Happy Birthday Frankie Lulu!

Wow, I can't believe the last time I posted was for Piper's 5th birthday, and now here we are with our baby girl turning 1 last week.

It has been a long time between posts, I am hopeless at lying and there has been a lot going on in our little world. While we have known for a couple of months some big changes were ahead we weren't ready to make any public announcements until details were finalised. You will notice I also stopped blogging during the first half of my pregnancy for the same reasons, I can't blog when I am only telling half the story.

All is in motion and there is no turning back - we are coming home.  Our house in Dubai has been packed into a shipping container and we have moved in with friends for the next month. We are coming home to Australia just in time for Christmas and the fun of an Australian summer.
We are returning to somewhat of a sea change rather than Melbourne and a change in roles of sorts. Naz is returning to work with Fire Brigade and I will be continuing my project role here in Dubai but working from home for a little while.

I am going to work backwards and get some post and photos up of the last few missing months. In amongst the craziness there have been some fun times, trips to Paris, and Sri Lanka, an amazing effort by Naz in the Dubai Half Ironman and other triathlons, and lots of fun sister moments.
I have decided to get these up and more of our final weeks in Dubai to close out our blog of our Middle East adventures, a nice little memory the girls can read and see one day.

Below are some pics of our Frankie Lulu on her 1st birthday.

Ramadan Mubarak or Happy Ramadan

Ramadan is here again, and although it is our third one, it doesn't get any easier.
I won't go into the details of Ramadan and how the rules work as an expat, I wrote about this here a few years ago.

I am not sure if it is because we are here for the long haul and not escaping to Europe this Ramadan, or if it is simply that Dubai is very much home now and we are so comfortable here, but this Ramadan seems to be more annoying and frustrating than the previous. Although we have moved house since last Ramadan so we are not being woken at 4:30am by canon fire this year which is nice.

I find Ramadan an inoffensive celebration, in fact I like the festive atmosphere, the sense of generosity and community that you don't normal relate to life in Dubai - but I am still selfishly, ridiculously frustrated by small things daily.

Here are my top 5 annoyances this week:

1.   The simple fact that I keep forgetting it is Ramadan at all.... I can't even count the amount of 'oops' moments or near misses I have had. My lack of being able to remember is the most frustrating thing this week by far.

2.   Not being able to drink my morning coffee in the car on the way to work

3.   Hypoglycemic, hungry drivers on the roads in the late afternoons. Apparently hungry = angry and unable to drive like a decent human being

4.   Remembering to dress conservatively. Contrary to what you read in the media and see on the news, Dubai is quite a non conservative city. Over time you learn where to dress conservatively and where to dress for comfort. On a typical weekend you will find me in shorts and a singlet or a dress. But during Ramadan it is considered disrespectful to show your knees or shoulders more so than any other time of year, even in malls and locations not usually considered conservative.

5.   The changing hours of EVERYTHING. A lot of shops don't open until late afternoon, my gym changed its timetable and the classes now start late at night and run til midnight, kids indoor play centre opens late and until midnight. It is a nightmare for an anal, structure loving person.

This does seem like a rather whiny post, but this is our reality. There are also a lot of really cool, fun and positive things about Ramadan and I will write about these next week. For instance one of our favourite daytime restaurants is closed for Ramadan but has a pop-up Iftar restaurant open in the evenings that we are excited to check-out tonight!

Hot Nights and Hotter Days

I couldn't think of another title on the fly, but given the weird and unusual google searches that somehow send people to my blog, I am a little concerned what sort of traffic will wind up at this post, disappointed.

We are now just over a week out from the official beginning of summer and it is hot, hot, hot!
Today marks the official beginning for me. When I walked out of the office and my sunglasses fogged over from the humidity for the first time this year - I knew summer was here. But hey, at least I am not pregnant this year!

Naz has entered the Dubai International Half Ironman in November. So ironically as the weather heats up his training schedule is ramping up also. The crazy man has started cycling at night, and as it gets hotter intends to get up and train between 3am and 5am.
Luckily there is an 85km cycling track out in the desert, not too far from home (pictured above on the morning after a sandstorm), but it's really far out into the desert so I am not that keen on his training plans. He has already stopped running outdoors and moved onto the treadmill, and there is probably 3 more weeks before the sea is too hot for swimming and he will be stuck doing laps in our pool. He is a crazy man I tell you, all of the above is his idea of fun.

Last weekend I joined a girls only stand up paddleboard group for a combined paddle and fitness class on the boards..... which I completely underestimated. I could barely walk the next day - there were muscles hurting I forgot existed. The class is out on the Palm, how freaking cool is that, to paddle around the Palm in Dubai - one day I am going to miss some really awesome things about living here.

Piper's school year is coming to a close, only 5 weeks left before summer holidays. She has bounced back from her operation and you wouldn't know it was less than a month ago. She is back to her usual crazy self - tonight our conversation in the car went a little like this:
"Mum I really, really want to go to school more days a week, I want to go to school on Thursdays too"
To which Naz and I proceeded to tell her 'no way' and explain that this was the last chance she got to hang out at home and have Daddy days, sleep in, go to the beach and just be a kid etc. We told her that in September when big girl school starts she has to go to school 5 days a week forever - until she is all grown-up.
Her response '"umm I only want to go to school on Thursdays because they have spaghetti for lunch".

Frankie is continuing to grow and entertain us. She finally nailed the rolling thing again after giving us the false start weeks ago and then stopping. She is sitting with a little help and is growing so strong - both physically and mentally. She is a fierce and determined little one. At 6 months old she is eating 3 meals a day and snacks in-between, she definitely inherited Naz's appetite. She almost eats more than Piper already!
The one thing Frankie doesn't like.... babies. Hates them. Screams her lungs out if she is put near them. Potentially a by product of spending a lot of time with her Dad and not out and about with other babies, but at least she will be able to name every NBA team and player by the time she is 1.

Then there is the story about the crazy Aussie in purple pineapple shorts who put out a substantial house fire before the fire brigade arrived and then promptly disappeared...... but I will keep that one for another day!

Naz in Lycra

Two weeks ago Naz competed in an Olympic distance triathlon held at the Atlantis Hotel, on The Palm, Dubai.

Fortunately, this coincided with Grandpa’s holiday in Dubai, so he was lucky enough to have 4 family members out there cheering for him.

I have been chasing Naz around crazy sport events for long enough now that I can read an event map like a pro, calculate what his times should be and when he will transition, and then get myself around the event to at least catch him 3 or 4 times throughout the race, and give him a bit of encouragement.
It’s a lot more fun these days too with Piper running around with me. Her excitement to cheer for her Dadda is pretty infectious.

On this particular day I was pretty impressed that I had managed to get two kids up, dressed, fed and out the door by 7am on my own, (I felt like I had completed a triathlon myself just getting us all into the car). Naz had left at about 4:30am to get his bike and gear checked in.

Naz kicked some butt on the day and came in 21st in Olympic Male Open. He also got to race against, and meet his boy crush, fellow Australian and two time World Champion Chris McCormack.

Not one to slow down, yesterday ,Naz competed in the world first Desert Triathlon. A combination of run, cycle, and endurance horse ride. 
Before you go picturing Naz in lycra on horseback, he competed as part of a team - he completed the cycle leg only. Unfortunately his horse was disqualified and did not race so they received no team result, but Naz’s cycle leg was an impressive 31 out of 127 competitors.

Unfortunately, I did not take my camera - I knew I would have my hands full with the girls. The event was incredible and dominated by local Arabs and royal family members. His Highness Nasser bin Hamad al Khalifa was the winner – completing the run, cycle and 40km horse ride on his own – faster individually than the teams could do it!! He was pretty impressive, I guess if you are the son of the King of Bahrain and married to the Head Sheikh of Dubai’s daughter you probably have a bit of time on your hands to train, I am thinking employment is not really an issue.

If you want some more eye candy of Naz in lycra, below are some of the official photographs taken at the Atlantis Triathlon. Piper received the best cheer for her run down to the finish line with Naz, and they gave her a medal of her own.

Now this is a desert storm!!

I tried to post a video on Instagram of the storm we experienced on Friday night (you can find my Instagram feed on the far right side of this blog if your not an Instagram user), but my video could not do the ferocity of this storm justice.

Fortunately, some crazy locals were in the right place, at the right time, and captured this amazing video. Be patient and keep watching as first the Burj Khalifa and then the whole city just disappears under the intensity of the storm.

This will amaze even you hardened storm going Melbournites and South Gippslanders!

Summer is upon us so this is probably the last rain for the year!

Market Mornings

Our favourite part of the weekend is by far Friday mornings. During winter there is a large market in the grounds of one of Dubai's largest parks. It is a beautiful market of fresh farm produce, gourmet food and craft all under the shade of large palms.

On Fridays we get-up and head straight to the market, we grab a coffee and some food then find a patch of grass under a palm to spread out our picnic mat. We are usually joined by friends and the kids run crazy while we relax on the grass, stroll through the market stalls and eat some more.

The weather has started to heat up fast over the past week and sadly there will only be a handful of Fridays left to enjoy these beautiful mornings before it is too hot and all outdoor fun ceases.

A New Kind of Normal

Well here we are mid way through February already! After an amazing 6 weeks home in Australia we are back in Dubai.

Goodbyes are never easy and this time it was harder than ever to depart. In fact where possible, I just totally skipped the goodbyes this time.

This week is a big one for us - the beginning of our new 'normal' life and routines. I returned to work on Sunday and so far we are surviving. There were a few tears, mostly mine and surprisingly, a couple from Piper. It turns out our Daddy's girl has enjoyed having me around these last few months more than we had realised.

Frankie seems to be doing what she does best - cruising along and taking it all in her stride. She is as chilled out as ever, and thankfully still sleeping 10 - 12 hours straight at night.

All in all we are happy, healthy and looking forward to some adventures and a fun year!

Below are some more pics from our time at home with family and friends x

Four generations

Shelly Beach, Phillip Island

Beautiful day for paddleboarding..... if only my body was up for it!

Cousins

Welcome Frankie Lulu

Frankie Lulu O'Brien

Born - 3rd November 2013 @ 9:14am
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Weight - 3.5 kg

Length - 51.5cm

Sisters first meeting

A morning at the farm

A couple of weekends ago at the end of Eid holidays we visited 'The Farm'. A stunning cafe built in the centre of a tropical green oasis on the outskirts of Dubai. 
The area the restaurant is built in is a purpose built lush green residential community that completely denies the senses you are in fact in the middle of the desert.
It is astonishing and thanks to the amount of greenery it really does provide a respite from the harsh heat and desert sand. I shudder to think how much water is consumed and labour is needed to keep this place alive - there are very few places in the world that could afford to do this.

To top it off the food was brilliant - I really wish I had taken photo's of our food for once, but I am one of those people who groans at having Instagram and Facebook feeds full of other peoples food pics. But unfortunately on this occasion there are no words to describe how awesome my pistachio and strawberry waffles were or Naz's breakfast.

Some pics of our walk around the gardens post breakfast.

Ghosts of Dubai #1

After a 6 year boom the financial crisis in 2007 - 2010 had a significant impact on Dubai.

One of these is the 'ghosts of Dubai' - projects started and never completed. There are hundreds of these projects around Dubai, more recently they are tearing some down, filling holes and restarting. But a lot are rather iconic, and have now stood still in mid-construction for so long they are part of the landscape.

Below are a couple of pics taken recently, I will add some more over time. At 38 weeks pregnant my ability to get out and about on excursions for taking photographs is somewhat limited by my size, swollen hands and feet and the ever present Dubai heat which has made one final come back before winter kicks in.

Universal Studios - part of the never built Dubailand. It is a common theme in Dubai to build grand entrances first then construction follows - unfortunately this project never made it past the front gate!

These two connected towers would of been an impressive structure, however they are likely never to be completed having stood exactly like this since about 2009. They are eerie building sites - everything right down to workers belongings just sits there.

Life Lately in Happy Snaps

1. Beautiful entrance to Global Village at sunset - the weather is beautiful in the evenings now

2. Date night for the girls - Daddy was out partying at Atlantis on the Palm

3. This happened this week, the rings are off at 36 weeks - it took a lot of freezing and oiling to get them off too

4. Making masks at school

5. More pics from the garden now we can go outside and enjoy it without melting

6. Sleep over while Daddy was out - between Piper and all her 'kids' there was not a lot of room for me and my big belly

BBQ Season Begins!

Finally the weather is cooling down - by cooling down I mean today was the first day under 35 degrees in 6 months. 
It was still a very warm 34 but by 5pm it was cool enough to move outside, enjoy a gentle breeze and our first proper BBQ of the season in our new backyard. It was beautiful while it lasted but unfortunately by 7:30pm the humidity had rolled in the breeze departed, sending us back indoors.

Finally able to enjoy this beautiful space as a family

Not sure if it was the angle, the light or the silly trying not to laugh face , but I can see so much of Naz in this pic of Piper

Moving house and a sand storm

We moved house over the weekend, although we had removalists pack and relocate our furniture and goods it was still exhausting work.

The weather over the past week has been hot, hot, hot.... there is still no sign of winters arrival at all and this combined with a bored 4 year old, 7 and a 1/2 month pregnant me and stairs almost killed us.

But as you can see below, two kids quickly settled into their new surroundings. Who would of thought having grass would make us all so happy. Looking at our yard you would hardly believe we are now living out in the desert (my water bill will certainly reflect it next month though)

We are almost settled in and fully unpacked, with the exception of a nasty sand storm yesterday afternoon everything has gone well. I will write a blog post soon about our new community with some more pics of our new home.

Helping Dad build Ikea furniture



The sand storm hit from nowhere as Naz and I were driving home yesterday, thankfully Piper was at home with our nanny who had the good sense to get everybody indoors quickly.



Interesting drive home - this is just near the entrance to our community

This morning as we drove to school and work Piper commented 'did they just put the trees back up?',  we laughed before looking out the window and realising that in fact all 3 trees that had been blown over the previous afternoon were now standing back upright. I don't even know whether to laugh or cry at this stupidity, but given sand storms are predicted for the next two afternoons I will be staying well away from the roads and trees!
There are just some things that the words 'only in Dubai' describe all too perfectly.

5 Signs You May Have Been Living in Dubai Too Long

1. When driving Piper to pre school she asks from the back seat "why are you driving me to school? Why don't we have a driver like the other kids?" Umm ok.... not sure this family of 3 needs a full-time nanny and driver!

2. When you realise you just got pissed off because Starbucks wouldn't answer the phone and you actually have to take the two minutes to get out of your car and collect your own drink on the way to work 

3. When after driving around the mall car park looking for a parking space for less than two minutes Piper comments "can't we just valet it Mum?"  (You can practically valet park anywhere in Dubai including the hospital, which actually comes in handy when you are rushing your Dad to emergency with a broken sternum from a roller coaster ride!)

4. When you turn up to a 4 year olds Pirate themed birthday party and you are genuinely surprised it is being hosted at a 5 star hotel and not on a private yacht

5. When it's 38 degrees outside and you declare it is still cool enough to dine outdoors but summer will be here soon

Sandstorms, rain and the craziness of Dubai!

This weekend was like no other I have experienced in Dubai.

On Thursday local news reported sandstorm warnings for the weekend, not unusual for this time of year as the temperatures start climbing towards summer. The media was full of warnings to stay indoors and reminders of the effects on respiratory health.

Friday was pretty standard, lots of sand and dust in the air and the strange yellow haze that comes with it. But nothing extraordinary or alarming.

By Saturday morning however, the winds whipped up and heading outside the house was near impossible. Piper and I played indoors and cooked pancakes for lunch to pass the time, it was after cooking the pancakes I turned around and noticed just how bad the weather had turned.

View from our balcony early in the afternoon, on a clear day we can see the Burj Al Arab in the distance!

Taken from a friends apartment on Sheikh Zayed Road later in the afternoon (this was the only time we left the house, to briefly celebrate a birthday)

On the left is our usual view over Downtown and the Burj Khalifa from our living room. On the right is our view on Saturday afternoon.

That evening not long after putting Piper to bed the storm took a severe, turn. Although the windows and doors were all locked the wind was whistling through every crack and a layer of sand was settling on everything indoors. It was about this time out the corner of my eye I watched our large, balcony couch cushion base sail up into the air and over the balcony into the beyond. I then had to brave the winds and scramble to pull everything from the balconies inside (I had actually completed this the day before, and wrongly assumed I had removed anything that could fly away). On the upside I got a free sandblasted facial!

Everything not secured at the building site of the new mosque next door was bashing and crashing, visibility was non existent and cars on the road below were basically stopping and parking to wait out the storm.
Then the rain came, and with it all the drama when you combine water and Dubai (the once or twice a year that it actually happens).

Let's just say with Naz still in Australia I did not sleep a lot that night. The wind and rain eventually eased and so too the constant police sirens, honking horns and screeching car tyres navigating the wet roads around us.

I have to admit I was actually pretty freaked out on Saturday night, and I have been quite happy to read in the paper over the last few days that even hardened locals were concerned, while others have commented there hasn't been a storm like it in 20 years!

How was your weekend?

Pakistani Kushti Wrestling

This weekly ritual plays out in front of large crowds at dusk on Friday's in the older part of Dubai, in Deira near the Gold Souk and Fish Market area.

In late January we finally had the time to explore and find the wrestling site. We were not disappointed, it was a fabulous tradition to witness and although there were only a handful of expats amongst a sea of local labourers we were welcomed with open arms.

Introducing the wrestlers

The large crowd in a perfect circle - can you spot Naz and Piper in the crowd?

Triumphant winner