Time for more tales - I think this will be the Lady's edition!

It's been a couple of weeks since the last instalment and things have been very busy at work. Khawar has been off in Singapore, so we have all had to muck in.

The weather has not been so great this last week, quite cool and very windy. I eventually had to give in and get my hair cut. Before I left England, I had been growing my hair into a different style which required more maintenance and the use of straighteners every morning but by the time I had walked to work here, I looked like "Looby Loo". For those of you who don't know who I mean, she was a doll with plaits which stuck out at right angles to her head - I presume you are getting the picture now. Suffice to say I couldn't do anything with my hair, so I have gone back to my original short hairstyle, which I know my mum will regret. It's also cooler and when the weather gets a lot hotter, which everyone is warning us about, I will probably be very glad.

It's very traumatic for a lady finding a new hairdresser - we build up a close and trusting relationship and it is hard to establish that with someone new. I was lucky that Precia, one of Khawar's friends out here was able to recommend someone. Theresa turns out to be Irish and from Dublin would you believe. She has only been out here six months herself. The cut is a bit short but it will grow!

The next big decision was where to go for a pedicure - another personal and traumatic one for us ladies. Again Precia came to the rescue and took me to her favourite beauty salon, Dados. This was a fantastic place - very plush and you can see the pictures on Facebook. Treated like special guests - the foot spa was in the floor, a hot drink, hot neck warmer while you sit, special slippers if you want to walk around, the offer to use the spa if you have to wait and a fantastic interior - and no "dudes" allowed in there.

I don't know if I've mentioned the amusing tale about the canteen at work. We go next door to the Qatar Foundation canteen for a hot lunch. When I say hot, that is a bit of an over statement, it is at best warm. However, it saves me from having to buy a hot meal at night as I don't have any cooking facilities in the apartment, only a fridge. The amusing thing is that there is a good selection, usually fish, chicken, beef, veggie, pasta etc and name tags are supplied on each dish. The names of the dishes usually provide me with amusement each day. Here are a few examples: Seafood Terminator, Fussily Pasta, Chilly Fish - some English lessons required I think.

Excitement last week on one of our trips to the Souq to buy yet more pearls as last minute presents for Precia to take home to Houston with her. The Pearl is the national symbol of Qatar, its traditional trade was pearl fishing and the local pearls are very pretty and reasonably priced. Whilst we were in the shop, a film crew arrived from Qatar TV and interviewed us about our shopping trip. Don't know whether they will actually show it but they promised to email us when it was on.

There's a strange tissue phenomenon in Doha - everywhere you go, you will see boxes and boxes of tissues, in the cars, in the restaurants, in the hotels, in the meeting rooms, on coffee tables, I'm pretty sure there will be a world shortage as a result. The explanation I was offered was that they don't have paper napkins which partly explains it but not completely. An example, in a meeting with twenty tables, there will be a box on every table. Go figure. If anyone knows the reason why, please tell me.

It was Precia's birthday yesterday so we were out all day, coffee and breakfast in the Souq in the morning in the lovely sunshine, the first for a week, then to the Mall to kill a couple of hours before the beauty salon, then in the evening we went to the Cultural village, which is alongside the sea and the newly opened public beach. This is something new for Doha, because up to now all the beaches in the city are owned by the hotels and private. This is a place for strolling in the evening and people watching with some very smart restaurants.

We went to the seafood restaurant which had to be seen to be believed. It was huge, spread across at least four buildings connected internally with a fantastic interior, a fresh fish bar with the fish waiting to be selected before being cooked for you. Several large round aquariums with tropical fish were part of the interior design and the ladies restroom had to be seen to be believed - it was as good as one of the five star hotels. Before you started your meal, the bread basket arrived and also a salad basket containing a whole lettuce, green pepper, cucumber, tomato, carrot strips etc with various dips and this was just to pass the time before your starters arrived, a meal in itself. It was the weekend so it was very busy but surprisingly reasonably priced. No alcohol of course.

Finally, I've now got my residence permit, so next hurdle is my driving licence and Colin's visa.