RuthM

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 26 January 2014 - 01:08

DH collects watches but I am a watch fanatic (in fact watchmaking is what I wanted to do and will do once we leave Dubai). I choose them, he buys them and wears them (I hate wearing jewellery). My favourite watch brands and some other suggestions: - For a classic high quality watch if money were no object a Patek Philippe. - For a classic high quality watch with limited funds a Jaeger Le-Coutre (probably one of my favourite watch brands, they say Patek watchmakers wear Jaeger watches). - For investment and fantastic reliability Rolex (Rolex generally hold their value very well and their watches with less gems are very reasonably priced for a fantastic quality watch). - Otherwise Omega is a very good entry level watch and there are some lovely designs. Also consider Vacheron (probably level with Patek but many designs are considered a little old fashioned and not as popular, possibly resale may not be as good, some of their modern women's watches are pretty amazing though). If you fancy going German Lange & Sohne also do some nice pieces (not sure about womens). Also Girard-Perregaux, Piaget and Van Cleef which I do not know much about but they do have some very attractive watches. Audemars Piguet do some beautiful watches but do not have the finest reputation when it comes to mechanical failure (see the angry Royal Oak owners, but they are gorgeous looking watches). Try to avoid pieces with ETA movements and look for in house movements where possible (ETA have recently stopped mass production of movements for other watchmakers in any case). Find the details of the movement and look for reviews on it before buying. Unfortunately many women's watches are quartz not automatic. Good luck and hope you find the right timepiece for you.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 01 January 2014 - 22:16

I am complaining. I want Dubai to learn from their mistakes and improve things. I want a statement from Nakeel/RTA/Police as to why they were unable to provide any traffic management last night. I want an inquiry. I want a result from the inquiry where they will advise how they will manage traffic better in the future. I want to see published traffic management plans next NYE. Anyone else who was stuck in the chaos who wants this?

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 01 January 2014 - 12:18

Traffic was shocking. We left Dubai Land hoping to go to beach at 9pm, Umm Sequim grid locked, Hessa gridlocked. Eventually got onto Sheik Zayed as had decided to head home. Took another 30 mins just to make it along Sheik Zayed to Umm Sequim to get home. Got home after 11pm. All a tad unnecessary if traffic had just been managed properly. Treated it as an experience but if I had pre paid tickets etc I would have been muffed. I don't think that People had taken into consideration how many people would be accessing the areas without invites or events tickets. edited by WhistlingTrees on 01/01/2014 Glad to see you edited that one, as your previous reply was plain horrid! Yes well, some people can't handle the truth. It would seem most of the people on this forum were not prepared to put up with your insults including the Admin who presumably deleted your post as well as all references to it. Please Admin feel free to clean up the rest of this as well.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 01 January 2014 - 12:16

We stayed home but I'm just curious, how was the traffic AFTER the event? I'm just imagining a gridlock all along the beach as everyone who may have set up camp at 4, 5, 6, or 9 all leaving at the same time. Same goes for Downtown…may have been clever to get there early, but there's still the headache of getting out!! What time would they have rolled into bed at!!?? We came back by Hessa St at 130am. It was deserted. I suspect because so many people had given up and gone home, also many people who were on the Palm were probably drinking and staying there overnight. It took us over three hours to get there and twenty minutes to get back. There were a very large number of people walking off the Palm however and all around beach road. From our friend's apartment balcony on the trunk it looked a bit like World War Z with masses of people charging up the trunk on foot to get in (many of which were turned away) and then ambled out. I didn't see a single bus going there or coming back and very few taxis so pity those who were without vehicles hopefully they were fortunate enough to live locally. To be honest the traffic problem was not so much caused by the volume of cars, but more by the road block they set up onto the Palm to check for passes, they created an unnecessary bottleneck. Clearly vehicle access to the Palm had to be restricted but this was not the way to do it. It could have all been avoided so easily by checking and separating cars miles further back where at least there would be more of a chance for people to turn around. I know many people will have ignored signs as well, but still putting up some signs in a 10km radius of the area weeks before that advised vehicle access to the Palm would be restricted to only those with passes would have also been helpful as there were a large number of people who were not aware of this and not just trying it on. Even on the night we didn't see any signs to this effect. I was surprised that even on the traffic report on the radio they did not make it clear Palm access was only for those with passes and please do not attempt to access the Palm if you do not have a vehicle pass. They did advise access was closed from 9pm but not the issue with the passes (not on the reports we listened to). Things could have so easily been better organised and people been better informed.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 01 January 2014 - 09:47

Looks like I won't be the only one complaining. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/sandance-organisers-offer-refunds-amid-traffic-chaos-533065.html There is no denying the royally messed up traffic around the Palm last night. Signs should have been put out at least a month ago on roads leading to the Palm up to 10km away advising there would only be access for buses and those with vehicle pass holders. A vast amount of the problem was caused by cars attempting to get onto the Palm and being turned away at the junction. Police and Nakeel staff should have sectioned off a dedicated lane as promised and had a presence again for miles leading up to the Palm, putting cars with passes and buses into the correct lane and turning around people trying to get to the Palm who did not have car passes. In the real world this is basic traffic management. Dubai simply put up a single checkpoint coming onto the Palm causing complete chaos for buses attempting to get to Sandance, residents attempting to get to the Palm, resident guests, as well as people trying to access all other areas around who were caught up in the mayhem. This chaos commenced early afternoon and people were sitting in traffic for 3 hours plus. There is no public transportation system into that area, and the only thing they do have they closed from 26th December - 2nd January. Simply put having thousands of people on the streets unable to get to events or even get home (for those poor people that live on the Palm) on NYE due to no true forethought put into transport management in most places would not be deemed acceptable.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 31 December 2013 - 20:12

I second the University of London International Programme. DH did his law degree with them on the 3yr graduate course. He was very satisfied with the course and it is highly regarded. It was readily accepted by BPP and Inns of Court School of Law for the BVC and I'm sure would be accepted for the LPC as well (although regulations change so best to check). The only downside I have heard of is that the books and support are limited. Fortunately DH is one of those people who is brilliant at self study and very disciplined and good at undertaking his own research. If you want a course with more support the OU one may be better.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 29 December 2013 - 16:09

laughing cow.... but not round. I thought soft cheese was a no no for those who were preggers. [i'>Soft cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy Many soft types of cheese are OK to eat provided they're made from pasteurised milk. These include: cottage cheese mozzarella feta cream cheese paneer ricotta halloumi goats' cheese processed cheeses such as cheese spreads[/i'> Crema bel paese is it thanks! Now to see how much junk is in it and if it's pasteurised. <em>edited by RuthM on 29/12/2013</em>

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 29 December 2013 - 12:05

I ordered Lego off Amazon UK for Christmas (as well as most of my other Christmas shopping). It was £99.99 from Amazon (amazon direct not a third party seller). £33.00 cheaper than RRP price in the UK/Lego.com. Once shipping was added and VAT removed it was £107.00. It arrived within ten days. All my packages arrived on time I had them sent to DH office address. One was damaged. I contacted Amazon and they sent a replacement by priority shipping which arrived within two days! On Souq it is 1136.00 AED which is £188.00. So there is no way I am buying any Lego locally!

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 28 December 2013 - 22:15

Have you looked in M&S frozen section? They have a section at MOE and Dubai Mall. I think I may have seen them there... Maybe... Good luck! Only thing I am craving is sushi but can't get any sense out of sushi restaurants here if it is pre frozen (to kill parasites) so am too terrified to eat it :-(

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 28 December 2013 - 22:04

Smythsons do some of the finest albums and ship internationally. Boutique 1 also used to stock a limited number of their items. http://www.smythson.com/home/frames-and-albums/albums-1.html <em>edited by RuthM on 28/12/2013</em>

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 28 December 2013 - 21:55

Start over and do this, I guarantee it will work with no email access. If possible set up the kids hotmail accounts to be iCloud accounts if not possible set up new iCloud accounts for them. This will do their wireless backups, find my iPad, notes, calendars etc. the iPad will get a bit funky if you have no iCloud account attached for this. Change the iCloud account to their respective accounts in: Settings > iCloud > Account If Hotmail cannot be used with iCloud add their additional Hotmail mail accounts in: Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars Then set up the iTunes account to the account you want them to use for purchases (your account). It will have defaulted to the iCloud account but this is easily changed. Settings > iTunes & Apps > AppleID This will work. I have my UK account for iCloud, notes, calendar, backup. But my US iTunes account which is shared with DH for iTunes and apps. The two are completely separate. We use a third account for home sharing which can be changed as much as you like as well.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 27 December 2013 - 14:45

It depends. How many people are in the class? What level are they covering to? As a beginner I would suggest trying to cover what most Photography Schools refer to as Level 1 and Level 2 this would on average be approximately 15-25 hours of class and supervised practical time. Group classes of six are nice, but more than eight is not ideal. Following this you should be able to use all the manual functions on your camera, be familiar with ISO, shutter speed and aperture and when to use it and have some idea of how to deal with light, using flash and perhaps reflectors. With this information you can then easily progress alone to work on composition that pleases you and use books if you wish to go further. More courses can be studied also but imo the key things covered in level 1 and 2 are best to be taught not self learned. Here are some example courses and prices: London School of Photography charges £600 (circa 3500 AED) for a four day level 1 and 2 course (total 20 hours). Saint Martins, College of Arts in London charge £675 for 10 weeks at 2.5 hours a week (or five weeks of 5 hour Saturdays - total 25 hours) for a beginners photography course. Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai charges 400 USD for level 1 and level 2 (total 20 hours, depending on break times may be 16 hours). Finally SAE in Dubai offers a four week course at three hours a week for 3500 AED (which seems a little steep to me for total 12 hours tuition) I'm not sure how much this one will cover

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 24 December 2013 - 22:55

I know it has been a pain RuthM but al least MIL made an effort. My in laws on most occasions never even made contact .... even a lost parcel or card would have been something. Hopefully you can enjoy the day in spite of the turkey and table display......put a candle on the table to remember those who are not seated at the table. Merry Christmas. DH hasn't spoken to his brother for four years. His older brother spends his time trying to rip off his mother and every time DH goes to see his mother or takes her out for a meal his older brother randomly turns up and gets himself a free meal (DH won't let his mother pay for them all and if DH doesn't pay MIL will insist on paying she won't ask evil BIL to pay). The brother he hasn't spoken to for four years is so selfish he hasn't spent a Christmas with his mother for over fifteen years. One year when we were spending Christmas with my mother he offered for her to come over in the morning for 20-30 minutes at 11am to give the grandchildren their presents but then she had to go home so they could prepare their lunch. We told her to forget it and DH made the 3 hour round trip to drive and pick her up after getting off a flight to London and bring her to my mothers so she could have a proper Christmas. His family policy at Christmas is to pass cheque/cash around which really I cannot be bothered with. To me the entire idea of gift giving is the thought and effort that goes into it, I enjoy seeing people receive gifts (hopefully if they like them). I spend a great deal of time choosing the best gifts I can for people and want them to enjoy them. To me a cheque or cash is meaningless (unless you're giving to a teenager as they often want money to save for bigger things). As for Rob from Choithrams, unfortunately Park and Shop was who was recommended when I asked where to get a goose on this forum but perhaps next time that is where I will try. If there is a next time as DH has agreed to allow me to cancel Christmas from now on. Still hope you all have a Merry Christmas.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 24 December 2013 - 22:38

They had some in Spinneys Uptown this morning. Yes if only Park and Shop could have told us this morning that they were going to fail our order, as we too have seen geese everywhere the last few days but we wanted to honour the order we had with park and shop. They just had to leave it until the very last minute to inform us they could not deliver this is the most frustrating thing. This is on top of the failed Christmas tree order whereby Waitrose called to say they had a tree, then whilst we were driving to collect it and were a few minutes away called again to say they were mistaken and had sold it. Then the tree lights I bought from Carrefour that blew after just a few days, which isn't a major issue except it meant having to pretty much take everything off the tree to get the broken lights off and put it all back on again. Then there was the roasting tin ordered into Tavola that was assured to arrive on Sunday, then Monday, then we had to make two trips there today as it hadn't even left the warehouse yet. Oh and we have a new maid service who cannot wash dishes, mop floors, hoover or iron and will only load the dishwasher when it's mid way through a self cleaning cycle with Japanese wood handled knives and crystal wine glasses. She actually creates more work, and is only here for two hours twice a week, but yet I still bought her a Christmas gift and gave her some money because I feel bad not doing it. I only have to question is she daft or is she taking us for a ride? Oh yes and in the last month the garden company finally managed to send their new 'Engineer' who confirmed the grass is no more it is just weed. Then offered to replace it for AED 3000 which was jolly nice since his gardeners started killing the lawn early this year and we spoke to his predecessor three times about it and were promised it would be put right. Admittedly with Waitrose, Tavola and now the Garden Centre after me going absolutely crazy they managed to put things right but really should life be like that? Should you have to get angry and shout at people all the time to get a basic service?! It's not something I like to do but over the last month it seems trying to be polite results in nothing but one disaster after another. So now it's after 10pm and I have only just started preparing for lunch tomorrow after having been driving too and fro to places the entire day and I have morning sickness so feel rubbish and frankly the last thing I want tomorrow is Christmas. But hope all you ladies have a lovely Christmas in any case.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 22 December 2013 - 09:42

I've only been to Langkawi, it's beautiful with lots of lush greenery and fascinating wildlife. The beaches are nice but the only downside is the sea, it's full of trash. Can't comment on Penang hopefully someone else can advise.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 22 December 2013 - 09:39

So MIL has struck again. We really cannot spend Christmas in Dubai without her insisting on posting cash to DH. She has decided to post cash to the sum of 1000-1500 AED (despite me REPEATEDLY asking her not to) along with his families' Christmas cards which they cannot be bothered to address to Dubai and post themselves. As his family also can't be bothered to buy each other Christmas presents, there is likely even more cash in all those cards or cheques in Sterling (probably £10 in sterling because sterling is really useful in Dubai) - it's like pass the cheque with his family at Christmas, I try my best to avoid it, in fact have suggested cancelling Christmas altogether. (to me the point of Christmas is actually choosing gifts etc. regardless of the cost) All we have on the Parcelforce website is: [i'>Delivery attempted A delivery was attempted for your item with reference RJ895362914GB in UNITED ARAB EMIRATES before 08:40 on 17/12/13. If the addressee does not collect it or make an arrangement to have it redelivered, it will be returned to the sender in the UK.[/i'> But no delivery was attempted (we were here then) and no card has been left so there are no contact details to arrange redelivery or collection. We have no idea if the package is with Empost or some other courier, am considering just letting it be returned to be frank (if it makes it back). Does anyone have any experience with Parcelforce packages from the UK out here? Do Parcelforce have a UAE courier or are their packages handed over to Empost? (I do love rooting through Empost Offices). Just so I can figure out where to commence our search of doom. TIA.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 21 December 2013 - 12:42

For decanting?

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 21 December 2013 - 11:02

iPhones sold in the UAE should be GSM. Unless blocked by the service provider they should work in Europe (I don't know all countries) but not on all networks in US. The US uses some different bands and the majority of their networks are CDMA (Sprint, Verizon and U.S. Cellular). My UAE iPhone 4s from Etisalat and my iPhone 5 from Du are not blocked and work in the UK on O2 without an issue. But still no FaceTime. I am just copying this from a post on another forum. Bands UAE networks use: Du - band 3 (1800 MHz) Etisalat - band 3 and 7 (1800 MHz, 2600 MHz) Bands UK networks use: O2 - band 20 (800 DD) Vodafone - band 20 and 7 (800 DD, 2600MHz) 3 UK - band 20 and 3 (800 DD, 1800 MHz) EE - band 20, 3 and 7 (800 DD, 1800 MHz, 2600MHz) So in summary for a phone to be fully operational across all networks in both UK and UAE you need: Band 3 (1800 MHz) Band 7 (2600 MHz) Band 20 (800DD) iPhone 5s: Model A1457 covers all these bands so just check the box to see which model you are buying. Model A1453 which is the US model does not cover band 7. So be aware of where grey imports are from. You'll need to check the country you are visiting to ensure the band is covered by your iPhone.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 20 December 2013 - 23:44

Event is a week today. Doesn't seem to be anywhere to print them, we have the VIP ones, Xmas gift for MIL, hoping they arrive before Xmas.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 19 December 2013 - 13:36

I need them for a braised cabbage recipe. Thinking of granny smiths if I can't find them.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 19 December 2013 - 11:12

Has anyone seen any?

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 16 December 2013 - 21:35

The latest Thor had English subs when Elvish was spoken which was the first movie I have seen with subs when alien languages are spoken (Avatar, John Carter etc. all didn't have subs). Haven't seen the latest Hobbit yet though.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 16 December 2013 - 21:13

We had Churchill clean our sofas recently and were not impressed. Can anyone suggest any alternatives please? We've been looking at Smarttouch, Green Horizon and Mangrove so would love some feedback on those or any others that people may have experienced? TIA. edited by RuthM on 15/12/2013 May I ask why you weren't impressed? They have cleaned my cream sofa twice and the results were amazing These were our results: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjP5U3WQ TBH didn't look any better than when they started.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 15 December 2013 - 17:37

I always fly with BA. The staff can on occasion be a bit moody but generally they are very good. They are not however young and pretty and filled with the fake smiles you get on Emirates. I can't remember the last canceled BA flight and recently all the flights have been early. With the exception of one to Istanbul in October when Heathrow was shut down due to fog (but all shorthaul was delayed). I was very ill when I was due to fly with BA in September and they took me off my flight and on standby until I had a doctors certificate to state I was fit to fly. They then booked me onto the next flight of my choice (which had a seat available) at no additional cost even though the seat was a different fare code (there were no seats left in the saver fare I used). I recently found Emirates do not do this, if you are sick, it's your problem. The food on BA (Business) is okay although for me the breakfasts are a bit nasty (I'm allergic to egg so makes for a limited breakfast). The BA lounge at Dubai is pretty dreadful, the one in London is very good. The Emirates lounge in Heathrow is meant to be very good as well and the new Emirates lounge in Istanbul is great. The Emirates lounge in Dubai is pretty good but often overcrowded and lacking a little in service. DH flies with Emirates a few times a month and said the service used to be impeccable (in Business) but has been steadily dropping off recently, now he has a complaint nearly every time he gets off a plane. Despite asking not to be disturbed he is woken up for food, and nearly every flight has been late for the last three months. But as he is based in UAE and flying all over the place it is the best airline to stick with to keep his airmiles all in one place. A friend of mine flies Emirates to London in First once a week (he spends every weekend in London) and has also advised the service has been dropping off, he thinks perhaps due to the Qantas deal. He now alternates airlines a little. His wife was furious on a recent flight when her first three meal choices were not available (i.e. only one choice was available hence not a choice). I don't think Emirates are worth the additional cost they used to be worth. I have also heard good things about Royal Brunei but never flown with them.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 15 December 2013 - 17:10

We had Churchill clean our sofas recently and were not impressed. Can anyone suggest any alternatives please? We've been looking at Smarttouch, Green Horizon and Mangrove so would love some feedback on those or any others that people may have experienced? TIA. <em>edited by RuthM on 15/12/2013</em>

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 13 December 2013 - 15:32

No Emirates is more expensive. However remember your initial allowance is more than BA it is 30kg for economy, 40kg for business. They don't have a bag policy only a weight policy so you can pack more than one bag as long as you don't exceed the weight allowance, I find using the biggest collapsible holdalls I can get is best. Additional baggage is 110 AED per kg. Or can be purchased in advance in 5kg blocks: 5 kgs AED 385 10 kgs AED 770 15 kgs AED 1155 20 kgs AED 1540 25 kgs AED 1925

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 13 December 2013 - 13:21

The UK are in the process of/ have recently changed their residency laws to make things more difficult. The new/proposed guidelines are here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/179209/statutory_residence_test.pdf.pdf http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/international/rdr3.pdf <em>edited by RuthM on 13/12/2013</em>

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Latest post on 12 December 2013 - 23:28

Homeland is banned in Dubai - was told by a guy in Virgin a while back when looking for second season. Weird as it's on TV. http://www.osn.com/topseries/homeland/default_en_gb.aspx You can buy it on US iTunes (and probably UK) if you have an account.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 12 December 2013 - 22:47

Nope, everything stay as it is Everything should stay as it is. I would still back it up first in case it goes pear shaped. <em>edited by RuthM on 12/12/2013</em>

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 12 December 2013 - 20:49

A point worth bearing in mind is customer support/service for cameras with the UAE. Nikon and Canon are pretty much the same in terms of specifications and build quality across their DLSR body and lens range however in the UAE the customer service for Nikon (via Grand Stores) is vastly superior to that afforded by Canon. Canon take an age to effect repairs and I know a number of individuals who have had to return them back to the service centre as the fault has not been completely rectified whereas the service from Nikon has been very good. I haven't used Canon UAE. However I took a faulty lens to a Canon (and Nikon) certified repair shop in the UK and they failed to repair it three times. On the fourth time I demanded they send it to Canon. It came back two weeks later working perfectly. Therefore I can only say my experience with Canon in the UK has been good, just in future I will ensure any repairs are sent directly to Canon.

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Latest post on 12 December 2013 - 13:00

I don't know about Dubai but James Smith and Sons do some beautiful sticks and are very helpful with telephone orders (they don't have their complete range online). They ship internationally. http://www.james-smith.co.uk

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 12 December 2013 - 10:28

I bought mine in the UK at John Lewis. Got a Canon 7D for £1069 with a tripod worth £129 and was able to claim the tax back as well so it was just under £950 after refund and admin fees. John Lewis also offered an extended warranty of 2 yrs free of charge as well. Have also bought things from B&H to be delivered as another poster mentioned, they're also pretty good. Canon warranty is not international though so I prefer to buy in the UK as I visit often and it's easy for me to return if there are any issues. <em>edited by RuthM on 12/12/2013</em>

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Latest post on 12 December 2013 - 10:14

Do Emirates no longer offer afternoon tea on daytime UK to Dubai flights? This is what Business Class is for. It was Business Class as stated in thread title. <em>edited by RuthM on 12/12/2013</em>

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Latest post on 12 December 2013 - 10:13

I use a Speck hard case and a sleeve also. I have an Acme sleeve although it lets dust in, an incase neoprene sleeve and a Paul Frank neoprene sleeve. But any sleeve should be good to help with bumps and the Speck will help with scratches.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 12 December 2013 - 10:08

Seat was reported to staff, they looked at it for a few mins then said it wasn't working and that was it. They did force the divider down for her though. BA have always served tea and scones before landing on daytime flights so I guess they're stuck in the 1950s but I'm glad for it. Will mention it in complaint anyway as some posters have said they have been offered so perhaps it's an erratic service.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 10 December 2013 - 00:45

We have a regular maid 2hrs 3x a week from Helping Hand, she had a key and was fantastic. She just left and they replaced her with someone rubbish. But we complained and they changed her for someone who is much better (although not as good as the original lady). They can send the same person on a regular basis. The rate we pay is 30 AED per hour but you may be able to negotiate something better if someone is coming daily.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 10 December 2013 - 00:39

I think they should build the worlds biggest dog park. With the most trees and the worlds only olympic sized dog swimming pool. They could make a name with that.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 09 December 2013 - 21:33

https://www.lovelula.com deliver to UAE. Haven't tried their international service yet but am about to. I can add some to my order if you want to save shipping (order is quite large). I'll just keep it if you decide you don't want it. <em>edited by RuthM on 09/12/2013</em>

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Latest post on 08 December 2013 - 22:23

I thought the same that she was rehoming her DH lol!

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 06 December 2013 - 21:47

Nad Al Sheba see a lot of falcons. Their prices are reasonable and the vets are generally very thorough.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 06 December 2013 - 19:56

LaCie do nice drives and have a reasonable warranty period. Otherwise Western Digital are good. If you are concerned about data loss but a drive that has two separate removable drives inside and set it up to mirror RAID. <em>edited by RuthM on 06/12/2013</em>

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Latest post on 04 December 2013 - 11:48

Does anyone know if Decathlon sell ski boots? I would steer well clear of any ski boot seller in Dubai. Ski boots need to be fitted by a qualified boot fitter. I doubt any store in Dubai has such a person or the range of stock required to fit an appropriate fitting pair of boots. When skiing at Ski Dubai I came across many people who have been sold (not fitted) with boots in Dubai stores, only to find they are too big. Generally this is the issue. The next issue is that they are too stiff. Boots too big are dangerous and impact on any ability to control your skis as your feet float around in the boots. Boots too small are in fact better for skiing, if you can handle the pain, still not advisable for recreational skiers. Even if you have boots fitted by a professional fitter you will often find you will need to return a few times for adjustments to the boots for which they often require an extensive boot lab. Boots too stiff will also impact on your ability to control skis and flex into the boot. Many recreational skiers buy boots too stiff (they are often in brighter colours etc.) then are not able to flex them properly which has an enormous impact on their learning curve in skiing and leaves them with serious issues later. Alignment is also an issue. Some people will need their boots canted, heel wedges put in the tongue stiffened or softened, boot widened in some points etc. If you decide to buy ski boots in Dubai which is not something I would ever suggest then a few key things to look out for are: If the seller does not look at you standing in a flexed position to examine your alignment first - run If the seller asks what your shoe size is - run If the seller asks what colour you want - run If the seller lets you choose your own boots - run If the seller has you try on the boots with the liner in first - run (you should be fitted into the shell first then the liner is added and moulded) If the seller doesn't check you can flex the boots - run If the seller doesn't insist you wear ski socks to try on boots (for final stage of fitting) - run My advice would be to buy boots from a good quality ski shop in your home country, or do some research on boot fitters in the resort which you will be visiting. Lastly custom footbeds are worth the extra money. Here is some info on boot fitting: http://www.evo.com/how-to-choose-ski-boots-size-and-fit-guide.aspx http://www.edgeandwax.co.uk/boot_fitting.aspx http://www.skibootpro.co.uk/Informationandtraining.html <em>edited by RuthM on 04/12/2013</em>

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 03 December 2013 - 22:40

Clearly no drains is the solution. But Saudi doesn't seem to think so: http://www.arabnews.com/news/486651 <em>edited by RuthM on 03/12/2013</em>

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Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 03 December 2013 - 22:29

I've got some Peak Performance stuff from UK, Switzerland, Canada and MoE. Really good brand, I have one pair of pants which I've worn at least three times a week for two years and once a week for about four years thereafter, as well as around 12 weeks on holiday and they're still going strong despite a 50/60kph crash! Otherwise try North Face, I think there was a K2 store at Dubai Mall but not sure if it's still there, they may have had Burton in there. Decathlon may be another option. As for base layers, skin tight is best and I love the PP base layers. For skiing try to get short johns as long ones will just be really annoying where they stop on your ankle inside your boot. For mid layers primaloft are awesome and super warm. Then an outer shell.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 03 December 2013 - 22:28

Drainage...! Could you imagine the chaos when it rains with the additional traffic on the roads. no point - it will just get blocked with sand. Not sure about that. A friend of mine designed road systems in Saudi, he was shocked there were no drains here as he installed drains there.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 03 December 2013 - 11:58

I just wanted to add here as the comments regarding parents who are more interested in their own lives or who are emotionally distant send their children to boarding school have come out. Yes there may be a few parents who just dump their kids in boarding school and forget about them. Likewise there are many children who are neglected at home. At my school there were many day pupils who would come home to an empty house, eat macdonalds for dinner every night, go clubbing at 13 years old and the closest they got to emotional contact with their parents was being bought new things (i.e. bribed with gifts). I'm sure nearly everyone here can think of someone in Dubai who has their maid look after their child and mostly ignores them themselves. Generally lack of love and care for your children has little to do with why you would send your child to boarding school. In fact many parents find it very hard to allow their children to go but feel it is the best for them, other parents have environmental circumstances that mean a child is better in boarding school rather than being flung all over the globe. At our school there were not any children boarding whose parents were off living the high life (well not in my year). Those who started boarding young came from forces/moved around a lot or were from places who at the time did not have great access to British education (Taiwan, Philippines, Saudi etc.). There was one girl from Taiwan who started late, at age 12, left after one term as she could not cope with the language barrier. The other boarders had started later (generally age 11 upwards), many of them were weekly boarders and their parents just wanted the best education for them. And exactly what is you problem with day pupils at boarding school, which takes stereotyping to a whole new level and which I find quite offensive. According to your posts, they eat McDonald's, go clubbing underage, proceed to a rubbish London University, where they lose all ambition and end up in average white collar jobs. It would seem that your wonderful boarding school education which left you so much more knowledgeable and wordly, also left you strangely biased against your fellow classmates. My point was that whilst some boarders are dumped in boarding school by rich neglectful parents (although not at my school, most boarders were forces families), some day pupils were equally neglected at home. Sending a child to boarding school is not a mark of a parent that doesn't care. Oh and I was a day pupil at a boarding school for three years. I didn't start boarding until I was older.

1042

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 03 December 2013 - 10:02

I just wanted to add here as the comments regarding parents who are more interested in their own lives or who are emotionally distant send their children to boarding school have come out. Yes there may be a few parents who just dump their kids in boarding school and forget about them. Likewise there are many children who are neglected at home. At my school there were many day pupils who would come home to an empty house, eat macdonalds for dinner every night, go clubbing at 13 years old and the closest they got to emotional contact with their parents was being bought new things (i.e. bribed with gifts). I'm sure nearly everyone here can think of someone in Dubai who has their maid look after their child and mostly ignores them themselves. Generally lack of love and care for your children has little to do with why you would send your child to boarding school. In fact many parents find it very hard to allow their children to go but feel it is the best for them, other parents have environmental circumstances that mean a child is better in boarding school rather than being flung all over the globe. At our school there were not any children boarding whose parents were off living the high life (well not in my year). Those who started boarding young came from forces/moved around a lot or were from places who at the time did not have great access to British education (Taiwan, Philippines, Saudi etc.). There was one girl from Taiwan who started late, at age 12, left after one term as she could not cope with the language barrier. The other boarders had started later (generally age 11 upwards), many of them were weekly boarders and their parents just wanted the best education for them.

1042

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 18:17

I think that's the size they come in naturally! In France, I used to be hard pushed to find a free-range goose over 5kilos at the butcher's or in the supermarket. Must be a French thing. In the UK it's near impossible to find a goose under 4kg. Last year we got a 5.5kg goose in Dubai.

1042

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 17:31

Thanks you all for your advices. I don't know if going back home is actually an option, as not being resident there I think that I have lost the benefits of the residency, but I will check with the Consulate. Anyway before the delivery I might need additional services than offered by the hospital packages, that is why I would like to have an insurance to cover for everything, although I have read the posts about ADNIC and they do sound quite expensive! I will ask for a quotation from them. Do you know any other insurance company that might be more reasonable? Also anyone goes to an OB is JBR? That would be really handy for me but I have no idea if they are any good (there is a Medcare there and a Nicholas ASP and not sure what else). Thanks again! I don't know your home country but in the UK you have a few years grace where you can still use the NHS system to some degree after moving abroad before having to pay.

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Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 02 December 2013 - 17:18

How many people is the goose for? 3kg to 4kg will barely have enough flesh for 4 adults, even with loads of meaty and fruit stuffings.. It is for four possibly six people. Hence why I am trying to find a larger one. 3 - 4 kg is such a bizarre size to stock.

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