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Saturday 24 December 2011

Living the desert dream

As Orange Socks passed the helm to his Anglophile Ottoman friend, having set a course towards the beach and the huge setting crimson sun, Orange Socks had to pinch himself. Was he dreaming? No, awake living the dream. Three days before Christmas, and though the sea temperature had dropped to 18 degrees and the winds light, the Turk and he had taken out a 16-foot catamaran. The young, irritatingly young and competent, Scot instructor had shown them how to rig the Dart 16 as step two of their ten-hour dinghy sailing course. A fun afternoon. Winter on the Persian Gulf rarely varies from a balmy 24 degrees.

Christmas in the desert. An unofficial and unexpected three-day weekend for all those who believe. No ham Christmas eve, but turkey, lamb and plenty of bubbly with Mrs. Orange Socks and one or two other convenient believers over yuletide.

Recently Orange Socks had to drive to work through the desert, so omnipresent it’s a forgotten feature of the landscape. A policeman stopped him as he tried to pass what he thought was yet another ubiquitous accident. No. The policeman had stopped the traffic, five cars, to allow Arab Games cyclists to use the highway. Why the thirty or so cyclists needed all four lanes was unclear. After a half-hour wait scrutinizing the deep blue sky for the rare cloud and taking the opportunity to establish how many new low bushes had sprouted since the four-hour cloud burst two months prior, the now eight-car queue was allowed to proceed. Well almost. The slip road towards work was still blocked. Orange Socks and another trepid commuter decided to take the direct route to town. One advantage of a SUV over a much wanted V8 sports car.

Despite being witness to some crass driving stunts by ignoramus road users, no instances have involved Mr. and Mrs. Orange Socks. They have witnessed a couple too many fatal accidents though. New wrecks on the roadside are seen daily. Another potential advantage of a SUV over a V8 is when a camel rider hits the Orange Socks, less damage is likely.

Your desert dwellers have settled in well. Villa fully furnished. Bar constantly well stocked. Smoking not allowed in the games room nor library, but guests can smoke on the front patio. Frequent visitors sample Mrs. Orange Socks extensive, and extending, repertoire of exceedingly fine cuisine. Water’s cooled so crab back in season. The Missus insists on being at the quay soon after sunrise to grab the best of the catch of the day from fisherman.

An interesting time to be in the Gulf. Orange Socks’s punters hail from all parts of the Arab speaking world. Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, as well as a few from the Balkans, Turkey and Africa. This United Nations feel extends to the staff room.

All this vainly attempts to distract Orange Socks from the fact that he’s heard nothing from his daughters. Despite writing weekly and occasionally emailing the mother. Real news is only heard from their teachers. All court orders are ignored.

The Orange Socks took a fact finding tour of Bali in August. More than likely end up there. An Italian tour coming February. Perhaps Blighty again soon and Hong Kong in the late summer. Other than that for the coming year it’s sailing twice a week and golf weekly. And (a) little work.

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