Something for Everyone.

We went to Marina Mall yesterday - the place where the snow slope is due to open in the first couple of months of 2009.  It also has an ice rink.  This place is crazy. *smirk*

So we went to the mall yesterday, Monet and I peeled off in one direction and Lyndon in another, (the best way to go shopping really, but in all honesty it would have been better if it was 'I' who was alone!)  It is amazing to visit so many shops from so many countries all under one roof.  *heehee*  Did you know Woolworths in South Africa is a clothing store as compared to Woolworths in Australia being a supermarket chain.  (Did I read that the variety store of Woolworths in Britain is closing down?)

I was happy with a couple of purchases from Next for myself.

Monet was happy with the dress she choose from Pumpkin Patch.

Lyndon was happy with the television he choose from Carrefour.

A rather successful shopping day for all actually... (as one waits for the technician to arrive and put the tv on the wall for us.)

The Carrots in our Fridge are Imported From Australia...

...and our furniture is sitting in a shipping container on a Dubai Dock.  Hopefully our goods are not too far away now; fingers crossed for the next week or so.  Can't wait to get my hands on my stuff.  

We did go and purchase last weekend a couch from IKEA.  We *heart* IKEA and missed IKEA when we moved from Melbourne.  Thank goodness for those Swedish.  

If we aren't sitting on the couch (don't ask me what we were thinking of buy purchasing a cream coloured cover, but at least it is machine washable!), we are sitting on the two plastic/metal IKEA kitchen chairs with the little kitchen table.  Monet is sitting on her little IKEA table and chair set too.  It is amazing how you can get by with what you have, but gee I am busting at the seams to sleep in our 'best-ever' bed and sit on our comfortable sofas.  All in due time.

I am loving though, our new water cooler with instant cold and hot water.  Kettle?  What kettle?  I love that we get water delivered and that anytime I feel like a hot cup of English Breakfast I can just get one, without waiting for a kettle to boil.  Oh the small things in life hey? *grin*

And we are surviving without ABC Kids.  Who would've thunk that?  Monet is very good at entertaining herself with colouring, painting, playing her Polly Pockets and her other little goodies.  But we think we're going to go and purchase a new telly today sometime.  Enough is enough.  There is only so much Lyndon and I can talk to each other about in the evenings.

Outside our front door are lots of other families who are either in the same boat as us (newly arrived, waiting for their furniture to arrive) or have just got their stuff.  Everyone understands.  Most people in the street and those in the street behind, most work for the same company as Lyndon, so we have been meeting and greeting.  Lyndon and I are not ones to live in other people's pockets, so at first it was a little disturbing to know that Lyndon works with most of the people around us but in a way it is comforting.  

But gee I am hanging for our stuff to arrive....

Our First Night Out

Once Lyndon got home yesterday afternoon, we were back in the car and headed for our 'local' luxurious hotel complex, The Shangri-La.  I wanted to sip a beer and watch the sun set over The Grand Mosque.  

Well, the sun had just about set once we got there (it was so red - amazing site but too hard to shoot with my mobile phone camera) but we still got to see The Mosque in the distance in the fading light...

The hotel complex was pretty amazing, lots of nooks and crannies, little shops, vast (posh) restaurants and bars.  I was mighty impressed with 'The Ladies' loos...

We did settle for a drink at the pool bar and decided on a buffet dinner which was the pants.  It was a little pricey but the food was like nothing I had seen before.  Best thing, kids eat free. *phew*  She happily gnawed on an Australian lamb chop (the ones with handles) some freshly bread rolls and rice.  We had so many choices on what to eat, I was amazed.  I feel in love with the dessert buffet. Here is a photo of it smack, bang in the middle of the buffet room...

No pav or cheesecake here my friends, I am talking chocolate fondue fountains (oh my!), fresh fruit kebabs, home made ice cream and freshly made (on the spot) waffle cones, lollies galore, home made chocolates, tiny cakes.  In two words, Dessert Heaven.  (Monet and I thought so anyway!)

And what can I say about the service?  Tops.  Of course.  This is the United Arab of Emirates.

As we left I managed to take a photo of the mosque lit up in the distance.

It is a long way from Australia.

Feeling At Home

We are settling in nicely here friends.  Part of me can't believe we are finally here and the other part of me feels like I have always been here.  

Monet and I tested out the waters of one of the compound pools and it was so lovely, which is just as well because I know we'll be spending a great deal of time in them.

  

I particularly love the fact that there is a kiddies pool, just the right size for a splash with Monet, along with a gorgeous big (big, big) spacious pool to do laps and swim in.  (Not that I do laps mind you.)  

We have a 'Fitness Club' here in the compound, complete with gym (I need to get on those exercise bikes and walking machines), games room, squash, tennis and basketball courts.  It looks out onto the waters surrounding this part of Abu Dhabi. 

 

It takes 10 minutes, door to door, to reach our local little supermarket.  When I say little, it is actually a nice size with everything one could wish for in a supermarket.  It is 'little' as compared to the HUGE supermarkets dotted around the place.  

I have not yet driven, but plan to.  It isn't the fact that I will have to get used to driving on the opposite side of the road, it is some of the other crazy drivers on the roads here...

...The cars in this photo sped past us, per usual, as Lyndon was driving at 100k's an hour.  These cars would have sped past at around 160k's an hour.  Crazy.  

We have lots of exploration to do *yay* and rest assured there will be lots of future posts to come.  I just need to get my hands on a cable to download photos from my camera to the 'puter.  (All these photos are from my mobile phone.)

Safe, Well and Smiling :-)

I'm here.  

And I am well.  

And I am happy.

After a rather non-eventful yesterday...oh bar the fact that Monet was crying in the line when we were checking into Etihad Airline in Sydney, not because she was sad she was leaving the country, it was because she lost a hair clip!  I swear, people were looking at us and thinking 'please, I hope I'm NOT sitting next to those two!'  I was silently wishing that the floor would swallow me up (you'd think I was putting pins in her eyes she was carrying on so much!)

We spent a while in Sydney airport and on the 15 hour plane journey doing a lot of this...

Magic pens.  Oh, simply 'magic' to a four year old, let me tell you.  Monet was entertained by doing that and also by simply sticking stickers onto her hands and arms and then putting them into a book.  She watched a couple of movies and promptly feel asleep for about 6 hours.  *Lucky me*  I wasn't fortunate enough to have 'that' much sleep (ie.  half of what she got) but the time I did spend sleeping I was using one of those 'ugly' neck pillows.

  

Ugly? Sure.  Price of comfort?  Priceless, no matter how ugly and silly one may look with it draped around your neck.

With Great Relief (part I), Monet and I got through customs. (Always a worry of mine.  Maybe one too many viewings of 'Border Security' where people aren't let into the country and are put on the next plane back to their homeland!)

With Great Relief (part II), our in-tact luggage was spotted on the luggage carousel, practically first off the rank!  (I always have visions of either my bags not showing up or if they do turn up, the zipper is broken and my bra and knickers are spread across the carousel for the world to see.) 

 

With Great Relief (part III), Monet and I spotted Lyndon's 'western' dial as we walked out of immigration.  Monet's face was priceless and she didn't let go of Lyndon's hand, nor left his side for quite some time.  It was bloody marvellous to see our Lyndon, let me tell you.  

It was fabulous to step into our villa in the compound complex.  Nice too to walk around and see our new 'abode' in the flesh.  Monet's new bed is HUGE (and very comfortable!)  Lyndon had also purchased a few new items for Monet including a small table and chairs (she's doing some colouring in on it as I type), loads of art stuff and one of those spongy floor jigsaws of the alphabet...

We all finally got into bed last night (this morning?) at around 1:30-2am.  

And I know you wouldn't read about it, but we woke this morning to a huge thunder storm with rain and heaps of lightening, lighting up the morning sky.  Who said it never rains in Abu Dhabi?  (Ummm, that would be me!)  

We've spent late morning/early afternoon browsing a shopping mall and spent a good two hours doing our supermarket shopping at 'Lulu Hypermarket'.  I am in cooking heaven.  Seriously.  Fresh produce from around the globe - cheeses, dips, olives, fruit and vegetables, breads, cakes, spices, anything and everything.  I know I said it just before but I will say it again, I am in cooking heaven.  

We're currently having some 'quiet time' on this coolish UAE day.  Lyndon is having a lay down (working very long hours the poor lad.  He worked on Thursday from 11am till 5am Friday morning!)  I suspect Monet will fall asleep in a reasonable hour tonight and I am looking forward to cracking open one of those Stella Cans.

I am safe, well and smiling. 

:-)

A Long Time Coming

Monet and I have only got a handful of days left in Australia before we head off to our new home in the Untied Arab of Emirates.  Lyndon is there waiting excitedly for us to arrive.  Neither of us can wait to see each other.  It has been a long five weeks apart.  

(Monet and my dad walking near their home...)

I am unsure when I will be posting next, I suspect it won't be long.  I know Lyndon has got the Internet all hooked up in our new home and our MacBook is waiting patiently for my fingers to start tapping away on it again.

(Monet and her cousin chatting and eating!)

Lyndon has stacked our new little fridge (our furniture arrives about 12 days after us) with some of my favourite things - glass bottled coke, Red Bull, 500ml Stella cans.  Oh! he does know how he can spoil me.  *smirk*  He has even gone and got some fresh ham for Monet, seeing that is her favourite.  

(The back patio at my parents, Monet and Grandma made the paper decorations)

The new oven has been installed, there are new block-out blinds in all the rooms, a couple of bean bags waiting for our bums to sit on, new cutlery, a big heavy-based frying pan, new beds for us...the list goes on.  Enough stuff to get us by until the day our shipping container arrives, packed with our goods from Trinity Beach.  

(Monet playing at the next door neighbours of my parents.)

I'm 'flirting' with the idea of beginning to pack our suitcases today.  Everything is ready and waiting to be packed in, it is just a matter of seeing if it does all fit back in our cases!  

(Bubble blowing)

My parents and Lyndon's parents, along with Monet and I are going out for tea altogether tonight.  

(Being a Pussy Cat!)

I have requested that only my dad drop Monet and I off at the airport.  They are horrible places aren't they?  At least this time it is not I who is being left behind - I hate that.  

We're off to begin the new chapter in our lives.  It has been a long time coming....

A Cut and A Meeting

Somebody (not me) got a new haircut.

Cute hey? *snort*

That same somebody also got a new nightie and decided that 4pm would be a good time to wear it (pity the bedtime wasn't at that time!)...

That same somebody has a new b/f. He is MB from House&Baby.

'We' met face-to-face on Tuesday in a sunny Melbourne suburb. H&B has written about the event here and I echo her words because she sounded different to the voice I had of her in my head. It was also very surreal to be in H&B's home and to meet her two lovely boys. I knew I had the right house because of reading about the new fence they built yonks ago.

I was also fortunate to meet Stacey from Sheeps Clothing. I didn't realise she was going to be there for a little while so it was lucky that I was wearing one of her clips! *heehee* I know it was the first thing she checked out. *heehee*

In other news, Monet and I have a week left of being in Australia. The count down is definitely on.

I Wish He Wasn't So High Up...

We noticed a koala in a tree outside today.  I wonder if you can spy it? (Double click to enlarge any of the following photos)

My dad has been complaining the last few nights about a koala making an awful racket so we knew there was at least one about.  (Have you ever heard a Koala? If not, you wonder on how such a lovely cuddly marsupial could ever make such a noise.)

Monet was rapt to see one in the wild, rather than at the zoo. (I hope you can spot the koala at the top of the next photo - I was trying to be artistic!)

I am hoping he'll get down that tree some time soon (he is soooo high up!) so I can get some cute shots.

I don't think I will be able to get any photos of the Bandicoots that live in my parents garden however.  Sorry about that.