So, November arrives and the weather is consistently quite fabulous – the ridiculously high humidity has disappeared and so too have the temperatures in the 40s. Suddenly people are outside walking, talking, playing. Air conditioning is turned off and doors and windows are left open. We can now sit outside at night with a glass of wine without our glasses dripping with condensation within seconds. The atmosphere of the place has changed – people are more relaxed.

With the change of weather, we finally make our way to the beach with the Tribe. Fortunately it is only a ten minute walk from our villa as we are still without a car. Our first glimpse of the beach surprises us and brings smiles to all our faces. On

the left side the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club is situated with its marina and small private beach, then there is a wide, almost white, stretch of sand that gently curves around before another large expanse of beach and bay. The morning that we walk down there, we find find ourselves alone other than the two janitors who keep the beach facilities spotless. The sea is warm and clear. There is a whisper of a breeze. The Tribe run into the sea, jumping,

swimming, laughing. The littlest isn’t quite sure yet, but with a weeks worth of beach visits over half term, she is a true beach baby. We find dozens of shells and we bring the best back, carefully laying them out and grouping them according to type and colour, on our back terrace wall.

At the back of the beach there is a mosque and a second is behind the Offshore Club. When the almost mournful, haunting sound of the call to prayers starts, I cannot help but feel again what an extraordinary place we have found ourselves in.

We can see in the distance to the left, the grand, iconic Burj Al Arab, the only 7 star hotel in the world! The Tribe are desperate to visit, but this will be something that we will save up for, for some time! The structure is

designed to represent a billowing sail and soars to 321 metres – the helipad was used in a famous publicity shoot back in 2005, when Andre Agassi and Roger Federer played on a specially made tennis court for about 20 minutes. The helipad stands 221 metres high! Behind us we can see the equally iconic Burj Khalifa soaring skywards.

One day as I get out of the sea and walk up the beach with the 6 year old, we see an unusual sight (for us). Two young Emiratis, dressed in their traditional long white robes (called kandooras) with headdresses (triangular white scarves (called a ghutra) wrapped around their heads), are standing half way up the beach. One of them is holding a falcon – it is a beautiful sight, but before we can get closer, they turn and disappear down an alleyway.

In complete and utter contrast to this, another day, just as we are about to cross the road to the beach, we notice a brand new, bright red, shiny, convertible Rolls Royce. Now, I have very little interest in cars – generally I want them to be comfortable, safe, easy to drive and big enough to get the Tribe in! However, this car was beautiful and it made me smile, in fact it made Father of the Tribe smile too! It was so outrageous! It was being driven by a young Emirati and he had obviously parked for his friend to take some photos of his new possession. The wealth that many of the local Emirati population have is mind blowing – convertible Bentleys are quite common here.

There is one blip to our half term break – it rains. It’s not supposed to do that here. But the skies are full of clouds and there is most definitely water falling from the sky.

The Tribe think that it is fantastic and go out to play. Father of the Tribe and I realise that we haven’t been here long enough to get excited by the wet stuff. The rain does however, mean that the trees and shrubs bloom even more impressively.

Over half term we also start to cycle around Dubai – the pavements are wide so it is possible, although as we discover, we are a bit of an oddity as we all go past. It is good to be mobile again and with the older two on their own bikes, the 6 year old on a tag along with Father of the Tribe and the littlest with me, we start to eat up the miles and explore the back streets of Jumeirah and Umm Suquem. We even manage to cycle to school one day with our friend staying from Abbotts Ann – great fun until on the way home I manage to have an impressive wipe out. Fortunately baby is securely strapped into the seat and her helmet protects her – only her tiny hand is bruised and cut. I meanwhile, have knees and legs covered in as many bruises and scabs as the rest of the Tribe – a particularly fetching look for someone who’s not as young as she used to be! I do however, discover that the beach is lined with Aloe plants and that the transparent pulp from the fresh cut leaves works miracles on cuts! Very handy!

Our friend arrives to visit followed by my parents – we are still finding our own way around Dubai and our home is not quite sorted, but it’s great to see everyone. We collect our car (finally) 24 hours before our friend arrives – she sensibly gets a taxi to our home, but then spends the next week as my co-pilot. Watching me drive around Dubai I think that she might have seen a rather more aggressive side of me. Driving here is not for the feint hearted and she suggests a driving re-entry programme when we eventually return to Abbotts Ann! On her last day here, we see three flamingos flying across the darkening sky. You might not think that these fabulous birds would be found here, but they are flourishing at the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai. It is the greater flamingo that we get here (the most widespread of the 6 species of flamingo). They are quite nomadic birds and go with the wind rather than returning to the same place year on year. A number of the flamingoes have been tracked back to Iran and even Turkey. Flamingoes are pink due to their diet of brine shrimp which the sanctuary has successfully cultured for the flamingoes. The birds are tall with long lean curved necks and black tipped bills that have a distinctive downward curve – seeing three of them flying was a real treat.

The end of the month nears and having celebrated the first birthday of the littlest we get ready to celebrate the UAE’s 40th birthday on National Day.

Vast flags are draped across palaces and homes and cars are decorated with black, white, green and red stickers. There are banners everywhere and a real sense of excitement builds. A public holiday is suddenly announced (and yes, this happens quite a lot) and the school’s National Day assembly is brought forward. I make an emergency trip to Satwa with the littlest to find national dress for the Tribe. It is an interesting but brief trip and I am successful in finding a kandoora for the boy of the Tribe and abayas for the girls – I will explain more about the national dress another time, as, since we’ve been here, I believe that it is somewhat misunderstood by the west. I am amazed at the places that I am finding myself in.

On the assembly morning, the Tribe look fantastic! And the boy’s headdress even stays on – I learn to tie it at about 6am that morning! My parents enjoy the assembly too and Father of the Tribe and I have a quiet chuckle at the lines in the song written by their new music teacher, ‘Taxi’s crashing, Wadi bashing, Waiting for the moon!’ It is all so true!

Mother of the (gone native?) Tribe