Up date???

Today I noticed that the green bags hanging under the dates have a few dates in the bottom. I had wrongly assumed that the net like bags were to keep birds and vermon away from the ripening dates. Maybe so. However as the dates ripen they are falling off the bunches into the bottom of the bag. What an easy way to avoid picking up zillions of dates. The bags have long strings on the bottom so the wee men empty the dates out that way. The strings are quite noticeable so perhaps they have been busy emptying bags for the last week.

The other day I was at my boys school wearing my abya as one does. My teachers were standing on the landing above me and I was talking with them as I came up the stairs. First mistake. I know you are a woman but try to avoid talking, thinking, breathing, and climbing the stairs Jocelyn. I tripped on my abya and fell flat on my face on the stairs. My teachers are Emirati men and they can not touch a Western woman. So they remained stead fast with looks of horror on their faces as I was sprawled out. Quickly as one does because one is a woman, I got up bruised knees, damaged pride and all, started giggling, avoided saying OMG or any other expletive and continued hobbling up the stairs brushing the dust off my abya and laughing as I came up... like I do this all the time. The relief that washed over their faces, because firstly I was laughing about it all and secondly they didn't have to come down and deal with a crumpled heap of Western woman. All I can say is thank heavens for a long abya. Imagine showing a bit of leg, or more as I went down.