February 1^st already & we’re beginning to make plans for our return to Canada on July 1^st (air tickets booked, shipping of household goods investigated, car buyers for our little jeep prospected, etc.). This will have to be a “catch-up” entry because weeks have gone by since the last time we sent anything out (except for photos of Germany & England taken in December & featured on Pat’s Facebook page).

So treating the first of the month as a new beginning (“rabbits! rabbits! rabbits!” for the initiated), Roger took the car for an oil change this morning &, being on a roll, went & had his hair cut. If you look back at our entry for 9 February 2009, you’ll notice that we were lagging behind with the blog then as well … & Roger’s first experience at his Doha barber’s was described in detail. The only difference is that the smoothie, haircut, beard trim, & massage have now expanded to include a “facial”. Oh, the luxury!! And all for 50 Qatari Rihals (including tip). About $16. The oil change (car not hair) was equally efficient & pleasant. The forty minutes needed allowed for a leisurely caffe latte at the service station café-lounge & was an excellent start to the day.

So, December is now far away. We travelled to Germany for Christmas itself & spent several days with Alfred & Elisabeth (Pat’s cousin), along with Edith (their daughter) & her boyfriend, Andree. There was snow on the ground & we had a wonderfully mythical German Christmas, with singing, lots of food (goose, not turkey, is the traditional meat on Christmas Day), walking & tobogganing.

We left on the 27^th to fly from Munich to Heathrow (luckily the British Airways strike was cancelled) where Roger’s brother, Graham, & fiancée, Dawn) met us & drove us to their home in Wollaston, near Wellingborough where their wedding took place on 30^th December. We stayed just south of there in a pretty little town called Olney. Graham & Roger even managed a few hours of birding while Dawn & Pat went shopping in Milton Keynes. Roger’s sister (Jill) & step-brother (Stephen) & his wife Gill, all stayed at the same place as us, as did Roger’s step-mother (Mary). Jill’s daughters, Gail & Shaenna, were there for the wedding day with their children, Thea, Aidan & Erin. A veil will be drawn across the “stag” & “hen” parties. The wedding was a great & memorable occasion.

Jill drove us into London on New Year’s Eve & the three of us stayed at the Goodenough Hotel that night. We spent a somewhat chilly evening around Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, and the Thames Embankment. Because of the huge crowds, we had to sit/stand for almost four hours before a rather brief firework display over the London Eye marked the beginning of 2010. It was an exciting & unique way to see in the New Year. Jill drove us to Heathrow on the 1^st & we flew back to Doha.

Jill joined us a couple of weeks later when she spent ten days with us in Qatar. It was thoroughly relaxed & we enjoyed seeing this place through fresh eyes. We will have other visitors over the next couple of months: Edith & Andree will be here for ten days from 18^th February, & Mike & Francie’s friend, Bruce, will be here for two days late in March. He is based in Tunisia & has wanted to see the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha as well as pay us a visit. At the end of March we head for Tanzania for a five-day safari holiday. This will be our last “long” break before the year ends on 30^th June.

Meanwhile, there are always things to do. We saw the men’s tennis early in January, including a momentous final in which Davydenko defeated Federer. For a change of pace, we will be listening to Thomas Friedman talk this evening at the Four Seasons Hotel. It promises to be very interesting & timely. Meanwhile the Americans have announced that they have increased their missile capacity in the Gulf States (Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, & UAE) as some sort of signal to Iran. We have mixed feelings about being only twenty minutes’ drive from the biggest US Air Base in the Middle East.