sahara, souks and....

schwamas.....schwamas being delish arab sandwiches.

I will post desert pics when I get back. Meanwhile, here is one taken by my sis in Muttrah souk. The BG has gone native and sports a very fine turban (in fact, we bought a second tasseled affair this evening!) and is now after a dishdash ( the long dress-like tunic..the Omani version boasts a tassel which can be dipped in perfume and then waved at any fair maiden who takes the wearer's fancy...that should go down well at Colyton!). The abeyas are rather tempting...bejewelled courtesy of swarowksi....very glamorous, but a step too far, I feel. Embracing Islam as a fashion statement is not advisable!

We have had a ball here, though I could have done without the repeated embraces of a jellyfish...my left leg and arm are tattoed with red whiplash wheals.

Off to Nizwar tomorrow, ancient capital and principal goat souk! Will NOT buy a goat to swell the menagerie.

Before I forget...dune bashing is TERRIFYING and exhilerating! Tyre pressure has to be reduced to about 10psi or you are in BIG trouble....

Fabulous sea!

The water must have been 26/27c. The offshore wind made it warmer IN the sea than out. We spent an hour in the water and could easily have stayed in longer.That's my nephew alongside me. The BG is probably underwater somewhere, despite being several inches taller than me or George.

Today we are off to the desert to spend a night under the stars in a sort of bedouin camp...pics in due course.

Christmas Day in Oman!

Warm sea, sunshine...most of the day...but we were close to the mountains and the clouds billowed and loomed! We moved on to the 'fjord' where this ancient dhow lies stranded and then on to Mutthar and the souk. It really is FANTASTIC to see and feel the sun!
There was a time, earlier this week, when I was sure that we were doomed not to get here.....if the passport fiasco did not finish us, the snow would. Happily, we are here!

Desert sun

Off to Oman tomorrow for two weeks. Hope to post from there!
Have a very Happy Christmas and New Year, everyone!
See ya!
Foxy xx

funny moments

Michael Deacon did a good piece in Saturday's Telegraph on TV's funniest moments: My faves at nos.1 and 4:
Mitchell and Webb:
Suburban house party; Webb: Lionel, insufferable brain surgeon..keeps asking people what they do so that he can lord it over them, saying of their job:'It's not exactly brain surgery, is it?'
Geoff, played by Mitchell, arrives.
Lionel: So, Geoff, how do you earn a crust?
Geoff: I'm a scientist. I work mainly with rockets. It's pretty tough work. What do you do?
Lionel: Well, I don't mean to boast, but I'm a brain surgeon.
Geoff: Brain surgery? (PAUSE>>>). It's not exactly rocket science, is it?'

Armstrong and Miller: WWII RAF pilots:
'Vera Lyn is, like, well fit. Do you know what I am saying, she is buff. Totally. She's got it going on. Not like Gracie Fields. She mings bad.'

Genuis!

Poacher...

..on the lake. Can't get close enough for a picture of the perp, I'm afraid! He's FAR too clever! He stands on the retaining wall and beats one wing on the surface of the water, trying to lure MY trout to the surface. Sadly, I do not have time to watch him for long...a bit of me would love to see him make a catch...but it is fascinating! What a canny heron!
Close up of a new landscape using a very limited palette...following the advice of a professional. Amazing what can be created with very little.
Don't you just love my bunny cat? You can clearly see his dear handy-paws? That's evolution for you!

Sir Ken McDonald...

..has it right when he describes Blair as a narcissist and says that 'self belief is no answer to mis-judgement'.

Show

Sold five, which is fantastic. Wonderful to know that my pics will be hanging in other people's houses.
Does Blair have NO scruples or conscience whatsoever? That line ' obviously we would have had to deploy different arguments' ( if regime change had been the stated objective) is shocking in its arrogance and sophistry. Can he really believe that he will escape censure as one of the most notorious liars of the century past and current? Terrible.

Mr P says "It's Spring, Let's....

....make peachicks! Mrs P regards him with utter disdain. "One ray of sunshine and he's off....and call that a tail? I've seen better feathers on an over-ready chicken!"
Show is almost ready...catalogued, labelled, hung. Just got to clean up the house...an Herculean task....

Spoke too soon...

You can't see the rain bouncing off the deck....
Mr and Mrs P have taken cover, pushing Little round to the windward side. Selfish creatures!

Some respite from biblirainium?

(Biblirainium being our word for the prodigious, ludicrous and , indeed, biblical quantities of rain bestowed upon us over the past twelve months).
The photo shows Little, the last of the Citron Millefleur Sablepoots, sheltering under the granite table yesterday. I am sure she is heartily sick of spending every night clinging to her denuded branch and getting soaked. She does have the option to go in at night, but her roosting habit is, seemingly, too well-established to break. Today, all the birds are a good deal more cheerful, following our first dry night for weeks.
Back to the painting. Show starts Thursday and the house is a tip. May have to get a skip again....so good for the soul...and the otherwise tedious tidying process! All those difficult keep/trash decisions become so easy once one has a skip demanding to be fed!

www.verve-enterprise.co.uk

OK, guys! I need your help! My son's school's Young Enterprise team has GOT to beat the oppo and that means many, many sales must be achieved! The MEE bags are great stocking fillers for girlies and the signs ( whilst not my thang) are amusing and inexpensive. If you can order something, please do!

Going mad...

I don't know how much more of this rain I can take. I really am beginning to feel unhinged by it. I am SICK of the sound of it smashing down on the roof and windows. I am sick of the frenzied noise of the rushing, swollen stream. I am sick of the sight of bedraggled birds and woeful pony standing in mud. I am sick of the leaden skies and the bow waves created as I pick my way up the flooded lane in search of escape. How those poor souls in Cumbria manage to keep themselves away from the pill bottles, sharp knives and ropes, I just do not know. I would be long gone.

Frost

The peacocks were very hungry this morning, standing right outside the front door and staying put when I emerged. Luckily, I had a treat ready for them...wholemeal couscous. Yum. Little warbled with delight and got stuck in with enormous enthusiasm. My friend and I decided to delay our ride until 11am as everything is frozen solid. I just hope it stays dry, because I must get the tractor up into the woods to stock up on fuel.
Horse painting finished...off to the framers. A big black moulding, I think.
I do not like the comedian Frankie Boyle. He is too coarse ( even for me!) but I was mightily amused by a review of his autobiography 'My S*** Life So Far'. Apparently Frankie broke up with his girlfriend because her bookshelf 'contained every commercial book that you'd seen people reading in a train for the previous few years: Captain Corelli's Mandolin and so on'. F thought it was an ironic statement; she said it was her actual library, 'and our utter incompatibility was suddenly obvious'. Lovely.
Oh, and how come I didn't win the jackpot on the Premium Bonds? I really needed to, what with Saff going into livery! Bummer!