Had such a funny dream…I was auditioning for a part in a musical and the Queen was my accompanist. We were such a team, she plonking away and me trilling out ‘by the bonny bonny banks of Loch Lomond’. It was such an anti climax waking up.

It must have been the harbinger of what was to come…for we’ve had such a cultured week, and it’s not over yet. Doha is having a huge Film Festival, starting tomorrow, with red carpets and what not, and we are all being accosted with fliers and reviews….John and I are going to see The First Grader, in the Open Air Theatre on Saturday, down in the Cultural village. It’s about a Mau Mau rebel enrolling in a local Kenyan school and learning to read and write.   We are going with my new friend, Helen, a very enterprising Australian lady who has just arrived in Doha, and is very enthusiastic about everything, and gads about in taxis then can’t get back, and has started using the busses, which only really cater for the Indian and Sri Lankan workers…she is made of stern stuff, not like most of the women, ensconced in their mighty land cruisers, pagero’s and jeeps.

After our sojourn to the beach on Friday we decided to go to visit this new cultural village which is such a beautiful tribute to the various architects…there’s a mosque, an opera house, cinemas, galleries, a beach, a promenade, various restaurants and so on, and the car parks are lit by posts sporting little lamp shades. Very nice.

 I photographed John by the white dove cote…I was enthusing about it, until he suggested they might be breeding them as fodder for the falcons. Hmmm. The main symbol of this Music City, is a GIANT falcon hood. Ominous for the white pigeons (or doves…can’t tell the difference…presumably Noah could.)

Anyway…found the gallery and was so impressed with the pictures. The exhibition was called ‘In our time’, and the photographs are by Magnum photographers from 1936-1987. Most disturbing picture was of a little girl in a mental institution after the war. She had been born in a concentration camp and was asked to draw a house. The photo is of her face, with the obligatory ribbon at the side of the severely parted hair, and the huge sad eyes. The picture she drew was of black lines…the barbed wire.

I loved the picture of Ghandi’s funeral. Millions of people and about a dozen all hanging on a telegraph pole.(sorry about the flash…it was from my mobile camera).

We went to see the Doha Players’production of Miss Saigon. The show was fantastic and the lead singer was really something. I had a quiet giggle, however at a very tall thin lady that took all her various ‘parts’ so seriously. She drew all eyes to her, yet she never had a proper word to say throughout, but she did so much ‘acting’…I was exhausted watching her. Even as a soldier she goose stepped higher than the rest, made the lads at the back look a right shuffley lot. Felt quite nostalgic for Vietnam, and the kids in their ao dais made me think of UNIS on International day. Sniff. I am becoming a lady with a Past. HA HA.

Did my final massage class, and have the Certificate to prove it. We had to perform an hours massage on our partner, and apart from referring to the notes, and the odd crinkle of paper, it went well. She actually nodded off at one point, so that was good. (I think). (i.e. Joanne, my ‘client’ not the examiner.) Now I shall try and buy a proper bed and spare the back.

Also went to my last cooking class…Italian. Felt so sorry for the teacher, as she was in full flow, with her hand made ravioli, her chicken and pesto fettucine and so on and so forth and the power went off. Oh dearie me. Never mind…we got the picture.

Makes me remember a fantastic dinner party we went to in Hanoi…Loretta had set up about 5 little mini hotplates around her house, and beside them was a recipe and ingredients…then we were all paired up with someone we didn’t know, and had to cook. (John and his partner had to make tiramisu…they didn’t put the top on the blender and it went all over the walls.) Then we ate and had to give a talk.  She was inspired after spending part of her summer in Sicily at a cooking course. I would so like to do that. (Go to Sicily and eat).

Our life is coming to an end here in Doha…2 years are up, and we leave next Tuesday. So John and I went for a walk by the Marina last night, and ended up in the Admiral’s Club where we sat on the decking and drank margaritas. The night was balmy and perfect and the moon was orange.