This month has been one of swim galas, seemingly at most schools in Dubai. Although I willingly support the Tribe in their sporting endeavours, standing at the side of a pool,
in stifling heat, has got to be as bad as standing in the freezing cold and pouring rain at Andover Rugby Club.
At least with the latter, there’s a bacon buttie to be had and the tantalizing possibility, of a pint in a local hostelry!
In between the swimming, I walk on the beach with the littlest and feel the change in the weather. The thermostat is rising rapidly and I know there are fewer days on the beach left for this season. The tide is out further than I’ve seen it before and it leaves dozens of sea anemones, like delicate flowers, exposed for us to see. Named after the anemone flower, their seemingly innocuous tentacles are filled with deadly poison and are used to inject a paralyzing toxin into their victims. Once immobilized, the fish is then guided into the anemone’s mouth by the tentacles. The ones that we see are about the size of a tea cup, but some species can grow to 1.8 metres in diameter. As shown in the children’s movie, Nemo, clownfish are protected by a mucus layer making them immune to the anenome’s poison, thus providing a protective environment for the clownfish. Fortunately, the littlest becomes rather good at finding them – she might not have a clue what a robin is, but she can spot a sea anemone anywhere!
How life can change so quickly. Another day when all the Tribe are with me, we spot a starfish in the shallow water. We spend several minutes completely entranced as we watch it ‘walk’ across the sand and then completely bury itself. It’s another moment of magic and learning. The starfish has, in fact, been renamed by marine scientists as sea stars, due to the fact that they are not actually fish! The 5 arm variety is the most common (and the only type we have seen here), but apparently there are species with 10, 20 and 40 arms! They can regenerate their arms and sometimes their bodies ; in fact, some species can grow a whole new star from a portion of a severed arm – wow! The rather gross ability they have, is that they consume their prey outside their body. A sack like stomach comes out of their mouth and envelops their prey to digest it, before withdrawing back into the body. Not quite so beautiful now!
With just a few weeks of the school year remaining (shows, concerts, etc), I’m feeling a bit frazzled and feel that I would love to have a good old fashioned long walk. This is almost impossible in Dubai. Don’t get me wrong, I love my beach walks, but putting the little one in the buggy and having a bit of a march to blow the cobwebs away, is something I realise that I really miss. We used to walk so much in Abbotts Ann and even when we were living in London. Determined to have a go, I strap the littlest in, put my trainers on and set off at a pace. It feels good to be walking, but I get a lot of strange looks from workers and drivers. Seeing a western expat pushing a buggy anywhere other than a shopping mall, is about as likely as finding a public house on a street corner here. My walk is hampered by the constant huge steps between pavement and road. When Dubai was built, pedestrians were obviously never considered. Here, cars are king. After about an hour, I am dripping with sweat (it’s still early, so it’s only about 34 degrees), so I stop for a drink and to dry out. I repeat the exercise again, but it’s definitely not quite the same as a walk through the villages of Hampshire. When we return to the UK, you will see me and the Tribe out in all weathers (with our thermals on!) walking everywhere! I will never take this simple pleasure for granted, ever again!
Mother of the Tribe
