. B1 had taken off for a school camp to Bathurst (can you imagine how cold that would have been, but he and his mates were pumped for the trip). I dropped B2 to school, we both forgot i was going that day, so we were both sad about not saying bye properly. FS the two bubs and myself went for coffee up to the Edgy cafe' and then hung at at the look out there for a short while. The weather was the best of the whole stay, sunny, warm and views all the way up and down the coast. What a fantastic place. Before i launch into the Maldives journeys, i should point out that i've already nominated FS for wife and 'life-partner' of the year award for granting the pass to head off to the Maldives on a selfish surfing trip. The reviwing committee for the award said that whilst admorable, FS would now need to follow that up with another pass next year to some other exotic location....not sure how that will float??

The check-in guy was cracking down on excess luggage and unless i could prove i was a professional sportsman I was going to be hit with the excess charges for the surfboards and golf clubs. So of course i responded, "I'm a pro surfer heading for the big waves of Dubai" The guy was as 'camp' (not there's anything wrong with that) as they get and responded, "ooooo, i see, well, mmmm, so you're a pro then heh, i didn't know there was surf in the U.A.E, mmm, ooooo", FS interjects with hysterical laughter, my face goes red with being caught out and a couple of 'red-lobsters' later I'm checked in and kissing all good-bye (not the check-in guy).

15 hours later i landed back in the UAE, went back to our house, unloaded the golf clubs and all the jumpers and 6 hours later jumped a plane to the Maldives, another 4 hours i land and it's 6am, the sun is out and I'm met by a guy telling me that the small plane i was meant to be catching down to the Lamuu atoll has been cancelled because the boat blew up yesterday...."mmm, right, that'll make the boat trip a little more difficult!", another boat, The Gulfaam had been commissioned and we were to set sail in a few hours for the remote (everybody usually goes north) southern atolls of the Maldives.

The Maldivians speak a language (called Divihii) derived from a mixture of Indian, Sri Lankan and Arabic, so i was able to speak a bit of my loose Arabic, again it was enough to get me pointed in the right direction when i needed it. We had 4 Maldivian crew aboard comprising the Captain, his First mate (captain of the dingy), a cabin boy and a chef.

The other passengers were 3 Spaniards named Jose', Miguel and Alexis and a German named Chris. I guess i felt a little nervous as here i was on a surf trip about to sail off into the middle of the Indian Ocean, my fellow passengers are already pulling out their boards, taking wax off, putting new wax on, inserting their FCS, one of the Spanish guys pulls out a machine called a Compex, an electron-therapy pulsator with sticky pads and cables everywhere. I can tell these guys take their surfing seriously, their all tanned with the obligatory wetsuits lines, slightly burnt faces, calloused knees and hardened rib lines, crusted hair, love of a joke and pretty care free from lots of paddling and surfing.

My surfing in the last 2 years comprised of a boogie board session in a stationary wave in Dubai's Wild Wadi, some sand boarding in the middle of the Abu Dhabi desert, and about 4 surfs back in Sydney the week before. One of these surfs i ripped the fins out of my new board just jumping off Dee Why point during a larger swell, my ribs were painfully bruised and i had done just enough to convince myself that i had two left feet.

Day 1. After mooring in a nearby harbour the first night we lifted anchor at 5am the next morning and the diesel engines chugged to life...we were off!! We decided it was imperative that we hit the surf some time that morning but we wanted to head as far south to escape the other boats and people as much as possible. First wave was down in the Male' South Atoll at a break called 'Natives', a playful 3 ft right hander, reeling off for about 400m over coral reef (all the breaks here are over razor sharp coral reef beds). Any concerns i had, were washed away with that first surf. I'd found my feet and perfect lines continued to come through until after 2.5 hours i couldn't lift my arms anymore. Later that afternoon we sailed a little further south to a break called 'Riptides'. Another righthander picking up more swell at about 4-6 foot, another 2 hours out there and i was really totally stuffed...bring on the Compex. The others went surfing out a lefthand unnamed break across the channel. Day 1 was done, we feasted like kings 3 times a day and pumped water into us between sessions.

Day2. I awoke and could hardly lift my arms. The long waves are great, but you've got to paddle back out every time and the larger sets would catch you wide and wash you through to the reef. My ribs looked like the cow carcass from that famous scene in 'Rocky I', when he used the hanging carcasses as punching bags. The 3 crazy Spaniards hype and excitement was exactly what i needed though, and i was stretching out the aches at every possible point. We pumped up the boat stereo before each surf and would watch the perfect swell lines pump through like super excited grommets while we'd get ready. Meanwhile we headed further south to the Meemu atoll. Along the way we saw HUGE mantyr rays, Spinning Dolphins and millions of flying fish ( i thought they were a mythical fish, but these things would fly/glide about 4 inches off the surface for up 200m and more). The surf report before we left harbour suggested a 15 foot swell (f..k, i hope not, was my thought). Meemu's swell lines were much larger than the previous day near Male' and the boat heaved up and down as we passed through the channel surrounded either side by a perfect left and right breaks at about 6 foot. We surfed Muli, a right hander in a glassy offshore breeze, protected by the nearby island. I loved it, long lines, smackable lips, carving faces and a sweet barrel section. I had a couple of freaky moments when my leggy got wrapped around a coral head, set waves were pounding through and i couldn't release the strap, but somehow all good in the end. the waves were lightening fast on take off, but would then just line up as i had always imagined the perfect wave would.

Day 3. Surfed the lefthander called Veyvah, 3-5 foot, sheet glass smooth (i wish Punk and Merv were here to enjoy these lefts is what i think), a 3.5 hour session by the time i was back to the boat, i am now missing skin where my ribs are, my neck and shoulders are killing like never before, we eat like kings again and rest. Thank god we've all got booties to protect our feet from the reef, even just a couple of brief scrapes and boardies are cut like ribbons and skin is razored off. Nothing too nasty for anyone yet. That afternoon we surf the righthander at Mulhi again, sticking to the barrelling inside section. I was really amazed at quickly the size of the surf increased with the changing tides. You paddle out at 3 foot and a couple of hours later it's a solid 5-6 foot, still perfect but with a nice little extra punch. Spent the afternoon looking around the island and meeting some locals.

Day 4. With no breeze blowing last night, I ended up sleeping on the roof of the Gulfaam (the cabins were like a sweat box if no breeze is blowing), The amount of shooting stars flying through the night sky was spectacular...i made a wish for FS and the boys for every star shot. The Maldives are a Muslim country and even out here in the middle of nowhere, i was woken by the prayer call at 4.30am on the near-by island. We surf the left again at Veyvah and are accompanied in the water by a few black tipped reef sharks, huge sea turtles and swarms of tropical fish swimming around our feet. The waves are again flawless at 3-5 foot. That afternoon we decided to chug back north a little. The rest will be welcome. We make it as far as the island called Fulidhoo, we moor in the lagoon and spend the afternoon snorkeling and jumping off the roof of the Gulfaam.

Day 5. Make it back to the Sth Male' atoll to what we think is a drop in the swell. We head back out to Natives and have one of the best surfs so far in superb 3 foot rights. I feel engergised by the surf, even after 2.5 hours. Back to the boat for breakfast and we sail around to a left hander called Twin Peaks. Swell has increased again. We head out at 4 foot. Before an hour it's jacked a little to 5 foot. The wave has an easy take off and then lines up for about 500m reeling down the reef. The colours reflecting up from the reef below as you fly down the line are awesome and provide a bit more of a thrill. 3 hours later i am convinved i've just surfed the best waves of my life and my back-hand surfing was better than ever before. Back on the boat my ribs are bleeding as are my hands from some minor reef cuts and the Betadine is stinging, but i can't get rid of the stoke. That afternoon, we come across another left just over the channel. There is another boat in the atoll now, but they are leaving as we pull up to Gurus. Both boats polietly wave to each other, but of course both are grunting 'bugger-offs' to each other...god forbid we have to share these waves with another 5 surfers!! We paddle out 3 hours before sun set. It's 3 foot and soooo perfect. On my backhand the wave is a fast take off and a bit of a race from out the back, before walling up and allowing a couple of carves and then bending around with the shape of the reef and warping into a big round barrel on the inside. This wave packs more punch than any other so far, but the up side is that the tide is dropping and the channel running out drops you straight to the takeoff zone after each ride. With the dropping tide, we're all surpirsed that the swell continues to rise and for the last hour into darkness we're surfing the BEST wave ever at 6 foot. We're catching that many waves that we're letting some past by (a criminal act anywhere else) while we catch our breath between sets. The inside section is now grinding out barrells like freight trains and the bending reef makes the waves look like knarly closeouts, but their not, we're getting the deepest, throatiest barrels ever (of my life anyway). The first mate is in the dingy calling for us to come in with the fading light. We can't leave it is too perfect and whilst some of the waves would have normally looked a little scary, we're in such a rythem and zone now that everything seems makeable...but of course not all the waves were forgiving and i took a number of heavy slams and twists, bouncing off the reef and once being washed through to the lagoon. When eventually we made it back to the boat, my throat was horse from all the hooting and yahooing.

Day6. The excitement and adrelin must have pulled me through last night's session, because this day, i can hardly move at all, i've twisted my knee, torn my groin, my shoulders feel like their hanging out of their sockets and i can hardly lift my head from the matress. I spend the morning from 6am until 12 trying to stretch and on the Compex...it helps. By lunch i head out a little right hander called Quarters (named after the labour accomodation for one of the nearby resorts). It's 2-3 foot and i have it to myself for 2 hours, a good session. I ripped the tail off my new board during the session and have coral embedded so deep i end up having to glass over it in some places whilst making repairs back on the boat. Late afternoon we all head out Quarters again as our favourite wave Gurus is looking a little sick. We surf 3-4 foot and fun, with long walls and a little closeout barrel on the inside section.

Day 7. I've got to get to the Male' airport later tonight for a 2am flight back to Dubai the next morning. We surf Quarters again and it is a really nice way for me to end the trip with 4 foot perfect rights coming through, a great wave for racing cutbacks and a few lip smacks and my old board is performing well. That night i say good bye to the 3 crazy Spainards and the German as they sail north to the famed waves of the North Male' atoll. We exchange emails etc and before i know it, i'm back in Dubai travelling back to our villa as huge sand dunes race by my car window and the tempreture gauge reads 49c!!!

Back Down Under

Above - Abu Dhabi Airport, heading back to OZ for a holiday

Above - One of the first things NS did when getting back to OZ was head up to the Edgy lookout and just, 'take it all in'.

Above - B3, B4 and Lachie, WHPS sports carnival cheering squad.

Above - Full of smiles and giggles, Giorgia and Sky.

Above - "i luv you" , "i luv you too" , "no, i mean it man, i'm not just sayin this cause i'm drunk, i luv you" , "yehhh, me too" , "and me to" , "yeh me too", heh...i luv you" ,then all three crash to floor.

Above - Punk, Chuck, Merv, NS, Jas and Rosco; There was 6 different versions of this song being sung simultaneously, but geez it sounded good!!

Above - John, Cappa, Picko, Strongman, Floydy; debating the intricacies of world sports.

Above - Marrissa, Magic-hands, Suzie Q and Sarah; some of the northern beaches finest.

Above - Nel, Ange (with FS lookalike shoulder piece)

Above - The Wheelos, Dohy, Aikes, Punk, Dixon, Merv, Chuckles and Rempt; a quiet night from the lads left the house standing the next day.

Above - Despite sub-zero temperatures, B2 and B1 hit the surf back in Oz whenever they could.

Above - What a site, all four clean the wax off the ol' twinny, getting her ready for some waves.

Above - Enjoying each other as much as catching up with friends. As usual NS was left with all the cooking duties for the party.

Above - It was soooo hard t get on the plane after enjoying the Oz home life again; Dee Why to Longy beach.

Above - The 4 B's at Taraonga Zoo.

Above - B3 wore his train drivers hat, "just in case the State Railway paged him to work", hanging with the bros.

Above - Before heading home to Oz for a holiday, B3 and B2 tried out the new school pick-up bus in the U.A.E.

Above - It was a bit windy, and i didn't have anything to hold on to but this shot from the top of the Burj Al Arab (world's tallest building) came out o.k. I was having a look to install a new roof-top-garden.

Well, I'm writing this back in the U. A .E, and FS and the boys are still back in the land of Oz, but it is fair to say that we all had a great time catching up with family and friends and meeting some new additions to all the various families.

As most would know, FS and the boys went back a few weeks earlier than my-self, it was so hard to walk away from the airport check-in, knowing that they were heading to God's country and that once i walked through the air conditioned doors to the outside, the harsh reality of a 45c heat would hit. It was all i could do, was count down the time minute by minute, hour by hour until i was getting dropped off, checking in and launching on one of Etihad's finest.

By all accounts, the surprise early visit of FS and the boys caught alot off guard. FS's mum went into mild hysterics, Karen thought FS was there for a hair appointment, Kylie forgot FS had gone and said hello as if it had been 5 minutes (before it registered obviously), Christine went semi hysterical at a surprise dinner the next day, Nel drove past FS and boys walking back from school and "i thought i recognised her", to me in an email a week later. B1 and B2 were treated like major celebrities the first afternoon of school when their mates saw them, B3 was naming friends to see that didn't actually exist, but was pumped to see Lachie and Will and his girlfriend being Ava, and that left poor little B4, whom nobody recognised at all. One of the best was a lunch FS went to at Karen's; Lisa C turns up and after 30 minutes asks who the little blonde boy is?

From my own account, it was 10am when i flew out of Abu Dhabi and 48c with extreme humidity. T-shirt and shorts, landed in Sydney to 12c and a freezing SW wind....bloody beautiful. Everything was weird, a taxi driver that understood every word i said, although he only drove at the speed limit (60-80km/hr), it felt so slow after driving the last 20 months at 140km. Driving through and into the beaches was a strange feeling also, excitement for sure, but the senses were picking up on the fallen leaves from the Liquid amber trees, the large flowers of the Magnolias, green nature strips, people walking outside and so much more.

Everybody says it, but it isn't until you get home, you realise that not much at all has changed (besides some friends with extra kids in their stock of course). I mean, the check-out-chick at the local top shops asked FS if she had gone away for a weekend. The war veterans are still running people over at the shops on their way to the bank, the school mums still have coffee at the same spot every morning, mum still had nothing worth eating in the fridge or cupboard ( i sense she hid all the good stuff knowing i was coming), but you know what, for me the lack of change was great...it was so easy to come home, to have some catch-ups and a couple of stories about being away, and before 5 minutes we're talking about how the mighty eagles are going in the footy, what's the surf doing, and how if it's not printed in the Manly Daily, it's not worth knowing about.

Of course for FS and I and the boys too, it was such a special thing to come home to family and friends, one of the treats of being away i guess is coming home. I did need to re-adjust to a couple of points though. Filling up at the petrol station i parked and for about 25 seconds couldn't figure out why no-body was coming to fill the tank and clean the windows?? not to mention the huge difference in cost of the petrol. Rather than paying 30cents/Ltr I'm digging deeper for the ridiculous $1.70, cough.

Anyway, my 2 weeks went way too fast, but it was great to get on the turps with most people at our little do, or to catch up with others at BBQs or school events etc. I was really struggling to get on the plane and my last couple of days i asked FS a couple of times for the reality check i sometimes need. Of course some of my best mates put it best, "everything is still here when you get back, keep having fun over there and maybe save up for some hair transplants while you're there". Mates...who needs them!

FS and the boys will be coming home at the end of August after 8 weeks in sunny (most of the time) Sydney. I know B1 and B2 are really going to miss their mates again, but i can't wait to tell them all about my trip through the Maldives on my way back to the UAE. That's for the next blog page though. Thanks to everyone.