Starting out a new week...
23/08/11 06:07
Sitting in bed, sipping a coffee. Now I’ve just split the coffee on the new sheets that Harriet kindly sent from Houston, blast. New maid starts today, have to collect her just after 8am after I drop Jay and Tye at school at 8am. The following is an account of Saturday (which is our Monday) when I collected Tye for school....
Oh the excitement – a car, wheels, freedom! I feel just like a 16 year old all over again.
My friend kindly absconded to Paris with her husband, 4 and 2 year old daughters and graciously loaned me her car for 2 whole weeks. Can you imagine our collective joy and happiness at this generous offer. A rather aged 2 door Range Rover in white – hides the dirt. Honestly, it looks white even covered with sand – blends in – fabulous.
Jay and I hit the ground running on Saturday morning – our Monday. We drove to his friend Ty’s house. The roads here are structured with main roads and thoroughfares, which is fine and logical but the internal structure defies logic. At least my logic. So as we headed down the road, well within the speed limit, which took a lot of self control on my part – the Thelma and Louise spirit was coursing through my veins. We kept the desert to the right hand side and drove sedately down Peninsula Blvd. We were looking for Abu Hadryah Avenue. We took a tour of the Fire Station Dhahran Hills and the car park of the Mosque opposite. Lovely buildings, a side trip on our way to Ty’s house to collect him for Day School at 8.00am. Minutes were ticking by and we were obviously going to be late. We did eventually find Abu Hadryah Avenue, and then we missed the first street on the right Saihat Drive, we took the second on the right – Manifa Circle, and it was circle, a complete circle, we know because we drove around it three times before we worked out that we had to get back to Abu Hadryaih Avenue we were dizzy with relief when we made it back Abu Hadryaih Avenue. So we pulled to the side of the road and looked again at the map. We got on Saihat Drive, and somehow, we don’t know quite how, but we made it to 626 Tanajib Circle – 8 minutes past 8.00am, 23 mins late. Anothter circlular road, with dead end spokes I will point out.
Inexplicably Erika insisted that Jay, Tye and I follow her in her car to the Little Bunny Day School and she insisted that she would collect Jay and bring him home. A wonderful new friend, who obviously didn’t trust me driving her kid ¾ of a mile in a 45mph traffic zone.
And so, I continued on down the “new” road. I drove home, via Rollings Hills Blvd, which is nicely planted down the middle with housing on one side and yes, you guessed it patches of desert, you know sand and dust. Anyway I did make it home to 554 Remaal Lane. In celebration I had a cold cup of coffee and set about attacking my “to do” list. Dialing 939, 1 for Community Service Assistance, 1 for English, and I gave my badge number and proceeded to arrange for various home maintenance to be addressed. The date plam tree at the front of the house needs a major hair cut, before it’s seeds blacken and fall and make a mess all over the lawn. In addition, they will also make little palm trees which I really don’t want in my soon to be landscaped Garden of Versailles. The windows are filthy and there are leaves blocking the drains on the roof. 15 mins later I was contacted by Resident Housing Services and informed that they are not responsible for window washing and will have contractor call me about the washing. I was assured that the leaves and the plam would be taken care of.
I then called a friend who is a seamstress and arranged to drive to her house to have a dress hemmed before we head off to Bahrain and Qtar for the Eid Holiday in late August / early September. Her directions were somewhat familiar : Drive down Peninsula Blvd, go past the Drahran Fire Station / Mosque, turn onto Abu Hadraiyah Avenue, and drive down a few blocks to a major intersection, Arabian Gulf Road go straight ahead and turn right onto Abu Ali Lane. I was in fact a 1/2 mile from Tye’s house! Having done the drive once, I was there right on time not one minute late or one minute early.
Then I ventured to the Commisary and partook in retail therapy – the purchasing of groceries is somewhat dulling to the mind however, I do miss the piped music. Three bottles of chocolate syrup for the chocolate milk monster who lives at our house, 500ml of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, Dish washer detergent and rinse aid, and a couple of other sundry items set me back about $45 – the ice cream alone was $10.49US. If you lived with PJ Rex (Pajama Rex you too would be buying ice cream to keep the roar at low level – at least for now.).
I got home just in time for Jay to be ejected from Erika’s car, having declined an invitation for lunch with Tye.
After lunch and 30 minutes of pirate ship war games on the iPad, Jay and I ventured further afield in the Thelma and Lousie Mobile. This time we actually drove through one of the guarded gates.
Oh the excitement – a car, wheels, freedom! I feel just like a 16 year old all over again.
My friend kindly absconded to Paris with her husband, 4 and 2 year old daughters and graciously loaned me her car for 2 whole weeks. Can you imagine our collective joy and happiness at this generous offer. A rather aged 2 door Range Rover in white – hides the dirt. Honestly, it looks white even covered with sand – blends in – fabulous.
Jay and I hit the ground running on Saturday morning – our Monday. We drove to his friend Ty’s house. The roads here are structured with main roads and thoroughfares, which is fine and logical but the internal structure defies logic. At least my logic. So as we headed down the road, well within the speed limit, which took a lot of self control on my part – the Thelma and Louise spirit was coursing through my veins. We kept the desert to the right hand side and drove sedately down Peninsula Blvd. We were looking for Abu Hadryah Avenue. We took a tour of the Fire Station Dhahran Hills and the car park of the Mosque opposite. Lovely buildings, a side trip on our way to Ty’s house to collect him for Day School at 8.00am. Minutes were ticking by and we were obviously going to be late. We did eventually find Abu Hadryah Avenue, and then we missed the first street on the right Saihat Drive, we took the second on the right – Manifa Circle, and it was circle, a complete circle, we know because we drove around it three times before we worked out that we had to get back to Abu Hadryaih Avenue we were dizzy with relief when we made it back Abu Hadryaih Avenue. So we pulled to the side of the road and looked again at the map. We got on Saihat Drive, and somehow, we don’t know quite how, but we made it to 626 Tanajib Circle – 8 minutes past 8.00am, 23 mins late. Anothter circlular road, with dead end spokes I will point out.
Inexplicably Erika insisted that Jay, Tye and I follow her in her car to the Little Bunny Day School and she insisted that she would collect Jay and bring him home. A wonderful new friend, who obviously didn’t trust me driving her kid ¾ of a mile in a 45mph traffic zone.
And so, I continued on down the “new” road. I drove home, via Rollings Hills Blvd, which is nicely planted down the middle with housing on one side and yes, you guessed it patches of desert, you know sand and dust. Anyway I did make it home to 554 Remaal Lane. In celebration I had a cold cup of coffee and set about attacking my “to do” list. Dialing 939, 1 for Community Service Assistance, 1 for English, and I gave my badge number and proceeded to arrange for various home maintenance to be addressed. The date plam tree at the front of the house needs a major hair cut, before it’s seeds blacken and fall and make a mess all over the lawn. In addition, they will also make little palm trees which I really don’t want in my soon to be landscaped Garden of Versailles. The windows are filthy and there are leaves blocking the drains on the roof. 15 mins later I was contacted by Resident Housing Services and informed that they are not responsible for window washing and will have contractor call me about the washing. I was assured that the leaves and the plam would be taken care of.
I then called a friend who is a seamstress and arranged to drive to her house to have a dress hemmed before we head off to Bahrain and Qtar for the Eid Holiday in late August / early September. Her directions were somewhat familiar : Drive down Peninsula Blvd, go past the Drahran Fire Station / Mosque, turn onto Abu Hadraiyah Avenue, and drive down a few blocks to a major intersection, Arabian Gulf Road go straight ahead and turn right onto Abu Ali Lane. I was in fact a 1/2 mile from Tye’s house! Having done the drive once, I was there right on time not one minute late or one minute early.
Then I ventured to the Commisary and partook in retail therapy – the purchasing of groceries is somewhat dulling to the mind however, I do miss the piped music. Three bottles of chocolate syrup for the chocolate milk monster who lives at our house, 500ml of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, Dish washer detergent and rinse aid, and a couple of other sundry items set me back about $45 – the ice cream alone was $10.49US. If you lived with PJ Rex (Pajama Rex you too would be buying ice cream to keep the roar at low level – at least for now.).
I got home just in time for Jay to be ejected from Erika’s car, having declined an invitation for lunch with Tye.
After lunch and 30 minutes of pirate ship war games on the iPad, Jay and I ventured further afield in the Thelma and Lousie Mobile. This time we actually drove through one of the guarded gates.