A Dubai Weekend

We decided on Friday morning to head north to Dubai for the weekend (remembering the working week here runs from Sunday to Thursday.)  We booked a room at the Premier Inn and off we went.  Monet was very excited - for her the prospect of a night away in a hotel is like Christmas for her!  (She's very hotel savvy, let me tell you!)

But before the hotel room beckoned, we had decided to visit Dubai Mall, which lies underneath the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world.  The Mall itself is home to over 2000 shops and restaurants and is one of the largest shopping malls in the world.  It seriously was an amazing place.  The below photo was taken before the crowds hit.

Where else could you find one of the world's biggest bookshops? (It kept going on and on and on....)

An ice rink?

An indoor waterfall?

An aquarium? (Now, that was amazing!)

It honestly blew us away but it is so big it is actually too big.  There is still a lot of shops to be opened in the near future so honestly, if you can't find what you were looking for here, you must have your eyes shut.  

By the time we had lunch (in the most amazing food court ever!), walked around, did a touch of shopping (not much but I did buy a couple of good cookbooks!) and on our way to find our hotel, it was past 4:30pm.  

Dubai roads seem to be a series of ring roads, on and off ramps, bridges and roundabouts.  After (finally) finding ourselves heading in the right direction I caught this snap of the Burj Tower from a distance with the sun setting...

The Premier Inn was great (we'll stay there again down the track I am sure).  It was relatively inexpensive, had a great little bar and a restaurant there and a coffee shop.  The room was not too dissimilar from the one we stayed at in London (which gave us good feeling - same prints on the walls and everything Lol!!) 

After breakfast in the morning we headed to the Emirates Mall for a wander around there.  We left a little while later to head home.  (Over shopping, but surprisingly, shoppers didn't annoy me, which usually happens!) 

Next time we head to Dubai, we have decided we'll go out onto Palm Island and explore some of the amazing architecture on foot, rather than doing drive-bys.  

Flashback Friday - Jeff Buckley

Now, this bloke could sing.  Not only could the exquisite Jeff Buckley belt out a tune, he could belt it out live on stage...  (Please watch as you will certainly know what I mean after watching!)

I own the above concert on DVD and no matter how many times I watch it, it *still* sends shivers up my spine.

I was so very (very) fortunate to see Jeff Buckley play live in early 1996, at Melbourne's Palais Theater. (Sometimes it is my claim to fame, considering that he died a year later.) If you happen to know the Theater, and have ever been in the upper half of it, you would know that they are not normal chairs. The front half (which I was like 3 rows back from) are more like comfortable lounge chairs. Blissful, especially at a Jeff Buckley concert. I think I spent half the concert (and it wasn't only me!) who had their eyes shut. Jeff was mesmerising with his singing. I will never forget.

Never.

*sigh*  

What a Friday Flashback this is for me.  

A Wander Around The Streets

My neighbour friend, Monet and myself caught a taxi into the city this morning.  We had a little business to do (visit the post office to begin with.  Abu Dhabi only has two or three post offices here, believe it or not.  But that is another post altogether.)

It was a good opportunity for me to take some snaps of some buildings.  It is an interesting city bar the stupid footpaths (up and down, steps, not very pedestrian friendly) but is nice to get out and see some more of the city.

There are some amazing looking buildings in some glorious colours...

...and then there is some typical city scenes of low-lying buildings, not a lot of sky-scrapers in the city parts yet!  (There are a few and the future plan for this city looks pretty impressive.)

We ended up walking to Al Whada Mall for a few bits and pieces, including a well deserved Starbucks drink and Maccas for lunch!  *heehee*

Now excuse me as I go and make a salad as we're off to a neighbour's tonight for a BBQ and a Guitar Hero show-down!

(Any of these photos can be enlarged by double-clicking. My new camera works wonderfully with snaps like these.  Hope you can see how clear they are!)

I've Updated My Other Blog.

Well, blow me over with a feather.

I have updated my Recipe blog after six long (long) months of it being neglected.  I mean, I have that flash function on my camera called 'Gourmet Food', so I have no excuse.  *snort* (The function is mean to represent true colour, and yeah, I can officially say that it does.)

I baked some savoury-type muffins today for lunch...

...and for dinner tonight I cooked a lovely Chunky Vegie Soup...mmmm....

For the muffin recipe, click here, for the soup recipe, click here.

:-P

Chunky Vegetable Soup

This is always a firm favourite vegetable soup in our house.  I have been making it for years and always satisfies.  Thick and hearty.  Enjoy.

*Taken from Family Circle's 'Comfort Food', published 1999, pg 57*

Ingredients

50g butter

1 leek, chopped

1 celery stick, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 large potato, chopped

1 parsnip, peeled and chopped

1 swede or turnip, peeled and chopped

225g sweet potato, chopped

1/2 cup (115g) soup mix

2 litres vegetable stock or water

1 cup (155g) frozen peas

125g green beans, chopped

and the two ingredients I always forget;

1/4 cup (15g) chopped fresh mint

1/3 cup (20g) chopped fresh parsley

Method

Heat the butter in a large heavy-based pan and cook the leek, celery, carrot, potato, parsnip, swede or turnip and sweet potato, stirring for 5 minutes.

Add the soup mix and stock or water.  Bring slowly to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 1/4 hours or until the mix has softened.

Add the peas and beans and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until tender.  Stir in the chopped mint and parsley.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve hot.  Delicious with crusty bread.

Serves 6

Bacon and Herb Muffins

*I know*  It has been ages.....

Here is a recipe for some savoury-type muffins.  You could really put anything in them but these were nice, warm with a spread of butter on them.  Mmmm....  I had no fresh herbs so used dried instead and no Parmesan here either.  I used English Tasty Cheddar.  Okey dokey?

*Taken from Women's Weekly 'COOK' published 2006, pg 509*

Ingredients

6 Bacon rashes (420g), rind removed, chopped finely

3 cups (450g) SR Flour

60g butter, chopped coarsely

1 tbs coarsely chopped fresh basil

2 tbs coarsely chopped fresh chives

2 tsp coarsely chopped fresh oregano

3/4 cup (60g) finely grated Parmesan 

2 eggs

1 cup (250ml) milk

Method

Preheat oven to moderately hot (200C/180C fan-forced).  Grease 12-hole muffin pan.

Cook bacon in heated lightly oiled small frying pan, stirring until crisp.  Drain on absorbent paper; cool 10 minutes.

Sift flour into large bowl; rub in butter.  Stir in bacon, herbs and cheese, then combined eggs and milk.

Spoon mixture into holes.  Bake, uncovered 20 minutes.  (I cooked for 30 mins).  Turn onto wire rack to cool.

Makes 12

Appointment time? Tooth-Hurty. True.

I never told you about Monet's latest tooth trouble have I?

Now, those of you who have been reading this blog for a past couple of years may just remember this post and this one too.  We thought the dodgy tooth/teeth issue was all in the past.  Much to my displeasure, it was not.

Back in August Monet began complaining a little about having a sore tooth when eating sometimes.  Not all the time, maybe every few weeks it would bug her and she'd say something.  I just knew it was one of those bloody back teeth.  I rang around the dentists in Cairns and got her into one, though it was something like 3 days away.  

We finally went and the dentist informed me that he wanted me to take her to get x-rays taken of the back right tooth (all others looked well) as the abscess on her gum was still present and was flaring up.  Since I was pregnant at the time I couldn't take her and then a week or so later all the trouble with my pregnancy happened and the last thing on my mind was getting Monet's tooth seeing too.  Yeah, Mother of the Year Award stuff, I know.  

As I said before it only flared up once in a while (say once a month for a couple of hours at a time) and in the back of my mind I knew I had to get it seen to.  The guilt, oh the guilt.  

It wasn't until we moved over here and Monet complained and I knew I just had to get her seen to.  No excuses this time.  She had complained early one Sunday morning (just before Christmas) when I heard her crunching on something.  WTF?  I got Monet to spit in my hand what she was crunching on.  It seemed like it was a filling of some kind.  Gee, didn't I feel good?  I looked in her mouth.  Oh F***!  Her back right tooth's filling wasn't there.  There was a big gaping hole.  F***!

I rang Lyndon in a panic and being the wonderful man he is, he rang around and got her into see a dentist that afternoon.  Now, we know that would not have happened in Cairns.  (Getting into a Dentist straight away!)  

We took her in and the lovely female dentist was very grateful we had brought Monet in as soon as we could.  (Not that Monzie was in pain, I think I was more in pain than she!) They took an x-ray then and there,  examined the rest of her (healthy) teeth and explained that the dentist in Cairns, 20 months before hand had not got rid of all of the infection when he filled her tooth.  Arrrr.  

The cost of the 'emergency' consultation, not forgetting that x-ray, came to like $60AUD.  True.  

We went back two days later to have the tooth extracted.  Not nice but necessary because the tooth was not worth saving.  The root system had basically disintegrated so this had to be done.  Monet was very (very) brave, enduring three needles followed by the pulling out of her tooth.  

The cost of this I think came close to $200AUD.  

We returned for a check-up last week.  The cost?  Nothing.  Zip.  Nil.  Zilch.  

"No payment today" we were told as we went to the counter to pay.

"You sure?" we asked.

"Yes, no payment".  

We just about fell over on the spot.

We have to return in a few weeks time as the first of Monet's adult teeth (yep - she's an early one!) is just beginning to rupture.  It is the back molar, so when this comes through we have to return so the dentist can make a special loop of some kind, which allows the adult tooth to grow  through and leaves room where the extracted tooth was, for its new tooth to grow in about 5 years time.  This will save the new tooth growing on the wrong angle and causing us grief in the future.  

Let's hope all works out as planned.  (I hope I don't see myself blogging in 10 years time about Monet needing braces!)

Noo Camera

Yesterday, it was out with the old...

and (lucky for me), in with the new.  (Above pic of the old, taken with the new.)  Lyndon gets my hand-me-down Sony Cyber-Shot that has done me very, very, very (like 16k+ shots) well over the past four years and I get a brand spanking new Sony Cyber-Shot. 

 

(Thanks Google images)

Of course it has a zillion functions but I am very impressed with its 'Gourmet Food' setting!  *heehee*  (You all know how much I love to photograph food...along with beer!)

I never used the view finder with my old and this one does not have one at all.  (A function I know many of you out there don't like in the digital cameras of today.)  The whole back screen (3.5 inches) is a 'touch screen' and comes with an internal 4GB memory.  As a bonus my camera came with a slim holding camera bag plus a 2GB memory stick.  Gotta love that.  

If that isn't an excuse to take more photos, then I don't know what is.