Here are a bunch of photos and stories of what we have been up to since moving to Doha, Qatar, in July 2006. Enjoy! Brendan, Samantha, Isabelle, Matilda & Josephine
Moroccan dinner out at Souq Waqif.
Spiral mosque in souq area. Rob & Gem were slow starters, but soon got the hang of shopping & bargaining.
Thursday 27th: The girls just watched Nuruyev & Fonteyn's Swan Lake. Can you tell?
Still eating leftovers. Yum. I had to arm wrestle Rob for the other turkey drumstick.
Two White boys on top of a sand dune...
Brendan gives it two thumbs up! Sandy pants.
Gemma, Queen of the Desert.
Monday, Christmas Eve: We managed to gatecrash a Swedish Christmas dinner. Thanks Anette & Martin! At least I brought some bacon! Brendan & Martin get up to no good behind the bar.
This one is for Grandma.
Well, when else should I wear these red leather pants?
Jultomten makes a special appearance.
We hit the ground running with a picnic & play at the Corniche (Gem is excited that she got a bit sunburnt after dreary London).
Brendan announced he wanted a BIG lunch, so where better else than a complete pig-out at Johnny Rockets (chocolate & peanut butter shake anyone?).
We then hit the shops (Gem couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the indoor canal & gondolas, let alone all the nice shoes & handbags you can buy) and met the boys for lunch at PQ. Spent the afternoon resting and playing racquet ball. Yummy beef stroganoff for dinner & David Attenborough for after dinner entertainment.
Matilda and her bestie Shannon in matching Cheong Sam outfits. We are going skiing with Shannon's family in March, woohoo!!
Yet another Christmas do! This time ANZIQ threw a party at the Rugby Club for the Aussie & Kiwi kids in Qatar.
Egg & spoon race with Mummy. (Eggs are rare & expensive in Doha at the moment, what with the Saudi bird flu. Not much Christmas baking for us this year!)
Santa delivers again!
Who is this man who keeps turning up every weekend? At least he brings presents!
Matilda had one too many toffee lollipops... 
Jultomten delivers yet another present! He is amazing isn't he?!
Daddy & Matilda. Cute. (Is that another lollipop? Oh boy, we're in for a good night!)
Hello!
Well, Christmas is upon us again. How fast time flies. This time last year we were preparing for a trip to Sweden, but this year we will be staying put in Doha. The great news is that Brendan's brother and his wife are visiting us from London, we are soooo excited! (No, of course it's not just about the bacon they're smuggling in for us.)
Isabelle has completed the first half of year one, and has covered a large patch of wall with numerous awards. She has conquered the swimming pool and can swim a couple of laps of freestyle across the length of it. Skipping rope is always by her side these days, and she managed to empty our wallets at a recent skip-a-thon... who knew she could do that many skips in a row?? Isabelle is reading like a champion, and no little Christmas shopping list is safe anymore. We have to be careful what we write down, because she'll work it out!
Matilda has well and truly embraced the terrible twos. A recent tantrum episode in a lavish homewares store almost got her mother a chandelier as a Qatari lady asked her what it was she wanted... shame, she just got a handful of candy instead. We'll try harder next time. Other than using her power to avoid eating at mealtimes, Matilda is all-singing-all-dancing sensation. She loves to bounce around the room to Black Eyed Peas and Wiggles tunes alike.
Brendan is happy about the cooler weather and being more comfortable when cycling outdoors. Unfortunately, a fellow Aussie cyclist got hit by a car (you'd understand if you saw the traffic here), so Brendan has resigned himself to not road-biking in Qatar again. Instead, he hangs out at the US Army firing range on his mountainbike and likes to bring home ammunition cases and shells to show me. Hmmm. He reckons they would make good salt & pepper shakers... I wonder what I am getting for Christmas?
I have finally finished another semester at uni (only 3 more to go). Phew. I also scored a try at Touch Rugby, quite an achievement. We kicked off the party season with a great Christmas Party for the kids in our compound (all 80 of them). Santa was a huge hit as always. See blog for photos. Next we have 6 more Christmas shindigs to attend, great fun, and then Rob & Gem arrive. I also have my 30th birthday (finallly!) to look forward to, and I am so pleased that Rob & Gem will be here to help me celebrate. If you would like to send me a Birthday wish, please include the title of a book that changed your life, inspired you, or made you laugh until you cried, or cry until you laughed. I am going to spend my thirties reading what you all recommmend, that's my goal.
We hope you all have a safe & happy festive season! The blog has been off my radar for a while, but I will make up for that now. See you in 2008!
Lots of love, Samantha, Brendan, Isabelle & Matilda xxxx
Brendan and I got all dressed up for the trackside action on Thursday night. No actual races, but that didn't stop the Aussies & Kiwis in Qatar (and anyone else who wanted to join in the fun) having a blast! We placed bets on human horse races, and participated in fashion on the field. I managed to take home the prize for best filly. Looking forward to redeeming my prize: dinner-for-two at the Intercontinental at the end of my exams, thankyou.
Surprise girls! Look what Santa brought this year! Rocking horse for Matilda and Lego doll house for Isabelle.
Ah!
Team White produced an incredible feast, I must say. The result was Rob & Gem announcing that they don't need parents anymore.
