Closing out 2012

Well we've all been busy in the lead up to the end of the year (or is that the end of civilization according to some guys that aren't around anymore -- go figure?).  Anyway, the FrenchamFamily has been enjoying the temperate weather in Dubai (we don't call it Autumn/Fall since it sort of doesn't work in the desert) and it is a time to get outside and benefit from the endless sunshine here (more about that later).

For all of you that enjoy a good laugh you will know that one of the funniest sitcoms of all time is Fawlty Towers, albeit there were only twelve golden episodes made.  Well some very clever actors now have a touring show entitled "Fawlty Towers The Dining Experience" and the FrenchamFamily went along for a hilarious evening.  The show only included Basil, Sybil and Manuel (pictured) but they hit all of the high points from the television series.  From the pre-dinner drinks when Manuel started taking the guests sight glasses because he'd been told to "collect the glasses" (drink) it was madness and mayhem right through until the dessert.  And aside from being great actors, there was a lot of audience participation and wonderful ad libbing in character.  If this show is ever in your town then we highly recommend it.

The international Rugby Sevens tournament came through Dubai as it does around this time each year and this time the FrenchamFamily decided to attend and enjoy the huge party atmosphere (and to cheer for the Aussie team as well).  On the day Melissa stayed home due to a severe head cold and what a brilliant decision that turned out to be!

The day was unusually cool and a light drizzle was falling which was essentially the first rain of the year in Dubai, but since it nevers lasts long Tony, Sarah and Alexander pressed on in typical light clothing (you can see where this is going).  Inevitably it turned out to be a REAL rugby weather day, with wind and rain the likes of are rarely seen in Dubai.  The pictured stadium appears to have roofing towards the back of each stand but we found out that in fact it is simply shade cloth for the other 364 days of sun and so the rain came straight through!  Anyway, we soldiered on and enjoyed the rugby (nothing good to be written about the Aussie performance) and the wonderful crowd that treat the event as a fancy dress party and many barely notice the rugby at all.  We got smart and bailed just before a second bout of heavy rain, but we'll certainly be back next year.

As we write this we are heading off to Australia for our vacation with family and friends.  From the FrenchamFamily to all of you and yours, Merry Christmas and our very best wishes for a wonderful 2013.

Tidal changes

It's been some time since we posted but it is the time of year where we are mostly heads down and the rest up focusing on school, work, study and transitioning through the seasons.  Still, let's see if we can summarize a couple of months and a very interesting end of October.

Aside from his very busy work, Tony finds this an emotional time of year as most of his sports (Aussie Rules Football, Formula One, southern hemisphere Rugby Union, and U.S. Baseball) all transpire during this period and he likes to think all his teams will win.  This year was not unkind to Tony, but it was certainly not triumphant by any means (all excuses have been expunged from what would otherwise be a 2000 word summary):
- Collingwood made the finals but never really threatened;
- Red Bull will win the championship but Mark Webber has fallen away again;
- the Aussies may have to be re-named the Wobbalies (and need to send their Kiwi coach home); and
- the Yanks blew a great season and fizzled out like a team worth a fifth of their salary.

Sarah & Alexander are now immersed at school, and Sarah has started as a teachers assistant for her Drama School.  Melissa is wrapping up her assignments for her Bachelor of Behavioural Science with only one more part-time year to go out of six (how time flies).  The summer heat is now dropping away and the evenings and mornings are very pleasant -- the tidal change from exhausting summer to enjoyable spring is being dramatically embraced and outdoor dinners are now looked forward to every evening.

We had two more visitors through on the "Visit Dubai 2012" program with Tony's cousins Robin and Martin and their partners stopping by.  Tony was disorganized enough to be absent for business on both of their visits (however it was not at all clear whether that was a negative or a positive).

The Harlem Globetrotters visited the UAE for the first time and brought their well known but equally loved brand of entertainment to the outdoor arena where the Dubai Tennis Classic is held.  Lot's of fun for Sarah, Alexander and Tony as Special K and the team delivered the goods and managed to "just" beat the opposing team with seconds to spare.

The Eid-al-Adha holiday fell at the end of October and the FrenchamFamily decided to spend the week in Venice despite the fact it is towards the colder months (but that meant there were less tourists which we prefer).  What we didn't count on was the seasonally high tides which, with a full moon and some global warming added, meant the popular tourist locations were under water once or twice a day.  That first morning that we stepped out of our hotel and found that the sea had come to greet us was certainly unexpected, but Melissa made a dash for a nearby store that sold gumboots and after that we were back in business.  It might seem that a flooded city cannot operate, but Venice knows how to make this work (our last night in Venice had a 1.4m tide peak which was the highest since 2010 and 80% of Venice was under water, but life goes on).


The food of course was fantastic and we decided to never eat in the same cafe or restaurant twice.  Inevitably this was not a perfect experience as three of the four FrenchamFamily members went down with gastro one day but all was forgiven by the end of the trip with a wonderful final evening at Luna Sentada restaurant which we highly recommend to anyone visiting Venice (say ciao to Ermanno for us).

It was a pleasure to be in a city with so much history and with the only sounds being those of the people and the water -- NO CARS!  One can (and did) walk for days and every twist and turn delivered new pleasures.  Cathedrals, palaces, eateries and so, so many shops.

We also took a water taxi to Murano where the Venetian glass artisans work their magic and then onto Burano which is known for it's colored villas and lace industry (which seemed to get Sarah excited above).

Arrivederci Venice.  Mille Grazie.

Back to Dubai

The FrenchamFamily is now back in Dubai after their regular trip downunder to visit family and friends during the long school break for the Northern Summer.  We had a wonderful time in Melbourne, including a trip to the 'G to see our beloved Collingwood trounce St Kilda.  We also took a mini-trip to Perth to visit our relatives there and enjoyed relaxing in and around Freo for a few days.  Our thanks to all who hosted us and made our visit so relaxing and enjoyable.

So it's back to the grind now with Sarah and Alexander back at school, Tony immersed in his work, and Melissa ensuring the FrenchamFamily is a well-organised unit.  But there is always time for a family outing and so last night we headed to the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for the second T20 match between Australia and Pakistan (scheduled in the UAE because of security issues in Pakistan).  Sure it was going to be hot and a little crazy, but we were looking forward to a cracking game after the Aussies dropped the first match.

Well it was a great match (tied after regulation and then went to the superover before Pakistan pinched it) but we only got to see a few balls bowled in what was not Dubai's finest hour (despite the normally high standard of organization here for international events).  What a shambles!  After the best part of two hours getting to the ground due to construction nearby and general chaos, the stadium itself (above setting 25000) appeared to be oversold such that by the time we arrived the only seating left was in the aisles themselves.  Not sure what went wrong with the organising or the security, but after our glimpse of cricket in the sub-continent we headed home to follow the match through to its unsatisfactory conclusion.  It will all seem funny one day!

London and Denmark

It has been a long time (2008) since we had three postings in a month but, frankly readers, you all deserve it!  So here are the highlights of our express trip to London and Denmark.

We started in an unseasonally cold and rainy London as Tony had a Board meeting there and the FrenchamFamily flew in to join him during their summer school break.  Sarah and Alexander had visited with Melissa and Tony when they were too young to remember and so this time it was all new for them.  The obligatory Big Bus tour on the first day took in all the historic sites, many adorned with London 2012 banners and the like for the then upcoming Olympics.

Next was a walking tour that included Baker Street and took in the Sherlock Holmes Museum where we actually met Sherlock Ack: incredibly lifelike for a fictional character (Madame Tussauds work no doubt!).  Very much worth a visit but robbery is afoot in the Gift Shop.

We then marched north to the Camden Market which, for those of you reading from Melbourne, is the London equivalent on the Victoria Market.  As you can see from the photo at right, Sarah was intent on a shop-'till-you-drop day and did her best to pump up the British economy (and perhaps the Chinese economy as well).  To be fair to Sarah, she had been saving and earning (remember the Flash Mobs?) and had been planning this day for many months.

Next it was time for the much anticipated (by all members of the FrenchamFamily) visit to Warner Brothers Studios which took us to see the very sets and props that were used on all eight Harry Potter films.  Many who visit London do the tour of the London sites that were used in the Potter films, but the FrenchamFamily HIGHLY recommends the bus trip north (the studio is near Watford) to see and experience the wonder of the films and to be confronted with how much was real and how little was computer generated.

During the London visit we also made sure to take in a couple of evenings in the West End and saw two tremendous shows with Matilda and Billy Elliot.  You just can't beat live performances.

So how did we next end up in Denmark?  Those Blog readers with Sherlock skills wil remember we have friends in Denmark whom we met in our Hong Kong days.  So since we were "in the neighborhood" we decided to drop in. 

We first flew into Billund in southern Denmark which happens to be the global headquarters of Lego and we stayed at Legoland Hotel for the first two nights which was a lot more fun than some might think.

Legoland and its hotel is, as expected, a gallery of lego-inspired magnificence.  It's also an adventure park with lots of great rides including a roller coaster with an unexpected feature that will excite even the most experienced theme park visitor (we can't say anymore).

Alexander threatened to knock this fellow's block off and so he backed off not knowing exactly what that meant.

We also visited Ribe which is a Viking town and the oldest town in Denmark having been established in the eigth century.  Walked the streets; climbed the Cathedral; visited the Museum; and experienced the Viking Village on the outskirts of town.  As you can see from "Hunger Games" Sarah at left the locals introduced her to archery but we are happy to report that even if the target was real there would have not have been any animals killed in the making of this blog.

We settled in south-western Denmark for a few days with our friends the Jensen's and as the weather excelled we enjoyed the great company and the long evenings.

On the last day the weather was so good we walked to the local beach on the North Sea which, as you can see from this post-swim photograph, was a tad colder than expected.  Consensus was that the late start to Summer had delivered a water temperature of around 16 celsius (which is why the smarter adults did not even consider going beyond ankle stage).  All power to the kids!

CATS -- Now and Forever

Long time followers of the FrenchamFamily blog will recall that Sarah auditions each year for a summer musical theatre program in Dubai that involves West End actors in the main 4-5 roles and locals in supporting and ensemble roles.  Last year Sarah received her first media review in her supporting role as Anybodys in West Side Story, and this year she was selected as a Featured Singer Dancer - Specialty in the first Dubai season of CATS.

It was the most successful season yet for the organizers as, for the first time, all shows were sold out before opening night.  This ever popular musical is also known for having both the show itself and the characters revised to meet the circumstances, and that was the case in Dubai where it was a little shorter and some of the supporting cats roles were merged (such as Sarah's which was re-named Augusta).  However the show stay true to the story and was very popular with the knowledgable audience who provided a standing ovation on the closing night.

As a licensed show there was restrictions on the release of photos of the actors and they were not even allowed to leave their dressing rooms with their make-up on.  However with the season complete we can release these rare shots just for the benefit of our loyal blogophiles.

Congratulations to the entire cast and crew on bringing such a prestigious show to Duibai.

The FrenchamFamily jetted off the next day to meet Tony in Europe for vacation, so stay tuned for our next blog updates.

Sarah's Flashmob Video

Dear Readers,
You will recall back in May that Sarah had a paying gig in a Flashmob promoting a new show on Cartoon Network.  Well if you click on the following link you can see the video on Youtube, including some introductory views of Dubai: LINK

Sarah is in a yellow costume and is the center front (in glasses) for much of the video.  Enjoy!

Postscript:  Sadly, it seems the Youtube video is restricted to only those connecting from the Middle East.  Yet another reason to visit!

Fifty and Rehab

OK, we are mixing two completely unrelated events with this title -- but having fun is what blogging is all about!

This month our Tony hit the big five-oh and was spoilt by the many kind calls, texts, emails and postings from thoughtful family and friends all over the world.  Of course there were also wonderful gifts to mark the occasion and the FrenchamFamily redecorated the house with all manner of 50th Birthday party supplies (hence Sarah getting "carried away" here).

Tony chose not to have a big party but instead a relaxed evening dinner where Melissa put on a big roast and Sarah made her first cheese cake dessert.  However a reminder to all you readers that it is only half way through 2012 which is "Dubai Five-O" year (you should be humming the Hawaii Five-O music by now).  All visitors are entitled to a FrenchamFamily barbeque which will include ongoing celebration of Tony's milestone.  Thanks to those of you who have already made your way to Dubai.

By the way, Tony advises he has lifted his bat to the crowd and has now settled in to put on another fifty!

So what was the reference to Rehab in the title all about? (no jokes about Tony now!).  Well the Jumeirah hotel group operate a Turtle Rehabilitation centre (link here) for sick and injured turtles.  They then release the healthy turtles to the sea and this year for the first time the public were allowed to attend.  Alexander and Tony participated and were able to watch as the six largest turtles with tracking devices were released from a Dubai beach, together with over 100 younger endangered Hawksbill turtles.

Well readers, Sarah and Alexander have now finished their northern school year (and have made themselves and their parents proud with great results).  Stay tuned for the upcoming vacation blogs!

From Flashmob to Poetry

Some may recall in the last blog that Sarah had been offered a new gig for May.  Well it turns out to have also been a paying gig -- a member of a Flash Mob (link for the unitiated) for a company publicising a new show on Cartoon Network.  Sarah and her fellow mobbers had to perform in the larger of the Dubai Malls on two different occasions (two paycheques -- yay!).  All proceeds are going towards Sarah's spending plan for the upcoming FrenchamFamily trip to London in July -- stay tuned for that one folks.

Photos of Sarah pre-mobbing and of the stadium like audience at the Dubai Mall.

May is also the beginning of assessments at school for Alexander and Sarah.  It is currently poetry time and the following were sellected by their peers to be read to the school assembly.  Both Sarah and Alexander had to humanise a non-human subject.

"Planets" by Alexander (yes, he deliberately omitted Uranus for obvious reasons):

Planets are all over the sky
But up there they are just normal guys

The sun is a hot head but warms up your view

Mercury is a hot head too, but that’s because he has a cold – achoo!

Venus is the most popular planet in the sky

Earth has tons of little guys

Mars has little guys too, but we can’t see them because they hide out of view

Jupiter is the one with the biggest mass but don’t stand to close – he’s got lots of gas

Saturn has been married more times than two - so many times that his rings are in view

You might think that Neptune has water from bottom to top – nice theory, but really, there isn’t a drop.

Pluto is misunderstood that why he is so blue and stays out of view

So on the whole planets are great just don’t forget that they’re in outer space

Sarah had to develop a 6 stanza 36 line poem and "Picnic Wars" resulted:

 

The morning sun comes up on the park

All over the place the bugs yell “Hark”

The red and white battlefield is laid

With the yummy prizes in the shade

All over they prepare for a war

For the scrumptious prizes that they long for

In the corner the ants were ready

Marching with armour and lines steady

Soldiers of massive strength are coming

Left! Right! Left! Right! Hearts and drums drumming

Organized, disciplined: the elite

The battle’s is theirs, they get the treat

The burly bee brothers come buzzing

With their black and yellow stripes fuzzing

Bumping, thumping, bulldozing their way

The bee brothers run into the fray

Loudly the brothers buzz “it’s ours!”

They start to brawl with their bee powers

Then the grasshopper gang comes hopping

Lead by their leader: One-eyed Chopping

All out in force a fearsome sight

Their helmets and spikes inspire fright

The prize, they believe is theirs to take

The hopping gang jumps into the wake

And along comes a straggle of flies

The promise of treasure in their eyes

With sleazy, sticky hands they reach out

“Move out of the way!”, “It’s mine!” they shout

With rabble and noise they arrive late
For the battle, they decide its fate

Bangs and crashes are the only sounds

As they fight over the treasure like hounds

The ant versus the grasshopper gang

“Come at me flies!” a bee brother sang

At the treasure is within reach
And the bugs give their victory speech

Finally here's a limerick from Ack entitled "A Frog named Nate":

 

There was an old frog named Nate

Who danced every night until eight

Until one day

To his great dismay

His legs were served on a plate

That's all folks!

Time to be Gleeful (and Thankful)

We couldn't allow April to escape without a FrenchamFamily update.

Sarah has just wrapped a mini-season of performances of "Don't Stop Believin' -- a tribute to Glee and other gleeful tunes!".  This West End production hit the stage in Dubai with 10 UK cast members and 20 supporting performers, including Sarah who had been selected during auditions in March.

Lot's of well choreographed songs and dancing backed by a live band and covering gleeful tunes from the 60s through to the present.  This correspondent thought that the local performers did a wonderful job and apparently Sarah was one of the standouts as she has been offered a new role in May (stay tuned Blog readers!).  The cast, band and director below:

Time also to be Thankful over this past ANZAC Day week as we remember the sacrifices of those who served for us all.  The poignant Ode to Remembrance says it so perfectly:

       They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

       Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

       At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

       We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

Birthday Time !

As Sarah and Alexander were growing up there came the inevitable requests of "when can I do this?" and "when can I do that?" and the most common answer was: "when you are twelve".  Well both of them are there now!  March saw Sarah turn 14 and Alexander reach the milestone age of 12.

Both the kids did a great job of planning and preparing for the birthdays of the other, including Alexander's creative interpretation of Elmo for Sarah's birthday cake. 

Of course lots of great presents and wonderful calls with family and friends across the world (thank you all). 

A highlight was Ack and his Dad heading off to iFly Dubai (link) for some indoor sky diving ( it's best you think of it as hovering over a gigantic fan that's blowing air upwards at you).  As you can see from the shot of the Flying Ackster -- huge fun for all.

That's all for now.  Hope you had a great one guys!

A busy start to 2012

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone who loves to love, no matter whether it is romantic love or just the deep appreciation of a person, or nature, or a work of art.  We don't expect you to love this blog (it's not that good), but we enjoy that it helps to keep us all connected.

Well January sure was a frantic start.  The day after arriving back from our Australia vacation we had the kids back at school and Tony on a plane for business.  Bizarrely he managed to travel to four continents in 10 days and spent all of January away but somehow was home in Dubai for every weekend -- we'll call that good planning and be done with it.  Thankfully the travel outlook seems less severe.

On one of these weekends we made a long overdue family trip to Dubai Global Village (link) which is a cultural experience park that merges cultural entertainment with international shopping and amusement rides as well (witness Alexander and Tony on some evil stomach churning ride).  It is largely outdoor and so only open in the winter months.  There are many countries represented but with a heavy emphasis on the Middle East and Asian countries.

Souk-style shopping is a big attraction at Global Village and both Melissa and Sarah participated strongly with a classy selection of hand-crafted Yemeni jewellery.  This photo comes from one of the jewellery stalls where our host Bilal added some local head-dress to the youngest of the FrenchamFamily.

Our friends Wendy and Steve from Houston were the first to take up the 2012 challenge from the last blog to visit Dubai.  They had five action packed days hitting all the sites, including a day trip to Abu Dhabi.  We had two great evenings together and it was fabulous to be able to catch up whilst sharing the wonder of the middle east as only Dubai can serve it up.  We wonder who will be next to take up the Vist Dubai challenge?

Lastly Tony has had two office changes in January, with Dow moving to new offices in Dubai as well as the new Sadara JV offices opening in Saudi Arabia.  Good news is that despite many location and landline number changes, his email, mobile and our PO Box remain unchanged.  Until next time.

Christmas in Australia

The FrenchamFamily headed downunder in December for our year-end (and much anticipated) re-connect with family and friends. 

Of course it is summer in Australia and the weather was (mostly) perfect, with the exception of Christmas Day.  You know when you hear about people who experienced "golf ball sized" hailstones -- well we now qualify!  This photo is from the Melbourne newspaper but it doesn't reflect the size of the ones we saw (or that damaged Melissa Mother's car).

Lot's of visiting friends and family, both in Melbourne and down at the beach.  In many ways it was simple stuff and very relaxing -- exactly what was needed for all.  The photo of Sarah relates to a Coke ad campaign where they had people's names on bottles (and if you can't read this one it says Sarah).  And Alexander had the job of keeping the water up to the vegetable garden as the temps moved into the high 30s for a few days.

Of course it is also cricket season and Tony was at the Boxing Day Test as he is each year with his mates (and at least this year the Aussies are winning!).  The family also went to a T20 match supporting the Melbourne Stars, including the legendary Shane Warne.  Unfortunately the Stars went down but it's been a turning point in their season and they have been winning since.

As we write this we have the announcement of Tony's latest role as Executive Director for the Sadara Chemical Company that he worked to establish over the past years.  He will be seconded to them from Dow for the next 18 months to support the creation of the JV.  Good news is that the FrenchamFamily gets to stay in Dubai.  Time for you all to start planning you trips to visit!

Very best wishes to all for a wonderful 2012.