Sunday, January 06, 2008

The End

And so, after two years, it is time to put Neal Of Arabia to bed. I am no longer living in Riyadh, and no longer a Diplomatic Spouse, so it's off to blogging pastures new. Our two years in Riyadh were a great adventure and we made friends with some lovely people. This blog will remain available for anyone who wants to catch up on our adventures during 2006/7, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

So where next for my typing fingers? Well, it's a new version of Bloody Marvellous! : the other blog I started while in Riyadh, but had to stop updating because it all got a bit much. The "new and improved" version is at http://bloodymarvellous.wordpress.com. I do hope you will join me there.


Ma'asalama.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Back To The Grind

With Christmas and the New Year holiday over it's time for us -- as I'm sure it is for you -- to get back into work mode and return to regular routines. Today is also Karen's first day in her new job in London, so I guess it's also the day I officially cease being a Diplomatic Spouse and resume my previous life as Nobody In Particular.

So I'm sitting here in our rented flat, catching up with emails and writing a To-Do list, while also trying to think of a name for the new blog and managing the childrens' activities, namely making sure Elliot does some revision for the exams he has waiting for him when he goes back to school, and getting Abigail out of bed.

I'm also looking forward to moving into our new home in London next week, and starting to think that there are probably another hundred things I should be doing in preparation for that, but as yet unidentified.

Still, I have my new Slingbox firing on all cylinders and I can access it from anywhere on the internet, so I'm happy on a geek level at least. Take a look at the videos on their website if you want to be cheered up; they're very funny.

Damn! I just noticed that my header graphic has moved several pixels to the right for no apparent reason, and is now sticking out from its background area. I'll make a note on my To-Do list:

  1. Do some work.
  2. Get Elliot to revise.
  3. Wake Abigail up.
  4. Think up name for new blog.
  5. Identify the hundred things I need to do about the move between now and next Friday.
  6. Fix the blog header.
Happy New Year!