With the beach so close to the Jumeira house, it would be a shame not to go down there, so after breakfast, that's what we did. It was a gloriously clean sandy beach with crystal clear water. Two huge communication towers shone lights across the sand ensuring that the beach could be used at night. Solar powered buoys ensured that night and day swimmers were safe from jet skis and boats. Everything in Dubai is branded and as we walked over the sand freshly turned over and raked that morning by a machine, the name of the company which had done the work was impressed in the sand.
We staked out a spot and set up our beach umbrella. Even though I could say Johnny and I are not beach people, we were soon in the the water and thoroughly enjoying it. Beach fun is beach fun, regardless of the country and there were kids cavorting and building castles. There were ladies chatting in shoulder high water. There were families tossing toddlers into the sea and toddlers squealing with delight and fear. We were thinking we might do more of this when we get back home.
After a couple of hours we headed home, with a slight diversion to the very good meat place for a roast chicken for dinner tonight. We thought we would make roast chicken baguettes and take them down to the shore for a picnic dinner. Johnny noticed that they were also selling prime cuts of Australian beef. Guess the price for a T-bone steak. $90! Well we didn't buy any of that.
We arrived home to a clean house and with the washing machine working overtime, chewing through the piles of dirty clothes we had created. The lovely Diana has worked her magic. I think after all the years she has worked for Britt and Wil, she could almost be considered part of the family. Even the doggoes treat her as one of the inner circle. Diana is one of the many thousands, if not millions of migrant workers on whose labour Dubai's glittering success has been achieved. Gratefully, she and her Philippine family have also very much benefitted from the transaction.
We rang Perry in WA. He was elated with his time and his achievement. his feet, blistered from the sand rubbing inside the socks, looked worse for wear but that was a small price to pay for the success.
It was a late lunch today. Johnny toasted bagels and we had lots of different toppings. We ate sitting under the pergola and it was perfect. so many of the frangipani were in flower and even the oleander was putting on a show. The garden was a little bit of paradise.
Of course what would you do on a day where the afternoon temperatures wee in the mid thirties? You would have a dip in the pool, but today molly joined us. Up until now she has been a bit afraid of the water and terrified of any splashing. There were a couple of lilo toys and Britt put her on her own raft. she seemed to love it.
While Britt and I went indoors to enjoy the cool, Johnny was eying off Wil's bike. Taking out the bike meant a few adjustments to the seat etc, but he was soon out there. The plan was to take it out on the boardwalk next to the creek. We had both seen the signs saying "No bikes" but we had it on good authority that it was a rule ignored by everyone. The traffic on the roads could really move so I hoped he would stick to the footpaths. He came back looking like a sweaty beetroot, but having really enjoyed it.
Dinner as planned by on the beach. we took a picnic and chicken salad rolls down there. We arrived just in time to see the last embers of the day dying and then all the lights around the islands and the starts in the sky light up. We passed a house near the waterfront that was lit by an estimated 10,000 fairy lights. apparently this signals that an Emirati family is having a wedding.
it had been a rest day, but we wee still so very tired when we drove home, but there was no rest until the doggoes had their walk. This time we walked past the archaeological site and then turned right towards Al Wasl Road. Dubai doesn't stop and the traffic out there was just as heavy as it had been during the day. after a cup of coffee, doggoes and humans all set off for bed.
