Another near catastrophe

It never suns but it shines, doesnt sound the same does it. Yesterday I was just a few minutes from having the last double period free when the school fire alarm went. As is usually the case I thought it was a fire drill but to my surprise on starting to go downstairs I quickly realised that the building was indeed on fire. A gas oven in a home economics room had burst into flames. Fortunately it was mostly smoke and it was quickly brought under control with damage limited to the one room and no one injured. I therefore spent my entire double period and break supervising the whole school. Now in Scotland we dread going outside in such circumstances when it is cold and wet. Let me assure you it is no better in the blistering heat! I suppose that means there is NO good time to be outside with the entire school population. The only difference here was when the school director asked ALL of the school pupils to be quiet and listen they did just that. Every pupil lined up in their form classes and waited for further instruction. The all behaved impeccably. Compare with fire evacuations in every school I have worked in so far ... no need for further comment.
Very sorry to hear about Sheila Zielinec. She was an institution.
School briefing in 5 minutes so must dash.
David

Nearly a catastrophe

All went well with our visit to LMRA (Labour Market Regulatory Authority) where we were seen in record time and got photographed and fingerprinted for our residency permits. One step closer to official status here. I realise why they need fingerprints and thought it would never be relevant to us .... ..... until we went back to the apartments. We duly entered the lift as normal and went up to the sixth floor. we got out and Sheila tried to put the key in ther lock. It wouldnt go in as normal and she fiddled for a while trying to get the door open. I was getting a bit impatient with her lack of dexterity when I suddenly realised that we were in fact on the EIGHTH floor trying to break into someone else's apartment! Another woops! I thought I might be arrested only hours after getting fingerprinted. Needless to say it was me who pressed the wrong button on the lift and to be fair all of the landings are identical.

I only have internet at work meantime so we will be out of skype contact for a few days until we get settled into the new place. Everything seems on track there so far. The new washing machine, dishwasher and fridge/freezer should arrive today and tomorrow with the bed on Saturday. We hope to be sleeping there by Saturday night.

Must go because the pupils will be arriving in a few minutes.
David

Coffee anyone?

It is with mixed feelings that I have to report that I have found a stockist of Douwe Egberts Continental Gold Coffee, the brand I drank at home. With excitement building I reached up to the shelf to check that it was indeed the same stuff. Bingo, the very same. A quick check of the label revealed that the big jar costs only BD 6.300. How much is that again? Remember the formula if you will to convert to pounds. Double it and take ten percent back off so that's, let me see, two times 6.3 is £12.60 take off £1.26 is a mere £11.34 a jar. Mind you it is the big jar. Needless to say I didn't like it that much and the jars are all still on the shelf.
Ah well the gruel tastes much better now.
D

One Month Down

Hi Folks, that's the first month in and we are still enjoying life here. The weather is still fantastic with little or no sign of it cooling off. It's still 38 during the day and 30 at night. I am pleased to report that Sheila's hairdo was a success. I am sure you will all have been anxiously awaiting the outcome! Next job is to find a decent barber for me. I beleive the going rate is about 500 Fils so that's about 90p. I am not sure exactly what to expect for 90p. I give a bigger tip than that in Kirkcaldy.

Our internet deal here at this apartment finishes tonight and I am not renewing for another month when we will only be here for another week. Their daily rate is extortionate so you might not hear from us as often. I'll try you keep you posted from school or using my mobile to update the blog. We cant get permanent internet in to the villa until our residency permit comes through and that could be some time yet. Pay day tomorrow. I must remember to take a wheelbarrow as we get paid in cash. You can't open a bank account here either till your residency papers are processed. It is apparently a process that cannot be rushed. Not because it takes a long time but just because they process them when they are good and ready and not before! The saying here is Inshallah which literally means "God willing" but really means, "if and when I get around to it".

Cheers for now.
David and Sheila

Plan B comes to fruition

Plan B swung into operation this morning and, with somewhat less than military precision, the sofa set was finally delivered to the villa. It probably would have helped a little if I had given them the correct name for the compound. That reminds me, I better go back to the shop where we bought the bed set and tell them what the correct address is too. It might help their delivery men when the time comes. Woops!

We are just enjoying a wee lunch break and getting ready for todays further adventures. Sheila makes her first visit to the hairdresser today. I think she is more than a little concerned about getting her instructions over to the hairdresser. Apparently it is frought with danger here in Bahrain. I think that if you find a good hairdresser you keep it to yourself. We'll see if the lady recommended comes up with the goods. If not, don't expect any pictures!

The villa is looking fine and the workmen are carrying out the repairs and redecoration to the standard promised and expected so we are pleased with that. We picked the carpet today from four samples which were all numbered but they were really so similar that we wont be able to tell whether we got the one we picked or not! To be fair any one of them would do. The date for moving is still next Saturday after the bed is delivered.

Ding dong, the men maids have arrived. See ya
D

Sometimes you just know things won't go your way!

Well I was correct to suspect that things would not go smoothly. The wee man with the wee van didn't make it to the address so the sofa set is still where it was last night. We are a little further forward because I WAS at the pick up point and I tried to get the man with the sofa to phone the man with the van to see if they could communicate without dum dum in the middle. Alas that plan didn't work because van man didn't answer his phone. Sofa man then phoned his pal and arranged the transport for tomorrow so its back on for a re-run tomorrow. Watch this space.

Home Centre had a 25% discount on today so we just thought, blow it, we'll have some new stuff and get the store to deliver so we bought a new bed, dresser and side tables for our bedroom. Let's hope that goes smoothly. It is another magnificent day. We are really looking forward to moving into the villa so that we can spend a short time each day out in the sunshine to build up our tan. Whatever else you think about Bahrain the weather is awesome.
Cheers for now
David

Fingers crossed

Picture the scene if you will. There is a man who speaks little English but to be fair it is much much better than my Arabic. He owns a lovely white leather suite which he agrees to sell to a friendly Scotsman who has recently arrived in Bahrain and has a villa to furnish. This man lives at  Flat #12 Building #1123 Road #1324 Block #111 Al Hidd!

There is another man who speaks quite good English and he has the keys to a villa in Budaiya some 15km distance from Al Hidd where a new tennant is soon to take up residence but he is not at that address all the time.

There is a third man who owns a natty line in removals vans but he speaks only basic English and can only do pickups and deliveries between prayer sessions at various times in the day. The problem is that this friendly Scot, to whom I made reference earlier, has had to try for hours and hours to arrange a happy coincidence of events whereby the said white leather suite is transferred (safely) between the two aforementioned addresses!

Please keep your fingers, and any other available appendages crossed. The weekend is here again. Don't you just love when the weekend arrives a day early!

Not sure whether I will sleep tonight.
D

The Spittals meet the Royalty

Today one of the Princes of Saudi Arabia visited the school and came into my physics class. I was introduced to a Royal Prince and shook his hand. "How do you do Mr Dave", he said. A Royal Prince calling me Mr Dave, how cool is that? I have just finished a bit of private tutoring at £36 per hour (tax free remember) and there is lots more where that came from if I want it. I could easily do 2 sessions per evening at that rate if I wanted the work. I am not sure how much time I want to devote to private work though so we will wait and see. It's the son of one of the teachers here who goes to another school on the island. I didnt really want to refuse and the money will come in handy!

By the way, it is worthy of note that I saw clouds again today! They just scudded across the sky but it was lovely to see their white fluffyness as they passed on by. Sheila is working late at a meeting so I am just waiting for her now.

Bye for now
David

Another day another Dinar

the good thing about starting work on a Sunday is that when Monday is over you feel you are about half way through the week! Won't be long ti the first pay day comes round so at least that makes next Sunday something to look forward to. they have started work on the villa. It is good to have our friend Liam on site because he will keep them on their toes and keep us posted. We agreed the deal on a sofa set last night so we should at least have something to sit on! Maybe best get a bed organised too. Still pencilled in for 1 Oct by which time I also have to have another car organised or extend the rental on the one I have got. I am not sure which will happen.

The cushions are not part of the deal so ideas about what goes well with white leather will be greatfully received. I think by the smell that the macaroni and cheese is about ready. Never let it be said that the Spittals are slumming it out there in Bahrain but we'll have to watch the Fils (1000 Fills = 1 Dinar = £1.80)  and the Dinars will look after themselves.

Correct about the macaroni, ta ta for now.

D

Wish I had brought my baffies!

I suppose it had to happen. I always wore my baffies in Scotland ever since I stubbed my toe seriously and was in great pain. Well last night I was up in the middle of the night when it was still dark and I walked into a chair. I think my toe is broken and its certainly not the correct colour. I will definitely be wearing something from now on. Once bitten, twice bitten as they dont say! Wondered why I didn't get many emails today from the physics egroup that I am a member of. then I remembered, this is SUNDAY. I wonder how long it will take for us to get used to Sunday being the first day back at work. It still feels like a Monday.
Tea bell is ringing. Bye for now.
D

House agreed

That's the house we found agreed with the landlord. We have discussed the list of jobs that need attended to and he has agreed to all of them. He will draw up the paperwork and produce the rental contract which we will get in the next couple of days for perusal before signing. That will give us time to have someone from the school look over it before we sign.

Sheila is feeling much better today. Her sniffles are a lot less sniffly than they were yesterday. Needless to say its another glorious day so we are off out up to the airport to try to sort out our flights for the Christmas break. Sorry to mention the "C" word but its not that far away so if you havent started shopping yet then its high time you had! It is a bit cooler today. The maximum is likely to be only 38 degrees cooling down to 30 at night. Y'all have a nice day now.
D&S

One for Nicola

Hi guys, just to let you know that there IS an ice rink on the island and we now know how to get there. Nicola could maybe get a job here coaching whilst out on holiday!

I was going to take a picture of the inside but there was some kind of ice disco ongoing at the time.

Sheila is a little under the weather today having got a dose of the sniffles. I think she lay too long in the air conditioning draught! We bought a new iron todasy and I have tested it out. It works so I shouldn't need to touch it again! The deal on the house should be finalised tomorrow all being well then its back to work on Sunday. It still feels a bit weird going to work on a Sunday but I suppose we'll get used to it eventually. It's great when it comes to Thursday though. Now started the search for a car deal to replace the hire car we got for the first month. We plan to lease one for 9 months or so to take us up to the summer holidays but it will depend on availabilty and cost. I am hoping to get something a bit bigger and more comfortable. I am not sure what Sheila thinks of that! Watch this space.

D&S

Special message for Ashley

Thanks for the messages received re Sheila's job. Our internet connection has only managed about half an hour today. Will be claiming a refund he this continues. Have a great holiday ashley while we are flogging our proverbial insides out here. At least you should be nearer to our temperature. I hope this phone connects or all this typing was a complete waste of time. Cheers for now dad.

Exciting new development

Sheila has today been offcially appointed as Personal Assistant to the Head of the School as his previous PA is not returning due to illness. The Head himself is taking a sabbatical due to family circumstances and so in effect Sheila will be working for the Depute who is acting Head. She has been awarded an excellent salary and so we are feeling pretty fortunate to have landed so lucky. There is one fly in the ointment in that the post does not automatically attract the full holiday allocation that a teacher receives and we are going to have to try to negotiate something. We may not be able to return to Scotland as often as planned or for such lengthy periods as planned. On the bright side we will have more money than expected and should be able to make our stay here worthwhile, however long it lasts.

We are to confirm the house rental this weekend and we hope to be in at the start of October. The landlord has accepted all of the things on our list of improvements needed and is starting work right away on preparing it for our occupancy. Just to confirm its a 4 bedroom villa with a roof terrace and small garden. It has a communal pool a few paces from the garden gate and a driveway with electric garage door to access the property from outside the compound. It should be ready to receive visitors almost immediately. You tell us your coming and we'll have a bed ready. Dont bother with a winter jumper! Remember you are all very welcome. Get those tickets booked, KLM Edinburgh to Amsterdam to Bahrain (and back remember!!)

The hunt for furniture starts in earnest this weekend. We want to have everything ready for move in date if we can. The landlord has agreed to prepare the downstairs bedroom first so that we can have furniture delivered and stored there before we move in. All in all an exciting chapter in the Bahrain Adventure.
Off to the shops now.
David and Sheila

Is the house hunting over?

Today we saw the villa that was recommended by Liam and Andrea. It turns out that it is a 4 bedroom and not a 3 bed as we thought. There is a fourth bedroom on the ground floor which could be used as a study or whatever. The house has a roof terrace and a small garden with a driveway and carport. Unusually the carport is accessed via an electric garage door from outside the compound on the adjacent street. This is ideal. The pool is literally 15 paces from the front door and there is a massive palm tree in the small garden. You might image that doesnt leave a lot of room for other stuff! The closeness of the pool means that changing in the house will be easy and removes any hassle out of going to the pool. It is almost like having a private pool and since there are only 16 houses on the compound the pool does not get heavy useage. Liam reckons there are really only about 3 or 4 households who use it. There is room in the garden for a table and chairs although we might use the roof for eating out. The house is to have a complete repaint and new carpets fitted on the stairs and bedrooms before we move in so we are not sure exactly when that will be. The kitchen is a bit basic but it is adequate and something has to give if the price is low. We feel that the price, the recommendation on landlord quality and the proximity of friendly faces in Liam and Andrea is worth sacrificing a little on the newness and flashness compared to some of the properties we have seen. Liam and Andrea have been here for a few years and they know what's what. They will be great neighbours to have around if we find we need something.

The house hunt is now turning to a furniture hunt. We need everything from a suite to a T spoon so we need to get along to the home centre and start choosing. We can get all the big stuff second hand although we will buy a new washing maching and dishwasher. The water here contains salts which apparently rust appliances so second hand seems a bit of a risk. Prices are very similar to UK for white goods and there are loads of bargain stores for dishes and cutlery and the small stuff.

Will post some photos of the house when we get in. From the pool side you can hardly see the villa for palm tree!!! The deal is not signed sealed and delivered yet but it looks pretty certain that we will take it.

Cheers for now
David and Sheila

Down on the beach

Went to the beach today just near the school. It looks a bit deserted and that's because, as the saying goes, only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun!

I ventured out of the car for long enough to dip a foot into the sea to test the temperature. Guess what? Yep like a bath. I bet you are getting a bit bored with this now!

D

Mystery Solved

Do you recall I was a bit mystified about how they determine the end of Ramadan? One of the Muslim pupils told me it was dependent on the sighting of the full moon. This intruiged me because I know there is no doubt about when the full moon will be and there is even less doubt that you will see it here in Bahrain because there are never any clouds. Last night we were out to dinner at a friends villa and we went for a pre-dinner dip in the bath, oops I mean pool. It was really like a bath, none of this easing yourself in gently nonsense. Even sheila just bailed straight in!. Anyway to get back to the story, I was in the pool and it was just getting dark when I noticed peeping over the top of the building a beautiful crescent moon. It was then I realised that it is the sighting of the NEW moon not the full moon that determines the end of Ramadan. (Physics lesson 2 coming up - ignore if knowledgeable). You can never see a NEW moon (except during an eclipse) because it is on the same side of earth as the sun and it sets with the sun. The next day it sets a little behind the sun and you MIGHT see it. Next day a little later and it appears as a crescent, each day setting a little later and getting a little bigger until it is full. So the moral of the story is that Ramadan ends after the first sighting of the new moon whichever day that occurs. End of physics lesson 2 and end of mystery. By the way dinner was absolutely delicious. Rachel's hubby is french and a bit of an amateur cordon blue chef. He called it beef Bourgigno... burgenio .... bourgi ... we would probably call it stew but it was fantastic. We'll have to do our level best when they came to us!
Cheers for now
David

Housing update

Just back from house-hunting and Sheila is having a resting moment. We saw a few properties none of which was ideal. We then got a call from Liam, the husband of one of Sheila's office colleagues Andrea, who told us a villa on their complex had just become available. It is an older style house and is not much to look at from outside but it is right beside the communal pool and is well located for travel to school. Apparently the landlord is excellent and Liam and Andrea have been in theirs for several years. Apart from the recommendation on the landlord it has one other major factor going for it. It's cheap! If we let our heads rule our hearts here we can get the villa and a car for the cost of some of the villas we have looked at. We haven't seen inside it yet but we did get to look round Liam and Andrea's. We think it could be really nice and since one of the objects of the exercise here is to return with a few Dinars in the hip pocket we might just give this one a whirl. We are waiting to get the keys to have a look round. Haven't ruled out some others yet so watch this space.
D&S

The house hunt re-starts

Today we are off house hunting again. The three (yes three) man maids have arrived to clean the apartment we are in. Is it wise to move form there I hear you ask? Three man maids cleaning and scrubbing like little terriers! Most of the jobs seem to be done by men here. I am not sure what percentage of women work but all of the jobs you would (rightly or wrongly) associate with women in the UK are done by men here. Receptionists, cleaners etc. there are quite a few women working in the shops though.

We are off to see another couple of villas before we decide on where to live. We are beginning to think the luxury 2 up 2 down apartment might be back in the running if we can get the downstairs one when the woman there moves to one of the villas when it becomes ready. We can move to the upstairs one temporarily and then move down when she moves. Much pondering lies ahead. It was a REALLY nice house. The rooms were big enough to have a golf practice range in the spare bedroom. The ceilings are high and you could definitely swing a club!!! I am a little unsure what the owner of the place might think though.

By the way, it is sunny again today. I am beginning to think those clouds we saw were a figment of my imagination. I am glad I got a photograph.

Cheers for now
D&S

End of Ramadan means start of the holidays - already!

Well that's Ramadan over for another year. All the shops are back to normal, all eating establishments are open and people are eating again in public. Its amazing how we have gone from knowing nothing at all about the culture here to starting to understand. I am not sure we will ever get used to the chanting prayers that belt from the mosque loudspeakers throughout the day and night. The weather is once again sunny and hot just as you would want it for the holidays. Apparently we shouldnt expect much change until into October. I can't really understand why they have a weather forecast on the telly every night. Maybe it's the same recording over and over. They could record the full week in one day and then go home.

Might do some island exploring this week. I am getting more comfortable with the navigation and that makes travel a whole load easier. Now at least I know what side of the road I should be on which is more than can be said for some of the locals!

It will soon be your weekend so enjoy.
D&S

The best laid plans etc etc

A chance remark at school today led me to a person who lived in the very villas we were about to rent. He advised us in the strongest terms to avoid that complex. Although the villas are very nice there are issues which I wont reveal on this blog but which led us to cancel our reservation. So we are back to the drawing board and on the search again. Whilst it is a great disappointment it is much better to find out the day BEFORE we sign a lease than the day AFTER!

Onward and upward, still smiling. After all the sun is shining and its hot hot hot. Going for dinner at a colleagues tomorrow night.

D&S

Shorter link to the house map

http://tinyurl.com/36o2fcg

Some people have reported the big link doesnt work. Try this one instead. Its a sattelite link so that you can see where on the island we will be. You can zoom out or in.

New house

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=bahrain&hl=en&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bahrain&gl=uk&ei=UZuHTL_mM4LqvQOgpeiWBA&sqi=2&ved=0CCMQ8gEwAA&ll=26.192759,50.503185&spn=0.002123,0.005262&t=h&z=18

The link above should take you to the image that contains our villa. It should be right in the middle of the picture. Ours is the third up on the left hand row. It looks like the two swimming pools are side by side but theres an 8 foot wall in between them. There's a car right outside the front door.
D

Holiday or not holiday, that is the question!

Here we are at the end of the first full week with the pupils back in school, or are we. We are due to be on holiday for the first three days of next week, i.e. Sun Mon Tue. This is the Eid (pronounced EED) holiday to mark the end of Ramadan. The only problem is that Eid depends on the sighting of the full moon (there's slightly more to it than that but I dont fully understand) and we are unsure when that will happen. It will be tonight or tomorrow night. The three days holidays start when the moon is sighted and if that is tonight that means that tomorrow is the first holiday! Imagine that in Scotland. Telling parents that tomorrow might or might not be a holiday. So we'll just have to wait and see I suppose. The school sends out a text message if tomorrow is the first day of Eid and all of the pupils and staff stay at home. Of course if tomorrow IS the holiday we go back on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. I hope the moon remains elusive tonight, I only teach two periods on a Thursday!!!

We have been invited out to dinner at the home of one of the biology teachers Rachel Quandalle some time during the holiday. She lives with her French husband and kids in a villa near to our new one and she has kindly offered to show us round the area and all the shortcuts to the shops. I suggested that Sheila will probably find those pretty quickly without assistance, thanks very much. She is taking her kids during the holiday to the Lost Paradise of Dilmun and suggested we might tag along. LPoD (lost Paradise .... you get the idea) is Bahrain's equivalent of Typhoon Lagoon in Florida. Its a water theme park with lots of rides and stuff. We will go along to that because we wanted to check that out before our first visitors arrive. It's too hot to play golf yet anyway. We are going to leave golf for a month or so until the temperatures get low enough to stay out in them for 3 hrs.

There are apparently some second hand shops that deliver large furniture so we might check one of those out tonight.

Cheers for now
David and Sheila

House found

Well that's us just agreed a deal for the rental of our house. Its a 3 bedroom, 2 ensuite + guest bathroom, villa with its own private pool. We lost the one we originally planned to take near the school but this one is identical only a little further away. he who hesitates ....., what's fur ye'll no go bye ye! It doesnt look much from outside but it is pretty big inside.

We are very pleased but since its not furnished other than white goods we must now set about getting some furniture. There are plenty second hand deals around so we start scouring now.

The deal may allow us to move in before our month is up if we can get some furniture arranged. We'll just start with the basics and add as we need to. We promise to get a proper bed for the spare room(s) in time for our first visitors. Could that be you?

Around the corner from the pool is a private patio area with table and chairs and it is under a large canopy. The above pictures are off the website. I'll take my own full set as soon as we get access. The boss has called a meeting at 7.30am tomorrow. I hope it's not to tell me to pack my bags!

D&S

Teaching day two

Well thats day two of this teaching malarkey in. All was well and the students great. They seem to manage fine with my accent, they do encounter a huge variety in a day. Enjoyed our meal out last night and starting to look forward to the holidays! We have three days off next week to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Using my phone as internet down again. Hopefully final house viewing tomorrow before we decide. Best to all D and S.

Teacher's Paradise

Well I have now met the some of the children and I can only say that this is how a school should be. the pupils are polite and respectful and very well truned out with almost perfect uniform. They do still enjoy themselves and those that I saw seemed to respond well to my style. They understand my English pretty well and little moderation is needed. I have no doubt that there will be a few individuals who a little more guidance but on the whole they seem tremendous.

It's our 29th Anniversary today so we might go out for tea. We remembered to say happy anniversary to each other about 1pm in the staffroom. Thanks for the congratulatory texts. We have found a Ponderosa Steakhouse like we visited and loved in America so we might give that a try later.

Bye for now
David and Sheila

UFOs sighted above Bahrain

I got up quite early this morning and had my customary look out of the window just to see what was what. I noticed several objects in the sky just sort of hovvering in the distance. I ran to get my camera and fortunately they were still there when I got back. I managed to get pretty clear photos and before I send them to the press I thought you might take a look and see if you can tell me what it is. They are quite big and white coloured. They have different shapes and sizes.

More house viewing planned today. See y'all later.

David (Sheila is not up yet - she better be careful, she might miss the good weather!)

The new school in all its glory

Here is a picture I snapped from a point about midway between the house we think we want and the school. It shows pretty much the whole school. My lab is on the top floor, far side and cant be seen from this angle.

The main teaching block is a big V shape to the right of this picture. One leg of the V is pretty much coming toward us and the centre is at the three small black windows. The large blue section is the cafeteria and the white bit beside that is the library (which as yet has no books in it!).  There are lots and lots of books in the school but they are not yet located in the library because  there wasn't one in the old school.

This next picture is real cool. It is of the wall beside the school entrance gate. Look carefully at the bit where it says BRITISH SCHOOL at the bottom. It appears to say it twice but the bottom one is a shadow! The observant amongst you will realise how high in the sky the sun must be to cast such a shadow. The top set of letters (the only ones really) stick out of the wall about 3 cm only yet the shadow is almost completely visible. (Apologies for the physics lesson but I can't help it). The picture was taken very close to midday. It was el scorchio believe me, but I braved it for you to see.

Cheers for now

David and Sheila

House viewing update

Been out on a viewing session and saw both extremes of what our money can buy. The one we had our eye on is very, very nice and is very close to the school. It would probably be walkable in the cooler weather and only 2 mins drive. It had its own small pool and a covered patio area. The water in the pool was like a bath and its not heated! The viewing lady then took us to see an apartment in a block of two up and two down. It is brand new and not quite finished - so we can choose the floor coverings and blinds etc! It was truly awesome inside but being an apartment was a bit lacking in outside space with only a couple of balconies. We have still got others to view but feel sure we are going to get a really nice property. We have lots of looking to do and are not rushing in, tempting as it was.

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend.
David and Sheila

Happy Birthday

Today sees our 4th day in school and the birthday of our nephew Stephen Robertson, Happy Birthday Stephen, look out for a special postman in disguise. Eleven today, I bet it makes Judith and Colin feel ancient (which of course they are!). Only one day to go before the weekend (remember our weekend is Friday Saturday). Its been a tiring but enjoyable week. We get the pupils back next Sunday so that will open a new chapter.

We have arranged for the estate agent lady to take us to see that villa we saw on the internet. She says it is beautiful but then she would say that! Watch this space. We will let you know what we think.

That's my tea ready so I better go.
Ta ta for now.