The Party is Over

It was great but I am shattered. We had 52 acceptances and 45 came. The house looked fabulous and the food was good too.......

Now I can look to Christmas back in the UK :-)

The Desert is Busy but Still Beautiful

I am writing this post when I should be preparing! The number for tonight has grown to 51 not counting ourselves and kids! Oh, why didn't I get it catered - because it started out as a drinks party for twenty and that thanks to my mother's brilliant training I can do with my eyes closed. However for 50 ( I have done 60 before) I need eyes open and normally a day or two - but no. I was in the desert yesterday.

I love desert trips. I love the desert. The sensual shapes of the rolling dunes, the changing colours of the sands, the bag trees and the shrub bushes, even the odd roaming camel. Since we left three years ago the desert has become busy. I looked to one big dune last evening and watched the white land cruisers swarming over it like ants. As I saw the number of cars in our group join up I wondered if it was possible to get lost in the desert any more??? My heart sank - it had been a special treat even when going on a tourist trip like we did last night. The desert was empty but not any more.

My spirits lifted as we took to our big dune. I prayed as our skillful driver pushed us up over and down amazing grades. There is nothing like the feeling of the land cruisers hitting the top and then skidding in the decent at an angle - will you roll or won't you? Thank God we didn't.

The sunset was all the God intended it to be even if the other groups were lined up on the other hills like sentinels. The evening camp was fun and filled with light hearted banter of my dh's colleagues. It was their last hurrah as a company. Dh's old company signed the final paper and brought his new last night. A sadness of what could have been tinged the air with the fear of what the future may hold........

Well, my future holds a massive party tonight so I best get cracking!

Nits

One doesn't usually own up to this sort of things but I discovered on Wednesday just before dd's Christmas concert that she had nits. I quietly told the schoo.l nurse and we went forth into the evening concert with her hair tied back. It was late night so I couldn't treat before she went to bed. I let the little lie in and then began. Now having three kids I have been through nits before and let me say as she had been scratch I had been checking quickly most mornings. The girl was infested.

Two hours later she was debugged so I thought I had just better check myself. I have made it through 44 years of life and three kids with nits never having had them before........but I had nits. Another hour before I was debugged and my hair looked like something from hell. Highlighted hair does not go well with weird chemicals! i just don't advise it. i was supposed to be a fab Christmas party last night but no - my dead nits, fried hair and I stayed home.

Of course all of this debugging wasn't in the schedule for big party - numbers now up to 40! Not to panic I'm off to the desert this afternoon and evening for company do.......so who is having 40 people here tomorrow? Me? No, you must be joking!!!!

Another One Bites the Dust

Well the title could apply to two things - the Christmas letter is done and dusted soon to be winging its way around the world late. It is a huge relief. This was a year so full and with the current uncertainty in our lives - it was a hard letter to get right. However it is done - Yay.



Now the other thing that bit the dust was I heard back from the agent that requested more and as I suspected - it wasn't for them. So I still have one sub out there and will send out two more while I am in Cornwall for Christmas. To be honest I am so done with August Rock and just want to move on. I am desperate to write the new story in my head. I don't think I will make myself wait until I have finished the edit of A Cornish House. I really feel the need to move forward.



Speaking of that I rashly said to the dh we should have a Christmas drinks party to force us to finish the house! No I wasn't under the influence at the time I suggested it. He thought a great idea - well he would! So for my sins I am having thirty-five people for drinks on Friday evening! Is the house 'finished' you ask? Hell no. The cupboards are full but not in the right place however my sitting room looks beautiful. I am mad - certififably mad. I leave in a few days for the UK! Mad as a hatter!

Focus - Christmas Letter

Right, i am disconnecting myself from the Internet until I have written the da*n Christmas letter. So if you will excuse me will I threaten myself.......hopefully I will be back soon :-)

The Dubai 7's

This has got to be one of the highlights of expat life in Dubai. When we left three years ago it was one of the things we longed for most. I was afraid that this year ( the last year in exiles club) would let me down. Well, it's bigger, brighter etc and I loved the chaotic friendly family of the past. Today we sat in the new family section (dry - yes I watched the 7's without a drop!) and it was brilliant.

The 7's were my real intro to rugby and they suit my short attention span beautifully. The Dubai ones are a social affair as much as a sporting one. I saw faces i remembered and met new people. Kids are safe to roam and a sense of the world as it should reigns as the international field performs for you. I was on of the few voices routing for the US team but with the sevens and rugby in general I find - a good try is a good try no matter who makes it.

So I leave you with one of the real reasons I love the Dubai 7's :-)

Middle name Meme, Dubai 7's and Links

Rebecca tagged me for the middle name meme which requires that I list the rules first:

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don't have a middle name, just make one up...or use the one you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

M - Mother. I see being a mother the most important role in life. It shapes much of how I act and think although I wasn't sure I relay wanted to be one until I was one.

A - Angels. I believe in angels especially guardian angels who I particularly relying when I am flying because I am terrified of flying and with my life flying is not an optional activity.

R - Rejection. I am no longer afraid of rejection. I think when I hit 40 this passed and I don't really care what most other people think of me, my life and my work. I finally know and love myself so what others like really doesn't matter.

I - Imagination. Imagination is a special gift and I hadn't realized how many people lack it until recently. It seems to get lost somewhere between childhood and adolescence.

E - Education. Education is so important and it comes in so many many forms. We have an obligation to ourselves and other to keep educating our minds and sharing it with others.

Right now I tag JJ, Cally, Fiona, Nell ,Ray-Anne

Now the Dubai 7's start today, Thursday - despite what the blog says - and believe it or not it is cloudy which I am sure has the players worried as last year they nearly got rained out I here! So here's hoping it won't rain as we will be there tomorrow and Saturday. I am hoping that the 7's won't let me down as I have such wonderful memories of them from when we lived here last!

Now onto a few links for you. I tagged Fiona above but it worth dropping by her blog because she is doing one of her wonderful writing craft sessions. Her insight into writing is brilliant. I now forget who lead me onto this blog but it worth scrolling through his posts during NaNoMo. Here's a quote from his last post which hit home:

"That's because writing is about setting, and reaching, goals.

Stories don't write themselves. They take a considerable time commitment. Often that commitment is hard to justify. But writers, real writers, make writing a priority. They make the time and the effort. "

Ups and Downs

So goes the way of the world that with the highs comes a low......translation - I had a flat out rejection from one of the agents I subbed to last week ( not the one that nibbled but one I spoke to at the party). So onward and upward. However it made me smile that the things she disliked about the script were the things that others had praised in it - go figure!

This morning has been glorious as a fresh cool breeze was blowing west from the sea. I walked around a palace this morning enjoying the almost crisp air and enjoying the crunch of dried leaves under my feet. No I was not hallucinating. Leaves do drop here and in the morning it can be almost cool.

Back

Jet lagged in Dubai. Thank you for all your good wishes. Fingers crossed here but not holding my breath. A post I wrote on Thursday last week in down below!

A Nibble

In great haste as I am on a timed Internet connection......you know that emailed submission a few weeks ago. Well they want to see three chapters!

Be back on Monday!