Today is the first Omani Women's Day as established by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos:
“We call upon Omani women everywhere, in the villages and the cities, in both urban and Bedu communities, in the hills and mountains, to roll up their sleeves and contribute to the process of economic and social development…We have great faith in the educated young Omani women to work devotedly to assist their sisters in their local communities to develop their skills and abilities, both practically and intellectually, in order to contribute to our Omani Renaissance which demands the utilization of our entire national genius, for the realization of our country’s glory and prosperity. We call upon Omani women to shoulder this vital role in the community and we are confident that they will respond to this call.”
-His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
This is one of many articles in recent local press, courtesy of Khaleej Times Online : http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/October/middleeast_October43.xml§ion=middleeast
"Oman’s women are preparing to celebrate their first annual day this month and the country’s 40th National Day in unmatched style — by presenting their leader with the longest message of greetings in the world.
The two-km-long, 1.25-metre-wide letter, carrying messages of gratitude, loyalty and affection from more than 100,000 Omani and expatriate women to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, is sure to find an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, promoters of the project said.
The sultanate is set to mark the first ‘Omani Women’s Day’ (OWD) on October 17 as decided by a high-profile national symposium held last year coinciding with Sultan Qaboos’ annual ‘Meet the People’ tour to acknowledge women’s contribution to the country’s social, political and economic progress.
Social Development Minister Dr Sharifah bint Khaflan Al Yahyaiyah launched the ‘My Message’ initiative during a Press conference here on Saturday, saying it would focus on three major themes – safety and security, equal opportunities, rights and social justice.
She added the letter, a 375-kg paper roll made of special ‘tyvak’ material that is resistant to tear and water, would give a new impetus to women, encouraging them to play an even more active role in the country’s development.
......
Sharifah said other activities planned for the first OWD included an exclusive women’s forum and an operetta showcasing women’s accomplishments in the past four decades, an art exhibition, an open day for sports and a literary evening. “The observation of OWD is a significant step in translating the vision of His Majesty the Sultan for sustainable development in the social sector and reflects His Majesty’s initiative on development in building the country according to its potential and abilities,” she added.
The minister also praised a newly-launched women’s campaign, ‘Oman 2010’, by a group of youngsters to acknowledge the advances made by women in the sultanate. A not-for-profit effort, the campaign aims at direct interaction with the community through various events, such as competitions, networking and electronic capacity-building programmes at the national level.
Eman Al Rafay, who heads the project, said the goal was to provide a national platform for women to develop self-confidence, expand their participation in community development and education and highlight the opportunities available to them".
Although the best quote has be to from Gulf News: "The day will be celebrated at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel, where participants will present ideas on how to develop personality traits in women and change stereotypical concepts about women's abilities".
Happy First Omani Women's Day!
Sunday, 17 October 2010
A sad week in the Maths World…
Benoit Mandelbrot, the father of fractal geometry passed away on Thursday.
He was a French-American mathematician, who explored a new class of mathematical shapes known as ‘fractals’. His main works, Fractals: Form, Chance and Dimension and The Fractal Geometry of Nature, were published in 1977 and 1982. He argued that what might be seen as random mathematical shapes in fact followed a pattern if broken down into a single repeating shape and that irregular mathematical shapes were a reflection of nature. The concept has been used to measure previously immeasurable objects, including the coastline of the British Isles, the geometry of a lung or a cauliflower, clouds and other natural phenomena.
"If you cut one of the florets of a cauliflower, you see the whole cauliflower but smaller," he explained at the influential Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) conference earlier this year.
At university, Maths and I really didn’t enjoy each other’s company. We really should have gone our separate ways after A-Level. But the one area I do remember enjoying was fractals. I never understood the theory (what better time to read up now…) but they thoroughly fascinated me. I became more aware of fractals in the world around us.
“Here is a question, a staple of grade-school geometry that, if you think about it, is impossible,” Dr. Mandelbrot told The New York Times earlier this year in an interview. “The length of the coastline, in a sense, is infinite.”
While the ideas behind fractals are ancient, it was finally given the term "fractal geometry" in 1975 and the publication of The Fractal Geometry of Nature in French in the same year gave Mandelbrot’s work an identity. As Mandelbrot put it, "to have a name is to be" — and the field exploded.
Fractals and their History The name "fractal" arises from the concept of a fractional dimension. What this means exactly is a difficult to say in simple language and we will simply try to give a feel for what fractals are and what sorts of behaviours they exhibit.
Generally fractals are the result of some which is procedure repeated again and again. One of the most basic examples of a fractal is obtained in the following way. Start off with an equilateral triangle which has sides of length 1. Now on each edge of the triangle, add a new equilateral triangle with sides of length 1/3. Now in the middle of each side of this new shape, add a triangle with sides of length 1/9. Continue this process, each time adding new triangles to each side which are 1/3 the size of the triangles added in the last stage. When you are done (infinitely many steps later!) you have the desired fractal.
Another interesting thing to note is that if we magnify our fractal along its edge, it looks the same, no matter how large the magnification is. This is another property typical of fractals. It turns out that fractals occur frequently in nature. This is often due to how nature performs its own iterations. For instance, as a tree grows, new branches grow from old branches. As these branches mature, they sprout new branches of their own. It is possible to implement a relatively simple algorithm on a computer and have it produce a remarkably accurate rendition of a tree. The shore line of a lake or large body of water also tends to exhibit fractal behaviour. One can tell by comparing aerial photos of shore lines to the contours of certain fractals whether or not the shore is natural.
Sources:
http://www.math.toronto.edu/mathnet/questionCorner/fracthist.htmlSaturday, 16 October 2010
A Day of Surprise Visits and Wonderful Friends
It's my first free day! Woo hoo! Time to start working on that to-do-list!
So 2 out of 3 of us are feeling a little tired, a little frayed around the edges, the other one is just immune to alcohol now I fear. They do the Boot Camp that is run here and they even managed to make that at silly o'clock this morning. But onwards and upwards, we had a job to do! A gorgeous pair of Nine West shoes ready for the Ball on Thursday were purchased...not by me this time :-( A picture will follow later if ZQ will let them out of her site!
And so continues the wonderful friends bit...another neighbour offered to have the kids for a sleepover this weekend. Sometimes, I just grin ear to ear when I think of the super friends we have, truly amazing! Thank you x
Jobs today: Shoe Shopping. With Zinfandel Queen and Champagne Charlie (there's a theme here...). After a rather late one with aforementioned cast members. On a school night. Bleurgh. Which resulted in me drunk-Facebooking. Raving about Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams I think...cringe...
So 2 out of 3 of us are feeling a little tired, a little frayed around the edges, the other one is just immune to alcohol now I fear. They do the Boot Camp that is run here and they even managed to make that at silly o'clock this morning. But onwards and upwards, we had a job to do! A gorgeous pair of Nine West shoes ready for the Ball on Thursday were purchased...not by me this time :-( A picture will follow later if ZQ will let them out of her site!
I had a surprise message from a close friend's (Mrs. Gee) husband, saying that he was passing through Oman (as you do!) and asking if he could visit. We haven't seen them for well over a year now so of course it had to happen! Sod's law the Captain was still away ... it was so amazing to see him. However, all of the Gees are coming to see us next Feb so this'll tide me over! Hopefully it'll be slightly cooler for them than it was today!
I did have to miss the Wine and Diamonds at the neighbour's though! I did pop in to say hi and have a quick look! Very sparkly and big! :-D
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
WHY?????
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!
My Glee-fest is ruined, RUINED I tell you!
WHY HAVE SHOWTIME TAKEN OFF A SHOW-ON-DEMAND PROGRAMME 4 DAYS BEFORE IT IS DUE TO EXPIRE??? I had episodes 10-22 to watch whilst Hubby is away!!
How truly annoying....I had it all planned out.
It now turns out they have put it on every Friday and Saturday double episodes each day....October is Glee Month apparently. The Captain will be pleased.
My Glee-fest is ruined, RUINED I tell you!
WHY HAVE SHOWTIME TAKEN OFF A SHOW-ON-DEMAND PROGRAMME 4 DAYS BEFORE IT IS DUE TO EXPIRE??? I had episodes 10-22 to watch whilst Hubby is away!!
How truly annoying....I had it all planned out.
It now turns out they have put it on every Friday and Saturday double episodes each day....October is Glee Month apparently. The Captain will be pleased.
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Love Thy Neighbours...
Another morning on the school-run...I would like to question why all districts seem to be grinding to a halt at rush hour these days...oh, that's right, it's because they've decided to implement roadworks along all major routes and service roads!! With one month to go until HM's 40th National Day, I think they've tried to cram everything in before it's too late! We left early today...yet an 8 minute journey (even with a stop at the Al Bahja traffic lights) takes at least half hour so we're are pretty much guaranteed we'll be late. With driving standards as they are in this country (I'm not saying it's the worst country by any means), it really is a precarious journey into school and work.
I had a lovely message from Domestic Goddess read out on the radio though, which made the traffic insignificant!!! We're trying to get together on the boat soon, only so we can have her carrot cake.
Anyway, after all that, we get to school and Bear feels sick, almost throwing up in the school car park. She really wants to go to school but she can barely function so I took her home. Had to take the day off work as The Captain (new blog name for Husband) is off again somewhere (that's the trouble with supply teaching, you only get paid for what you do) but being a little selfish, it was so nice to spend a little quality time with just her, snuggling on the sofa, watching Ice Age 2!
This last week or so, I've been missing home and the town we left to come here. This encompasses a lot...it's where my beautiful house is, where my children were born in the nearby hospital, where I raised my children and just as important, where some of our dearest friends are. We miss 'em loads and I hope they know it. But I know they still think of us as much as we do them. Our lovely neighbour (the kids' third Granny), our friends E and R, Posh and the Boys, and M and D, not to mention the amazing community we had joined through Bear's primary school. I love and miss that school very much....I completed 2 of my 3 teaching practices there. Even being able to wander down the high street was a simple thing; it's proving to have been more enjoyable than I probably thought at the time...we have to drive everywhere now.
Plenty of projects lined up from next week! I'm starting to think of some painting inspiration! Do I stick with my previous henna-inspired pieces...? I think I need to do some more, get this theme out of my system...not sure what I need to move on to....then some photography, now the kids are both at school all day I can spend more time out and about. It is still so hot and humid though! I'm going to start on the garden too.
Other 'projects' include coffee with Domestic Goddess, Wine and Diamonds (!!!!!!!!!!) at a neighbours, a massage, a haircut, eyebrows threaded, pedicure, shoe shopping, Mexican night at the Club and the Best Ball of the season! Busy girl, very busy....
For Clarabelle:
I had a lovely message from Domestic Goddess read out on the radio though, which made the traffic insignificant!!! We're trying to get together on the boat soon, only so we can have her carrot cake.
Anyway, after all that, we get to school and Bear feels sick, almost throwing up in the school car park. She really wants to go to school but she can barely function so I took her home. Had to take the day off work as The Captain (new blog name for Husband) is off again somewhere (that's the trouble with supply teaching, you only get paid for what you do) but being a little selfish, it was so nice to spend a little quality time with just her, snuggling on the sofa, watching Ice Age 2!
This last week or so, I've been missing home and the town we left to come here. This encompasses a lot...it's where my beautiful house is, where my children were born in the nearby hospital, where I raised my children and just as important, where some of our dearest friends are. We miss 'em loads and I hope they know it. But I know they still think of us as much as we do them. Our lovely neighbour (the kids' third Granny), our friends E and R, Posh and the Boys, and M and D, not to mention the amazing community we had joined through Bear's primary school. I love and miss that school very much....I completed 2 of my 3 teaching practices there. Even being able to wander down the high street was a simple thing; it's proving to have been more enjoyable than I probably thought at the time...we have to drive everywhere now.
Emigrating is no easy feat, leaving behind family and friends, a house you love, the pets you adore, and the climate and the gardens amongst many things...but being an expat here, as maybe it is in many places, can be tricky. It's not always idyllic! It is the friends we have made here that has helped make our experience as full and rich as it is. I'm thankful, grateful and very happy to have some very good neighbours and friends here! It really can be a small world though...one neighbour (still trying to think of blog name for her! Zinfandel Queen is top of the list just now ;-) ) and her hubby used to live in Snodland, one of the Kentish towns where I grew up in. AND they grew up in the Medway towns, where my Mum and Dad grew up!
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| My old school Holmesdale Secondary School (now a technology college) |
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| Snodland Clock Tower |
Plenty of projects lined up from next week! I'm starting to think of some painting inspiration! Do I stick with my previous henna-inspired pieces...? I think I need to do some more, get this theme out of my system...not sure what I need to move on to....then some photography, now the kids are both at school all day I can spend more time out and about. It is still so hot and humid though! I'm going to start on the garden too.
Other 'projects' include coffee with Domestic Goddess, Wine and Diamonds (!!!!!!!!!!) at a neighbours, a massage, a haircut, eyebrows threaded, pedicure, shoe shopping, Mexican night at the Club and the Best Ball of the season! Busy girl, very busy....
For Clarabelle:
Natural Oman
Here is what we have been seeing in Oman, particularly over the last few months.
Around our house and local area
Little Green Bee Eater:
Ring-necked Parakeet:
Around our house and local area
Little Green Bee Eater:
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| Bee Eater eating a Dragonfly! |
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I'll add to this page over time. The Captain has had some cool encounters with some wildlife on his travels recently!
Friday, 8 October 2010
While the cat's away, the mice...
...will watch back-to-back episodes of Glee! Series 1, all episodes. FABulous!!!
Can't wait to see my Beyonce-dancing College football players!
Can't wait to see my Beyonce-dancing College football players!
Another lovely weekend.
Now the turf mat has been rolled out, I’m still the only one who is keen on this new space. Although when we brought the table up Husband did seem to be coming round to the idea. It was a lovely evening, the sun was about to set and it wasn’t too hot. I tried not to look too smug…. :-D
The table and chairs are there now along with a few candles and citronella lamps. I sat there this evening for a while…despite the muffled traffic noise and the lights, it was rather lovely.
So, another weekend over and another joyful one at that. A very relaxed day yesterday with an afternoon at the pool with friends from the ‘campus’. Inevitably, it continued into the evening with a curry being delivered to the pool; they even brought paper plate and plastic cutlery with the food!
Today, a lazy, cosy morning with tea (thank you Mr. M! x) and cuddles with the kids in bed. We haven’t done that for so long. Then a buffet lunch at the Crowne Plaza…STUFFED! I haven’t eaten anything since lunch!
Husband is due back to work early this week, so it's back to the dreaded school runs. But at least I'm back in the big car. I feel a bit too vulnerable in the white rollerskate!
Have a good week, everyone. And a good weekend for you in the UK! x
The table and chairs are there now along with a few candles and citronella lamps. I sat there this evening for a while…despite the muffled traffic noise and the lights, it was rather lovely.
So, another weekend over and another joyful one at that. A very relaxed day yesterday with an afternoon at the pool with friends from the ‘campus’. Inevitably, it continued into the evening with a curry being delivered to the pool; they even brought paper plate and plastic cutlery with the food!
Today, a lazy, cosy morning with tea (thank you Mr. M! x) and cuddles with the kids in bed. We haven’t done that for so long. Then a buffet lunch at the Crowne Plaza…STUFFED! I haven’t eaten anything since lunch!
Husband is due back to work early this week, so it's back to the dreaded school runs. But at least I'm back in the big car. I feel a bit too vulnerable in the white rollerskate!
Have a good week, everyone. And a good weekend for you in the UK! x
Thursday, 7 October 2010
A good Husband is...
…one who, although thinks your idea probably isn’t the best idea that you’ve ever had, helps you see your idea through to the end so that you too can see it probably isn’t the best idea you’ve ever had!
We have been in this house for over 18 months now. It’s about time we did something with it to make it more our own. We can’t keep thinking we’re going to be moved and so not bother doing anything. This autumn/winter, it’s the back garden’s turn. We’ve been mulling over a design for a shade to go over the (somewhat redundant) patio we had made earlier this year. Nothing has seemed quite right so we decided to leave it and focus on the planting. The kids’ trampoline will go around the back and some grass will hopefully be established, maybe a couple of palms and banana plants. We priced shrubberies (!) up at one of the many garden centres and we can get our garden set for about 50-70 Omani rials (about £75-100). So that is on the cards very soon, as soon as I’ve finished work, had a much needed pamper session, caught up with my girlfriends, caught up with emails and facebook THEN I will make a trip or seven to the nurseries. Not sure I will get many palms in the back of the Kia…
ANYway…let me explain the main reason behind today’s title.
I’ve been itching to get on with the garden…or any project it would seem. So I found one. The roof. It’s wasted space at the moment and could be made to be a nice, relaxing (read: MY) space.
I run it past Husband, knowing full well what his response will be. Practical, too sensible and if I dare say, a bit lazy! (Understandably maybe, we do have 3 stories to climb to get there!) My idea is that we would use it in the evening to enjoy the sunsets and the cooling evenings with a glass of wine or a cup of tea. If we forget the bottle opener for instance, or if the kids are playing outside. No, it’s not practical to be up there when the kids are playing outside but I wouldn’t be up there if that was the case! And we'd make sure we have a spare bottle opener upstairs. Along with a fridge and a kettle. Duh. ;-) This is one I wanted to see through!
So today was the day I HAD to do something about it and had the necessary energy to get on with it. So to start - it’s an empty, dusty space with the washing line, a/c units and the satellite. But there was space for a mat and the small table and chairs we brought over from the UK. Would the Arabic style camping picnic mat do? Yes, it would. That was my first idea. But then Husband suggested the large piece of astro turf we inherited from next door when they moved. Excellent, he’s getting on my side! It’s been lying out the back for over a year now, looking forlorn and dusty with no use being made of it. Yep, great idea. So I go out and start shaking off the gravel that’s accumulated. And the dust. And the crickets. It is a heavy piece so I get Husband to help. And love him, he does! We thought we might have to wait and call on the neighbours to help but we managed, we lifted this hulking roll of backed plastic, the weight of which was probably doubled by the amount of dust still embedded in it, up three stories. Very satisfying! Moreso for having some much-needed exercise too.
I've swept most of the dust from it. Well, loosened and shifted the dust from one place to another! Husband had to walk away I think, in despair! But I was in the determined mood. It was going to happen!
Now to plan pots and lighting and ambience at La Terrace! I just hope those who are invited can be arsed to climb the stairs!
We have been in this house for over 18 months now. It’s about time we did something with it to make it more our own. We can’t keep thinking we’re going to be moved and so not bother doing anything. This autumn/winter, it’s the back garden’s turn. We’ve been mulling over a design for a shade to go over the (somewhat redundant) patio we had made earlier this year. Nothing has seemed quite right so we decided to leave it and focus on the planting. The kids’ trampoline will go around the back and some grass will hopefully be established, maybe a couple of palms and banana plants. We priced shrubberies (!) up at one of the many garden centres and we can get our garden set for about 50-70 Omani rials (about £75-100). So that is on the cards very soon, as soon as I’ve finished work, had a much needed pamper session, caught up with my girlfriends, caught up with emails and facebook THEN I will make a trip or seven to the nurseries. Not sure I will get many palms in the back of the Kia…
ANYway…let me explain the main reason behind today’s title.
I’ve been itching to get on with the garden…or any project it would seem. So I found one. The roof. It’s wasted space at the moment and could be made to be a nice, relaxing (read: MY) space.
I run it past Husband, knowing full well what his response will be. Practical, too sensible and if I dare say, a bit lazy! (Understandably maybe, we do have 3 stories to climb to get there!) My idea is that we would use it in the evening to enjoy the sunsets and the cooling evenings with a glass of wine or a cup of tea. If we forget the bottle opener for instance, or if the kids are playing outside. No, it’s not practical to be up there when the kids are playing outside but I wouldn’t be up there if that was the case! And we'd make sure we have a spare bottle opener upstairs. Along with a fridge and a kettle. Duh. ;-) This is one I wanted to see through!
So today was the day I HAD to do something about it and had the necessary energy to get on with it. So to start - it’s an empty, dusty space with the washing line, a/c units and the satellite. But there was space for a mat and the small table and chairs we brought over from the UK. Would the Arabic style camping picnic mat do? Yes, it would. That was my first idea. But then Husband suggested the large piece of astro turf we inherited from next door when they moved. Excellent, he’s getting on my side! It’s been lying out the back for over a year now, looking forlorn and dusty with no use being made of it. Yep, great idea. So I go out and start shaking off the gravel that’s accumulated. And the dust. And the crickets. It is a heavy piece so I get Husband to help. And love him, he does! We thought we might have to wait and call on the neighbours to help but we managed, we lifted this hulking roll of backed plastic, the weight of which was probably doubled by the amount of dust still embedded in it, up three stories. Very satisfying! Moreso for having some much-needed exercise too.
I've swept most of the dust from it. Well, loosened and shifted the dust from one place to another! Husband had to walk away I think, in despair! But I was in the determined mood. It was going to happen!
Now to plan pots and lighting and ambience at La Terrace! I just hope those who are invited can be arsed to climb the stairs!
Sunday, 3 October 2010
"If you don't behave, I'll call the policeman over..."
Well, I haven't used that phrase yet on the kids but I know parents who have. The child is never sure they're being serious so start to behave just in case.
Today was priceless...
Pops was having his usual morning tantrum in the car on the way to school. My usual trick is to turn up whatever crap track is being played on the radio to drown him out and distract him. (Actually, it was Transvision Vamp, so a lot better than usual). So we are stuck in the usual jams and an ROP (Royal Omani Police) motorcyclist weaves throughthe traffic and pulls up alongside us. I think he must have heard the loud music being played by the heathen western woman in the Kia and so stopped. But then he clocked the Boy in the back having his meltdown. I took this opportunity and wound the back window down so the Policeman could talk to him. Pops saw him and immediately shut up! He did turn away and hide his face but he was quiet straight after! So I can legitimately say to him, "if you don't behave I call that policeman on his bike to come and see you!"
As Daddy Books said, "sincere adulation for a perfectly timed moment".
Music update: I've tried to download Radio 1 podcasts...to no avail. At least on my laptop anyway. It knows I'm not in the UK and so can't access anything. I may have to make do with my limited collection on the mp3 player.
Maybe it's time to refresh my collection and download some new tunes!
Any recommendations?
Today was priceless...
Pops was having his usual morning tantrum in the car on the way to school. My usual trick is to turn up whatever crap track is being played on the radio to drown him out and distract him. (Actually, it was Transvision Vamp, so a lot better than usual). So we are stuck in the usual jams and an ROP (Royal Omani Police) motorcyclist weaves throughthe traffic and pulls up alongside us. I think he must have heard the loud music being played by the heathen western woman in the Kia and so stopped. But then he clocked the Boy in the back having his meltdown. I took this opportunity and wound the back window down so the Policeman could talk to him. Pops saw him and immediately shut up! He did turn away and hide his face but he was quiet straight after! So I can legitimately say to him, "if you don't behave I call that policeman on his bike to come and see you!"
As Daddy Books said, "sincere adulation for a perfectly timed moment".
Music update: I've tried to download Radio 1 podcasts...to no avail. At least on my laptop anyway. It knows I'm not in the UK and so can't access anything. I may have to make do with my limited collection on the mp3 player.
Maybe it's time to refresh my collection and download some new tunes!
Any recommendations?
Saturday, 2 October 2010
It might be of interest to someone....
I didn't think I had much to write about! But here I am again! Not bad when you put your mind to it! Off goes the televsion, music on (Mumford and Sons tonight) and there we go. I wonder how long this will last! This will probably be it for the week! I've got my neighbours worried I might divulge some of their antics! [snigger] You know who you are!
YAY!! Mama and Daddy Books are about to book to come and see us next year! Along with a couple of sets of friends coming over it's going to be a lovely spring! We decided that we were travelling so much 09/10, we really missed spending the best time of the year in Oman. But I guess it was the first full year we have been here so felt we needed to go back.
So we're in autumn now and I can start to see the weather is changing. The temperature is a little more comfortable (not by much though, humidity still gets me...and my hair) but you can really see the difference over the mountains. They're not set in a permanent dust haze, they're looking really clear and magnificent! They are the first impression I had of this country as we flew into Muscat International in November '08 so are really special. As much as I love being near the beach and the sea, there is something quite humbling driving through the mountains.
And as many of you know I like to think of weather/geography as my speciality. Although I seemed to have had most of my memory wiped by Motherhood...Husband probably knows more than I do, in fact, I'm sure he does. About everything. But hey, that doesn't stop a Spotter spotting, does it?!
So anybody want to get to know the climate here? Anyone interested? Oh, please don't go! COME BACK!!! OK, just humour me and it'll all be over in a few minutes!
Muscat , Oman
Note the 'Dangerous' level of discomfort from heat and humididty in June! So we're not being rude when we say don't visit during the summer! And although the record in the summer has been recorded at 47, this is probably the offical recording. Husband and I can vouch that it reached at least 50C last summer.
At this time and in the spring, we can never say what the weather will do day to day because it is usually a battle of the desert wind and the sea wind - think of the country's location and situation. So when the desert wind takes over, the temperature shoots up but it is a dry heat and is actually bearable. When the sea wind takes over the humidity increases as the water content in the air has increased. That's why you'd see more in the way of clouds on a humid day. Needless to say, it can feel very unpleasant.
The northern part of Oman consists of the Jebel Akhdar, a mountain range rising to just over 3,000 m/10,000 ft. The annual rainfall on the higher parts of the Jebel Akhdar probably exceeds 400 mm/20 in. In the rest of Oman the annual rainfall is below 125 mm/5 in except in the hills of Dhofar in the extreme south.
Along the south coast the cloudy rainy season is between June and September, but in the Jebel Akhdar and in the lowlands of the north rain may fall at any time of the year. Very occasionally a tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea brings a spell of very wet, windy weather to the coast of Oman and this may cause damage through wind and flood. Google Gonu and Phet!
Temperatures and humidity are high throughout the year on the coast and the period May to September is the hottest and most unpleasant season. Temperatures rise even higher inland towards the Rub' al Khali, but here humidity is lower so that the high temperatures are more tolerable and the nights are cooler.
All the above info is courtesy of the Beeb weather site. Although I wouldn't trust them. They have had all sorts working for that department ;-)
There you go! Painless, huh? HUH??? Am I really that boring...?
I've had my weather fix now, although I'm teaching year 3/4 weather around the world tomorrow in Geography! YES! They're doing a presentation on anabatic and katabatic winds next week. Joke.
Anyone have Arcade Fire's new album (probably several months old now....)?
Why have I not seen Glee until now???!! The College Football players dancing to Beyonce was just classic television. Loved it!
PS I would post this evening's sunset picture but my lens was filthy *slap wrist* so I'll sort it out and maybe post it tomorrow.
Take care, y'all.
YAY!! Mama and Daddy Books are about to book to come and see us next year! Along with a couple of sets of friends coming over it's going to be a lovely spring! We decided that we were travelling so much 09/10, we really missed spending the best time of the year in Oman. But I guess it was the first full year we have been here so felt we needed to go back.
So we're in autumn now and I can start to see the weather is changing. The temperature is a little more comfortable (not by much though, humidity still gets me...and my hair) but you can really see the difference over the mountains. They're not set in a permanent dust haze, they're looking really clear and magnificent! They are the first impression I had of this country as we flew into Muscat International in November '08 so are really special. As much as I love being near the beach and the sea, there is something quite humbling driving through the mountains.
And as many of you know I like to think of weather/geography as my speciality. Although I seemed to have had most of my memory wiped by Motherhood...Husband probably knows more than I do, in fact, I'm sure he does. About everything. But hey, that doesn't stop a Spotter spotting, does it?!
So anybody want to get to know the climate here? Anyone interested? Oh, please don't go! COME BACK!!! OK, just humour me and it'll all be over in a few minutes!
Month | Average Sunlight (hours) | Temperature | Discomfort from heat and humidity | Relative humidity | Average Precipitation (mm) | Wet Days (+0.25 mm) | ||||
Average | Record | |||||||||
Min | Max | Min | Max | am | pm | |||||
Jan | 9 | 19 | 25 | 11 | 31 | Medium | 72 | 71 | 28 | 2 |
Feb | 10 | 19 | 25 | 12 | 32 | Medium | 73 | 73 | 18 | 1 |
March | 9 | 22 | 28 | 17 | 42 | Medium | 71 | 70 | 10 | 1 |
April | 11 | 26 | 32 | 19 | 41 | High | 64 | 68 | 10 | 1 |
May | 12 | 30 | 37 | 24 | 44 | Extreme | 58 | 60 | 0 | 0 |
June | 12 | 31 | 38 | 26 | 47 | Dangerous | 72 | 72 | 3 | 0 |
July | 9 | 31 | 36 | 25 | 45 | Extreme | 77 | 77 | 0 | 0 |
Aug | 10 | 29 | 33 | 24 | 42 | Extreme | 82 | 80 | 0 | 0 |
Sept | 11 | 28 | 34 | 23 | 42 | Extreme | 75 | 77 | 0 | 0 |
Oct | 10 | 27 | 34 | 21 | 41 | Extreme | 69 | 74 | 3 | 0 |
Nov | 10 | 23 | 30 | 17 | 36 | High | 69 | 72 | 10 | 1 |
Dec | 9 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 33 | - | 70 | 71 | 18 | 2 |
Note the 'Dangerous' level of discomfort from heat and humididty in June! So we're not being rude when we say don't visit during the summer! And although the record in the summer has been recorded at 47, this is probably the offical recording. Husband and I can vouch that it reached at least 50C last summer.
At this time and in the spring, we can never say what the weather will do day to day because it is usually a battle of the desert wind and the sea wind - think of the country's location and situation. So when the desert wind takes over, the temperature shoots up but it is a dry heat and is actually bearable. When the sea wind takes over the humidity increases as the water content in the air has increased. That's why you'd see more in the way of clouds on a humid day. Needless to say, it can feel very unpleasant.
The northern part of Oman consists of the Jebel Akhdar, a mountain range rising to just over 3,000 m/10,000 ft. The annual rainfall on the higher parts of the Jebel Akhdar probably exceeds 400 mm/20 in. In the rest of Oman the annual rainfall is below 125 mm/5 in except in the hills of Dhofar in the extreme south.
Along the south coast the cloudy rainy season is between June and September, but in the Jebel Akhdar and in the lowlands of the north rain may fall at any time of the year. Very occasionally a tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea brings a spell of very wet, windy weather to the coast of Oman and this may cause damage through wind and flood. Google Gonu and Phet!
Temperatures and humidity are high throughout the year on the coast and the period May to September is the hottest and most unpleasant season. Temperatures rise even higher inland towards the Rub' al Khali, but here humidity is lower so that the high temperatures are more tolerable and the nights are cooler.
The following bar chart for Muscat, Oman shows the years average weather condition readings covering rain, average maximum daily temperature and average minimum temperature.
All the above info is courtesy of the Beeb weather site. Although I wouldn't trust them. They have had all sorts working for that department ;-)
There you go! Painless, huh? HUH??? Am I really that boring...?
I've had my weather fix now, although I'm teaching year 3/4 weather around the world tomorrow in Geography! YES! They're doing a presentation on anabatic and katabatic winds next week. Joke.
Anyone have Arcade Fire's new album (probably several months old now....)?
Why have I not seen Glee until now???!! The College Football players dancing to Beyonce was just classic television. Loved it!
PS I would post this evening's sunset picture but my lens was filthy *slap wrist* so I'll sort it out and maybe post it tomorrow.
Take care, y'all.
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