Save the children. Please.

I am convinced that all parent/parents-to-be should undergo some kind of course in child safety, especially those lacking some cells up there.

My fury started when I saw the family down the road from me transporting their kids to and from school with heads hanging out of sunroofs, windows etc, and of course no belts, nevermind a car seat! Wana know the worst part of this? Last year one of their little ones was killed in a car accident, due to being thrown through the front windscreen in a small-ish accident. Totally avoidable, as you can well imagine. Once bitten, twice shy? Naaaah.

Then we have Madeleine McCann, whose name brings sadness, repulsion and despair to all those who hear it. Educated parents, but oh-so-fucking-stupid.

Now we have this, and again, I wonder. How many parents leave young kids in a room with blind/curtain strings hanging. Kids just LOVE to hook ropes and stuff around their necks. This is the reason why we can buy 2 kinds of kiddies bath-robes. One is cheap and has a belt with loops to hook it through. The other will be more expensive but the belt will be stitched on, preventing accidental strangulation. Take your choice. China direct. Or China via M&S quality control.

Anyway, the point I am getting at is that we have so much access to information these days, not like yonks ago when you had to cough up and buy Dr Spocks book or expensive parenting magazines from Fleet street. Now just log on and there is more than enough stuff to keep you reading through all those sleepless nights with a newborn.

Take it from me, I am not child-friendly, and the fact that I have produced 2 kids is quite amazing. But I have and it is my duty to protect them from as much as possible. This includes predators, blind strings and loose cables (to name but a few).

Blogger template is screwed up

FECK FECK FECK
I cannot read my own bitchy blog now.

Wanted ............one volunteer to resolve my template issues.

I like my Betamax and chak chak chak tv.

There seems to be so much talk about the old days.
I am guilty of it too, and just cannot stop myself from reminiscing.
I want to shut up but it is all around me.
The new world is consuming me and I am fighting tooth and nail to keep the old times.

I am strong but this tornado is battering away at me,
determined to shake the cracked ground away from under me.

I thought I had just about clobbered it when along came seabee,
and again we are waltzing through Satwa Souq, just like when it was all we had.
Funny thing was that we never longed for malls that accomodated 700,000 aliens and I did not know anyone who did. So why did they build them? Oh yes, I forgot, it is all about the new people and what they want.
Perhaps it is just moving with the times. I hope someone remembers to come back and collect me.

With my strength returning, I visited Ammaro and was looking forward to reading about his search for a new but obsolescent TV. He took me so far down memory lane that I felt physically sick. He was making fun (yes, FUN) of tv's that are so ancient and chronic, but that also adorn a little cupboard in my spare room. Yes, I still have one of those chak chak chak button things. I shall not even tell you if it is colour or b&w. I could not stand the shame. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
He went on to introduce people to some strange things called betamax movies.
Can you imagine that?

Well, get this. I have a box of them too. I suppose I shall never get the chance to convert them now.
I had planned on moving them to VHS, but there is probably little difference between the two.

OK, I shall get over this. I will go out and buy a plasma (LCD perhaps) TV this weekend.
I will be publishing a photo of it shortly. I am determined to get through this gracefully.

Time for some pofak I think.......

Musical Memories

Sometimes music can trigger memories that you would never had recalled otherwise.

There was one particular song that often used to come into my head, but since it was my own voice singing it I did not give it much thought. Until I stumbled across the following on youtube, purely by chance.

It takes me back many years (I do mean many). I was playing football with the boys, in the sand, barefoot, as we did......one of the lads used to keep his tape player on the side and replayed this song over and over again. I loved it. 

I miss that time. I was very happy and knew very little about the 'real' world. But mostly that was a time when Dubai was mine. All mine.

Will we get a full week in?

In the last 10 days the kids have been in school for one of them. YES, one.

Thursday - OFF, Islamic New Year
Friday - OFF, w/e
Saturday - OFF, w/e
Sunday - IN SCHOOL
Monday - OFF, Bush International Day
Tuesday - OFF, Our part of the desert was flooded
Wednesday - OFF, All schools closed due to flooding
Thursday - OFF, Flooding
Friday - OFF, w/e
Saturday - OFF, w/e