We have had a breathless few days with Geoff's visit; very busy with lots of activities but with lots of time to catch up and talk about some important issues. The boys are so happy to see Geoff. Dina, who is Filipina and who does our cleaning and ironing, thinks it is hilarious: "Now you hab two husbands!" It has been good for all of us in the house; bittersweet for me because it reminds me that my time together being fulltime hands-on mummy for the boys will come to an end soon, bittersweet for Geoff because he has been missing the boys so much and his time with them this holiday is limited. We have not quite yet decided the date next year for the boys to return to New Zealand to live with Geoff. But our discussions have been open, honest and supportive of each other and, most importantly, centred around what is good for the boys. So I have full confidence that we can come up with some decisions that we can all live with and work with.
Here are some photos of what we have been getting up to:
Quad-biking in the desert near Messaid
Ice skating in City Centre
A ride in a dhow around Doha Harbour
A trip to Souq Waqif. Here I am standing next to some of the biggest cooking pots in the universe.
We met a very interesting man who owned one of the shops in the souq. He was the first body builder in Qatar. He also used to be a pearl diver. Pearling was the main industry here before oil and gas was discovered. He was a most charming and dignified man, courteous and old-fashioned. We observed a succession of locals greeting him with great respect as they walked past his shop; clearly he is a well-known and loved identity.
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