A Picnic in the Park

Today we went to the new Hyatt Plaza park for a picnic lunch. It was a bit windy but we enjoyed ourselves.


Johnathan rolling down the hill.



Some local boys out to play.

Johnathan and Susannah having fun (even though it looks like they are fighting!)

Susannah tearing up the grass.

Johnathan Learns How To Drive

Johnathan had driving lessons at school today. Porsche visited the school to teach the kids about road rules and safety. They got to put the lessons into practice by getting behind the wheel of a pedal powered Porsche. Johnathan loved it, he knows what all the road signs mean (including watch out for camels) and got his license and a cap. He remains a bit concerned about two crashes he had though, particularly when his friend George crashed into the back of him and pushed Johnathan out into the intersection! No free giveaways for the parents from the friendly Porsche folks though, oh well.

And Susannah is working on her facial expressions:

This one is "happy", a very good effort...

This one is "beautiful", not bad...

And this one is "angry", absolutely spot on!!

International Day at Johnathan's School

As part of Johnathan's school's thirtieth birthday celebrations, they had international days this week. On the first day, the kids visited different countries (classrooms decorated in national themes) where they got their passports stamped and engaged in activities for that nation. Johnathan went to South Africa, England, and Australia! The Australian classroom was definitely the best with a pile of sand in the courtyard (the beach), a barbeque, and eucalyptus leaves hanging in the room.

On the second day, there was a big international parade where all the kids dressed in national costume and paraded around the field for the parents. A total of 61 nations were represented, it truly is an international school. Johnathan was wearing a T-shirt painted with some aussie themes.

The Australian Team enters the field chanting Aussie Aussie Aussie!




Johnathan enjoys the parade.

At the end of the parade, the kids released balloons, attached to which were messages of their hopes for the future. Johnathan's hope for the future is "that everyone has enough to eat"!

Here is a picture of Johnathan with his friends Mark and Glen who were representing Serbia in their national dress.

2009 Begins

Happy New Year!! We finished up our fantastic holiday in Australia after a nice new years celebration at Normanville and a few days on the beach. A couple of days before we left, Johnathan and David went to see a 20-20 cricket match between South Australia and NSW - a good introduction to the game for Johnathan. It was difficult to get on the plane back to Doha after such a long holiday but the trip home was relatively painless (8 hour stopover in Singapore was a drag though) and we have slipped back into the Doha routine easily.

Not long after we got back, we go another dose of Australia when Monica's Aunty Mary and Uncle Neil visting, kind enough to make a side trip on their around the world trip especially to see us. It was great to have them and show them a bit of Qatar.



And now we are getting into the birthday parties again, balloons, face painting, the works!!