Carols among the dunes

Alex shortly before he ran down the dune and did a Superman impression at the bottom. It was incredibly accurate...until he landed face first on the gravel.

Carols around the bonfire in the Qatari desert.

Escape to Oman

 The Yorkshire version of Daniel Craig.

Turtley awesome sight in Muscat harbour. 

Oman has really cool stuff. Like water!

It even has hills and valleys and roads which aren't gridlocked.

Looks can be deceiving

The beauty, solitude and utter silence of the beach at Al Shamal, only broken by the sound of:

"It's my turn with the spade!"
"No it's still my turn."
"No, it's my turn."
"No."
"But I want it."
"No, it's my turn."

........ for four hours.

Wrong end

The sun actually shines out of my ar*e.

She's sticking her tongue out under there

My beautiful wife goes native.

We are so proud

Alex's 'graduation' from nursery class two to nursery class three.

Thankfully this momentous event didn't see him then going out and getting rat-arsed as is traditional at graduation.

Laura + Boredom =

The long winter nights fly by in the Harris household.

Material Girl

Madonna dropped in for a glass of Drostdy-Hof's finest claret yesterday.

There have been no threats of violence and therefore I am under no pressure to draw attention to Madonna's flat stomach and lean figure, despite having had a child.

We're not sure but it's probably illegal for Madonna to be using the traditional Arab headdress (the gutra) as a bra.

Car park at Souq Waqif

Swapped the Wiff for a camel. Doesn't get the hump so much and there's less spitting.

Boom boom.

A love like no other

My pride and joy... apart from the wiff and sprog of course.

Dhub 1 - Harrises 0

Trying (and failing) to spot the dhub lizard that ran into its hole.

A bird with no clothes on

A striated heron at the mangroves at Al Thakira.

Rumours that Laura saw it and went "ooooh look, an owl", are entirely false.

Puss in Boots

OK, I admit it they're cute dammit (but still probably rabid).

Pudding bowl

A new day, a new haircut.

A bite of Baghdad

A dish of meat and rice baked in a loaf of bread at an Iraqi restaurant at the souq. My father, his usual adventurous self, ordered the chicken and chips. I'm amazed he didn't ask them to make him a "rare roast beef sandwich and a few chips".

A rare night out

A drink at W and then food at Spice Market. Note the 10-pound glass of wine and the 11-pound martini.
Bloody Doha.

As always, the wife had far too much to drink and had to be carried home.

Mother Harris and her fan club

Some locals check out the wares at Souq Waqif.

Beach next to Sealine

There are many stereotypes and misconceptions about the Middle East but the fact that everyone goes to work on a camel isn't one of them.

Alex had brown shorts after the camel turned its head and growled at him while I almost pulled a muscle in my arm trying to hold Alex and stay on the thing when it stood up.

You'll have it for breakfast

His Nibs was ecstatic at the thought of stuffed vine leaves and baba ganoush for dinner

Oh for a bucket of water

Not content with having one set of rabies jabs after getting bitten by a feral fleabag, my darling wife decided to chance her other arm by taking in a stray....which promptly got up the duff.

We now have five potentially rabid moggies living on our balcony. Stepping outside is like playing Russian roulette.

Kalashnikov anyone?

Thinking of a new profession as an Arab arms dealer...