First week almost in

It's almost the weekend again. Its been a hectic first week back. The school is being inspected next week although they like to call it reviewed rather than inspected. We have been running around all week gathering all the evidence we have to show that we are as good as we think we are! I'll be glad when its past. We are fast approaching final exams so its all go on every front.

This is the Formula 1 weekend here with the race on Sunday. there's a mixture of excitement and protest on the island. There is threatened disruption for the entire week of F1. So far it has just amounted to some tyre burning and gathering of large groups of people (I think). As usual we dont see anything between school and our little But'n'Ben. We have our usual golf planned this weekend so hopefully it will all go smoothly. We might get a bit of traffic disruption because the F1 track is quite near the golf course. We will take a different route to try to avoid congestion but it might not be possible.

Our pool is now at 25 degrees and is fantastic to swim in. I am swimming for half an hour every morning before work. I have fitted a clock outside so that I can time myself because counting the lengths is impossible. I am not improving my swimming much but you should see my turning, its awesome!

OK end of quick update. Better get showered for work.
David

Back from our Jolly Hols

Hi Folks, we arrived back last night safe and well from our wee trip to Oman. We had a very relaxing and enjoyable stay. It was a bit hotter there than when we kleft Bahrauin but I must say that it is hotting up here now too. The pool was beautiful this morning. The slightest chill when you first get in and then perfect.

Oman is a very mountainous and rugged country. The mountains are very jagged but due to the heat have no vegetation on them at all.

This was the view looking back towards part of Muscat. Muscat is a pretty sprawled out series of smaller towns that basically join together to form a big city. I really recommend Oman. I would love to go back with a rental car and do a big tour. The scenery is pretty spectacular in places abd the weather simply magic. There were a few big cruise ships in as Muscat is part of the Middle East Cruise route.

This was dfown by Muscat Harbour. We watched the fishermen catching fish with no fishing rods. They simply lobbed a bit of nylon line with a hook and a half loaf on the end and voila ... a fish. They weren't very big though. It did however prompt Sheila to enquire why I spent all that money on a rod and reel and all of the other paraphernalia that I have. No need for a "Lofty's Cobra" or a "Canadian Wiggler" here. I dare say I might have managed to catch some bigger ones had I had my gear with me. I might just start a bit of fishing here in Bahrain.

OK speak to some of you soon.
David and Sheila.

A man and a woman in Oman

Hi y'all, long time no post. I am on holiday this week and next but since Sheila needs to keep most of her holiday allocation to make sure we get a long summer break she is still working. She does however have a couple of public holidays so we have decided to have four days in Oman. Apparently its a really beautiful country so we thought we would give it a bash.

We fly from Bahrain on Saturday morning and return on Tuesday. Sheila found a four star hotel offering half price deals so fingers crossed on the accommodation front. It looks really nice on the website but of course the pictures could be well out of date. We are going to stay most of the time in the Muscat area. You can get organised tours to show you round so we'll probably do that. If we think the country merits a return visit we can always go back. Its only a one and a half hour flight. It will be nice to feel like we are on holiday. Return visits to Scotland don't really "feel" like a holiday because we are in our own house. Its about time someone else was booking a flight to sunny Bahrain. There's two empty bedrooms and the pool is beginning to warm a little. I am swimming every morning again. Its still a little cool when you first get in but apart from that its great. Still too cold for her ladyship though. "Is it like the bath yet?" is what she asks. "Not quite" is my reply!

I'll try to remember to charge up my camera and then take it with us and then actually get it out of its little packet. I am a liability of the picture front I'm afraid. I promise to try though.

The weather here is beginning to hot up. Its been a MUCH cooler and longer "winter" than normal. We have had showers of rain almost every night this week. Pretty unusual I think. Some lightning last weekend saw the abandonment of the golf competition but not until after I had finished my round. I wasn't going to win any prizes anyway so for me it was an advantage that it was scrubbed. Its rescheduled for 14th April I think.

OK have to start thinking about case packing! Thats one advantage of last minute booking. It will be Saturday before we know it.
Cheers for now
Happy Easter
David and Sheila

Special day

29th March, 29th March  ..... hmm ..... let me see now, I am sure there was something about that date but I can't quite remember what.

Oh yes I've got it, 25 years ago today we welcomed Ashley to this world and I can say our life has never been the same since! Then 21 years ago today lightning struck again in exactly the same spot when Michael joined us.

Congratulations and best wishes to you both on this happy day. We are very sorry not to be there to enjoy it with you but we will certainly celebrate it when we return in the summer. I just might be allowed to open a bottle tonight.

Happy Birthday Ashley

 And Happy Birthday Michael

Love from Mum and Dad in Bahrain
Miss you loads - Skype you later
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx x

Blown off course

Well I said I would report good news or bad. Well is was not good. I shot an 88 eighteen over par. Although it sounds a very big number it was actually pretty respectable in the grand scheme of things. I think I reported after the last open that the weather was the worst wind I had played in ... at that time. I can now add yesterday. It was so bad that balls were blowing around on the greens. At one hole my playing partner placed his ball on the green to get ready for his putt. Stepped back to line it upo and watched as the wind blew the ball ... yes you've guessed it ... INTO THE HOLE. Now using the rules of golf from last year that would have to be replaced but now, it counts as though he had holed out with his previous shot. Apart for the wind and the course taking back some of the luck it gave me on Friday my day was marred by the other of my playing partners. I had to remind him that he was cheating on the first green and then he wouldnt speak to me or acknowledge anything I said. At the end of each hole it is customary to confirm with the person whose card you are marking the score made on the hole. He just ignored me then started shouting at me when I found HIS ball in a bush. I don't think he would have found it but then he started shouting at me because it was stuck off the ground in the twiglets. He refused to shake my hand at the end so all in all a pretty rum do. I think I finished in about 24th position. The early starters definitely got away with much lighter winds.
Another golf related bulletin comes to an end. Its all we do here, work and golf!
David

Bahrain Open Update

Well the first day is over and today sees the second and final round. Some players hopes are already over having shot high numbers in the very strong wind. Others managed to struggle round somehow with a reasonable score. The leader, last years winner and European Tour Professional Andrew Marshall only managed a two over par 72 so that shows how difficult things were. So what group am I in? Well I drove the ball terribly all day. You are supposed to be on a par three in one and there are five on the course. How many did you hit Dave, how many? Eh.... one. OK but that leaves 13 drives to the fairway, how many of those did you hit? Eh .... four. OK thats not too good so come on, out with it, what did you score? Well amazingly enough there was a bit of the old Seve about me yesterday and the course gave me back a little more than usual in terms of GOOD bounces. One in particular saw me drive out of bounds on the left of the third hole only to see the ball hit a rock and rebound back. It didnt go back to the fairway but at least it was in play. I managed to scramle round in 80 blows which puts me in 10th equal place. There were seven professional in the field and of those only the leader is ahead of me. There is a professional in my group today with the same score and all of the others were worse.

On day two you play in reverse order best scores last so I am in the fourth last group teeing off at 10.10. Wish me luck. I'll let you know how it goes good or bad. Let's hope for a better driving day. You can't expect to get away with it two days in a row!

Away from the golf the first interview for the new Head of Seniors post took place yesterday. Our Head of school is retiring at the end of this year so the process has begun to find a replacement. I think it will be an emotional day for her and its not really that far off now. Sheila was in school yesterday but she is going to "caddie for her man" today. I will push the trolley up the steep slopes though!

Cheers for now.
David

Bahrain Open looms large

The 49th Bahrain Open Golf tournament has arrived again this weekend. It comes hard on the heels of the John Gunby 3 club challenge last Saturday. You were allowed any two clubs and a putter. I chose my 21 degree rescue club and a 9 iron. I scored a scratch 41 for the nine holes which was the best score of the day. The next best being a 45. It was worse wind than last years open and it would definitely have been abandoned had it not been a charity event. "So with the best score by far you must have won", I hear you ask. Well ... no. It doesnt work that way. The competition used a modified callaway system of scoring where the worse your score the more gets subtracted!!!! I was beaten by one othe person who actually said he had his wrost 9 hole score EVER on the course. He scored 54 but because it was so bad he got his worst TWO holes deducted. they wewre a 10 and a 9 so he won! Criminal. "You wis robbed big man!". Indeed.

Anyway, I would swap the John Gunby win for a decent performance in the Open. I have been for a lesson last weekend and changed my swing a bit. Not a good time so close to a major competition like this but if you don't make changes you wont get any better.

We were invited to a music session at MacGuires Irish pub in Adliya last Thursday. As per normal Sheila didnt fancy it so I went along with my guitar. There were three other guitarists a couple of box players, a concertina, two fiddles and a bass. Lots of tunes and lots of singing. I consider myself to be a pretty competent guitarist without being outstanding but of the four guitarists there I was most definitely fourth in the talent department. I modestly placed myself a bit higher in the singing department but not at the top! I really enjoyed it and was quite surprised on the Satuday evening to get invited to one of the fiddler's houses. He was having a private session "for the better musicians". I was quite pleased to get an invite and it was a great night. Its great to have found a few people who have very similar tastes in music and who are keen to get together and play. I just wish that Sheila liked it a bit more. I feel a bit guilty leaving her in on her own while I am out enjoying myself. She seems quite happy with the TV and the iron!

Well that's all for now folks. Watch this space for an open update. You can keep tabs on the draw and the results here http://www.masterscoreboard.co.uk/ClubIndex.php?CWID=15022

OK nighty night.
David