Skip to main content

The summer exodus begins

No Dubai Stereotype today. The city seems strangely empty now the summer exodus has started and as a result I'm totally out of inspiration.

I'm not complaining though as there are many good things about Dubai emptying out, such as:

  • Getting to summer camp at the girls' school now takes an impressive 14 minutes door to door (broke a new record this morning - and all without having to drive like a total ar*se)
  • Parking couldn't be easier, the only issue is fighting the severe choice paralysis that comes from being faced with too many empty parking spaces
  • Doing the weekly grocery shop is now a breeze: no annoying aisle-blockers, no random rudesters trying to jump queues... *sigh of pure joy*
  • The community pool is an oasis of calm and serenity
  • Getting a last-minute appointment anywhere - doctor, dentist, beauty salon, spa - is now entirely possible... plus you're not made to feel like an insane person by the receptionist when you call up to request this previous impossibility
  • Business meetings can now be held in cafes and restaurants, even when you need to discuss sensitive issues, because you're likely to be the only customers in the place (who needs to book expensive meeting rooms??!)
See, there's always a bright side if you look hard enough.

Comments

Manhattan Mama said…
It sounds like Manhattan. Where have all the creatures gone? I love the city empty. At the best, with the heat, there are fewer people on the subway, and fewer people who "bump" into you. ;)

Popular posts from this blog

The Grim Reaper

Firstborn is obsessed with death. It started with the odd comment, such as; "Mummy, what happens when you die?" OK, I thought, I was expecting this at some point, what a cute little curious brain she has. So I trotted out all the cosy Heaven stuff and left out all the things that could worry her, such as worms and bones and holes in the ground. This went down pretty well, although somehow Firstborn made the jump from my view of Heaven (filled with love, joy, always warm, never rains, has a huge discount designer shoe outlet and I never have to pay my Visa bill) to her own view of Heaven; a wonderous place where small girls don't have to eat their vegetables before they're allowed pudding, and where Barbie dolls grow on trees. Anyway, I digress. Last week Firstborn started shouting "Kill! Kill!" in a bloodthirsty tone while bashing her hithero-beloved teddy against the wall. This was topped by her purposely flushing her favourite My Little Pony down the loo. ...

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to

A friend recently emailed me to say that her big memory of her stay with us last year is that she had a great birthday, one of the few where she didn't 'act like a spoiled grumpy princess'. She tried to give me all the credit but as I explained to her, it was all down to having a fellow female organising the birthday fun rather than leaving it to her partner. Her email got me thinking about birthdays and how very different men and women are in their attitudes to celebrating special occasions. It also had me thinking about my birthday two years ago when I threw a major tantrum in the Carrefour car-park after being told that we were off to do the weekly shop, kids in tow, which was simply the final straw at the end of a very uninspiring day. In contrast, my birthday last year was rather lovely (a morning on my own in a spa with no mobile coverage, pure selfish bliss). This year - in a few short months, eek! - I'll be hitting the grand old age of 38. This will be my las...