Cubs Camp

This last weekend was an exciting one for all. The boys had their first Cubs campout on the Friday night. They were given lists of what to take, and they had to pack their backpacks themselves - strict instructions were issued that Mom or Maid were NOT allowed to do it for them. It nearly drove me demented watching them, but they finally managed to get all packed - only having to run back inside the house for their camera. Which, by the way, they forgot to use the whole time, so they may as well not have bothered to remember it. There was a shamal blowing up, so I was a bit concerned about them - until we reached their campsite. They were camping around the helipad in the Sheikh's palace grounds. Apparently one of the scouts is at school with one of the sheikh's boys and they offered the grounds as long as the boy could join in the fun. So they were pitched on thick grass and surrounded by woodland, well protected from the Shamal (which went away later that day anyway). There were camels sent over by the Sheikh for the boys to ride, and they were given access to his private collection of cars (David said something about Bugatti Veyrons) as well as his private cinema (they only got to watch a little bit of a movie). The boys had to pitch their own tents (4 boys to a tent) and did all kinds of scout-y things and games - although trying to get detailed information out of them was like trying to get blood from a stone.

Steph was in her element with the boys gone. She had her "date with Daddy" on the Friday afternoon where they went to Khalifa Park and rode bikes and trains and ate ice-creams together. Back home she and I watched Barbie and the Magic Castle (or something like that - the boys won't let her watch that type of movie when they're around), and in the morning I took her to Sharanis Spa to get her nails painted - a huge treat that I had been promising her for months. She would like the boys to go away every weekend!