Rugby Sevens

One of the highlights of the expat calendar is the Dubai Rugby Sevens. For most of the year it's just a large area of desert which is home to the Exiles Rugby Club and the Country Club where Janet goes to a toddlers group with Max. Then, a couple of months before, it's transformed into the world's largest temporary stadium holding 30,000 people.

It is extremely well organised. The difference between similar events I've been to in England is marked - the toilets are immaculate and the food and drink is good and varied (not a burger van in sight). There's plenty to do for the kids, which is just as well as they're not interested in the rugby.



Highlight of the day for me was when Australia were beaten by Portugal (the rugby equivalent of Accrington Stanley) followed by the commentator telling us what a good day England had had at the second Ashes test match.






One of the good things about having visitors is that you get to do things that you would otherwise consider too 'touristy'. Last week I took Janet's parents on a desert safari to a place known as 'Big red' 45 minutes out of Dubai towards Oman.

I didn't have high expectations but our Indian driver, Nadeem, took us on an amazing rollercoaster ride over big clean sand dunes. Most of the things he did beggared belief and completely contradicted all the advice given in my 'UAE off-road explorer' guide book. I can still hear my Mother-in-Law anxiously saying 'please slow down so that we can admire the view' whilst I was grinning from ear to ear.

The rest of the safari was a bit hackneyed - sheesha, local dress, henna painting and belly dancer - but at least the food was good.