End of January already....

Hi folks

Here I am again - its been a busy few weeks. I was in Dubai (again) a couple of weeks ago - I stayed with friends who used to work in Saudi so it was great to stay with Kerrie and Simon and catch up - they live right in the marina area too - so great for the metro and getting around to the various malls. Met up with friends - went to Frankie Dettori's restaurant for dinner and then went up to Abu Dhabi on the Friday to see friends up there and went out again! Had a great time!!

I have been very busy in the week with my personal training and teaching still so that is keeping me busy. I have up'd my own training now and am soon to start on TRX suspension training when I get the equipment - you will have to google that to read what it is! Also been doing loads of stuff for PAWS - we have had quite a few cats for re-homing and I think I have re-homed around 6 in the past week which is great news... we have the yard sale next weekend too to raise a bit more money!

I went to a pantomime too - the British Aerospace guys performed - Ryan and Stew were the dames - they kept fluffing their lines but to be honest it made it funnier - I haven't laughed so much in ages!!!

I was in Bahrain last week - things are still a bit "iffy" over there - it is nearly the anniversary of the shootings last year when the Pearl roundabout was in the news. There have been protests and tear gas going off - this happens most weekends but it is getting worse. The anniversary is Feb 14th - I just hope its not a repeat of last year. The area where the roundabout was is now a new junction but is still closed even a year after the event. Not sure when it will open!?

I went to fitness first to do some personal training shadowing - it was a really good few hours and gave me a good insight into how a normal gym operates and it was great to speak to the trainers.

Went out with my friend Chrissie who lives in Bahrain and her fiance for dinner later - had a really nice curry.

Am in SA this weekend - got the girls coming over tomorrow and then am having to get Ayon to drive my car to the garage on Thursday (as we cannot drive out of camp) to get a new tyre, then there is a bike ralley on camp, then party later! Another busy one!

Work is the same - I am still doing my studying which is passing the time...

Anyway, over and out from me.

Jill

x

It's about time!!!

Hello - its been a while I know - but what with going home and Christmas, etc, I just haven't got round to writing a blog. I had a great time at home in December - went purely to see Motley Crue and Def Leppard - MC were amazing - it was definitely worth the trip back - I was transported back to being an 18 year old again!!! Met up with a load of folk I hadn't seen in ages too... I didn't do a whole lot why I was at home - I hadn't told many folk I would be home as it was just for a week, but I did a bit of shopping and caught up with a few close friends and also K, K, G and Dad.

So, back to Saudi and Christmas wasn't far off. Work is still as dull as ever but I am now doing an NVQ Assessors Course in preparation for coming home (for good) at the end of the year. That is taking alot of my time up so might as well make the most of the fact that my boss doesn't seem to think that I am actually capable of doing anything. There have been a few changes at work - we have another acting Manager who I don't really like now too and our GM has been promoted so he has moved. So, all change again in CFPD... not long left now though to put up with it.

So, I have decided I need a taste of the real life and will look at leaving in December or thereabouts - financially it is worth me staying til then and with holidays, that is only around another 10 months.

So, Christmas was ok - we had to work - my boss was totally bar humbug - we had a good party over in Bahrain though the weekend before Christmas and had a lovely Christmas dinner with 20 odd friends on Christmas night with secret santa and the like. New Years was much the same - at the US Consulate - but no pics from there as we weren't allowed to take cameras or phones in! But it was ok - my boss was yet again bar humbug and made me take an unpaid day off NY day - so down one X day already and we have only just started the year! I did find it really hard being away from home and equally worse that we had to work all the time!

I have been busy with classes (boot camp) and also personal training - I have around 3 clients which is enough really and gives me time to train. I have an injury though from running so had that worked on yesterday and now have a very bruised IT band muscle on my leg! It kills - hope it goes away soon!

So, busy with my course - it should set me up to assess in either customer care areas and fitness hopefully. Apparently there are a shortage of assessors in the UK and I would love to combine my fitness around assessing. Didn't think I would want to come home, but I do miss reality and there is only so long you can deal with life here - there are quite a lot of my friends leaving over the next year - we are all at 5 years - so a good benchmark to go....

Got a few trips planned this year - am hoping to be somewhere in April for a week - not sure where yet - June I will be home for a wedding and download festival and then a few days in Mansfield. August, I am looking at taking a month off and having a few weeks in Canada and the US maybe - need to plan that yet! And then Morocco in October and then leave in December for Christmas this year. Might then take off to Australia in the new year to visit my friends there before finally having to find a job!

Anyway, thats all for now. Enjoy the update!

Jill

x