December 1st 2013
Here we go…it’s that time of year when yet again I start
with saying how quickly the year has flown! It seems such a short time ago that
we were spending Christmas 2012 and New Year 2013 in Australia with all our
family and friends. We are looking forward to doing the same this coming
Christmas and New Year – just three weeks away!!
However quickly the year has gone though, it has certainly
been a full one. The first 6 months of the year we were in Abu Dhabi doing all
the things we were accustomed to doing there – from sailing to amateur
dramatics to crafty things in my case. (Kevin was still working for Cardno – I
had retired (again) in May 2012 – oh and I was very pleased to find that I was
entitled to my UK teachers’ pension from then…still waiting for old age!!)
In January we were on stage putting on a final ‘Little
Grimley’; in June we were both on stage and set shifting for ‘Amadeus’. Between
these we were also involved backstage and props resourcing for ‘Avin’ a Giraffe’
and the other productions.
We sailed the RS400 most Fridays with moderate success – and
organized racing from the Committee Boat on several occasions. We received
trophies at the annual Ball in February at which Kevin and I were MCs – dressed
as Robinson Crusoe and Friday.
I taught a group of ladies card-making on a regular basis.
In March we popped over to the UK for a few days to catch up
with family and celebrate Easter and my Dad’s, my and my niece’s Birthdays
In April I was MC for a Fashion Show for WIAD - one of the
expat ladies’ groups.
In May, Liz and Pete came to stay – thinking that this might
be there last chance to visit Abu Dhabi. Because by now we had definitely
decided to leave Abu Dhabi – maybe to return to the UK. But Kevin was then offered
a job in Mumbai with Mott McDonald on a…
In June we began to say farewell to our many friends in Abu
Dhabi – we organized a leaving Party at the Club. At the beginning of July we
left our apartment to move into a nearby Hotel so that we could supervise the
packing of our goods and chattels and organize the myriad bureaucratic
processes required to leave Abu Dhabi.
We spent a month in the UK – the first weekend visiting Liz
and Pete for their Ruby Wedding celebrations at a music festival Glas-Denbury
at a nearby village. We then visited Sophie in St Neots and spent the majority
of the rest of the time at my Mum and Dad’s helping them in any way we could.
Kevin organized his injections and visa to go to India.
The start of August brought the Menai Straits Regattas and
we went en masse to Anglesey. Kevin only stayed 3 days however before he set
off for India – He has now been here 4 months and is enjoying the job and
discovering Mumbai.
I spent another 3 months in the UK – with Sophie and/or Mum
and Dad. I was very fortunate to be asked by Bec to look after grandson Aiden
and his half-sister Montana in Italy for a week (Bec and Adam were on a
corporate trip.) Sophie and I went to Pisa and Florence for a few days before
she went off back to work at school and I met up with the famil. We then did
Bologna and Milan as well as Florence – about the time of the F1. After this I
brought Aiden back to the UK to see his family there – in particular his
Great-Grandma and Great-Grandad and his Aunt Sophie!
We went down to Devon to
see Liz, Pete, Ella, Leo and Lucas and saw Andrew, Kathryn, Caroline, Stephen
and Michael in Derby. Finally I had to give Aiden back – but then I took Mum
and Dad for a trip over to Anglesey – and then started getting organized with
my injections and visa for India. Mum and Dad enjoyed quite a few trips out
with me (Dad in a wheelchair) and I saw a lot of Sophie – we managed to do 3
London Shows and various National Trust places.
I left Heathrow for Mumbai on October 31st and
arrived here the day before our shipping arrived from Abu Dhabi. The apartment
is getting quite settles – and we are beginning to meet a few people here in
Mumbai – take a look at our photos here
Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a happy and
prosperous 2014!
Love Sue and Kevin
xx
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