Birthday trip to Dreamland

The day after Lotte's party we head to Umm Al Quain's very own waterpark, Dreamland, with Lotte's classmate Aoife (pr."Eefer")




Sunning ourselves at the base of the UAE's only 'active' volcano, on Hippo Island

Let's go for a ride!

Mummy starts off on a nice and gentle slide

Rosanna escapes the clutches of the friendly octopus

Lotte gets herself warmed up

All three girls are primed






Wheeeeeeeee.....






Rosanna drenched Daddy in the watergun area













Back to basics - Rosanna glides down looking comfortable











Proving the gravity theory - Mummy first, then Lotte, then Aoife, then Rosanna...

Keeping cool in the shade of the magic mushroom

Daddy, come over here and stand under the big blue bucket...

Here comes Daddy followed by Rosanna

Mummy maintains her usual level of composure in public...

Lotte's 8th birthday party

A Triathlon-themed party sees Lotte's (female) classmates round to our villa for an afternoon of basketball, obstacle courses and swimming competitions

But first, an indoor picnic (too hot outside!)

and some posing in between mouthfuls

Not quite sure who won this particular event

There's the victorious one

The coordinated '50s swan-dive didn't go quite according to plan

Showing off my new bikini

The sports inspired cake - one of three that we tucked into!

Camping under the stars

Before the weather gets too hot, we head out to the Eastern Region with the Grant family for a night's camping, with no tents!

Finn and Fraser look for a suitable place to make camp

Michelle decides this place will do!

Fraser intelligently protects his eyes from the setting sun

Who needs a playground when we can slide down the dunes?

Daddy arrives just before the sun sets and slips into 4 wheel drive

Steeper than it looks (or so he said)

Made it over the brow

Phoebe and Lotte tuck into fizzy drinks

Michelle & Tim strike a romantic pose as the sun dips towards the horizon

Night falls so we get the camp fire going and toast marshmallows

Even with all that sugar the children turn in early (well, 10pm-ish)

The grown-ups tuck into their own 'fizzy drinks' by moonlight

Up at the crack of 6am when the sun rises (we should have bought tents...)

After fried bacon butties for breakfast, we load the cars before the day gets too hot

Rosanna and Fraser do their best to help before we head home at 7.30am!

Observed by the locals as we speed home for a welcome shower to get rid of all that sand!

Grandma seeks out the Dubai Museum & Gold Souk

In a desperate bid to give us a bit of culture in this crazy town, Grandma forces us to visit the Dubai Museum down in Deira

This is what Dubai maritime transport looked like before the QE2 got here for a makeover

Inside, that's quite different from Waitrose

About the closet I fancy getting to a camel

Before Shariah bonds were invented, local people would do things like life-threatening pearl diving

A 1 dirham fare to cross the creek on an abra

It's getting humid but Grandma wants a few pics of the Gold Souk

I just saw the world's biggest gold ring, about the size of a tyre!

Ocean's Eleven we ain't, more's the pity...

Grandma at The Dubai Mall

No trip to Dubai is complete without parking up in Souk Al Baha then checking out

The Tower (of Babel?)

The Bellagio-esque fountains will be kicking off soon

Rosanna, just singing in the uh, lack of rain...

Lotte, desperate for some Lime Tree Cafe chocolate brownie action

That garupa reminds Daddy of his maid-cooked meals in Hong Kong 30 years ago

That shark reminds Daddy of his days 20 years ago in Aberdeen...

Into the Dubai Mall Gold Souk, Queen Wendy is at home with her two princesses

Trying to appear vaguely regal/Arab, the family almost manage to cross their arms simultaneously - Rosanna!!

Princess Rosanna is dreaming of climbing up this chair

Princess Lotte is hoping the chair is made of candy...

Rosanna is a surprise late entrant to the Renault F1 team

But Lotte feels head and shoulders above her

Look at the size of that gold coffee pot - Rosanna is far more interested in the catskin wrap...