School trip!

I had a fantastic day yesterday, having managed to wrangle a place for myself on the Small(er) One's school trip - a full day of adventure out in the desert - in the guise of a responsible parent helper.

The schedule included a load of educational stuff - learning how to filter water, looking for 'dinosaur tracks', nature walks etc - but, if I'm to be entirely honest, the big draw for me was the chance to fling myself down huge sand dunes as fast as possible... to try sand boarding, in other words.

I've tried snow boarding before and I'm truly rubbish - the combination of freezing cold and permanently sliding down icy slopes on my backside (thank God for padded salopettes) didn't really do much for me. But sand? That seemed a lot more palatable.

And it was. The most fun I've had for quite a while. Sand is soft, so the bum bruising is much more tolerable. Plus it was kiddy-pitched, so not too scarily high and with the option of sitting on the board. And as is usual for Dubai, the sun was shining. Happiness all round.

The problem is that I can rarely resist a challenge, so when standing was suggested I had a shot at it... and was immediately humbled by a prompt and spectacular face-plant. Which thoroughly serves me right for trying to show off. The fact that my lack of sporting prowess made the kids laugh their socks off almost made the experience of having sand up both nostrils worthwhile.

Today, I have tender hamstrings (repeatedly dragging a board up a near vertical sand dune is a very effective workout), a few bruises and sand nestling in odd places (despite showering, it's tenacious stuff) but I'm still feeling the buzz.

It's entirely possible I may have found myself a new and exciting hobby... See you in the desert!