Visa run

Five short weeks after sitting on the plane from Qatar to Abu Dhabi and exclaiming "I'm never setting foot in that country again as long as I live!" I was back in Qatar again yesterday on a visa run.

I had to do a visa run because N still doesn't have a visa, and I can't get a visa until he gets a visa. My marriage certificate, which I sent to the UK to be attested three weeks ago, is also required before I can get a visa, but that's unfortunately missing in action. Perhaps it's

Beauty therapy and hypnotherapy.

Today I cashed in my beauty salon voucher and had a half day of pampering. I bought the half day as a treat to myself, shortly before N and I had a 'chat' about our household budget. Unfortunate timing - but I'd already paid in full, so there was nothing for it but to go and enjoy myself - we can live without food for a couple of weeks...

So I had a mani/pedi, facial, neck and shoulder massage and a set of eyelash extensions. I didn't really know what the eyelash extensions entailed, but it sounded interesting. Turns out it involves sticking individual fake eyelashes to your existing eyelashes - one by one - for two hours - while a woman tells you to stop flinching. I had no idea - I hadn't

Expanding and shrinking

I'm shrinking! Or at least it feels that way, thanks to my latest hire car - a Peugeot 207. I remember the days of the Trailblazer - when I was king of the road in my monster truck. I considered 'downsizing' to the Kia Sportage a huge reduction in road presence - now i'm basically a sand mite in a desert of UAE 4x4s - but surprisingly I love it. I wouldn't go

Baby Stuff

I managed to hold out for 30 weeks, but today the time came to drag N around Mothercare to buy cotton wool and Sudocrem. For 30 long weeks I have spent my days standing in Mothercare, Mamas and Papas and every supermarket in the GCC, staring at nappy brands and muslin squares. I put everything I need into my basket, then I chastise myself

Fun stuff I've done

It's not all form filling and suicidal driving you know - I've done some fun stuff here in Abu Dhabi. Let me tell you about it:

Pakistan v Sri Lanka Cricket
Not long after we arrived, N and I went to see the T20 cricket at Abu Dhabi cricket ground. As always, understanding the system wasn't easy and it took us two and a half hours to locate the correct ticket booth, collect our tickets and get seated in the stadium. Luckily N had misread the start time on the website and we'd turned up three hours too early - so in an unheard of twist of fate, we were sitting in our seats 30 minutes before the match started. Neither N nor I

Bureaucracy

OK - so i'm not saying bureaucracy here is worse than elsewhere - in fact I imagine it's pretty grim in whichever new country you rock up in - but let me share with you a little of my bureaucracy pain.

In two weeks I am due my 30 week maternity appointment.
Before I can do that I need to get my health insurance.
Before I can do that I need to get my visa sorted.
I can't do that until N gets his visa sorted.
He can't start that until he