Daughters and Rugby

Isabelle has discovered rugby. This is something her rugby-mad father is extremely pleased about as he now has someone to watch the week's recorded matches with at weekends. Over the years he has tried to turn me into a rugby groupie, but to his frustration the level of my interest tends to be directly proportionate to the ease of the players on the eye rather than how well they play. On this basis, France is always worth a watch, Wales rarely so and New Zealand has been disappointing since Dan Carter got injured.

Isabelle, however, seems genuinely keen on the game. Her interest was piqued a few weeks ago when she played for Ian's office team in a touch rugby tournament at the Bahrain Rugby Club. Any tries by women or children scored double points, so she was forcibly enlisted to maximise their chances. It worked: she scored a fabulous try.

The next day she signed up for the touch rugby club at school and last week took part in a skills day for kids at the rugby club hosted by Jason Robinson, the English former international rugby union and league player. I went along to watch because, as these photos testify, Jason still looks bloody good in a pair of rugby shorts. The day was brilliantly organised. Jason gave the kids some personal coaching, they had a go in a specially constructed skills zone and each came away with a signed rugby ball.

The rugby ball now has pride of place in Isabelle's room. Perhaps it marks the beginning of an illustrious touch rugby career, or maybe just the start of an armchair rugby career. Either way, her father will be happy.

Buckingham Palace and Kate's dress

Christopher Robin would have been disappointed: they weren't changing guard at Buckingham Palace the day we went. As we hung around in the pouring rain outside the palace gates with an army of other tourists, a harassed-looking (and soaked) mounted policewoman rode up and down the crowd yelling there wouldn't be any guard changing for another two days - presumably once the rain had stopped. Time for a bacon buttie then, before our midday entry slot to Buckingham Palace's State Rooms and our chance to see the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress up close.

The ticket price includes an audio tour and we all donned our headphones at the Ambassador's entrance to the palace to be greeted - on tape - by Prince Charles, who told us the palace has 775 rooms, including 19 State rooms, 240 bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. Pity some of the 78 bathrooms weren't put at visitors' disposal before the start of the tour. The only facilities available are after the 90 minute tour, so those needing a pee beforehand are directed to a public loo about 10 minutes walk away - not much fun in the pouring rain.

The tour takes you into the famous quadrangle, where a newly married Kate and William alighted from their carriage after the wedding, and up the Grand Staircase into the Green Drawing Room and on into the Throne Room, where the wedding photos were taken. Copies of the group photos are on display so you can visualise everyone lining up on the day. A man standing next to me was, he told his wife in a heavy Yorkshire accent, quite overcome to be standing where Royalty had stood. I was more amazed that every window of these ornate and magnificent rooms was covered in greying and rather tatty net curtains. Is Her Maj a secret curtain twitcher?

The tour continued through the Picture Gallery to a display of some of the Royal Family's Faberge collection (wonderful) and then into the Ballroom where Kate, Wills and co. bopped into the wee small hours after their wedding. Kate's £250,000 Alexander McQueen wedding dress is now on display here on a podium surrounded by what can only be described as a large black mosquito net. Still, there's no doubt the dress is quite beautiful and a short film shows the incredible amount of work that went into designing and making it and up close you really appreciate the level of intricacy and detail. Kate's shoes, the 1936 Cartier tiara she wore (something borrowed from the Queen) and stunning earrings given to her by her parents are also on show.

In the State dining room, Kate and William's eight tier wedding cake is displayed. The first three layers are replicas, the top two having been kept by the newly weds for future christenings and the third layer having been served to guests. On the bottom tier, the first cut of the cake made by the couple is clearly visible.

A couple of State rooms later, we emerged into the Palace gardens where a tea room has been set up - the girls were thrilled that the hot chocolates were topped with a crown

Just in front of the cafe, having enjoyed a spectacular firework display in the gardens, Kate and Wills left for their first night as man and wife in a Fiat 500 convertible, waving madly through the sunshine roof. It must have been quite a night.

On the trail of Lone Pine

We've just been on holiday to Brisbane again and this year we took the kids to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Established in 1927, Lone Pine was the world's first koala sanctuary and is the largest, housing 130 koalas of all ages as well as other Australian natives such as kangaroos, wombats and crocs.

The Sanctuary has only recently reopened after the floods in January. Its location - the Brisbane suburb of Fig Tree Pocket - was one of the worst affected areas. Luckily staff had enough time to move the animals to enclosures on higher ground and no losses were suffered. Staff camped out with the animals to make sure they were safe and Sea World at the Gold Coast sent its helicopter with food supplies.

The koalas are housed in a number of different areas, depending on age. Joeys hang onto their mums in the Mother and Baby enclosure, toddlers are in the Cubby House and there is a retirement enclosure for koalas in their twilight years.

The highlight for most visitors is the chance to cuddle a koala for the cameras. In the gift shop are rows of photos of celebrities, including Eric Clapton, Jackie Chan and Mikhail Gorbachev, getting up close and personal with the Sanctuary's gum-tree dwelling inhabitants. I wasn't keen - having been reliably informed that they are prone to pissing on you - but the girls had a go.

The Sanctuary also has a large kangaroo and wallaby enclosure where you can wander about and feed Skippy with specially prepared food for sale in the gift shop. If you're lucky, like we were, you may even spot a joey in its mother's pouch.

The Sanctuary also has wombats, Tasmanian Devils, a platypus house and a selection of the most venomous snakes in Oz.

However, the highlight for me was the Aussie sheep dog show. A Bushie farmer in an akubra hat and with an accent so strong I don't think the Japanese tour party watching with us would have understood a word of what he was saying, demonstrated the skills these dogs require on properties so large they dwarf Wales. Once the sheep have been rounded up, the yard dog - trained in handling the sheep in the yard - takes over. He runs up and down their backs to keep them in order.

Next, in a scene reminiscent of the Thorn Birds, a Bryan Brown lookalike demonstrated how the sheep are shorn - although Ian, who worked on a property once in his youth, assured me this was a very sanitised version and that in real life the shearing is done in much less time and with a lot more cuts and nicks inflicted on the sheep.

Round the afternoon off with tea and cake in the cafe by the river, and you have an excellent family day out.

A novel idea

A friend of mine is writing a novel. It's her eighth, and this one is to be a departure from her usual rural Irish setting.

"It's to take place on an exotic island where the Sultan is on the look out for his fourth wife and has his eye on a blond stewardess who works for his private airline. I'm still working on the synopsis but I'm trying not to make it too fantastical," she tells me.

I say: "How about the Sultan is a bald middle-aged billionaire lothario who has two known illegitimate children, one with a waitress and the other with an air stewardess. He spots a gorgeous blond athlete 20 years his junior and persuades her to marry him. Just before the wedding she does a runner when rumours of a third love-child emerge and ends up having her passport confiscated and being bundled back to the Sultan's court to go through with the wedding. She does so only when promised she can divorce him as soon as she produces a child. Oh, and on the honeymoon they sleep in separate hotels and go home early to await the results of the DNA tests on his latest alleged love child."

She gives me a you-have-clearly-never-written-a-novel look and says: "It has to be believable, Kate."

I tell her of the latest revelations about Prince Albert of Monaco and his new wife Charlene.

"You see," I say. "Truth really is stranger than fiction."

Let's talk!

Bahrain's much vaunted National Dialogue has begun. After weeks of build up and a concerted poster campaign around the island, more than 300 participants have registered to take part in talks which it is hoped will help the kingdom move on from the troubles of February and March.

Political societies, human rights activists, women and children's societies, professional societies and NGOs are among those taking part and will over the next weeks debate more than 180 topics under four broad themes - the political system, the economy, social issues and human rights. The talks, which will take place three times a week, will bring together all spectrums of society under one roof to discuss the kingdom's future. The King has even held special meetings with the expatriate community to canvass their views on change and a website has been set up to keep the public informed of progress (http://www.nd.bh/en/). Many here believe Bahrain has been badly misrepresented in the western press over the last months and are hoping the dialogue will help to change this. The king has also announced an independent inquiry into the riots in consultation with the UN Commissioner for Human Rights.

Al Wefaq, the main opposition party, decided at the last moment to join the Dialogue "for the sake of Bahrain", although it has expressed reservations as to what can be achieved. Of the other opposition parties, some are participating, some are not and there were opposition protests over the weekend and more are planned for this weekend.

The talks are to take place without preconditions as to what can and cannot be raised and the sessions will include sensitive issues such as the handling of state assets, compensation for psychological damage in the recent unrest and human rights issues. After each session is concluded, provided consensus has been reached, the outcome will be sent to the King.

Only time will tell how difficult it will be to reach consensus on the topics under discussion and whether any changes implemented as a result of the talks will be enough to allow the country to heal. Here's a comforting thought though: should things get too heated and blood pressures rise, Bahrain will be well-placed to cope for it has just officially entered the Guinness World Records for the most blood pressure readings taken in 8 hours - 3,252, in case you were wondering. Regular readers of this blog will know Bahrain has had several aborted record attempts in recent years, so I'm pleased to announce it has finally made it into the record books.

The Gallery: Love that Lippy!

It's week 63 of The Gallery and the theme set by Tara over at Sticky Fingers is 3 Word Gallery: one picture, three little words. I've titled mine: Love that Lippy!

This photo was taken the other afternoon when Olivia invited her best friend over for a play. After an hour of tearing round the garden, they became suspiciously quiet. The bathroom door was shut...something was afoot. They emerged some time later to reveal the results of a "make-up your friend's face blindfolded" session.

I've noted down the idea for her next birthday party; it's cheaper than an entertainer!

Expat Women: Confessions

I first lived abroad at 18 and have spent only eight of the last 25 years in my home country. I've lived in Germany, Australia, Belgium and Bahrain, have married someone from the other side of the world, gave birth to both my daughters abroad, and have put my career on hold to become the perfect trailing spouse. And while expat life has undoubtedly been both exciting and rewarding, it brings its own pressures and dilemmas which sometimes only another expats can understand.

The recently published Expat Women: Confessions - 50 Answers to Your Real Life Questions About Living Abroad is an anthology of issues raised over the years on the popular confessions page of the Expat Women website: an agony aunt column for expat women where they can post dilemmas anonymously and have them answered by experts.

Compiled by Andrea Martins (one of the founders of Expat Women) and Victoria Hepworth, both seasoned expats, the book is an A-Z of real-life problems encountered by expats from all over the world and gives objective and pragmatic advice on how to handle them as well as an extensive reference list of useful books and websites. And I was surprised how many of the confessions could have been written by me over the years: frustrations as a trailing spouse; homesick new mother abroad; intercultural couples; and third culture children, to name but a few.

Written in an accessible and chatty style, the book is an easy read and ideal to dip into when confronted by a problem. All too often, expat women have to work through complex personal and practical issues to which family and friends at home simply can't relate. Now we have a handbook to turn to.

I was contacted by Suzanne Scatliffe at Expat Women and asked to review this book. I received a free copy of the e-book. A sample of the book is available for download on the Expat Women website and the book can be purchased from Amazon.

A week is a long time in F1

"Back on track: F1 October 30" ran the headline in Saturday's Gulf Daily News, the main English language newspaper in Bahrain. The paper ran lengthy articles thanking the FIA for their decision to reinstate the Grand Prix and saying how it would help the economy, particularly the tourism sector, bounce back from the damage caused by the unrest. The community newspaper, GulfWeekly, has been running a campaign to garner readers' support to reinstate the race. "We did it!" proclaimed yesterday's headline.

Press conferences were held at the Sakhir race circuit where executives told of their delight at the decision and proudly kick-started a 150 day countdown to the event. The Grand Prix, they said, is a source of national pride and an event that transcends politics.

Yet even as celebrations were taking place here, it seems all was not well behind the scenes at the FIA. Teams and drivers were unhappy at the decision to reschedule the race and yesterday Bernie Ecclestone said he believed the race would not go ahead because of the situation here - anti-government protesters had called for a day of rage on the race date - and opposition from teams.

After the euphoria of last week, Bahrain's business leaders have branded the decision shameful and claim it smacks of hypocrisy. The three month State of Emergency has been lifted - although there are still numerous checkpoints, they are now manned by community police and Bahrain's National Guard as opposed to GCC forces - and a national dialogue will start next month to boost reforms within the Kingdom. The Crown Prince has been in the UK and is now in the US holding talks with President Obama. He has emphasised the country's commitment to reform, no matter how difficult the process may be.

Whatever your view on the situation in Bahrain, the decision not to hold the F1 will be a massive blow to an already hard-hit hospitality industry here as well as a huge disappointment to the many F1 fans in Bahrain. Maybe next year...

The Gallery: My Backyard in the Desert

When we moved into our house about 15 months ago, the garden was an overgrown shambles. Our Indian gardener, Joy, has worked wonders in the intervening months, pruning, seeding and planting and we now have a lush lawn for the kids to play on and plants galore for me to enjoy.

The frangipani trees and bougainvillea are in blossom at the moment and in the evenings, the scent of the jasmine fills the air. It's hard to believe sometimes that we live on a desert island.

The Knife Sharpener

One of my memories of childhood is the ritual of the Sunday roast. Mum would spend all afternoon preparing it - roast beef, at least two veg, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, gravy, the lot. Delicious smells would pervade the house and we would gather in the dining room around 6pm for a proper family meal. Dad would always carve and was extremely fussy about having a super-sharp carving knife. Each week he would stand at the head of the table, carving knife in one hand and steel in the other, and make a great play of sharpening the knife. It was something he insisted on, along with smartly polished shoes (I've still never found anyone who can buff school shoes to quite such a sheen as Dad) and good table manners.

Ever since I've left home, Dad has always complained about the bluntness of the knives in my kitchen. One year, he even bought me an expensive carving knife and steel set, but I think he is the only one who has ever used the steel.

Since living in Bahrain though, my knives are so sharp that I regularly slice my fingers when cutting fruit and veg. This is all thanks to Anil, a nice knife-sharpener gentleman from Andhra Pradesh.

Once a month, Anil settles himself down on my terrace, opens an ancient-looking wooden box and sets to work on all my knives and scissors until they are razor sharp. Of course, some of them don't really need sharpening every month, but Anil told me once that on top of his living expenses, he has to pay his Bahraini sponsor nearly GBP 1,500 for his work visa: that's an awful lot of knives.

On his last visit, he was so happy as he was heading home for the first time in over 2 years to see his wife and four young children, to whom he sends money each month. Bahrain is full of expats like Anil, separated from their families, sometimes for years, because of a lack of jobs in their homelands. I can't imagine how hard it must be not being around to see your children grow up. I hope he has a wonderful holiday and until he returns at the end of the summer, I'll just have to dust off Dad's steel.

Turkish Delights

"If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul,"Alphonse de Lamartine, the French poet and politician once wrote. The only problem is choosing in which direction to cast your gaze, for Istanbul is packed with architectural eye-candy and glorious views on every side. From the multitude of minarets punctuating the skyline and the glistening waters of the Bosphorus; from the hustle and bustle of the Grand Bazaar to the quiet of the tulip-filled courtyard gardens of the beautiful old mansions, Istanbul is a delight. And we were lucky enough to spend a few days there over Easter.

Aya Sofya

First Christian church (King Richard worshipped there en route to the Crusades), then mosque and now museum. Magnificent architecture and stunning mosaics.

The Blue Mosque

Built in 17th century to rival the nearby Aya Sofya (from where the first photo is taken), this vast mosque dominates the skyline of Sultanahmet.

The Basilica Cistern

Enormous underground cistern built by the Emperor Justinianus. Keep an eye out for the heads of Medusa.

Topkapi Palace

Mehmet the Conqueror starting building this magnificent palace over looking the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus shortly after he defeated the Byzantine emperor in 1453. It was inhabited by subsequent sultans until the 19th century. The highlight is definitely the Harem, not only because it is so much less crowded than the rest of the complex (because of the additional entrance fee) but also because the tour gives a real insight into a life which for us Westerners has always been shrouded in mystery.

Of course we had to explain some of the more technical vocab to the kids - What is a concubine? Why is this called the Black Eunuch's Mosque? - but Olivia got up to speed pretty quickly. Here's an extract from her diary:

"Dear Diary

Today I went to the Sultan's palace. We went into his wardrobe and looked at his clothes. When my Dad saw the Sultan's trousers he said, "The Sultans must have had big bottoms". After that we went into the Treasury room and looked at the Sultan's thrones, plates and jewellery. Next we had a drink and a look at where the royal family lived. There I found out something VERY WIERD. That thing was that some of the boys had their eunuch cut off so they couldn't have sex..."

The Grand Bazaar

Bosphorus cruise

Beautiful views of the City, palaces and summer houses on the way to the Black Sea.

Streetlife

Back to Bahrain

So we're back. We arrived home just over a week ago. The British Embassy was no longer advising nationals to leave, school had re-opened and Ian and the cat were missing us.

The first thing we did was drive from the airport past the site of the former Pearl Roundabout. From the aeroplane window on the day we left, I had seen clouds of black smoke billowing around the giant Pearl monument - the aftermath of the clearing of the roundabout. On March 18, the Pearl monument and the roundabout were demolished by the authorities. What was once a symbol of Bahrain, appearing on nearly every postcard and in all the guidebooks is now a rather complex looking traffic intersection.

Besides the changes to the skyline, there are other differences too. A state of emergency has been declared for the next few months; a curfew is still in place in certain parts of the capital; there are police checkpoints near former trouble spots causing long tailbacks at peak hours; there is still a military presence in the centre of town and troops are also deployed at certain times to stand guard in their APC's near Shia villages. The arrival of Saudi and GCC troops has also led to criticism by Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, resulting in the Bahrain government suspending flights to those countries and deporting a number of their expats.

I have a number of friends who have not returned and do not intend to. Most of these were intending to move on in the summer anyway and have simply brought their plans forward; some have decided to relocate solely because of the situation here. Some businesses too have relocated to elsewhere in the Gulf and despite the local press running a "Bahrain's Back in Business" campaign, there's no doubt that recent months have been extremely trying for certain industry sectors, particularly hospitality and tourism.

But for the moment at least, day-to-day life for us continues to be relatively normal, albeit somewhat subdued. For some reason, not many people are in the party mood at the moment...

Evacuation

Very early on Wednesday morning, a friend in Bahrain called my mobile. "They're going to clear the Roundabout," she said. "The Embassy are advising people who don't have to be here to leave. Could be time to go."

I dragged myself out of bed to make a cup of tea, still uncertain of whether we should leave. As I stood at the kettle there were cries of "God is great!" and the gunfire started. Lots of it. And the sound of tear gas canisters exploding. And more gunfire. It was indeed time to go. "Don't go outside!" I yelled at the kids and promptly booked us flights.

Instructions came from Ian's office that it was not safe to leave the compound. I ran up to the roof and saw a huge cloud of black smoke rising from Pearl Roundabout and Apache helicopters circling overhead. There were several explosions which I later learned were gas canisters, which had been used for cooking by the protesters, exploding. And after an hour, just a deathly quiet.

As I packed suitcases for me and the girls, Ian was on the landline trying to sort out work contingencies: mobile coverage had been cut and the internet was painfully slow. He, along with most other fathers, has stayed to work.

We set off a short time later for the airport. At the end of our road was a checkpoint with a tank, an armoured personnel carrier and a rather intimidating looking policeman in a black balaclava and mask with a rifle slung over his shoulders. He politely told us we could not pass and would have to take a detour to the airport. We passed a further three such checkpoints before arriving. You could count the number of cars on the normally busy motorway on one hand.

There is now a tense calm in Bahrain. Troops are no longer on the streets, but police checkpoints are everywhere. Malls and restaurants are beginning to re-open for parts of the day, although some areas are subject to curfews. Schools are to remain closed until at least 27 March.

So in the meantime the girls and I are in the UK with my folks - an unscheduled family visit. No gunshots, no helicopters, just calm. Last month I helped Isabelle with a project on World War II evacuees. Little did I know that a short time later we would be evacuees ourselves.

Showing Solidarity

It's all kicking off here again. Yesterday on the way to school I had to run the gauntlet of youths dragging barbed wire and industrial bins across the road in vigilante-style road blocks. "Look straight ahead and don't wave!" I instructed the six children in the car as we weaved our way through.

Later I went to the Seef area to renew my car insurance; this is Bahrain and it can't be done on the phone. I had to go the back way as the main road was blocked by protesters. On arriving at the Solidarity insurance offices on the 11th floor of the Seef office block I was greeted by an open-mouthed Bahraini in thobe and ghutrah.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "We're closed - none of my staff could get in."

"I'm here to renew my car insurance," I replied. "With everything going on, it seems negligent to let it lapse. You're here. Can't you do it?"

There were about three others in the office and I became the source of much amusement: expat English woman struggles against all odds to renew Solidarity insurance.

"We're going to use you in our next advertising campaign," chuckles one.

I'm about to leave when we hear the roar of sirens and look out to see about 20 police vans screech onto the highway below to block a band of about 200 protesters who are rushing towards them. Tear gas is fired; sound bombs explode.

"Tea?" asks the man in the thobe.

After about half an hour, the police pushed back the protesters and I left to pick up the kids from school. We reached home without incident.

School is closed today. British Embassy advice is to stay indoors. I had no food in the house so went to the local supermarket this morning and it was packed. Milk, butter and potatoes were in short supply. Clearly deliveries had been affected and people were bulk buying. Some expats are leaving; others, like my Northern Irish friend, seem totally unaffected. "I was reared during the Troubles," says she. "It'll take more than a few protesters to frighten me."

As I write I am receiving reports that the Bahrain/Saudi causeway has been temporarily closed to allow a security force convoy across the water: the Bahrain government has asked for Saudi help in containing the protests.

The protesters have vowed not to give up until they have full democracy and a new government. But a large proportion of the population here supports the King and his ministers. So we watch and we wait.

And at least my car is insured.

Protests - a week on

Over the past week, the Pearl Roundabout - please note, foreign reporters, it is a large, normally busy roundabout and NOT a square - has continued to be the focus of the anti-government protests in Bahrain. After the eviction of protesters just over a week ago, tanks took up positions in the city to prevent protesters returning and there were deadly clashes between protesters and the security forces.

The following days saw national strikes and more marches. Some expats left the island. The girls' school was closed for two days and once it re-opened, the usual fire drill was replaced by a "lock-down" drill during which all classroom doors were locked, blinds drawn and the kids were instructed to sit silently on the floor until danger passed. All a bit nerve-wracking.

The Crown Prince then ordered the withdrawal of troops and police from the streets and anti-government protesters once again took over the roundabout. A hard core has remained camped out there ever since, with others joining them each evening after work to show solidarity. The atmosphere has become once again that of a large festival, with food stalls, canteens, barbers, stages for speakers and an ad-hoc press centre.

Various large marches towards the roundabout have been organised over the course of the past week, with the emphasis on peaceful protesting. The largest protest was last Tuesday, when hundreds of thousands headed to the roundabout, blocking motorways and causing traffic chaos. But there were no reports of violence. I got caught up in the queues and saw cars full of families heading into town with Bahraini flags flying from their windows and roofs. The new slogan of the protesters has become: No Sunni, No Shi'ite We are all Bahraini. Their key demands are a change of government, a constitutional monarchy and the release of all political prisoners.

A comprehensive national dialogue is now underway to allow all parties to voice their demands and concerns. Hundreds of political prisoners were released earlier this week, a prominent opposition leader has been allowed to return from self-imposed exile in the UK and four cabinet ministers have been replaced.

Over the past couple of weeks there have also been massive pro-government protests, lauding the achievements of the Royal Family and the government. The local English daily newspaper has been full of letters from Bahrainis and expats alike furious at what they see as irresponsible, one-sided journalism by the western media. Bahrain, they say, is not Tunisia or Egypt, the people here are free, women can vote, work and drive and the hijab is not obligatory, education and health services are free and housing and petrol heavily subsidised.

Whatever your view, the events of the past weeks have deeply affected the country, both emotionally and economically. The Formula One has been cancelled as have the majority of the acts at the country's popular Spring of Culture Festival (yup, Julio Inglesias is not coming to croon) and many countries are advising their citizens not to travel here, which is a disaster for the fledgling travel industry.

While day-to-day life here for most of us is more or less back to normal, we wait with interest to see what the next weeks bring and how Bahrain weathers this storm.