York to Castle Howard.... Sorry this is quiet a belated blog... this trip to England & Scotland was earlier in the year, but life has been pretty busy since, so I am just slowly getting around to putting up some photos. We escaped the heat of Abu Dhabi for some extreme snow & cold conditions in the UK. It was a big shock but a novelty to be rugging up in winter clothes and having fresh cold air and the views of snow covered landscapes. We had been living in Abu Dhabi surrounded by sand & desert and extreme heats, so the winter was refreshing, especially as we only had to endure it for a month! It was particularly freezing in York, so that was a bit miserable, weather wise, but it was nice to visit ... read more

As the weather starts to cool down to the mid 30's.... life resumes on the streets of Abu Dhabi. These photos are from late last year...... sorry for the long delay, life got too busy, but it is nice to see these photos again. So here are some more photos of Abu Dhabi streetlife, the mosques on the many street corners..hearing the call to prayer throughout the day, and lit up at night. The sand colored skyscrapers lining the streets, a mix of old & new... Around October / November, for a few short months, the weather starts to cool a little to a civilised manner! It is still hot, but bareable! You can actually start walking along the street again, even a walk along the corniche esp in the evenings...After the long hot summer where ... read more

Aaah ... The Duomo Brunelleschi's Dome, The Baptistry Doors, The Uffizi, Michaelangelo, Santa Maria Novella, Fra Angelico, Pallazo Pitti Vechio Palace, Borgello The, The Academy ... the Land of the Medici, the land of the Renaisssance ..... the list goes on. An artists dream in Florence .... We arrived to sunshine but cold in Florence, a welcome change from Abu Dhabi's Desert heat. A novelty to be wearing winter clothes again. All style in Florence, fashion & flare on the cobbled streets as everyone is rugged up in their fur coats, boots and scalves.  I love Florence, a majestic, solid, ornate city, the center of the Renaissance. Brunelleschi's dome on the Duomo, proudly and defiantly rises above the city. In respect for Brunelleschi, no other buliding has been built higher than the dome since it was ... read more

Wow Venice in the snow!........ Venice at the best of times is beautiful..... but to see it with snow and also some flooding was extraordinarily beautiful! For this treat, we had to endure some freezing weather...but after living in the desert, that only made it more exciting and adventurous. We enjoyed the novelty of rugging up. Myself...I wore three thermal tops, thermal leggings, two pairs of gloves, two pairs of socks, thermal beanie, jacket and coat!! We were happy to retreat back to our hotel for a hot spa bath at the end of each day! Wandering the narrow back streets, every view was a postcard or photo opportunity......bare with me for all the photos I have put on this blog, but for those who know me....you can be assured there are a lot more photos! ... read more

November 19-22...The international art world rolled into Abu Dhabi! "Abu Dhabi Art" : Held at the stunning Emirates Palace, over four days, we were treated to an array of high class international galleries. Highlights included, Sean Scully, Gerhard Richter, David Mach, Miro, Jeff Koons, Dennis Hopper photographs, Alexander Calder, who had a whole gallery as well as outdoor sculptures, photographer/film doco, JR, Louise Bourgeois, Fernando Botero plus many more! Prominent artists/ designers/ gallery directors/ curators/and academics...headed a series of panel discussions & lectures on collecting/ artist profiles/ Guggenheim Abu Dhabi/ Museum patronage/ interpreting art/ and Art in the Middle east. Speakers included, Jeff Koons, exhibiting & a patron of the fair, Larry Gagosian, owner of Gagosian Gallery, Richard Armstrong, Director Guggenheim Museum, Stefan Edlis & Gael Neeson... read more