rare visitors

For the twitchers: two bird species never before documented in the Arabian Peninsula have been seen in the UAE in the past fortnight.

[Franklin Gull / Source: The National]

A Cory's Shearwater was spotted by birdwatchers on May 12 - the first sighting in the Middle East. The bird was found while the group were taking part in a boat trip off Kalba, the east coast enclave of Sharjah near the Oman border.

Last week, a Franklin's Gull turned up at Fujairah Port Beach. The gull appeared on May 17 and remained at the beach over the weekend, to the delight of dozens of bird enthusiasts who turned out to see it.

Sightings of species new to the region are extremely rare - the last one happened in December 2008 when a Red-flanked Bluetail was seen at Safa Park in Dubai.

The Franklin Gull normally breeds in the Northern US and Canada, whilst the Cory's Shearwater in the Mediterranean.

More info on birding in the UAE can be found at Tommy Pedersen's website on the subject.


Picture and quote from The National

it's the small things

When you move to a new country there are a lot of things you have to adjust to. In some cases it's a completely different climate (check), or being far away from friends or family. Sometimes you have to learn a new language or moderate your lifestyle. But what-ever the change required you one day wake up and realise that you have done it, you've made the adjustment and you are more-or-less settled in your new "home" away from home.

I truly believe that tools like Facebook and Skype help to keep me connected to the people I left behind. Watching my friends marry, go on vacation or seeing their kids grow up all via their photo album feeds may not be ideal but at least I stay in touch. And that helps a lot.

[three years of cat tags]

a rugby dream - come true

I read this story in the paper earlier this month, and for some reason or other have forgotten to share it with you. So without further ado....

As you would imagine, being a South African, I am an avid rugby fan, and still love to follow the Currie Cup and Super 15 on TV. Rugby as a game is certainly getting more visibility in Dubai year-on-year. The sports results pages in the news-papers were pretty much all football and golf every week but lately there are more and more rugby results listed, albeit mostly about the UK teams and competitions.

[Ali Mohammed / source: The National]

goats and hunch-backs

Well today is Friday the 13th - woooooooo. If you are superstitious you will most probably have avoided black cats, ladders and mirrors today. But why?

According to our friend Wikipedia, font of all information (true or not), the origins of this fear are fairly recent (the 19th century) but not exactly clear. There seem to be 3 theories in play.

i love my Mom(s)

Happy Mother's Day!

Today, the 8th of May, is Mother's Day in South Africa and the US. Here in Dubai we had Mother's Day on the 21st of March, the same day as Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Kuwait and Yemen. If you live in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, India or Pakistan you will have to wait until the 10th of May for your breakfast in bed ladies. Mothering Sunday in the UK falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, which this year was the 3rd April. In Mauritius it's the last Sunday of May.

[image credit: Arnaldur Halldorsson at NordicPhotos

I was going to start this post by saying I am lucky and grateful to (now) be blessed with three Moms as it were. Number one of course is my actual Mom, the woman who gave birth to me and put up with me firstly as a serious toddler, later a stroppy teenager and then a major party animal in my twenties, and who is still wonderfully supportive and non-judgemental. I love you Ma! Later there was my step Mother, who came along when I was all grown up, and has been a generous and brilliant person to me and a welcome addition to the family. And lastly I gained a mother-in-law, the last Mum on the scene who, despite some initial clash of wills, has become very important to me too.

"Emirates baking" on the west coast

As I mentioned the other day I was lucky enough to have my Mom visit and spend some time with me in Dubai. One of her new favourite discoveries is the herb / spice / flavouring (how does one categorise it?) called Za'atar. Essentially a mixture of sesame seeds, marjoram, thyme and lemon all ground up together it's a flavour sensation, and delicious with cheese (my favourite combo). Za'atar recipe here if you fancy.

[yum yum bubblegum!]

Anyway she took several packets home with her, as well as a lovely cookbook "When Suzanne Cooks" by an Arabian lady Suzanne Husseini. We had a copy that she loved the look of so much that she bought one for herself to take home. One of the recipes she was most eager to try, once home, was for Cheese and Za'atar Flatbreads.

They look delicious don't you agree. Wish I could have tried one.