Out and About

With only a few more days for Cind, Lee and Aisha, we squeezed in a visit to the Madinat Jumeirah, another visit to the park and beach. Time just flew by!


Flying Aisha.

Heading out.

Proof of visiting Dubai.

Park with Nan.

Staying warm after a dip at the pool.

Bob surveying the lay of the land.

Aisha/Pooh

Jeff using Gayle as a towel.

Soaking up the last of the sun in 2007.

Last visit to the beach in 2007.

Dubai Christmas

We arrived back in Dubai on the evening of the 27th and the Tisdall's & Tisdall-McPhee's kindly and patiently waited, so we could celebrate "Christmas" together on the 28th.

Again, we were spoilt. Thank you everyone.


Stockings.

Christmas coffee.

A little fun before presents.

I think she likes it.

I know he likes it...day pass to Ski Dubai.

Hours of bathtime entertainment.

My new ride. :)

Christmas dinner.

Vancouver Christmas

What a whirlwind! We travelled home to Vancouver for a brief visit for Christmas. (Jeff's shorter than mine) It was mom's year for Christmas dinner, so she got to host a 14 person sit down dinner in her new home, at her new table.

On Christmas Day, we enjoyed brunch at Mom's, a walk with the dog's and dinner with the extended family. It was great to see everyone in such a short visit.

We were thoroughly spoilt. Thank you everyone.


Warm welcome from Molly.

Mom with Kuro enjoying her new kitchen.

Christmas morning at Mom's.

Rob & Lisa.

Inventive stockings.

Christmas brunch.

At 25 pounds, this turkey had some cooking to do. Sorry Mom, both turkey photos you had your eyes closed.

New pots for Mom.

New skates for Ken...finally. :)

A new vacuum for Rob & Lisa.

Electrical wiring for the hitch on Dad's new ride.

New jacket for Molly.

Molly modelling her new jacket.

Trying to get the dogs to pose for a photos in the snow.

Turkey is served. I will need to get more dinner photos from the rest of the family. More to come.

A white Christmas!

On the 26th, we flew back to Dubai. Since Jeff is a Gold Skywards Member, we got upgraded on our flight from NY to Dubai. So great!

Jeff asleep in his lay flat bed.

The Tisdalls Arrive in Dubai

The Tisdall clan will be visiting for the holidays. Bob and Gayle arrived on December 13th and will be staying until mid-January, while Cindy, Lee and Aisha arrived on the 16th and will be with us until January 2nd.

For more photos of their visit to Dubai, go to Tales From Abroad.


Special chairs for Bob's visit.

Getting set up in the backyard.

Aisha, Cind & Lee.

Aisha & Gayle.

The Tisdall Inn - Open for Business

With the guests due to arrive in a week, we finally got to furnishing our spare bedrooms.


Second bedroom.

This couch easily converts into a sofa bed. Perfect for our third bedroom.

Application for Urban Tropics

Since we moved into our new Dubai desert home, I always knew that I wanted to add a more tropical feel to the backyard but just didn't have the courage to start.

Upon the arrival of our new patio furniture, I decided that I needed a garden that I wanted to look at... so the tropical transformation began.


Before.

Plants delivered.

New tropical border. The traveller palm is my favorite.

While this corner will need some time, it was the biggest change. We had a huge pile of sand removed and planted a coconut palm.

We bought this copper cantene, which is surrounded by desert grass and river rocks.

New Patio Furniture

We have been eyeing this patio furniture since our arrival in May and finally treated ourselves. It is so awesome!!!

Justin Timberlake in Abu Dhabi

Tickets to Justin Timberlake's finale in Abu Dhabi sold out in an hour and unfortunately (well maybe fortunately) we were not quick enough.

On December 6th, all the talk was about the concert, so you couldn't help but think you might be missing something good. Jeff had called in the middle of the day, thinking he had a line on tickets but it fell through.

At 6pm, we were heading home and decided "what the heck, let's drive to Abu Dhabi, see if we can get tickets - if not, we will go out for dinner". We went home, changed and were back on the road at 7pm, Justin Timberlake was due to go on stage at 9pm.

The concert was held on the lawn of Emirates Palace, so we knew it was going to be a great venue. We parked the car, walked briskly to the gates (partly cause Justin was on stage and partly cause Jeff had to go to the washroom). At first glance, it appeared that there was no hope but not more than five minutes later, an opportunity presented itself.

Much to our surprise, we managed to get "platinum" tickets for a fraction of the price. Justin entertained for another hour and a half, which was well worth the drive.

We made it in!!!

Justin Timberlake was a great performer.

Justin Timberlake video.

Emirates Palace was the best concert venue, I have been to.

Emirates Palace at night.

Justin Timberlake video.

Platinum passes. ;)