Chapter 13: Getting Wet Inside and Outside.
Chapter 13: Getting Wet Inside and Outside.
I think it is reasonable to assume that most people who have little experience of the area will visualise the Middle East as a place of hot, arid deserts with endless sweltering heat and where petrol is cheaper than water.
Chapter 12: Marmalade and Lobsters
Chapter 12: Marmalade and Lobsters
With three fast growing children, heading towards a high school education, we were outgrowing our cozy little first home despite having extending it, a year after I started working overseas.
Chapter 11; Kilts and Kaftans.
Chapter 11; Kilts and Kaftans.
By any standards, my return to Das Island towards the end of my 2 year contract with the oil company, became a Eureka moments, with all the ingredients to direct me onto a life changing path.
The Project Lucky Dip
Involvement in any major international project, with other professionals and specialist contractors, drawn from several nationalities, many of whom you may not be familiar with, can initially at least be a little daunting.
Chapter 10: Pedal Power and Seaweed
Chapter 10: Pedal Power and Seaweed
Das Island had many memorable characters and early in my second year ensconced there a guy arrived who certainly ticked all the boxes. Among the planes used to service the island was an aging four engine Heron, hired from a New Zealand company. Along with this reliable old plane (it must have been reliable as Queen Elizabeth had one), came a Kiwi pilot.
Chapter 9: In the Trenches and Treading the Boards
Chapter 9: In the Trenches and Treading the Boards
Among the many planned projects to be undertaken on Das Island was the construction of new management offices to supersede the prefabricated timber buildings that had served since the early days of activities there. The modern building was however to be located where the islands football pitch was situated and so I was charged with relocating it to a new designated area.
2021 – NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
2021 – NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS JOIN THE THINKERS Think Outside the Box & OUTSOURCE 2021 – NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS Well, we are already in the New Year and many Resolutions already falling by the wayside or postponed until tomorrow! Diet Exercise Drink more water Budget Clear the Credit Card Start a Diary/Journal Eat Healthy New […]
Chapter 8: History Discovered and Fine Dining
Chapter 8: History Discovered and Fine Dining
When I landed on Das Island 1977, the UAE was still a new country and work in progress, since morphing from the cluster of Trucial States just a few years previously. There were a few British influences still present however, to assist in developing public services and for military training.
Chapter 7: Floating Planes and Gentlemen Mariners
Chapter 7: Floating Planes and Gentlemen Mariners
Das Island was intriguing in some respects. Although it was uninhabited until the off-shore oil fields were discovered, a small cemetery was found there, which was believed to have been used by dhow fishermen and pearl-divers over many years. The cemetery was enclosed and respectfully maintained by the company, as it fell within the area designated for new staff housing.
Chapter 6: Smarty Pants Then All at Sea
Chapter 6: Smarty Pants Then All at Sea
It is difficult to sign off on my time in the desert without recalling a comical episode with “Trooper” Cliff Brown, an easy going, wiry Newcastle-born pipe fitter, who preferred to be described as a pipe fighter.