Christmas Entry

Ho ho ho and Deck the Halls, Y'all!

Christmas is rapidly approaching and it remains my favourite time of year, even here in Dubai. As if by miracle, Christmas trees have sprung up everywhere and shopping centres have adopted a very Christmassy feeling!

No, the A-rabs haven't all converted from Islam - it's a purely commercial thing. Their religious beliefs seem to go out the window where money is concerned and of course money is the name of the game over here. Little do they know that in making a big splash of Christmas, they're inadvertently honouring Jesus. So there!

They're even letting our good friend Sol Kerzner (you know - the nice Catholic boy) build a nice little hotel on their Palm island - just goes to show that its the almighty "Buck Uber Alles" over here.

We've put lights up all over the house and we have a tree and decorations and stuff. I'm already listening to Carols in the car at full volume. I have an album by a crowd called Shu-B-40 - a Danish band who have Raggaed-up the traditional carols and Christmas songs and they have a nice sunny feel about them. I guess there ain't gonna be no sleigh bells in the snow for us but we may just hear camel bells in the sand! Somehow a camel with horns and a red nose just doesn't do it for me, though.

The m*o*t*h*e*r*s are both with us and J is carting them all over the place and they are having a good old chat 'n tour type experience. They've been to most of the malls already and a couple of restaurants. We're planning a desert safari, a dhow dinner cruise and the big bus tour for them - the typical Dubai tourist stuff. And once they've done those things, there's not much else to do here so they can jolly well get involved in some house cleaning, laundry and dishwashing (dream on...). I keep telling everyone that it was a double whammy for me - I had to (1) visit the immigration department in order to arrange a visa for (2) my mother-in-law. Sucker for Punishment! Hope she doesn't read this - not likely, I don't thing she has the Internet.

Janene has procured a enormous American Butterball turkey. It will probably take 4 days to defrost and about the same to eat! She got such a big one because there weren't any smaller ones - with the Yanks (and Dubai expats) it would appear that bigger remains better and no one has ever heard of "less is more". (I must admit, I have no idea how less could possibly be more - simply far to abstract a concept for my overburdened brain. Bottom line is more is more than less is and that's how it's supposed to be and "ever more shall be so".)


Last month saw my long awaited Oman turtle run trip - close to 1 700 KM by bike over 3 days. We rode 850 KM the first day and spent over 14 hours in the saddle. Famous book: 850 KM on a bike by Major Bumsaw! We only saw 2 tiny turtles but the scenery and camaraderie were worth it. And the freedom of the open road on a nice bike with a bunch of buddies. I also got my Christian Motorcyclists Association half colours the week before the ride so that was cool too.

Work remains a problem with plenty of politics and insecurity. I continue to follow up international leads. Please keep praying. The only positive thing is that our office closes from 20th to 25th (a first for the company) and Eid begins on the 18th and facilitates 3 public holiday days in a row (a first for the tight fisted UAE government who normally force such public holidays over weekends so they can keep the expats working). Add that to the leave I've taken between Christmas & new year and I have 2 whole weeks off - Oh joy, heaven and bliss!

J is doing some drawing work for our company and is charging them a nice fee, which will certainly add to the Ball family Christmas fund. She's doing a fair amount of running around for it at present but its a job and its income.

I have no idea what I want for Christmas. I still have most of my teeth, don't need a dog or a red fire engine and am not supposed to eat chocolate.

"Dear Santa. Please bring me something nice, big and expensive. You know what I like. It doesn't matter if it doesn't fit down the chimney because we don't have one anyway. Just wheel it in through the sliding door. I'll leave the one in the dining room unlocked for you. What's that? You made a pre-delivery of a nice big expensive BMW 1200 GS last month in order to save room in your sleigh? But Santa, I'll need something to unwrap and enjoy on Christmas morning! Pardon? Sit on it, start it up and rev it a few times, you say? Oh, OK." I suppose the odd book or CD wouldn't go amiss.

I've already bought J a gift - it's a...oops...better keep quiet in case she reads this. If you are reading this, Merry Christmas Sparrow and wait 'till Santa comes. We're also trying to figure out what to buy the kids. We've got a couple of ideas but they're expensive ones so we're trying to come up with cheaper ones. We only have a few shopping days left so panic is starting to set in and with panic comes overspending.

I think I might put horns and a red nose on my bike and ride around on Christmas day making like a souped-up Santa (I certainly have the physique). This may, however, scare the local A-rabs who have never seen Rudolph, let alone a big growly Beemer impersonating him. Just got to figure out how to fit a Santa hat to my helmet. Could be fun, though, as long as I don't get arrested. And you never know over here...!

Well, seeing that tomorrow is my last working day, this'll probably be my last post for the year so allow me to add some Christmas tips:

• Don't overcook the Turkey - crunchy turkey just doesn't work
• There is no such thing as overdoing eating and drinking - it's Christmas and you deserve it
• In terms of the North Pole Treaty of 1604, Calories are automatically rendered harmless and ineffective from 12h00 on 24th December to midnight on 25th December
• If you're diabetic like me, double up on your meds and fool the glucometer
• Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we diet
• Diet is die with a t
• You must eat Brussels Sprouts because it's not Christmas without them and your mother would be happy. The more cheese sauce, the better they taste
• Wear a tracksuit - that way you won't have to undo the top button of your pants. Make it a dark colour in case you spill the gravy
• Careful how you chew the Christmas pudding. Although banned by the above mentioned treaty, some entrepreneurial dentist may have sneakily inserted coins in a misguided attempt to drum up festive season business
• If you aren't able to be in the first 10 places in the clothing return queue on the 27th, rather wait a week or so before you try to explain to a disinterested clerk how come you want to return that polka dot tie and those edible undies. (They don't fit just isn't an acceptable excuse anymore and you have to be more creative)
• Reindeer biltong is banned by the above treaty

Have a wonderful Christmas, remembering at all times that Jesus is the reason for the season, and a really great new year.

Blessings

Stuart, Janene, Casey & Gregory

It's been a while

Hello and long time no blog.

All sorts of things have been happening since my last blogpistle. A blogpistle is a long, rambling and sometimes humorous missive from me (the blogpostle) to anyone who is bored enough to read it. To those of you who religiously read my blog, the popular American phrase "get a life" comes to mind.

I went to the UK on business about 3 weeks ago and extended my trip by 3 days. I stayed with my good friend and fellow muso Clive Case in Harpenden and had 3 really great days. Day 1 was spent in London - no particular plan, just walked around and fully enjoyed myself seeing the sights, visiting music shops etc.

Day 2 I spent driving around little villages and towns out in the countryside. Wound up in a place called Woburn for lunch - great steak & kidney pudding & beer. Yes, during the 3 days I drank plenty of England's fines ales & bitters - magic!

Day 3 involved walking around the open air market in St. Albans, visiting the cathedral and then heading for the airport.

It was a magical time and grateful thanks to Clive & Sandra for their wonderful hospitality and friendship. I was also able to spend time with James shears & his girls. We went for a walk along the Thames at Richmond and stopped at a pub for a pint of Bombardier. I discovered that I like Bombardier, Old Speckeled Hen, Spitfire, IPC and sundry other fine brew by Greene King.

Nobody hooted at me and I didn't feel the need to hoot at anyone else. Although there was traffic, driving was an absolute pleasure. People seem to be patient and considerate. Although it has its problems, the time I spent in the UK reconfirmed in me my desire to live there (or somewhere like it).

Coming back to Dubai was like returning to prison after a weekend pass!

As you may know, I have a motorcycle and I have joined the Christian Motorcyclists Association here in Dubai. We are a really fierce biker gang that goes around drinking alcohol free beer and threatening to burn down bars and beat people up. We wear serious leathers, don't wash (especially our armpits) and don't shave either - especially the ladies.

Actually, we are a ministry dedicated to ministering to other bikers. We do a breakfast run the first Friday of each month - leave at 05h30 when its still cool and go to all sorts of interesting places for breakfast. Its great fun and we usually have a bunch of bikers from other gangs riding with us - guys & gals from the Hell Razors, the Petrolheads and the FOGgers ("Fast Old Gits"). We have breakfast together and generally try to witness and live a Christlike life before them.

2 Fridays ago, I had been admiring the big BMW R 1200 GS's. One of my buddies & I got caught at a traffic light slap bang in the middle of Al Ain (a desert town with the UAE's only mountain just outside it). Dirk flips up his visor, gestures at his bike and asks if I've ever ridden one. I answer no and he hops off. There in the middle of town we swapped bikes and rode off into the traffic. Needless to say I was hooked.

Consequently, I took delivery of my new yellow BMW R 1200 GS 2 days ago. What a magic machine. Now I'm trying to flog my BMW F 650 GS Dakar - any takers?

We have arranged what is our CMA signature ride, the Turtle Run, for the last weekend in November. This involves riding up to Oman to see the turtles come out of the sea and lay eggs on the beach on Oman's coast. We will ride 1 600 km in 3 days, with 800 km on the first day. I will no doubt be a candidate for the Iron Butt association after than. This promises to be an amazing experience and will be great on the new bike.

Work continues to be a problem, with promises not being kept, management problems and serious politics. It remains a nightmare - one from which I hope soon to awake and find myself in either the UK or the USA.

Janene & I would both love to live in the USA. We love the place and have applied for the green card lottery - it would be wonderful if this came up for us, so please stand with us in prayer for a miracle. The quicker we can get out of Dubai the better. This is truly an evil place.

Casey & Gregory are both doing OK at school. Casey has just started scuba lessons and appears to be doing well. She has a head start as my sister, a dive master, taught her a bit in SA so she's already comfortable under water with the gear. They both went on a youth camp to a water park in an adjoining Emirate last weekend and had a good time.

J doesn't have a job here at present and it is difficult to get one. No one hires temps or part timers in the drawing field here, so we are praying that she'll find something part time that will suit her abilities.

Church remains a difficult thing, with long overdrawn services and not too exciting teaching. If it wasn't the only show in town, there would be far fewer members. We're trying but Greg & I in particular are battling. I have a short attention span and hate it when people don't plan, are inconsiderate of other peoples' time, start late and are long winded. They're a nice bunch of guys but need some lessons in church management.

On the music front, I play with the band twice a month or so. Not very rewarding unfortunately - most of the guys leading have little or no experience and love the sound of their own voices and instruments. There are no rehearsals and arrangements and often the guys don't sing any actual songs - they just go into "free worship" and this really bores most of the congregation to distraction. I'm generally on stage with a guitar around my neck that can't be heard - not much point really. I'll probably stick it out until the end of the year and then pull out.

The weather here is cooler now. It gets down to about 22 at night and goes up to 34 - 36-ish during the day. Much better for doing outside stuff and we've resumed our weekly evening outings to eat take aways on the beach. Being winter, it gets dark early (like Durbs).

Both our mothers arrive on the 10th of December and they'll be with us until the new year. It will be good to have family around - especially for the kids.

That's all the news I can think of at the moment, so cheers and have a good one. Once again, our weekend starts now and I can't wait. I love weekends!

Blessings

Well strap my face to the side of a pig and roll me in the mud! Tie me to an anthill and smear my ears with jam! It's update time.

Ramadan in imminent and commences on the 13th. This is the season when those of Musilm pursuasion wake up early, eat like crazy before the sun comes up and then fast until the sun goes down again. By fast I mean no food, drink, sex and, I'm told, smoking. The shops open weird hours, i.e they're closed when you want them to be open and open when you don't care.

Restaurants are closed too, so no Saturday breakfast or grabbing a quick lunch. The only places open are those attached to hotels and those are very expensive. Of course the restaurants all open when the sun goes down and offer these really great iftar meals to break the fast - usually great local dishes at good prices. Trouble is everything is seriously crowded.

The locals drive even worse than usual during Ramadan, They're hungry, their blood glucose level is bordering on hypo glycaemia and they're in a hurry to get to mommie's house for iftar. Never stand (or drive slowly) between Waleed, Ahmed or Khaldoun and their iftar meals!

The up side is that the work day is shortened and we finish at 15h30. The schools finish at 12h30 so the kids are happy. They've been back at school for exactly 3 days and then into the lazy times of Ramadan.

Work continues to get worse. Now they've decided to cut costs and I don't actually know if I'll even have a job next month. They've said to a couple of us that if we'd like to leave, they'll pay us until end October. If they'd said end December, I would have left there and then and hightailed it off to the UK and looked for something there. God is in control and I trust in Him alone. Maybe this is the out I've been hoping for...Please pray for a clear leading from God in this.

The knee is about the same - still stiff and sometimes sore but not hugely so. I get around fine. I'm now 8 months post-surgery with another 10 to go so nearly half way.

J is bored because the guy she was working for has left the company he was with and so she is currently unemployed. I hope she finds something to occupy her not so much from the financial point of view but to give her something to do.

That's about all I can think of for now. I'm going to sneak out of work early, try to get ahead of the pre-Ramadan shopping rush and get home early.

Have fun one and all and remember: to condemn the past simply because it is the past, is to invite condemnation on the future. (No idea where that came from - just figured I'd end off with something profound and philosophical).

PS - I hear that Lorena Bobbitt's sister Luanne tried the same thing with her husband as Lorena did a few years back. However, she missed and managed to stab him in the upper thigh instead, inflicting serious muscle & tendon damage. The police nailed her and she's been charged with.. wait for it...a MISDEWIENER!!!

Bye

30 August in the Year of our Lord 2007

Yo bloggees! Yes - If I, the purveyor of the blog am the blogger, then you, the consumer thereof are surely the blogee!

Great joy hath befallen me for my spouse and anklebiters returneth today. Indeed, they land in Abu Dhabi this evening, hop the free coach laid on by the airline and arrive at the airline's offices at approximately 23h30, whence they shall be joyfully collected by me, loaded into the car and ceremoniously carted home. By this time, I shall be tired and worn out and shall in all likelihood proceed to peaceful slumbers regardless of what they want to do and shall only surface tomorrow morning to receive the gifts that I expect the weary travellers have brought to lay before the feet of the D*A*D. Seriously though, I'm excited about their return, gifts notwithstanding. Although there had flippin' well better be gifts 'cos I reached the ripe old age of 45 whilst they were swanning around darkest Africa.

The temperature here is still routinely in the mid-40's during the day, dropping to the late 30's at night. The humidity has started to ratchet up now, which can make the going quite tough but, as they say, that's when the tough get going - into somewhere air-conditioned mostly.

I have finally got involved in the worship team at church and played for the first time last Friday. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And the Martin sounds amazing with the imix (muso speak for the guitar sounds good with the new pickup).

Still no change on the job front, with the exception that it looks like we will be moving to offices about 3 times as far from home, with nightmarish, hellacious traffic. I am praying that somehow this will not happen - please join me in this prayer. (If we do move, I'll know its your fault for not praying.) (No pressure).

The knee is still stiff and sometimes sore but does appear to be improving very slowly. It's 8 months since the surgery, so another 10 months to go to full recovery. It doesn't really slow me down much and the only thing I haven't been able to do which I was hoping to try is snowboarding. Guess I'll just have to be patient.

I have now found the source of the best coffee on earth - Gloria Jean's. Yes - they are in Dubai too - who make a nectar of the gods called a "very vanilla latte" to which I became addicted at Gateway in Umhlanga. They sell their remarkable beans so I can make it at home too. This is the coolest thing. I can smell those beans as I write - guess its straight home for a latte, doll! Skinny decaf in my case. Perhaps even a full caf tonight 'cos I have to stay awake to collect my family.

Many thanks to all who looked after J & the kids while they were on holiday - you know who you are.

Ah well - onward to the daily skirmish with the people in cars out there on Dubai's roads who could never justify the sobriquet of driver.

Tally ho and cheerio.

Quick Thursday (your Friday) Update 16 Aug 07

I'm finally making progress with my coffee machine. We bought one of those fancy things that grinds, froths, steams and generally dances the can-can while making a cup of good espresso based coffee. I've been learning about beans, regions, roast strengths, grinds, water hardness and all those good things.

At first, the coffee wasn't so good. Now its getting really good and I've been involved in mucho experimentation. I've also discovered the joys of latte. Ahh...latte! I can now make a great skinny decaf latte (I never thought words such as those would be uttered from my mouth) and am drinking far too many of them. I was drinking full-caf before and wound up with palpitations! I've even bought some great sugar-free syrups and can now make vanilla & hazelnut lattes - I've become a coffeeholic!

Unfortunately, Janene doesn't like the coffee. She's sticking to Nescafe. What an insult! She has been away for about 2 weeks now though and she might appreciate the strides I have bade as a barista since she left.

Sounds like J & the kids are still having a good time in SA - ladies nights out, ice-skating, fun, fun, fun! J's preaching at our old homecell in Durbs tonight - I'm sure it'll go nicely. They're gonna be blessed.

I look forward to another boring weekend here alone in Dubai. Its got so bad that I even know the prices in the shops in the mall - nah, only joking. It's a good excuse to relax and unwind.

All for now, more soon.

Be jealous for my weekend has begun!

9 August

Lonely, I am so loneleeee...man I hate that song. But I understand the sentiment. Not only are the kids in SA but Janene has joined them. So I am a bachelor for a month. Na that's not bachelor of science or arts but bachelor of boredom. And what do I do when I'm bored? Well nothing, silly. If I had something to do, I wouldn't be bored now would I?

Work isn't boring. It's just not very enjoyable. In the evenings though I tend to read, watch TV and wander around the malls but you know what they say: "When you've seen a shopping centre, you've seen a mall". So likely I will find a couple of new shirts, a CD or 3 and a couple of additional kilos (like I really need them).

Sounds like J & Co are having fun though, so at least 75% of the family is having a good time and that means on average that the family is having a good time. (Trying hard but the maths just isn't working for me here.)

Weather report. This morning I woke up and found that there was weather. There is never a question of whether there will be weather, just whether the weather will be hot and this, too, is a no brainer. 47 deg & around 75% humidity.

However, a wonderful weekend of relaxation and quiet contemplation awaits and my goal is to spend some quality time with the Lord.

Blessings to all and more news soon.

'Bye

Summertime

Hey Blog readers!

Hope all is well out there in Blogland, wherever in Blogland you may find yourself. Blogland is an interesting place to live - you can say what you want, when you want, pay no taxes and have most of the world completely ignore you. This is not a bad thing at all because when the world is ignoring you, they stop sending spam to your mailbox!

Over the past 2 months, I have been spammed 3 ways, namely hard, fast and continuously. Every morning my junk mail folder is full of adverts - predominantly for Viagra, Cialis (as if I need them...) cheap branded watches (Rolex probably spelled Roll-X), downloadable software and dates with Eastern European women. I spend the first 10 minutes of each day adding spammers to my blocked mail list. Trouble is I can't just go and delete the contents of the Junk Email folder because Outlook, in its inscrutable wisdom, tosses a few genuine emails in with the junk, so I actually have to go through them. I'm on the lookout for a good, free spam filter.

Jacquie, our SA friend, has come and gone and it was magic having her with us. I only got to spend time with her in the evenings and it was great hearing all the news from Hillcrest. All sorts of interesting stuff happening, it would appear. Janene & Jacquie spent the days shopping, touring, shopping, chatting, shopping etc. They were on the go from early 'till late and seemed to have had an great, if not exhausting, time. I think having Jacquie around did Janene a power of good.

We went on a desert safari which included dune driving and dinner at a desert camp under the stars, complete with a belly dancer. And what a pretty belly she had. And other things too. We got dressed up in Arab gear and Janene & Jacquie had henna painting done. It was a great evening.

The next night we went on a dhow dinner cruise on the Creek. Also magic. A nice buffet on a traditional Dhow (albeit with added air conditioning) as we cruised around in circles on the Creek. In order to try to relieve the traffic congestion on the bridges that cross the creek from Dubai to Bur Dubai, the authorities in their inimitable fashion have built a floating bridge across the Creek. A section of the bridge lifts up after hours to allow marine traffic up the Creek. They only do this at 10:00 pm. No reasonable person wants to eat dinner at 10:00 pm, so the dhow dinner cruises start at around 8:00. They then sail up to the floating bridge and have to turn around. This action is repeated 3 or 4 times during the cruise. You could say the dhows are up the creek without a paddle. (And you would be correct as they have that most amazing of inventions, an engine!)

We have a nice spare room and all of you are welcome to come and visit. The food is good, the a/c cool and the fees modest!

The kids have been in SA for a couple of weeks now and sound like they're enjoying themselves. We've been having fun too - going out, eating out, shopping, eating out - oh, I forgot - eating out is about the only thing to do in Dubai. We also getto watch the movies we want to see.

Thousands of expat wives and kids go home to cooler climates for the summer, so Dubai is quieter, traffic is better and you can get into restaurants and shops. Apart from the heat, this is probably the best time of year here. I dread the return of the hordes towards the end of August/early September.

The same authorities of floating bridge fame have also installed a toll system at 2 points on Sheikh Zayed Road, the main drag through town. The toll system is called Salik, which is Arabic for smooth. It is anything but. They switched in on on 3 July, before they had enough stock of the RFID tag one is supposed to adhere to one's vehicle. The result was thousands of people without tags amassing fines. They still don't have enough and they haven't supplied one to the rental company for the car we rent for Janene. Fines are building and we've let them know we're not paying. Their bum!

The Burj Dubai is now officially the tallest building on earth. It is not yet completed but it currently stands at 512 m, 4 m taller than the previous record holder, Taipei 101. Next to it they are building the world's biggest mall. With all the emphasis on biggest and tallest, methinks the Arabs doth overcompensate for some other area in which they lacketh.

Work continues to suck and I've become a weekender - I live for the weekend. I also live for 5:00 PM every day - going home time. I guess that makes me an "eveninger" too. We've had 4 of our UK directors over for a week - we'll wait to see if there is any change. I hope there is.

I got a call today from another company who want me and are currently writing a job description for me, so this is serious. They will be making me an offer within 2 weeks, so I'll need to decide. This is your cue to commence praying fervently.

The guy Janene works for is on 2 weeks leave, so she is at a loose end st home at the moment. The lazybones only deigned to get out of bed at 8:30 this morning. She deserves it though - she is usually up at 5:30 making breakfast and lunches and then she drops the kids off and goes to work. She picks the kids up in the afternoon and continues to rush around. So I think she deserves a couple of weeks of sleeping in. As long as she makes my lunch the night before.

That's about all the bloggering around I have time for, so I'm going to blogger off. Have fun all and drop me an email to let me know that you've read the blog. If you don't, I'll think no-one cares and eventually pour my creative energies into an alternative pursuit, such as sulking.

Bye for now.

Hi Dudes & Dudettes.

It's 8th July and the kids have gone to South Africa for 5 weeks or so to stay with the grannies and aunties and sundry friends. They went from a hot Dubai to a freezing SA. We dropped them at Abu Dhabi airport at midnight Wednesday night, where they caught an Etihad flight to SA. Flying them on Etihad from Abu Dhabi saved us around AED 2,000 (R4,000). Abu Dhabi is 1 1/2 hours from Dubai, so J and I checked into a hotel after the drop off. Good thing we did that because the flight was at 02h25 and th drive back to Dubai would have been difficult. As it is, we got horribly lost from the airport to the hotel - we arrived at 03h00.

So we are now kid free (missing them though) and able to do all sorts of stuff. We had a good weekend - quite relaxing. We saw Die Hard 4.0, went out for a couple of meals and went to a Russian restaurant for a friend's birthday on Friday night. I had Borscht to start (excellent) followed by "lamb in the pot" - supposedly stewed lamb with all sorts of goodies. It tasted a bit funny and only after I'd eaten a third of it did the waitress announce that she had got the orders mixed up. I was, to my horror, eating tongue in the pot. Now there are various places in which it is acceptable to find a tongue - for example in the cow's mouth, licking whatever cow's lick, shaping the timbre of a particular moo or in someone else's dinner. Not mine. Absolutely not. No way. Needless to say the tongue was returned and that ended my main meal. It wasn't so much the taste as the knowledge that I was eating part of a cow which, in most civilised countries, would be chucked away or, at least, turned into polony. (Did you know that polony is Italian for "includes everything from the cow that we can sell, even though modern man would consider its component parts vulgar"?) Somewhat later, I ventured to order a dessert of cranberries, walnuts and honey. What I got was a mound of cranberries so sour that on placing the initial spoonful in my mouth, my eyes watered, my facial hair retracted into my face, my tongue went all corrugated and my stomach threatened my oesophagus with unprintable things should it even consider transporting the vile cargo down below.

Suffice to say that I'm off Russian food for a while. The girls in the Russian dancing which ensued after the meal were another story altogether. I suspect the Russian mafia (clearly the proprietors fell into this category) had hit on an amazing scheme - serve them rubbish, charge them the earth and then send on some hot looking singers and dancers and they'll forget the aforegoing. Well - its seemed to work. Until now.

I started Friday by arising from my slumbers at 04h55, climbing into my heavily armoured motorcycle protective gear (J says I look like superman), leaping astride my trusty Dakar and hurtling off to meet some friends for a magical 2 hour ride through various desert landscapes in the relative cool of the morning. Had a great breakfast afterwards at a hotel managed by one of the guys. Good start to a nice day.

Our friend Jacqui from SA arrives shortly and we're looking forward to doing all sorts of good stuff with her - desert dune bashing, dhow cruise etc. We've been saving these things up so that we can do them with a friend and we're looking forward to it. It will also be good to have a friendly face around for a few days.

We're planning a couple of movies and a whole lot of eating out while the kids are away. In Dubai, contrary to advertising, there is very little to actually do and the only thing you can do regularly is go out for dinner at the veritable plethora of restaurants. We'll diet when the kids get back. Diet is die with a t.

Work is still unpleasant but I'm hoping the UK guys will help to sort things out. In the meantime I'm hanging in, although I have an interview on Wednesday with a local developer. Not sure if I want the job (director of FM) but I will go along and have a chat with them anyway.

Cheers and blessings

26 June

Hi all

Temps are now soaring into the 44-46 deg range, with 70-80% humidity. I'm told it doesn't get much hotter than this but that the humidity will exceed 90% during July & August. Sounds very uncomfortable.

I rode my bike to a worship team meeting last night and although it was good to be on the bike again, it was like riding through a steam bath. I perspired all the way, even when riding at speed - no matter how fast you go, there is no cooling effect of the wind and the perspiration does not evaporate due to the high moisture saturation levels in the air. Sis, hey! (I've avoided using the word sweat because I am reliably informed that horses sweat, men perspire and ladies glow. They wouldn't need streetlights here during summer because all the ladies glowing in the sticky heat would create perfectly adequate illumination if it wasn't for the fact that they are all covered up like ninjas. Talk about hiding your light under a bushel...)

The National guitar came - bright and shiny and loud and bluesy. Not a nice mellow woody sound like my other 2 guitars but a raw middy metallic sound. It kicks!

I fitted the LR Baggs IMIX pickup system to the Martin over the weekend and what a sound! It knocks the old Fishman pickup on its rear. In fact, when amplified, I can get it to sound just like the Martin - only louder. I've been waiting for this all my life.

The kids have 3 days of school left and that's if for the year! They leave for SA in the early hours of the morning of the 5th July. We're driving them to Abu Dhabi (1 1/2 hours away) because the flights are cheaper form there. J & I will spend what's left of the might on a hotel and come back the next day. Should be fun.

Casey brought home her report yesterday and it is good. I'm not surprised because she is a good kid and works hard. She's a blessing. Greg's report hasn't come yet but I expect it will be good too.

We had a scare with Greg last week. He had a school medical 2 weeks ago and they picked up a heart murmur. We took him to see a paediatric cardiologist and he had an ECG and an Echocardiogram. The tests revealed no source for the murmur, so the doc classified it as an "innocent" murmur and said there was nothing to be worried about. The tests, however, also revealed Mild Pulmonary Regurgitation, which means that one of his heart valves has a slight leak. The doc said this was also nothing to worry about and that he would not normally have mentioned it. Bottom line is nothing to worry about - these things usually rectify themselves but even if they don't, they should have no effect on Greg. The doc told him he had to eat more...nice try! I told Greg that I'm not surprised his heart is murmuring, what with the amount of complaining his northern orifice does.

I'm thinking of getting involved in the church worship team - not sure yet - I'll see how it goes. Still don't really know why we're in Dubai - can only think it is some type of preparation and learning for what lies ahead. It would be nice if God just said "this is the reason you're here and you'll be going to (place) at (time) on (date) to (action)."

Work is still a mess but there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Various heavyweights are expected to descend upon us from the UK office to set in motion proper strategies and procedures, and to wrest control from the local partners. This is good and I can only pray things change. We're also due to move offices within 2-3 months - out of the stinking ratty roach-infested industrial premises into more salubrious accommodations befitting our corporate image. Only problem is the traffic from the potential new area basically sucks like an Electrolux.

We have another interesting little issue in the office. The toilet comes fully equipped with a wall mounted shower hose type device for use by those of a certain religious persuasion in place of the more traditional toilet paper. The procedure is, I'm told, you do your thing then stick the shower goodie under your rear and squirt away. Trouble is, it would appear that those of said persuasion are severely challenged in the aim department and tend to squirt absolutely everything - toilet, seat, walls, floor, roof, roaches etc. The result is that the bathroom is always left looking like a tsunami has recently passed through. And do you think they will clean up after themselves? Not a chance! They are quite happy to use the attachment to remain ceremonially clean but are even more happy to ensure the next poor user becomes ceremonially dirty.

What to do? To combat this, I closed the tap, unscrewed the entire attachment from the wall and threw it away. The result was a nice clean toilet for about 3 weeks until some enterprising fellow had it replaced. I then resorted to a nice, discrete note about hygiene. Ignored. I then posted A3 signage instructing them to clean up. Ignored. I now regularly close the tap, loosen the hose from the wall or the shower head from the hose and wait for the next hapless user of the said persuasion to use it, discover no water, open the tap and watch the hose or head pop off under pressure and soak them. This is my own private entertainment at work but I think they've learned to check the fitting prior to use now.

Next, I shall close the tap, unscrew the head, empty it out, fill it with either green dye or deep heat or pepper or turpentine or something similar, reattach it and wait for the howls.

Any other suggestions on combating this issue would be welcome. Have a go - I'll describe the results in later posts.

The knee is steadily improving, however it has been stiff and sore for the last few days. No Idea why. I have now also developed a very painful left shoulder - sore for the past month and getting worse. I cannot recall any specific injury and so can only attribute it to either additional strain caused by using it to favour my right knee, or age, or a combination of the two. I'll give it another week or so then go have it looked at. I'm beginning to suspect a torn rotator cuff - hope not, please pray. I know the devil is chucking every possible curve ball at me at present and this can only mean we're in the right place and doing what God wants. If we weren't, I don't imagine we'd be seeing as much opposition. Hallelujah!

J is settling in slowly. She's also not having much fun at work. She works part time for a crowd that build yachts, drawing up interiors etc. She's working on AutoCAD, which is not her favourite and is not user friendly, so she's experiencing much frustration. She doesn't complain much but I know its bugging her.

The aircon, electrical supply and water supply at our rented villa are all giving problems at present and the landlord is a deal loss - a company that is hardly contactable and speaks little English. I've called and written with little result and I'm beginning to think I'll have to find their offices and go and make a noise. These things are sent to try us.

All for now - have fun and check back.

Blessings

The Balls

10 June

Strange weather in Dubai. Instead of rising, the temperatures fell to around 38 degrees last week due to cyclone Gonu in the Arabian Gulf. The cyclone caused much flooding and damage in Oman and so far the loss of life stands at 61. Waves and floods also hit one of the UAE Emirates called Fujairah and caused serious damage. Fortunately for us, the only effect in Dubai was some wind, high cloud and cooler weather.

I ordered the National guitar a week ago and my credit card has been debited, so now I wait in excitement for its delivery. I also ordered a new pickup for the Martin (The LR Baggs IMIX), the Baggs Parametric DI, and other smalls, so its gonna be like Christmas soon.

The company situation gets worse! Rentals are paid annually in advance in Dubai and companies tend to pay the rent up front and then recover the cost monthly as a salary deduction. The jokers I work for suddenly decided not to do this any more, which leaves us in an even more difficult situation. Once again, God is my rock. I know He'll continue to provide and need to ask you to pray that He'll sort this particular situation out. I guess he wants to teach us some things but I'd really like to leave Dubai as soon as possible. It is truly an awful place.

The kids have 18 days of school left and are counting down the days. They are looking forward to their SA trip and it'll be good for them. And for J & I.

Blessings to all and keep on keeping on!

OK, so its not 47 degrees yet - still 42. I'm told it will rise to 47 within a couple of weeks and the humidity level will be 95%. Too hot and clammy to do much.

We've started a family tradition - every Tuesday evening (that's like your Wednesday), we get takeaways and go down to the beach for a picnic. This has been great fun and we'll continue until the heat and humidity stop us. Maybe we'll just sit in the car on the beach then. Yes - you can drive your car right to the water's edge and dive off the bonnet into the ocean if you feel so inclined. We drive to the water but have thus far felt disinclined as far as the diving is concerned.

To make some extra cash, we've rented out our maids room - believe it or not to a young Afrikaans girl. She moved in last night and seems very quiet. In some ways, I feel kind of guilty because we're getting more for the maids room that we were paying on our bond in SA. However, it all comes into perspective when you consider that we are paying AED 180,000 per year (that's around R360,000) for rental.

I'm still looking at buying a National resonator guitar (like the one on the Dire Straights Brothers in Arms Album) - just trying to decide which model because there is a range.

Trivia department: Did you know that Brothers in Arms has been named the 2nd greatest rock album of all time? Do you know what the greatest is? Post your answers here (or email them to me) and the winner will receive a prize - namely an honourable but brief mention in dispatches. I.e. I'll mention you in my next post and you too will be famous.

A friend brought me a copy of last Friday's Star newspaper from JHB. By page 2 I had read 3 nasty crime reports - one about a lady who'd had her car hijacked in her driveway and who had jumped out and fled down the road. The hijackers drove after her and shot her. Even though we're not enjoying the Arab world, at least we're away from that sort of incident.

God has taught me something of late. My job is up in the air, accommodation is uncertain and much of life is currently insecure and temporary. I hate this type of situation and love stability, comfort and permanence. God has pointed out that He is the only permanence, the only stability, the only thing that can be depended upon. He is the rock to whom we can bind ourselves and who provides a firm foundation. For years, I've used the phrases 'fortress", "high tower" and "ever present help" while I'm worshipping Him and all of a sardine, it is real. Here in Dubai, God truly is the only person on which we can trust and rely.

Blessings to all and check back soon.

Hi world (or at least those 3 of you who actually read this.) Been somewhat busy (read lazy) so haven't posted for a while.

Its getting hotter in Dubai - averaging around a 42 C daytime high. And I'm told it will get hotter. Earlier this week a guy from Iceland melted and slid down a drain...just kidding - no one from Iceland would be foolish enough to live here!

Janene & the kids are well. Slowly but surely settling in, although this will never be our home. My knee is still stiff and sometimes uncomfortable with the odd twinge of actual pain but it is far better than it was. Thank you Lord.

I have an interesting job dilemma. The place I work sucks on many different levels but the deal is that they will employ me in the UK once I've been here 2 years. This was the reason I came because we feel called. Conditions at work are so bad that I've made a few casual enquiries, one of which has resulted in an offer. The money is about the same (slightly more) but the company is one of the biggest and well respected property developers and managers in the middle east. Conditions would be much better there but I would lose the possibility of moving to the UK with my present crowd. (My present company's UK head office is a well run organised entity and is nothing at all like the UAE bunch). So my dilemma is do I take the offer and be happier or "do my time" here and move on. Tough decision - please pray. If anyone has advice or a word, please post it here.

I'm looking at buying a National resonator guitar (like Knopfler plays). I wrote to him for advice on choice and his people wrote back within 2 hours. This blew me away. Looking at suppliers and prices at present. I may never play like MK but I may be able to look like I do!

Cheers for now and check back soon - it'll probably be 47 degrees by then!

Blessings to all

First of May

Hey! Today is our wedding annversary - 17 years and counting...happy anniversary to my wonderful wife Janene. I don't know what or where I'd be without you.

And talking about where, here's an update on life in Dubai. We still don't really like it very much - hot, dusty, expensive, greedy and bad driving! In addition, there's all sorts of stuff going on at work and we need some serious prayer. One of the issues is that rental is payable annually in advance here in Dubai. The company pays it and then recovers it from my salary over 12 months. There is talk that this will cease and that we'll have to find the annual rental ourselves, a completely impossible feat. I know that God is in control and need you ask you to pray that he makes a way for us.

Church is also not doing so well. The one we've been going to is far away, uncomfortable, temporary and long. The music is OK but neither Janene nor I have enjoyed the teaching - the impression we get is that there is not much preparation and plenty of repetition and there is so much time given to ceremony and announcements and worship and words and, and, and, so that an hour or more has elapsed before the message. I think the pastor is going through a difficult time at present due to issues concerning the venue and it is certainly having an effect. He is a really nice guy and he comes across as an ethical person but we're battling with the teaching and the service length. We tried the Baptist church over the last 2 weekends. Music was dismal but the message was good the first Friday. The second one wasn't so hot. I guess the old adage about there being no perfect church holds true - especially in Dubai. Some confusion over what to do but confident that God will sort it out. Things will probably be better once we finalise and move into a permanent venue which, it seems, is a tricky thing over here. We have a nice home cell with a good leader and this makes a difference. Boy do we miss HCF and the Hendrikse's home cell!

My knee is progressing well. The surgery was about 14 weeks ago and the pain is far less - more like discomfort now. I am out of the brace and able to walk up stairs right foot first again - a bit difficult but getting there. Coming down is another story...! God has undertaken and the healing process has begun. I am even able to ride my motorbike again (for short distances).

I no longer have to juggle the crutches at the urinal and they have been relegated to the storage area.

Its getting hotter here and we've had to start using the air con. Getting up to around 38 - 40 degrees during the day. Our kitchen, the hottest place in the house, seems to stick around 30 degrees - I cooked supper the other night and nearly cooked myself. I don't know how J manages.

J has been feeling exhausted and has also had blocked ears and some sort of infection - also needs prayer.

I gave her some gift vouchers for our anniversary, so she's either going clothes shopping, skiing, or a combination of both. She really enjoys the skiing.

And talking of which, it was Casey's birthday last week and she went snowboarding. She seemed to have a great time and J went too. I'm told that snowboarding is more difficult than skiing. Anything beyond tiddlywinks looks difficult to me at the moment.

We're sending the kids back to SA during the holidays. They'll be there from 6th July to 15th August - staying with the grannies in JHB and my sister in Durbs. It would be great if they could spend some time with their school friends in Hillcrest and we'll try to arrange.

And that's about all I can think of for now, so I guess its time to log off. I wonder if logging off one's blog could be called blogging off?

Cheers

Stu

BallBlog

Its 12th April 2007 (my sister Pam's birthday and boy is she getting old...oops...happy birthday Sis) &this is the first post on BallBlog. BallBlog is dedicated to keeping all our friends around the world updated on what we're doing wherever we may be. It is also dedicated to taking a humerous look at life in general and within the Ball family in particular.

Above all, it is unashamedly dedicated to bringing glory to God.

I'm new to blogging, having only read a couple before but I must say, it looks easy enough. In fact, it looks so simple that I may become a BlogHogger. I wonder if a Canadian logger would be known as a LogBlogger or a BlogLogger?

For the uninitiated, The Ball family consists of Mom Janene, Daughter Casey, Son Greg and me - DaddyBall. Pics will follow as I get the hang of this thing.

All for now - let's see if this works!