Rob and Inge Visit Doha

We were very happy to have Robert and Inge visit us here in Doha last weekend on their way to Scotland. Despite the blisteringly hot weather, we managed to enjoy ourselves in the outdoors with a trip through the desert to the beach. The weather was surprisingly mild on the beach although the water was extremely warm with lots of stingrays and jellyfish!

We also managed to see some of the city with a trip to the souks and a tour on a dhow boat on the bay among other things. It was great that the kids got to know their aunt and uncle - they all had a lot of fun together and now we are all looking forward to seeing them at Christmas time.

Johnathan Graduates...

It is with great pride we can announce that Johnathan graduated from pre-school last month and will continue on to reception after the summer (in September). The british school system starts with younger kids than in Australia.

Johnathan's teacher was kind enough to give us a copy of the many photos that were taken of the kids throughout the year so we thought we would share a few of them.

The class clown!

International Day - am I an Aussie or a Qatari?

Mum and some of the kids on International Day.

With some of the girls in the class.

A watermelon snack during circle time.

And a few photos from Earth Day where all the kids were asked to dress in green.

A Weekend in Scotland

David had a quick visit to Scotland, fitting it in with work in London. The first night was spent at Bonaly Avenue with Stuart and Margaret and the next day I was treated to a BBQ at the Byers' beautiful new house at Blairhall. It was a sunny day (for the most part), the lunch was great, and all of the scottish cousins and their kids were there - it was great to catch up with them all again.

After that it was a drive north to Boat of Garten to catch up with John and Mary at Dallas for a relaxing evening and a stay over for the night. A particular treat was Mary's "bacon butties" for breakfast, a rare treat for a resident of the middle east! After a short catch up with Auntie Wills, there was lunch with John at Andersons in the village then it was time to take the drive back down south to catch the plane to London (after negotiating the Highland show traffic near Edinburgh airport and waiting for a 3-1/2 delayed BA flight!)

Thanks to all the rellies in Scotland for your hospitality during my very short visit. It was great to catch up and look forward to seeing you all again soon...