Back to Doha

We arrived back late on Friday 7th, the boys and I. The trip was uneventful. Once we got onto the plane. Unfortunately at Heathrow Airport I had omitted to tell staff there was a toy gun and a carving knife in my check-in luggage. I heard my name and the boys paged urgently as we went to the gate and was asked to "come with me" by an airport official. When we did I was confronted by armed police who opened my suitcase and went through all the offending contents. In front of the other passengers filing past me as they were boarding. Oops. Thank goodness only my clean undies were in evidence. Moral of the story, tell them everything at the check-out desk even if they only ask you about what is in your hand luggage.

The boys have been remarkably happy to go back to school and have been back now for four days. Robbie is a prefect and has lots of additional duties which he is taking very seriously. He looks after his prefect badge carefully and pins it to his backpack at the end of the day. His teacher is called Mr Gribble and he seems to be up to the challenge. Leo has cruised into the school year effortlessly.

The Valley of Death is no longer our preferred route to school as it is being turned into a Real Highway, and we can't get into the back alley that leads to all the schools now. Instead we go along a proper road which leads off the Thursday-Friday Market Roundabout, by the Wholesale Market on the end of Salwa Rd. The trip is a bit longer and not nearly as exciting as before.

Ian is well and unfeasibly pleased to have us home again. He is working very long days. He managed to tear himself away from work last night to go to the Al Ghazal Club with us, where the boys were presented with certificates by Yacht Club officials and Captain Arshad during a formal ceremony. A meal followed. It was a good evening; a great mixture of all kinds of expatriates and their kids and Qatari locals with their kids, all dressed in snowy-white thoubes.

I have been job-hunting since we got back. I went for an interview with a recruitment agency yesterday, who were interested in my CV. They are recruiting for positions soon for a new social service being set up by Sheikha Mouza, one of the Emir's wives, who is the driving force behind education, scientific and social service development here. So that looks quite promising and is in my field. However all things take time here, so it is unclear how soon it will all happen, particularly as Ramadan starts tomorrow.

Here's a link to an interesting article about Qatar, if you are interested.