Poster change - just the start?

As predicted, two posts ago, the Drink water, Summer is coming posters have been taken down in time for Ramadan. They have been replaced with posters raising awareness of the famine in Somalia.
Ban Ki-moon apparently personally called Qatar's Prime Minister to ask for a substantial aid package for the affected region. I have every confidence that the result of his call will be something far more

What do Wendi Deng Murdoch and John Prescott have in common?

a) a fine sense of decorum and occasion
b) a calm, unflappable demeanour
c) a healthy spontaneity coupled with quick reactions
d) good hair and a nice slim figure
e) a sinister old twit for a husband

Wendi - your performance on the day was head and shoulders above that of your craven husband and his wee boy. Good on you, lass!

(John Prescott, Tony Blair's deputy PM, famously swung round and

Drink Water - Summer is coming!

I think it was in May when QMedia put up these public service posters advising us to keep the body hydrated through the hot summer ahead. I like the message. It is not advertising; in fact the label has been removed from the bottle, making it completely generic. Also, the model is wearing her hair out and looks like a modern, sporty young woman. All in all, a positive contribution to public

The Gorilla, by Jake Thackray, resuscitated by Paraglider

We can't all be too young to remember the late Jake Thackray.
Mr G, Paraglider's occasional partner in song, was good enough last night to make available his home studio, expertise and tolerance, for the hour or so that it took yours truly to knock out a few Jake revivals, before repairing to Sofitel, in which august establishment, in accordance with its prevailing regulations, the guitar

Urban Development, Doha Style

Sometimes I wonder who's reading this blog. Recently, I wrote that the black plastic sheeting had been ripped from the Muntazah Park railings, exposing the deplorable state of neglect within. Now, I'm pleased to report that the matter has been addressed. Not the park itself of course. Once a desert, always a desert. But the authorities have upgraded the black plastic sheeting with tasteful yellow

On stair wells, fires and mattresses

Now that it is seriously hot here and starting to get humid too, my regular regime of walking either round Muntazah Park or the length of the Corniche is becoming more of a chore than a pleasure. So I've substituted a daily stair climb instead. My apartment is 7th floor and exactly 135 steps up from the entry lobby. It's a good staircase too, wrapping round a square stair well, with no

G & T and the Holy Coalition

Georgie said to Tony
What shall we do?
Tony said to Georgie
I'll follow you.
Georgie said to Tony
Let's coalesce.
Tony said to Georgie
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Georgie said to Tony
Now we're on a Mission
We'll make God join our
Holy Coalition.
Georgie, God and Tony,
Happy as can be.
Tony, God and Georgie,
Blessed Trinity.

<< - shock & awe - >>

Georgie said to Tony
That didn't take long.
Tony said to

Slowing down for Ramadan

Ramadan is already a palpable presence in the Doha ambiance. Three weeks away it may be, but instead of everyone pushing to achieve minor milestones before it arrives, the opposite seems to be the case. One can almost feel the brakes being applied, slowing everything down in order to effect a seamless transition from a sleepy July to an even sleepier August.
Ramadan always brings changes in its

All Change at Doha Ramada Orion Bar

Regulars at Doha Ramada's Orion bar will have noticed a changed climate over the past few weeks. First was the diminutive but smiley manageress Julietta's transfer to the Library bar (where she was an instant hit). Next was the changing of the band. The Sri Lankan trio's contract came to an end and they returned home, to be replaced by a Filipino outfit. Piano and two singers. The quality of

The Barber's Wife

Sometimes she leans on the windowsill, looking down into the alleyway. Probably she'd like a better view, ideally from a better house in another country. But that's why she's here, after all. And even if it never happens, at least she is with her husband, making both of them luckier than most of the workers who keep Qatar ticking over.