Last game of 2011

Test message from new phone. This was our last game of 2011. The weather was a bit iffy as you can see. Our fancy dress match has been cancelled because there was not enough names to make it worthwhile.
To Andrew Maggi Matthew and Claire, happy new year already. To the rest of you happy new year when it comes.
David and Sheila

"Home" again

Yesterday was a day of travel and today finds us back in Bahrain. The weather? Well I am delighted to say it is fine and dry. The temperature when we landed was 17 degrees (8pm local time). Its now 8 am and the sun is shining. Its still 5am as far as our body is concerned so it might be some time yet before Sheila surfaces.

We have now flown British Airways, Emirates and KLM and find there is really not much to choose. Emirates is definitely the best cuisine and service but their route (Dubai and Glasgow) is much less convenient. BA (London Edinburgh) and KLM (Amsterdam Edinburgh) are pretty much of a muchness as they say. There is little to choose between them in terms of food and route. I would say KLM has a better on board entertainment system because you can choose to start a film whenever you want whereas BA was a fixed rolling programme and you didnt know when things would start. I suppose when we fly again next we'll take everything into consideration and go for the one thats cheapest, as we always do!!!

We will probably pop down to the golf today and then we must visit the supermarket to restock the fridge. I think I can post directly from my new mobile to the blog so I'll give it a try sometime today. If that's the case you might get a few more pictures as it will be much easier. Its only a 2 megapixel camera though so dont be expecting stupendous quality.

It was great catching up with the family and enjoying our New Year steak pie a few days early. It is worth every penny of the flight money for Barbara's steak pie alone. Thanks Babs, much appreciated. It was great to get the guitar out again with Alex and John and play a few old favourites mixed in with some new "experiments". I have left it with them to get us a summer gig or two.

OK breakfast time. I hope the weather is kind to you for the rest of the winter.
David and Sheila

Holiday begins for real

Today we arrived back in sunny Scotland. Look us up if you can.

The Russell Cup

This weekend was the Russell Cup weekend. It is a two day strokeplay competition with a Medal each day for the best scratch score. The best scratch score on Friday was a 72 (2 over par). What did I score? 72. The best scratch score on Saturday was 71 (1 over par). What did I score? 71. You must have won both Medals, well done. Nope! You must at least have won one medal then? Nope. On both counts I lost on countback. Amazing or what. The consolation was that it was a different person on each day that won the medal so I did win the Russell Cup for the best combined score. I then discovered that it is the "Club Championship" and so I am the official Club Champion for 2011! Photo to follow. Can you see the smile from there?
Need to get some beauty sleep before work tomorrow. It's our celebration of Bahrain National Day (Officially 16th Dec) so its traditional arabic dress or red and white.

Cheers for now
David
Awali Golf Club Champion

Day/Night Golf

Yesterday saw the rescheduled Day/Night golf challenge take place. It was a pairs event so naturally we entered together. The first 7 holes were played in daylight and then the same 7 holes repeated in the dark. The balls were illuminated and there were a few runway-type markers beside the greens to show where they were. The hole had an illuminated ring inside and the flagstick had a light on it. All very interesting. The format was fourball so that means each team plays alternate shots with the same ball.

We started off quite slowly and then reached the par 3 which for us was our 5th hole of the 14. It was my turn on the tee shot and I played a beauty into about 12 feet. It was a nearest the pin hole and I was at that time nearest. Sheila then promptly putted it into the hole for a 2 (nett 1 with our handicap deducted). A magic 2. From that point on we played great. It's definitely the best Sheila has ever played and after the break we played great in the dark. We finished with 29 stableford points and managed to finish 3rd overall. Incidentally my nearest the pin was never beaten so we won that too. Our haul included two bottles of whisky (Dave and Babs - we need you to come and help us polish those off because they go off if they lie too long!!!!), two beer glasses, two foam bottle holders, two christmas stockings full of goodies some of which might find their way under the Christmas tree - never look a gift horse in the mouth - and finally a cool bag. Not bad eh!

We are playing the big grass course at Riffa today so I better go and get ready.

Cheers for now
David

We're going soft!

OK, ok we are going soft I know. We had to put the heater on last night because it has turned "cold" here. Winter has truly set in. Its amazing how chilly it feels when the sun doesn't shine. We have had a couple of rainy/cloudy days and the temperature has dropped to about 12 degrees. The locals are struggling to cope and we are feeling the "nip in the air". Let's hope it doesnt last too long. The golf is cancelled this weekend because the course is still waterlogged. The "fairways" will really be fairways when we get back. It's astonishing to see how quickly the green plants shoot up from what was dry baked ground. The seeds obviously just lie there waiting patiently for the opportunity and when the rains arrive they waste no time in sprouting. I will try to take a picture or two when we get back on course.

We are on holiday on Monday and Tuesday this week so its school on Sunday, holiday Mon Tue and then school Wed and Thu. Then we only have four and a half days school before the Christmas hols.

We are due to play Riffa Royal Golf Club on Monday. It will be Sheila's first go on a Championship course. We need to use up my "free" tickets. If you recall some time ago I was given a free round after being invited to the member/guest day and then we got a free voucher when we bought our new putters from the golf shop. £240 worth of golf for free. Lets hope the sun shines on Monday because its still VERY pleasant when it does. It's what you would call "perfect" weather when the sun is out.

We just found out last night that the golf competition that we were due to play on Saturday this week has been rescheduled for .... yes you guessed, Monday (if the course is open by then). It is the "Day/Night Golf". We play 7 holes in the afternoon (after our 18 holes at Riffa) get a quick sandwich and then we play 7 holes at night then we get a meal. Now I know what you are thinking. It will be DARK at night!!! Correct. And there are no floodlights at Awali!!! Correct. So you won't see where you are going or where the ball goes!!!! Incorrect. The course, or at least 7 holes of it will have had small airport runway guide lights strategically placed on it and the BALLS LIGHT UP so that you can see them. The guide lights let you know WHERE you are and where you are going but you can't actually SEE where you are or where you are going. We saw them playing this competition last year before we were members so thought we would put our names up this year. Should be fun. We will be ready for bed on Monday night I am sure. Good job Tuesday is also a holiday. We'll need it to recover.

So a weekend with no golf ahead. I suppose we'll do a bit of our own Christmas shopping, maybe see if we can find a few special items to bring back.

TTFN
David

Night out with a difference

Tonight we are just back from a St Andrew's Night evening in the company of the British Ambassador to Bahrain, Ian Lindsay and his wife Bridgette. Sheila (yes Sheila, not me) was invited by the Ambassador to share cocktails and nibbles to celebrate St Andrew's night and I was also asked to tag along. He is Scottish but is planning similar events for St Patrick's, St David's and St George's Days. It was a great experience visiting the British Embassy and relaxing in in the company of selected other Scots who live here on the island.

It has been raining here again and the weekend golf looks in jeopardy again. Glum faces all round. Fingers crossed for some sunshine and wind to dry things out.

Cheers for now
David

Long Weekend

Its the weekend once again and this one is a bit special because it incorporates Al Hijra which is the first day of the Islamic New Year and so is a holiday. This weekend is also the Bahrain Ladies Open golf championships at Awali and we have agreed to help with the official scoring. It is the ladies equivalent of what I played in a few weeks ago. That means we wont be able to play golf this weekend until Sunday.

The weather has cooled considerably and rain has threatened a couple of times. I am not sure what the temperature actually is but I can tell you that its perfect. It is still very warm in the sunshine, mild if the sun is behind could and cool bordering on chilly in the evening, especially if there is a breeze blowing.

It will not be long now until we are back for the Christmas Holiday. Three more working weeks I think. That will fly by and we will be homeward bound again. We are flying British Airways for the first time so we'll see what thats like. It involves a transfer between terminals at Heathrow so fingers crossed for that. I hear that lots of baggage goes missing but I think most of the passengers make it!!!!

I think you may have seen Bahrain on your news again for the past couple of nights. There have been a few protests over the past couple of nights to coincide with "World protest day" or something like that. There has been a lots of tyre burning on the road and explosions of gas cannisters. The cannisters make an almighty bang but I dont think they do much damage. The teachers who live roughly in the area where we used to live have had lots of disturbance by these explosions but we have heard absolutely nothing in our new home. It is very peaceful down here. Once again I hear that the BBC are sensationalising their reporting and making it out to be much, much worse than it is.

Andrea from our old compound tells us that the brothers who owned it appear to have fallen out and they are building a wall up the middle of the compound to split it in two! I think we may have left at just the right time although the swimming pool is apparently in the same half that our old house is in.

OK I think that's all the news for now. See you all soon.
David

The King and I

On Saturday I had the pleasure of playing golf on the King of Bahrain's personal golf course. It is in the garden of one of his palaces and could only be described as beautiful. On one side of a large wall is a dry desert environment and when you go through the security gate you find what looks like an English country garden with a nine hole golf course. The only sand in sight is in the bunkers and I am happy to say I spent no time in there. I played OK considering it is the first time round the course. Apart from the palm trees and the sunshine you could have been anywhere. The fish in the ponds where huge gold fish or Koi Carp. Massive they were.

I didnt take any pictures because cameras are completely banned there. If you try to tyake out a camera you are "invited to leave" the premises. I don't think its an invitation you would feel able to refuse. there were "people" lurking all over the place. I never saw the King to thank him for his hospitality but if I ever bump into him I'll be sure to thank him. It was a charity event that takes place every year.

If your ball goes into any of the ponds you are absolutely forbidden to retrieve it even if you can see it lying there right at the edge. That's because in the past someone trying to get their ball fell in and damaged the pond lining which costs thousands of dinars to say nothing about all the water disappearing. Anyway i had a lovely time and hope to be invited again next time.

This weekend is the school's International Fair so we will be attending that to help raise some money.
We had three Chelsea Pensioners in school today with their red coats on. Good job they are not here in the height of summer.

Still managing to swim every morning despite the cold water. Let's hope it pays off when I stand on the Wii Fit machine.

Hoping this finds you all well. Not long until Santa comes. I hope your shopping is up to date!
David

What a difference a day makes

Yesterday we basked in glorious sunshine and last night we were awakened by thunder and lightning. Heavy rain poured down and the lightning was flashing in the clouds more frequently than I have ever seen before, every couple of seconds repeatedly. This morning everything is soaked and I dare say the water tankers will be out collecting the water form the big puddles that form just like last year.

The rain prompted me to have a look back at the blog entries to see what date the first rain fell last year. What do you know, it was on Sunday 7th November! Today? Monday 7th November. I wonder if it always starts on 7th November. There are still some black looking clouds overhead this morning so we may not yet have seen the last of it.

I don't suppose it looks too black in the picture but it is VERY black compared to the clouds that usually occupy that spot!

Anyway we will have to invoke our wet weather plan for today ... well we would if we had ever formulated one. What can you do in warm rain?
Cheers for now
David

Playing with the King

Today I was invited to play in a competition next Saturday held on the King's own personal course. It is a nine hole grass course in the garden of one of the King's palaces. I am not exactly sure if he is there or not. Its an annual charity event where every business who donates to the charity gets to put a team into the competition. I have been invited to play for one of the teams. Excellent I say. Apparently there are only one or two opportunities a year to play on the course. there are some rules about where you are and are not allowed to go and look for your ball but apart from that its normal all the way. Lots of ponds a ducks and greenery. I suspect it wont look like Bahrain behind the palace walls. I dont think I am allowed to take a camera but I'll tell you all about it.

There were some clouds in the sky today ... but no rain yet. It is coming into the "rainy season" now. At least it shouldn't stop play on the grass course next weekend although it will be a bit disappointing if it is wet.

Cheers for now
David

That holiday feeling

It's the holidays and so I thought I would post a nice holiday snap. Just to prove that although the water is on the chilly side its definitely not too cold to get wet!

For Sheila though, it will have to wait, besides, there would be no one left to take the picture. Not sure what we have in store for the rest of the day. This was taken just before 9am as the sun starts to hit the pool. This was my third dip of the day. 20 minutes (100 diagionals) then 50 sit ups then 20 minutes jogging on Wii Fit and then back in the pool for a 5 minute warm down! And all before 6.30am. My this fitness lark is a great thing. I'll soon be nicknamed "Hen Broon".

There is a serious problem has emerged with the villa. The washing line is too high for Sheila to reach and so I have now become the "washing hinger-ooter man". I never realised how often you need to either put it out or take it in. I'll now what to look out for when we move the next time.

Anyway, its time I made a cup of coffee before the washing is dry!
David

We won, we won!

The lottery? Eh no
The premium bonds? Eh no
Our first golf tie in doubles? Eh yes!
We won our first double match. Sheila played her part using her strokes to good effect on several holes and we managed to win on the 18th. It was a close game but we were playing two men with handicaps 10 and 11 so no slouches. Anyway, Spittal's rule supreme ...... for now!

OK got some pics of the new gaff.

The pics are not that great but the gaff is!!! Loving it here, two minutes to work, no traffic no mosque man waking us every day at 4am, own private pool, luxury. Patio furniture is arriving later this week then it will be alfresco dining for the winter. Looking forward to seeing you all in the not too distant future.
David.

Bahrain Blog - New Home Edition

We are pleased to report that we are in and settled in the new villa. A bungalow! I am sitting here at 6am on the patio by the pool enjoying outdoor breakfast. It really is beautiful. the high humidity has all but gone and winter is almost upon us. It now cools down to about 23 degrees at night and reaches only 32 - 35 during the day. Perfect. although it will cool a bit yet and the locals will need to get their woolies looked out and the heaters dusted off.

Just to help you imagine my position I am sitting on one of the seats in the picture below enjoying breakfast and blogging. The garden furniture is not yet here, in fact we haven't even managed to get it ordered yet. Must get around to that soon.

The pool is obviously much smaller than the last one but it's exclusively ours. You can managed about 5 or 6 strokes across the diagonal before turning! I suppose turning is just as good exercise as swimming. I hope so anyway. I have been in every day but Sheila will almost certainly not be in it until next year some time. Unheated pools cool rapidly and it is now on the chilly side. Not like the North Sea at Arbroath you undersdtand but chilly compared to a bath. I wouldnt describe it as "take your breath away cold" but it is admittedly on the cold side of perfect. I will continue to swim every day until I decide its too cold for me too. watch this space.

I will post some more pictures of the house as I get them taken. Might get a chance to take some today after Mary has been! We have managed to get everything into some kind of order so a final clean up should see a photo opportunity. I got some of the master bedroom but havent uploaded them from the camera yet.

OK time marches on and there will be no money to maintain this house if I don't get to work so I'll wish you a short and unseasonably warm winter.
David

Busy weekend

It seems like no time at all since I was excitedly looking forward to the Bahrain Open and now it was a week ago! This weekend sees an action-packed time in the Spittal calendar. Sheila was out with the girls last night so is still tucked up in bed. I am about to get ready for the weekly golf  competition. Its sone oriental prizes this week because its the Taiwan Cup. I have actually seen the prizes because I am now on the Handicaps and Competitions Committee because one of the members had to leave the island with his work suddenly. Anyway, the prizes look nice so we'll wait and see what happens.

After that its back to Budaiya to continue moving the small items of furniture and other belongings from one house to the other. The furniture van is due tomorrow (Saturday) to move the big stuff and then we will be moved. I promise to get the camera out and let you see what the new gaff looks like.

OK showertime, be seein' ya.
David

The final result - nearly

Well as expected I didn't win the open but I was definitely not disgraced. It was won by Andrew marshall a European Tour professional with a score of 6 under par (about 15 shots better than the second placed person). It was the worst wind I have ever had to play in on both days. Hurricane just about sums it up. I am not exactly sure where I finished because they haven't published the gross scores, only the scores after handicaps were subtracted. I was 10th in the handicap list but that doesnt count. I was probably somewhere between 11th and 15th when handicaps are ignored. I did not win the car but I did win a Mizuno 5 wood and a golf glove. It was a side prize for the best net score on day 2 for someone otherwise not in the prize list so that was a little consolation prize. I am very pleased with my performance and looking forward to the next one in March

Last night also saw us wave Nicola off at the airport. Like Ashley, she too was very lucky with the weather! That only leaves us to start packing for the move next weekend. We should get the keys today or tomorrow. I'll publish some pictures soon.
David

Bahrain Open Day 1 Report

Well let me start by saying it was blowing a hooligan. I have never played in wind so strong. It was a nightmare on Awali Street. The par is 70 and I took 84 blows to get around. 14 over par! Not too good I hear you scoff, well actually I am tied for 15th place with that score which is pretty respectable in my eyes. I am only three strokes behind the tenth prize so all to play for tomorrow. Some people did manage good scores and the best was a 1 under by Andrew Marshall a European Tour Pro. That is simply awesome play in a hurricane and sand storm. I thought my legs were being sand papered.

I didnt win the car but then nobody did so I have another chance tomorrow. We'll see what that brings. Watch this space.

Meanwhile Sheila and Nicola went for lunch with Karen at the Ritz Carlton. I get Ritz crackers and they get Ritz Carlton. It's an ill divided world. Sheila did all the driving and navigation without a hitch.
David

Bahrain Open

Well tomorrow is the first day of the Bahrain Open. The day when I get to pit my wits against Bahrain's best and a few others forbye. The second round is on Saturday and it's played in reverse order, duffers first, good players out last. I am hoping I don't have too early a Tee time on Saturday. There's a car on offer for a hole in one at the sixth hole. A bit trickier than last weeks motor bike at the 12th and that wasn't won. Anyway, in for a Dinar in for a car as they say. I just hope I record a score that offers some degree of respectability. I am treating this as a dress rehearsal for the next Open in March (remember this one is really last March's open that was postponed due to the unrest at the time). I am teeing it up at 9am so fingers crossed. Let's hope the weather will be fine!!!!

This is Nicola's last weekend so we are planning to dine out tomorrow evening although Sheila and Nicola are going out for lunch with karen so might not be up for a large dinner too. We might just have to make it scrambled eggs on toast. Today was "Think Pink" day so we were all in the pink. I had my super duper pink tie on. Rather dashing I thought.

Sunday is Mole day where the chemistry staff celebrate the mole. A mole is a number used to represent a lot of atoms. Rather than saying we have 602,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms its much easier to say there is 1 Mole of atoms. If you have twice that many you have 2 moles. Easy really, get it? Its called Avogadro's number. We have our mole day T shirts to wear so I'll try to get a picture of Sheila and I resplendent in the mole gear.

OK time I was getting some much needed beauty sleep. i am not sure how well I will sleep because as usual "I'm toooo excited!" Wish me luck!
David

Vroom Vroom

OK, OK so it didn't quite go as I had planned. I had it pictured clearly in my mind, I didn't rush the shot, I took my time, prepared well and hoiked one up the right hand side missing the brown by a margin, never mind the hole. It was what might have been described by a cricket commentator as a wide!

I managed to score a scratch 74 (Net 68), to come in third in the first handicap division. The winner overall (from division 3 the high handicap division) had a net 60 eleven, yes eleven shots better than his handicap. Its about time there was a stewards enquiry. Come on ELEVEN shots better. I would have had to shoot scratch 5 under par to even draw with that. Its not sour grapes, honest! The winner almost always comes from the highest handicap divisions. They are supposed to be the duffers.

I did manage to pick up 50 US dollars in prize money although goodness only knows what I'll do with those. It's hardly worth cashing in I fear. The sponsor was an American company and all prizes were in USD.

Cheers for now, I'll just have to wait for next year to get my bike (which wasn't won - unsurprisingly)

David

Time flies

It is a well known fact that time flies when you are enjoying yourself and I must say this week has flown in. Nicola is with us and has already been here for nearly a week. She has been in school a couple of days working with the little people in Kindergarten. I think she found it amazing. Not that the children are significantly different, nor that the activities they do are any different but that when it comes to tidying up ... that's where it is very different. Nicola asked one of the regular staff which of the cloths she should use to wipe up (they are all colour coded in Scotland you know ... blue for the paint table ... yellow for the snack table and so on). The regular teacher smiled and said, "no no, the cleaners come in and do that". Apparently the little mites have an army of cleaners who come in and wash the paint pots and tidy up all of the mess. It's always more fun making mess when someone else is cleaning up. Anyway, i think she enjoyed her visit.


Today is the day I pick up the keys for my new Harley Davidson motor bike. I am not exactly sure which model I am getting but Sheila says she hopes it is one with the big comfy seats on the back or she wont be on it. I think it will be great fun whizzing about in the hot air ... I can't wait. I have just one little job to do before I get delivery, that is I have to hole my tee shot at the twelvth hole today. I have never had a hole in one before at least not one that counts. I holed in one at the fifth at Glenrothes once but it was in the winter time when we were on a temporary green and tee and it wasn't in a competition. It was witnessed though! Anyway, today's the day. I have visualised the shot many times so nothing can go wrong. I know you'll all be anxious to hear how I got on so I'll post a picture of the bike as soon as I get it home.

Just a couple of weeks now until we get the keys for the new pad. We have been looking at outdoor furniture for eating out by the poolside. We are really looking forward to that. As usual we are finding it a bit difficult to choose the stuff. I have no idea how we have come to be still married after all this time. We have completely different ideas on what we like. I suppose it boils down to my regular utterance of the phrase "OK we'll go for the one you like dear, after all it is clearly the best, and good value too".I sometimes get to choose, at least I THINK I sometimes get to choose!

OK there's work to be done so I better go now. Remember to pop back soon for a full description of my hole in one shot to be played later today.
David

Absolutely gutted!

I can't believe it. I watched the rugby today and England got beat. I am so distraught that I might just have to watch it again to make sure when they re-run it. I thought England were so unfortunate, they played really well and France were so lucky. It is such a shame. I thought they were going to win the cup too. Never mind .... better luck next time. I am surprised you couldn't hear me cheering from Scotland.

Viva la France
David

Weekly News

Another week is over and its the weekend again.I am listening to Radio Scotland on my digital radio and it feels like home, except when I look out of the window. The weather was very windy a couple of days ago and it appears to have blown the hot humid air away and left behind hot dry air. It has "cooled" down to about 35 degrees. Today at the golf it was absolutely beautiful. It was the first round of the knockout championship today. Do you recall I said I had to give away 13 shots. Always a difficult task, you remember I said that. Well it was indeed a difficult task but I did in fact manage to win so I am through to the next round. I played 17 holes in two over par and managed to win 2 up with 1 to play. The guy then birdied the 18th (although the game was over by then). It was a pretty close shave. i suppose that should always be the case in in a handicap competition. Every match should end all square if the handicaps are correct.

We had a pretty ordinary week excpet that Sheila is now a year older. She is the same as me for the next few months. The "cooler" weather should suit Nicola if it lasts. We have made arrangements for her to meet the skating coach here and she is to visit the school nursery. All-in-all a busman's holiday.

Next week is one of the big prize competitions at the club. Believe it or not there is a brand new Harley Davidson motor bike on offer next week for a hole in one at the 12th hole. Its a par three about 200 yards long. That will be interesting although I am usually struggling to get it on the brown (green) never mind in the hole. Still I will give it my best shot. There are lots of prizes but to get one you have to (a) win and (b) be at the presentation at night. If you are not there you don't get your prize so it's worth hanging around. Guess what Nicola will be doing next Friday night.

OK enough for now
David

The Perfect Solution

Last week I was at the Middle East oil exhibition with some physics students looking at physicsy things. As usual there were loads of free gifts being dished out and I managed to get my hands on, amongst other things, two USB memory sticks. Very useful I hear you say. Very, I say.

The special thing about these memory sticks was that they came in small metal tins with a little window in the lid and the tins were two different sizes. Now I don't expect the women readers to understand but all men will be thinking, wow, how useful is that. Two little tins with windows in the lid, they'll come in handy. The excitement starts to build as you try to envisage what might go in there. If nothing else they will make a welcome addition to the "man drawer".

Anyway, women being women and Sheila being as woman as they come states that there is no usefulness in such an item and suggests the bin. Aghast I reply, "no way, they'll be handy for something". She says, "if you haven't found a GOOD use for them before we move they are in the bin".

OK challenge set, I KNOW I will find a good use before then. I made a few tentative suggestions all of which were poo pooed and then, I am very proud to announce, I found the perfect solution. It was so good I decided I had to share it with you all and I took a picture for posterity. You'll see the perfect solution below

What goes in the big tin?

The little tin!!!!
PERFECT!!

Must get ready for work now, contented and happy, the tins are safe. Better ideas may be submitted on the back of a BD20 note.
David

Holiday Over

Well that's Ashley's holiday over. We deposited her at the airport late last night and as I type she should be soon arriving in Amsterdam. We really enjoyed having her here and can now start looking forward to Nicola's visit. Who's next? We visited the Grand Mosque yesterday. It is a pretty impressive building and is surprisingly modest inside. You really expect large religous buidlings to be very lavishly decorated but it is spectacular in an understated sort of way. The chandelier is the only really ornate thing. We had a guided tour and it was a good experience.

Friday's golf went reasonably well. I scored 78 which is pretty good for most but one too many for me. Handicap increased by 0.1. Next week is the first round of the knockout singles. I have been drawn against a 19 handicapper so I will have to give him 13 shots. Let's hope he plays like a 19 handicapper because that's a lot of shots to give away. I will have to be on top form. Its now only three weeks to the re-scheduled Bahrain Open. Sort of like the British Open only on a smaller scale! Amateurs and professionals together in the draw. The professionals who play are not tour professionals but club pros from around the Middle East and sometimes friends of our club pro who come here from UK. Should be good fun. Two rounds, one on the Friday and one on the Saturday. Friday is an all in draw and Saturday the play is in reverse order. Worst score from Friday plays first and best plays last. Let's hope I dont have too early a tee time on Saturday!!!!

OK is back to work again today. We need to start thinking about our move of villa and get prepared for that. We can start to pack up all the little things. It's almost unbelieveable how much stuff you can accumulate in a year!

Cheers for now
David and Sheila

200th Blog Post

Hi y'all, it appears that this is my 200th blog post. How time flies when you are enjoying yourself. We have certainly enjoyed the last couple of weeks with Ashley being here. I must say she has been very lucky with the weather!!!! Wall to wall sunshine EVERY day. The last few days have been very humid with lots of condensation on the windows, on the OUTSIDE!

We have now confirmed that we are on the move again. We are going to a different villa. You might recall when we arrived that we saw a perfect villa, the very first one we saw but we didnt want to rush in and take it until we had seen a few others. By the time we decided the original villa had gone. Well we noticed that another one on the same small compound is available. We decided to view it and guesss what? Yep, we decided to take it. It is very close to the school, walkable when the weather is "cold" in the "winter" time It means that we wont have to endure the nose to tail traffic every morning and we should save a bit on fuel! It is also closer to the golf course.

It is a smaller villa, a bungalow with three bedrooms, two en-suites, a shower room, open plan kitchen living room and a small private pool. It will mean we can eat outside easily. The roof space we have here is fine but its a pain trailining everything up two storeys from the kitchen. Now it will be just a short walk across the livingroom. I'll post some pictures when we get there. Should be moving around 1 November.

Ok time to get ready for the first proper golf competition of the year. 18 holes today, wish me luck.
David

Another weekend arrives

Well thats another week done and Ashley's first week is over. We have had a busy week. Last night we visited Adhari Park which is a sort of cross between the Links Market and Disneyland! Sheila being golf daft insisted that we play mini-golf and then was regretting not taking her own putter and ball. You know what they say about a bad workman. Here we are ready to tee off.

It all went badly wrong from here although it has to be said that I was the only person who had to fish their ball out of the pond. I feel I was a bit unlucky!

We visited Bahrain Fort the other night just as it was getting dark. We missed the sunset, my navigational skills left a bit to be desired I'm afraid. But we managed to capture a few nice pictures of the floodlit fort.

Today it's off to the Bahrain Racing Circuit for a look around and then for Friday Brunch which is a bit of a tradition in Bahrain but something that we have not yet done. This week is a sort of practice shot at the BAPCO club before we go for the full monty at one of the exclusive brunches next weekend. Another case of open wallet surgery I fear.

After brunch it's down to the golf club for the first competition. A nine hole opener to the season.

OK time to get ready.
David

Another update

Hi all, I forgot to post my weekly update last week probably because we have a visitor. Ashley is first to arrive here in the middle east and she tells me that the bed is suitably comfortable. She was a bit ill on the third day and spent that in bed. It has become something of a tradition that she spends at least one day of her holidays ill in bed! Anyway she is feeling fine now and we are almost at the weekend again. She has been lazing by the pool and reading while we have been flogging our guts out as normal.

She has maybe been ill but I can say she has been pretty lucky with the weather!!!! Its been glorious since she arrived.

I have tonight bought Sheila her anniversay come birthday present. A pearl coloured Blackberry phone. Really in keeping with her new important status in the school. She is much more important there than me now. I have 8 staff and Sheila has about 28 I think.

First golf competition this weekend and lots planned for Ashley. We have visited the Bahrain Fort last night. I'll post some pictures soon.

Well that's all for now,
David, Sheila and Ashley

Weekly News

Hi once again, another weekend is upon us. We have had a very busy week starting with two in-service days and then three hectic days with the students back. It is alwasy a busy time getting everyone into their new groups and classes, especially since the building work has made such a difference to the layout. It all takes some time to get used to. The building work is almost complete and at least all of the essential accommodation is habitable.

One of my students told me that she had seen me on the TV during the holiday on Candid Camera. I was walking in one of the shopping malls one day several weeks ago and a man jumped out in front of me wearing a silly scary mask. I didnt think my reaction merited an appearance on the show but perhaps it was funnier than I thought. Apparently they post all of the shows on YouTube. I have had a look and didnt see it. Latifa says she will send me the link to the clip because it is apparently there.

Sheila has formally been promoted to Office Manager as well as her role as PA to Karen so she is now officially in charge of all of the administration staff in the whole school. She is a very clever girl don't you think?

Monday saw us celebrate our Pearl Wedding Anniversary. Thanks for all the messages of sympathy oops I mean congratulations. We went out for a meal to Cafe Italia. It was VERY nice but it was a wee bit of open wallet surgery. We had two bottle of water along with our meal and they cost us BD6. TEN quid for two bottle of water! A bit on the hefty side. The whole meal was BD57 about £100. Apparently that's what you pay these days for a nice meal. Anyway it was really enjoyable. The waitress brought Sheila a pillow. I thought a pillow? Why does she need pillow? It was to rest her hand bag on. All the ladies got one for their hand bags too. Amazing! We might take Ashley there for a special meal if eveyone agrees to order the cheapest things on the menu!!!! There is a steak dish that costs BD37.500 thats about £68 for a steak. I would be expecting the hale coo for that!

OK Thats about it, rugby world cup starts today. I have set the tape to record all 48 matches and I plan to watch the lot. Must go now to the bank to check on my Dinars to make sure they are OK.

See you all some time.
David and Sheila

Weekly update

Well its Friday again and another week has passed. It's been a busy week with the new staff at school getting settled into their accommodation and getting the lie of the land. We have been heavily involved in their induction week making sure that they have all they need. A far cry from the help we received a year ago. Although we got lots of help it was not formally organised like this year. Things are much more well organised now. We had a few meals out with them and generally got to know them quite well.

Not long now till Ashley arrives. She asked if we had a parasol for the roof terrace and we said we didn't. I tried some silver gaffa tape and attached a golf umbrella to the deck chair. Perfect I think although it looks a wee bit Heath Robinson! Ashley may not approve and so we might need to make a new purchase. The new bed has arrived and the new suite arrives next weekend. Nicola is coming out to see us too in October so we are looking forward to that.

School starts officially on Sunday with a couple of inservice days before the students arrive on Tuesday. It still looks impossible that the work in the school will be complete before then but it is amazing what can be achieved when the pressure is on.

Got up with the sun this morning for an early few holes before the sun got up too high. It was only when I arrived at the course that I realised there are two locks on the locker room and so I couldnt get in for my clubs! Golf is a difficult game but I can assure you it's nigh on impossible with no clubs and no balls. I had to wait till the staff arrived so I only managed to play 6 holes before it was too hot to continue. We went back tonight and played another 5. Weather has remained very hot and humid.

Planning a meal out for our anniversary this week but not sure where we'll go. I better make it somewhere a bit special if I can. I believe there's a Macdonald's drive through at Alosra Shopping Mall, that should do nicely.

Well I think that's the news for this week.
David & Sheila

"Date" with destiny - weekly update

Hi folks, its me again, who else? I have decided to try to do a weekly update for those of you who are still reading this. I hope I can find something vaguely interesting to keep you amused.

Date season. It seems that mango season is over and has been replaced by dates. The trees are hanging with them and it seems to be harvest time. The shops are full of dates of every imaginable variety. Here is a picture of the tree in our garden. It still has loads of dates on despite having been harvested by the compound staff.

One of the admin staff brought some stuff she called "date square", it was a kind of date pie where the pastry bit was more like a firm crumble. It was absolutely awesome. I have asked her for the recipe so I'll let you know how I get on.

Well its hot hot hot. We havent seen a cloud since we arrived, not even a wee whispy one passing on by. I played six holes of golf (one over par for 6) this morning and had to stop. It was so hot. I didn't want to overdo things. It's my first game since getting back here. I will probably go back and play another six tonight with Sheila. Must get acclimatised and ready for the competitions that start soon. Sheila and I are entered in the doubles! Watch this space.

Today is the day that the first of our new teachers arrives from the UK with their family. I think its the new Head of Maths and her husband and children. They must be feeling today exactly what we felt one year ago, a mixture of excitement and trepidation. The other new teachers arrive over the next couple of days and start at the beginning of the week. I start officially a week on Sunday but I have been in with Sheila every day this week getting organised. It's too hot for much else.

Our air conditioning is finally fixed so Ashley can relax. We are back in our proper bedroom. We have been looking at some new furniture and will wait for the Eid (remember from last year that is pronounced Eed) holiday after which there are the best sales. Eid is the celebration of the end of the Holy month of Ramadan. It is almost over. It ends when the new moon is sighted for the first time and marks the start of an intensive period of celebration, sales in the shops, and a general holiday spirit.

Do you recall last year when we went to pay the golf fees we got a special deal where it was cheaper to join BOTH the Bapco Club and their golf club that it was to join the golf club only? Well it was the same this year BD245 (About £390) for both of us for both clubs. That's what I call a result! I was sure that woman would have been fired by now and replaced by someone who knew the procedures better but it appears that she was right. Bargain of the year. We must try to make better use of the Bapco club this year. It has lots of activities including snooker and ten pin bowling. I'll have to give it a go.

Well I think that's all the news for now. Watch out for next week's episode.

David

Safe Arrival

Hi y'all, we've arrived again safely in Bahrain. I have to say the weather is hotter than we remembered but it is bliss. I believe there has been a marked improvement in the scottish weather since we left! Anyway we are here again and Sheila started work today. I popped in to school with her and it resembles a bomb site. There are significant renovations being made to accommodate the school expansion and there is a lot of building work still going on. We are assured it will be finished except for the new administration block so Sheila has no new office and will not have one before school starts again. It's not clear what the solution will be but I am sure we'll all squeeze in somewhere. As long as there is air-conditioning!

That brings me nicely to my next issue. The air-conditioning in our villa is partially broken down. Only the downstairs system is working so upstairs its like an oven. We had to bring the mattress and bedding down and sleep on the livingroom floor last night and since its still not fixed it will be there again tonight. Hopefully it will be fixed before Ashley visits next month! It will be a bit cosy all of us on the livingroom floor.

I am listening to my new Bose sound system as I type this - Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, awesome sound. It was on special offer because its a "Series 1" version and they are trying to get rid of them. Never walk away from a bargain folks. It sounds great. It was purchased about three milliseconds after it got the "Sheila approval" before she changed her mind.

OK must be off to help unpack the cases.

Cheerio for now
David and Sheila

Bahrain Adventure Episode 3

Well, that's it again. Summer holiday is over if summer is the correct word! It has been a little mixed on the weather front but all in all I suppose we shouldn't complain. Most of our activities went ahead without major disruption although I have to say it will be a pleasure to get back to Bah - nay - rain where the weather is a little more reliable.

It was a great pleasure to have all three brothers together again and we enjoyed several great games of golf together. Andrew Maggi Mathew and Claire had a great time and so did we.

Tomorrow we fly back and Sheila starts work on Monday. I still have a few days before school starts for me on 4 Sep. I think it will still be too hot for golf so I will probably just go in to work and get a head start on next years preparation. There have been many physical changes to the building and Sheila will be in a new office. I doubt it will be as grand as her last one!Ashley is coming to visit us in a few weeks time so we better get a second bed sorted out before then.

Thanks to eveyone who helped make our stay so enjoyable. We are already looking forward to returning at Christmas. Did he just say Christmas? Yes indeed and its only 127 days to go until Santa pops down those chimneys once again.

Well cheerybye for now
David and Sheila

Home Again

Well we are back in Sunny Scotland and for the most part its been just that since we arrived. Mind you it is on the chilly side! We will be back until 20 August so if you fancy catching up with us give us a call or email.
David and Sheila

Still Here!

Hi y'all, its been some time since I posted to the blog because we have basically had little to say and certainly nothing exciting. School is the same as ever except the kids are on study leave for their big exams. Let's hope that my lot all do well. Its always a little nerve-wracking when your kids go into exams relying on what you have taught them. This is especially so this year since the whole of the course was new to me.

It's the weekend once again but the golf season is over as its now too hot to play during the day. I am really looking forward to getting back in about 6 weeks or so to some golf on the grass. We'll probably just have a relaxing weekend on the roof terrace and maybe in the pool. I have been swimming every morning again before work. I think its beginning to show on the waistline and would certainly be better if it were not for cake day on a Wednesday. It was my turn this week and Sheila helped me to make some macaroon bars. They were very well received.

I am not sure how many of you are still checking for blog posts but I will keep the blog open just in case. As I stated at the start I dont want it to become a list of what we bought at Jawads when we went shopping today!!!

OK, going for now. Have a great weekend when yours comes . Looking forward to seeing you all again soon.
David and Sheila

Consolation Cup

Today was the consolation cup for those players who had not won anything this season. I prefer to describe it as the losers cup and I thought I might have been in with a chance of a prize because today I played like a complete loser. I was bowff. My driving was worse than the cars on the highways here, my iron shots would have been more at home on the ironing board, my chips would not have been out of place in Valente's and Geoff Capes would have been proud of the putting. Thanks goodness that's the season over. It will give me some time to work on my game. I'll get a few games in when I am home in the summer. It looks so easy when you watch those guys on the telly!

It was pretty hot today as the weather continues to improve (if thats the correct term). It was very windy but it really is a hot wind. It doesnt cool you at all. You really need the on-course water. We carry a bottle and fill it with iced water from the tubs located at every other hole around the course. They are big insulated containers full of ice and water. Magic, it really hits the spot.

Sheila went with me for six holes before the presentation and we'll probably play again tomorrow.

OK that's all the news if you can even call it news. No news is good news as they say.
Cheers for now
David

Hi, it's me again

Hi all. It's some time since I posted anything on the blog and I was prompted by an email from my good pal John Blackwood who was enquiring after our well being. I was not really sure whether anyone was still reading the blog. I have enjoyed a couple of weeks Easter holiday where we played lots of golf. Sheila was working some days but had a few days holiday too. We decided not to go away so relaxed around the villa and played the obligatory games of golf. I did a bit of holiday tutoring on the days that Sheila was working so that brought in a few extra Dinars.

Well its into May again which means that we are soon to be returning for the summer holidays and the first year will be over. On one hand it seems like only last week when this whole adventure started and on the other it seems like we have never lived anywhere else! Things are still quite on the unrest front so lets hope that remains the case.

May also sees a big birthday in the family and Sheila and I are sorry we wont be there for the family celebrations.

Must get ready for work, will try to post again soon.
David & Sheila

Wish I had been brave enough to get the camera out!

We were driving home from school today and got as far as the roundabout at the end of the Janabiya Highway. We saw a police car at the roundabout with about another six or seven behind and beside it. I thought oh oh .. whats happened here then? I noticed that the first three police cars were all damaged and I thought maybe some protesters had attacked them. Then I thought, no, wait a minute they look like they have crashed .... into each other!!! At least four police patrol cars had crashed into each other and all were damaged. I wasn't brave enough to get the camera out to take a snap because they all carry some fierce looking weaponry and I don't think they could see the funny side. Woops!

It's International day at school tomorrow and staff and students are invited to attend in their respective national dress and take some traditional cuisine. Better get the kilt dusted down. Sheila is making the highlander biscuits .... yummy.
David

Weekend Update

Sunday morning again and back to work. For me at least its a short week. The Easter break starts after school on Tuesday. I need the rest.

On Friday I played in the Captain's team in the golf match and played my best round of golf at Awali. I played the entire round in three over par and those all came at one hole. Apart from thet triple bogey I made 15 pars, one bogey and one birdie. The rest of the team played great too and we had a fantastic combined score of 121 points a combined 10 shots better than handicap. In the prizes? Eh ... no! We were only third. The second team scored 126 and amazing 15 shots better than handicap. And the winning score? Wait for it ......140! One hundred and forty! I am not a sore loser as you know ... well maybe just a little but 140. That's almost 10 strokes better than handicap PER PERSON! Can you see my point?

Anyway on Saturday we went back for 9 holes and played the back 9. On the 16th hole Sheila tee'd the ball up and smashed her drive a record-breaking 209 yards down the fairway. She is really improving. She made six on that hole and six on the next which is pretty good. Especially considering women play off the same tees as men here (their handicap is adjusted because there are no ladies tees).

Work beckons.
David

Friday again

Another weekend has arrived and it's a good one because there's less than a week to go until the Easter holiday. We work only Sun Mon and Tue this week then its two weeks off. Sheila has a few days in the middle so we have toyed with the idea of jetting off to nearby Dubai or maybe Oman for a long weekend. No firm plans though, it will depend on cost and availability of flights and accommodation. The lack of blog entries suggests that there has been nothing to report this week and I suppose that has to be good news. You could easily believe that everything was completely back to normal. Last night we popped into town to Geants the big supermarket for a few essentials and apart form one police stop point everything was absolutely normal.

I had no golf planned for this weekend because it is sponsors day where all of the companies who have sponsored an event throughout the season get a day to bring along their guests for a game but then out of the blue an email arrived inviting me to play in the Captain's team so I am playing after all. Its a later start for me than normal. 1.30pm shotgun start. For you non golfers that means that the whole field starts at the same time but on different holes so you could be starting (and consequently finishing) at a bit of the course miles away form the clubhouse.

The last few days have been warm but sunless. There has been cloud cover and even some April showers. Very unusual here apparently. It seems that the whole world is experiencing unusual weather patterns. Mind you although there are showers there's still no need for a jumper or a coat.


Well enough for now, kettle is boiling and the coffee jar is beckoning me to come and have a look.
Take care,
David & Sheila

NEVER check your email when you are watching the golf!

Spent most of our spare time on the weekend watching the golf. Since it happens late at night here we have been taping each days events and watching it a day later. Just settled down to watch the final round and it's getting pretty exciting. Check on my emails and find one from my dear mother-in-law saying how disappointing the golf result was for Rory McIlroy. I suppose, I still don't know who won except to say my favourite didn't!

Cheers
David

Air of normality

Well hello again. What a week. We have been so busy you wouldn't believe it. This is a very hectic time in schools and when this is coupled with the missed time we had it is especially busy. Trying to get the kids ready for exams that come only about a week after the Easter holiday is all go.

We were pretty late in finishing tonight and we had been planning to get up to one of the main shopping malls and back before it got dark. It was clear that was not going to happen so we thought, in for a penny in for a Dinar. We went anyway. It's the first time we have been into the town centre since we returned and we have to say it was just like any Thursday night in the past. The security men on the carpark were stopping and searching some car boots on the way in but that was it. Inside the mall was just like it was before. We went for our usual "Sizziling Chicken" at TGI Friday's and then got some provisions from Carrefour the big supermarket. I will spare you the actual purchases except to say we got a bit of a bargain on some cheddar cheese!

The journey back in the dark was completely uneventful. The only thing we saw that was not normal was a line of police cars at the entrance to one of the villages. If it stayed like this then the travel restrictions would soon be lifted.

Well that's the news really. Nothing spectacular. I said I wouldnt put entries on like this but I thought I needed to write something and I am sure you are all bored to death with the golf stuff. Oh, the golf, yes tomorrow is the .....
David and Sheila

Happy Mother's Day

If you are a mother then happy mother's day to you with a special mention to our mum Barbara. A special mention for a special person. On days like today I think of my own mum and I miss her. I couldn't hope for a better surrogate though so enjoy your day. We will see you e're too long.

If you are not a mother then you can say happy mother's day to someone who IS a mother. It doesn't matter who she is just say it. Sheila has just opened a lovely gift from Nicola, Ashley and Michael although I dare say it would be just as much of a surprise to Michael as it is to Sheila. Probably more so!

Its another fine morning here and a new week begins. we have two weeks till our easter holidays I think. Time is just flying in. before we know it we will be back on the plane heading for our summer holiday. I am beginning to look forward to it already. It will be really nice having the three amigos (John, David and Andrew) together again to say nothing of the possibility of a reunion concert for Kinrick. Anybody fancy organising that? Alex was to organise one for the charity he supports. Come on Alex, this could be a great opporchancity.

That's all for now, have a great day.
David

Spittal gets the call up!

Last night I got a phone call to see if I would play for the Caledonian Society against Awali Golf Club today. I agreed and was partnered with Emma Boyd a 10 handicap lady. She is really an 8 handicap but because women play from the same tees as men here they get two extra strokes. We were of course drawn to play against Dick Turpin and Juan Chancer, two of the local bandits with handicaps 16 and 19. You know what's coming don't you. You all know I am a poor loser but in golf its somehow different ... except in matchplay like this. The 19 (yes 19) handicapper played that last 10 holes in three over par. If he had played to his handicap he would have been 11 over for those 10 holes. We got beaten on the last. We were 1 down with two to play and I made par on the tricky 17th. Only good enough for a half! The last is a par 5. I played a magic drive, superb three wood onto the brown in two. Meanwhile Juan Chancer pulls his tee shot into the left hand rough. plays a three wood to a few yards short of the brown, plays a pitch shot to 4 feet, misses the putt but a 5 nett 4 is good enough to match my birdie. Are you detecting any sour grapes here? Maybe just the merest hint? Emma reminds me that she warned me at the start. I am hardly consoled. Still a bad day at the golf is still better than a good day at work. Weather was beautiful again.

Back to work tomorrow. We popped up to the local shops when I got back and everything appears to be quite normal. There were three tanks flanked by three police cars rolled up the Budaiya Highway and back down. Each tank has about four masked soldiers at the controls of machine guns watching in all directions. I think its just a show of strength inviting people to protest if they want to!

OK I feel much better for having let off steam about the golf. By the way, the Caledonian Society lost in all matches but one! Ever the gallant runners up. We was robbed!
TTFN
David

Weekend again

Well here we are on another Friday. The sun is shining and very hot. It is a beautiful day. We have already been to the golf and played nine holes before the competition got under way. Entries are restricted because they have cancelled the afternoon sessions due to ongoing protests. They are hopeful to return to normal next week.

We travelled down to the golf course and only encountered one police checkpoint where we were waved through in both directions. A driver in a car coming the other way who looked "different" from us shall we say was stopped and his boot checked before he was allowed to go through.

We saw a few armoured vehicles moving from one spot to another but nothing different from what you might see on any ordinary day. Let us hope that this calm continues and lives can get back to some normality.

Going up to the roof terrace now to enjoy a wee relax in the sunshine before lunch.
David

Special Occasion

Happy Birthday Ashley and Michael

Today sees another milestone in the lives of two of our children. Both the same birthday? Yes and exactly 9 months after mine! Only kidding. Have a great day both of you.

Things are still fairly settled here and looking better every day. We were at the main supermarket last night and back. On the way back there was a gathering of police vehicles near to the entrance of one of the villages and some tear gas cannisters had recently been deployed. I think they were nipping a gathering of people in the bud so to speak. Apart form that all quiet and normal. The Foreign Office has relaxed its travel advice a little in that they are no longer urging people to LEAVE Bahrain, only advising against coming here. That will probably allow all of the staff who have still not returned to come back. Some of them are still away because they were evacuated by the companies that their husbands work for. It is making life in the school a bit busy.

Hope to get back to the golf course this weekend.
David

Trouble in London

Are you guys all OK? I have been a bit worried about you. That looks very ugly in London with all that violence and destruction. You guys stay away from there please!

Back to work today. I believe that many people went about their business as normal at the weekend and I note from the golf results that the usual number of hackers turned up to play. We have not been out but all in all I rate the weekend as being good news for almost everyone here. The school is open as normal today although there are still teachers and probably a good number of students have not yet returned. Some teachers arrive back this morning.

OK, cheers for now.
David

A bit of good news

Good morning all. I am delighted to report that yesterday passed very quietly in our area without major incident. I have watched the news on two channels and Bahrain hardly got a mention. We heard yesterday that one person was killed in the demostrations and obviously that is one too many. Having said that there was the potential for a very dark day indeed and authorities appear to have exercised great restraint, tolerating the protests and breaking them up with minimum force rather than a gung ho approach.

Hopefully this means that life can continue with some semblance of normality here and the protests will hopefully lead to negotiation and compromise and a solution can be found. I have said it several times before but I reiterate that the trouble if far from over but I am greatly encouraged by yesterdays outcome.

We will spend today again in the villa cleaning up the sand! There was a sand storm through the night and everything is covered. We will need to do some dusting before we can relax on the roof in the sun! Shame I hear you call out.

Have a great day.
David

Latest News

There have been lots of protests but at least they seem to have been tolerated to some extent. There has been lots of tear gas fired to try to break up the crowds but, as far as we can ascertain, no wholesale massacre. Have seen some of the protests on one of the TV channels here and they looked pretty peaceful with lots of women in the marches. We have heard distant gunfire but nothing at all in our area. The gun fire is probably tear gas cannisters being fired or rubber bullets. Our next door neighbour went out in his car a short while ago and returned a few a few minutes ago. Clearly no problems in the immediate vicinity. The helicopter circles overhead keeping an eye on things. As long as it doesnt stop in your area you know there's no major gatherings near you.

Let's hope for a peaceful end to the day.
D

Market Garden Update

I know you will all be wanting to know but were too afraid to ask about how our market garden coped during our recent sudden visit to Scotland. Well although the plants were without water for a week it was pretty amazing. The tomato plants and the green pepper plants appear to have come through pretty unscathed. The broccoli and lettuce were poorly to say the least. I watered them all and have done so for a few days now. Amazingly it appears that there must have been some life left because they appear to be picking up. A sort of natural selection because before we left they were needing thinned out .... and now they're not!

Today is a beautiful day and its going to be hot. Unfortunately there are very large protests planned and of course it is martial law here so any gatherings of people in public are strictly prohibited. It is very uncertain how the police and military will react to this. They are within their rights to shoot anyone who disobeys this and people plan to disobey it in large numbers. It has beed dubbed the suicide march and some protesters are apparently planning to march in shrouds! We can only hope that some restraint is exercised and the protests are permitted and also that they pass off without bloodshed. One of the marches is from Budaiya where we live right down the Budaiya Highway towards the town centre. We are right on the edge of the village and the march should not come near us. The police still appear to be stationed at the entrance to our compound so that is reassuring.

We decided that we would not play golf this weekend. We will stay put in the villa and get on with some work. I have a bundle of marking that amounts to about half of a tropical rain forest so I will probably make a start on that. There were smaller protests planned for last night and there is nothing on the news or websites that I can find to suggest that anything major took place. Let's hope that I am reporting the same thing after today is over.

D & S

A day like any other

Today was a day like any other and yet it was different too. We got up as normal although for Sheila it was a bit of a struggle. She didn't have a snooze on the plane and paid the penalty this morning. I should really take her picture now and upload it because she is sprawled (if a small person like Sheila can really sprawl) across the couch in a deep slumber (if that's possible) catching up on some sleep.

Anyway after we got up we went out and the wee man had spotted that our car was back and had done the needful so it was gleaming like a new pin. The sun was shining, (it was 33 degrees here yesterday I believe) and the birds singing. It was still 22 when we landed last night and you can feel the strong warmth back in the air. Like that till November now! Anyway off we went to work past the makeshift barrier and onto the main janabiya Highway. Apart from the barrier beside the house there was no other evidence of anything amiss in the island except that our journey only took 6 minutes instead of the usual 20. The traffic was very light.

It was a funny sort of day in school because only some of the students were in but those who were there enthusiastically set about their work and the day passed swiftly (as they all do at our age!)

We decided to set off for home earlier than we usually do because there were reports of tanks heading up the Budaiya Highway in the direction of our villa. They must have just been popping up to Jawads for their milk or something because there was no sign of them when we got back. The barrier was still in place but something was very different. The locals who had last night welcomed us in and waved as we went off to work this morning were now gone and a crowd of policemen were on guard. They too waved us in with a smile. They still stand guard over our compound as we speak. Quite reassuring as long as their bullets stay in the rifles!

It would be great if we could say that its all over and the healing is beginning but there is an eerie quietness about the place still. We can only wait and see what transpires but for the time being all is good. Payday comes along again soon and the golf course beckons for the weekend.

Have a great day.
David and Sheila

Final travel update

Safely in villa. No issues. Small barricade outside villa in last ten yards of journey but allowed through no problems. Sleep tight. David.

Update 2

Landed safely waiting for luggage.

Travel update

Arrived safely at amsterdam. Waiting with all the others to board for Bahrain. We are not alone!

Change of plan already

We fly tomorrow Tuesday now and not Wednesday. The school is opening to a restricted number of students tomorrow so my presence in the classroom is required asap. I will be glad to get back for a rest! This has been an extremely busy few days.
D

Bahrain Adventure Episode 2

The adventure starts again on Wednesday when we fly back to sunny Bahrain. The schools are re-opening in the next few days and we are due to re-open on Sunday. It is clear that the difficulties of the country are far from over but authorities have re-established control and things are getting back to some kind of normality. Watch this space for further updates. We have been speaking to friends still in Bahrain and we are not apprehensive in the least about returning. I hope the car is still in the airport carpark though! Its a long walk to Budaiya from the airport.
David and Sheila

Bahrain Misadventure

Just to let you all know that Sheila and I arrived safely back in Scotland a few minutes ago. The school is closed and until it reopens we are providing students work via the internet and I can do that just as easily from Scotland. When the situation is resolved we will return.
Dave

Update again

I am not sure how much of this news will get to you in Scotland but I thought I would keep you posted. The school is closed today and the British Embassy have advised all UK citizens in Bahrain to stay at home until further notice. Now firstly don't all start worrying because we are really not involved. The protesters have set up unofficial roadblocks and this makes travel around the island difficult. It seems likely that we will be off school for the rest of this week although there is no confirmation of that yet. We have enough food in for a spell and will have to rough it on the roof terrace in the sun so dont feel too sorry for us. We have the TV phone and internet and if it gets too hot I hear that one of the other residents was in the pool the other day. We are keeping the students supplied with work by using a wiki website that I set up for the whole school. 950 user accounts.
Cheers for now
David

More Protests today

Protesting has escalated a bit today. It is still focussed around the financial district and the Pearl roundabout. It looks like it might be coming to a head which is probably a good thing. It would be better if this was sorted one way or the other. We still feel no danger at this time. The extent of traffic disruption might mean that the school is closed again tomorrow, we'll have to wait and see.

Cheers for now
David

Sports Day Tomorrow

Good evening all. Tomorrow is school sports day which traditionally means it will be raining. At least it would in Scotland. I suppose the chances of it being rained off here are slim. It will be about the first time I will have had a sports day on the originally sceduled day! The whole senior school decants for the day to the rugby club where the sports take place.

This weekend sees the last golf competiton before the Bahrain Open next weekend. I am really looking forward to that. Its a two day event for professionals and amateurs with handicaps less that 9. The first day is a random draw and the second day is played in reverse order with the best scores from day one going out last. Let's hope for a late Tee time on the Saturday. I just hope that I can go round somewhere near to my best. I think I have little or no chance of winning but it would be nice to play well. I hope to be drawn with very good players in the first round. It helps to be playing with someone much better than you are. Helps focus the attention.

No sign of escalation to the protests here yet. let's hope that that is a good sign.

Remember that photo I promised? Well its not very impressive but you can see the pearl roundabout and if you peep through below the tarpaulin you can see the protesters and their encampment

David

Just a quickie!

Just a quick note to let you know things are still settled here although there is a rumour of things coming to a head soon. I haven't uploaded that picture yet because the lead is still in the class room and my brain can't remember more than one thing at a time.
Cheers for now
David

More Eventful Day!

Today started with the golf as usual although it was the two course "Green and Brown" event where we played nine holes on the greens at Riffa where the professionals played recently and nine holes on the "browns" at our club Awali. We got beaten in our match and Awali got thumped 10.5 to 1.5. Hmmm not too good there then. My team only got beat a wee bit (2 and 1 for those of you who understand) but a miss is as good as a mile as they say. Some pairs got a sounder beating than us (5 and 4).

After the golf we ventured off to Amwaj Islands. They are the man-made islands off the north east corner past the airport. There was a craft fair on at the marina there and we have never visited the area. Good idea? Read on!

Well we arrived safely in the process driving right past the Pearl Roudabout. We saw the demonstrators who have camped there and took a picture. I'll upload it tomorrow, I have left my camera lead at school. The craft fair was a mixture of car boot sale and craft work with nothing too impressive and not that many stalls. There's a new Waitrose store opened recently in Amwaj so we went there. It wasn't any more impressive than the craft fair. It was lovely weather and a pleasant change. After a walk round a new (but not fully occupied) waterside shopping complex we set off for home. All was going swimmingly until we got close to the city centre. The traffic seemed to be going at a snail's pace and we thought we could see people in the distance. We were right, and there were thousands of them. Only problem was that we were on a dual carriageway with nowhere else to go. We followed the cars right into the middle of thousands of protesters. It was interesting (and VERY pleasing) to realise that they were all in celebratory, party mood, waving flags tooting horns, standing out of sun roofs and STANDING on the roofs of MOVING buses. Our route home was to take us along this dual carriageway that passes back past the Pearl roundabout, through the centre of town and out the other side. We decided after about 400 yards and 45 minutes that an alternative might be desirable. We came to traffic lights so I did the most popular Bahrain manoeuvre, a U turn. We decided that battling our way AWAY from the main centre of the protest was infinitely more desirable that towards, no matter how happy the mood. It was like driving through a sea of football supporters making their way in or out of a stadium. It took us some time but we eventually managed to get back into flowing traffic and take the long way home.

The fact that you are reading this let's you know we made it safely. It is fair to say that apart from the disruption we never felt in any kind of danger at any time. In fact MOST of the protesters were probably women with a liberal helping of children. One car we saw hat a wee tot hanging out of the window giving a Winstion Churchill V sign with both hands. It looked really cute, I have to say. I wish I could have taken a picture. What it does show though is the fact that this protest is far from over but as long as the protests stay that peaceful then surely a solution will be found. I get the feeling that it will have to be major concession though. They wont paper over the cracks of this one. I am not sure how many people there were but there were lots.

By the way Amwaj is a beautiful area and would be a great place to live if the commute across the island was not so busy. We would never contemplate it but it is by far and away the nicest bit of the isalnd we have seen so far.

OK coffee time.
David and Sheila

Howdy y'all

Another weekend looms and its a busy one ahead. I have guess what? Yep golf on Friday and golf on Saturday. Friday is a pairs competition and Saturday is an interesting match against Riffa Golf Club (thats the expensive one with the real grass!). It is 9 holes played at Awali on our desert course followed by 9 holes on the grass at Riffa (or the other way round, I'm note sure). All sounds like fun in the sun. We had to give in and put the air conditioning on for a wee while last night, just to cool the bedroom before bedtime. It wont be long before we need it on all the time again.

I am sure you'll all be wondering about the protests. They are apparently increasing in size and number but they are still good natured and peaceful. They'll have to sort it out soon because it will be far too hot to stand outside protesting soon. We went for a bit of shopping tonight past the site of one of todays demonstrations. There was nothing to be seen when we went past. That's the closest one there's been to us, just a couple of miles up the road beside our main supermarket. It was all finished by the time we got there. We are well stocked up with messages just in case but we are really not expecting any trouble.

No other news really, nothing exciting is happening. Maybe the golf will bring some spectacular news. We have started our wee rooftop garden again, does that qualify as news? The lettuce is coming along really well and the broccoli and tomatoes are thriving. We think we have them well covered this time so the pesky little varmints that ate the greenery the last time will hopefully be thwarted. If they can get through the mesh then they are indeed little varmints. I am not sure how we will protect the tomatoe plants once the get too tall for our wee creche. I suppose we'll need to improvise and invest in more mesh stuff if it continues to be a success.

OK, signing off now
David

Quick Update

Just to let you all know that things are still quite calm here at the moment. the protests are still ongoing but recently they have been very peaceful. We dont see them or hear them. The school closed early yesterday but it is because of traffic disruption only. We are still waiting to see what happens over the weekend here.


I played golf today and christened my new trolley. It performed well and I managed to get round in 6 over par 76. An OK score but not good enough to be near the prizes. One guy had an 8 yes 8 under par score off a handicap of 11. A scratch 73. Am I bitter, not a bit of it. As I've said before I play for personal pride.

We spent the afternoon lazing on the roof terrace in the sunshine. It is beautiful here just now. Sheila was in her bikini on the roof - lovely.

Cheers for now
David

Many happy returns

Many mant thanks for the gifts and cards that arrived today. The golf shirt looks awesome, one of the nicest I have seen. My children know what makes me tick. I am looking forward to setting some DS Lite records too. Cards are on display. I will need to ask Mary Doll, our maid to dust around them for a wee while.

Things have settled down here quite a bit although its not over. There is a big demonstration planned for tomorrow and the school is closing early. Only because the traffic is likely to be significantly disrupted and we want the students to get home, not because we are expecting trouble. The last few days have been very peaceful and good humoured protests. Lets hope that continues. The British Embassy is still advising against travel here but we cant really see any reason why at this moment.

Anyway, its thanks once again.
David

School opening again tomorrow

The school is opening again tomorrow and we can start to try to get back to normal. The situation is far from over but the word on the street is that talks are under way although its not being openly admitted. I think there is a realisation that something has to give to find a solution. Anyway it seems much calmer now and hopefully a satisfactory solution will be found. A number of students havent returned from holiday and some families were sent home by their employers so we will be down a bit on numbers. Not sure how many are involved, not too many I think. I have spent the day preparing a wikispace website so that we can provide some work for those who are not at school. We went out this afternoon to the supermarket we normally use. Things were absolutely normal, perhaps a little quieter than we would expect.

We "interviewed" our new maid today and she is starting tomorrow. A bit of cleaning here and there so that Sheila can relax a bit more and I can feel a little less guilty! Sheila has not relinquished the washing and ironing yet. I think she secretly loves those chores!


Thanks for the many messages and enquiries as to our well being.

David and Sheila (Two staff now)

His 'n' hers trollies

Hi guys, took delivery tonight of the rest of our birthday presents to each other. We have invested in the top of the range de-luxe, all singing, all dancing push trollies for the golf. these are the real McCoy you know. They are so smooth you can push them with one finger. I remember thinking when I saw them first, "what mugs would pay £170 to PUSH your clubs around the course". Well today we join those mugs. It will be much better than the cheap and nasties we brought with us (but not as nice as the motorised model my dear children bought me for my fiftieth). We can hold our heads high in the equipment stakes now and push our clubs right to the front of the clubhouse instead of sneaking them surreptitiously onto the first tee. Not sure if we'll hit the ball any better but at least we will look good.

I know they dont look much in the picture but trust me, anybody who is anybody has got one. Note the DS lite being used in the background. I am off to push them around the livingroom for a while. I dont want to get the tyres dirty.
Bye for now
David and Sheila