Well it seems like the Frencham Family fell off the face of the earth in August -- no blogging! In reality we went to the other side of the earth for a wonderful trip downunder. Melissa, Sarah and Alexander were there for a month whilst Tony got in a couple of weeks before returning to work in the Middle East.
Melbourne has returned to the winters we remember following the breaking of the multi-year drought -- everything was green, the ground was soft, and the crisp sunny days were broken up by rainy wintery weather. While others might complain, it was a perfect break for us from the extreme summer weather back in Dubai where every summer day is in the mid-40s and humidity seems to have been higher and for longer this year.
It was a pleasure to catch up with family and friends and relax in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the "world's most liveable city". Our thanks to everyone who make us so welcome and re-integrate us (and put up with Tony's decompression) each six months when we head back to Oz. It makes the trip so worthwhile and we do so appreciate you all.
Tony's project in Saudi Arabia successfully passed its major milestone as we left for vacation (no coincience) and so he is now back and engaged on the next phase of implementation. It has been a relatively quite August with summer vacations and the holy month of Ramadan coinciding but the pace is picking up now.
Dubai is generally busy during summer with the annual Shopping Festival and this year Dubai is a favored location for those from the Middle East who normally head to Egypt, Lebanon and Syria for vacation, all of which have their particular issues at present. However during Ramadan most folks stay home to spend time with family and so it has been quiet here these past few weeks. Now with the Eid Al-Fitr festivities and the return of expats getting ready for the school year we have seen the Dubai back to its bustling best.
Lastly, here in Dubai they celebrate Fathers Day in June as the do in the US, but the Frencham Family have decided to follow the Australian timing which is the first Sunday in September. However since that is a work day in Dubai we have adapted it to the first Saturday -- today. Sarah and Alexander surprised Tony this morning with wonderfal Fathers Day gifts and then proceeded to cook Tony his lunch (Alexander) and dinner (Sarah), both of which were wonderful. Great kids and a great day.
That's all for now, but we'll be back on a more regular basis. Cheers.
