Camping Take Two

A week on from our postponed camping trip things are looking good for it happening this weekend. There were rumors early in the week that the unsettled weather was going to last for a couple of weeks, but the national weather centre was quick to deny this. It looks as though they were right as temperatures have been steadily climbing and are predicted to be around 30 degrees tomorrow.

We are off to Al Sila'a, three hours to the west of here, just before the border with Saudi Arabia. One of the couples we are going with have been there before and apparently it is an idyllic location, so we are very much looking forward to it. Henry has decided not to come as there will be no other kids his age, so he is staying with a friend for the weekend.

It's been another busy week, but we've managed to pack a lot in, including eight laps of Yas Marina circuit on Tuesday evening. Yesterday was our ninth anniversary so we went out for a lovely meal at one of the restaurants at the Emirates Palace Hotel. Jo declared her steak the best she has ever had, and the left over piece I had in my sandwich this lunchtime was certainly delicious.

Today Jo has been in Archie's class at school helping the kids to make superhero costumes out of recyclable materials (boxes, cans, etc), and this afternoon we watched Flossie in her "Jungle Boogie Woogie" show, in which her class were on stage singing "Bare Necessaties". She was wearing the elephant costume that she and Jo had been working on for the last couple of weeks, and seemed to be really enjoying herself.

Anyway, I'll be back early next week to tell you about our camping trip, but I'll leave you with my final three "blasts from the past" of this week.

Tuesday: Valerie by Steve Winwood (1982)

Wednesday: Shout to the Top by The Style Council (1985)

Thursday: September by Earth, Wind & Fire (1978)

 

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Blasts from the Past: 16 and 17 March

Yesterday's blast from the past on Radio 2 was Go West's "We Close Our Eyes" from 1985. I loved this song when it first came out, and can remember getting the album on cassette and listening to it over and over whilst on holiday in Whitby. At least I think I can remember this, but I'm doubting myself now, would I have been buying a cassette in 1985? And did I go to Whitby in that year? Maybe it was just a dream.

Today's choice is a little more difficult. I've been at a conference in Dubai so have listened to Radio 2 for about two and a half hours in total on the way there and back. Not only that but they were counting down the listeners' top 100 songs of all time, in celebration of the opening of Centrepoint's 100th store in the UAE (just in case you are interested), so there was plenty to choose from.

There were three songs that I was particularly pleased to hear again for the first time in many years. In third place was Nik Kershaw, "The Riddle" (1984), closely followed by Simple Minds, "Don't You" (1987). But the winner was "Shattered Dreams" by Johnny Hates Jazz, also from 1987.

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Blast from the Past: 13 March

Never thought this would happen, but the weather has caused our camping trip to be postponed. The forecast has been threatening rain for the last few days, particularly moving down from Saudi Arabia, which is the direction we were going to head in. Yesterday they added in the threat of sandstorms as well. We awoke this morning to dark skies and wind, so decided it wasn't worth the three hour trek only to end up sheltering in our tents from rain and sand. Thankfully most of us can make it next weekend, so there isn't too long to wait.

All is not lost, in an hour we are off to an "Hawaiin" party at the villa of one of the families that was meant to have been going. I'm dreading seeing the Hawaiin shirt that Jo has bought me specially! Mind you I'm looking forward to seeing her in her grass skirt and coconuts!

Before I leave you, here's yesterday's "blast from the past" from Radio 2.

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