Regular service resumed

Well this summer has been a busy one, and this blog has taken a back seat - which I thought was fine considering no one is here in the summer anyway. Quite a few new developments have happened, both in my life and also in Oman it seems.

I was tempted a few times to weigh in on the whole NOC debate which was raging on, the pinnacle being that really weird Twitter survey that went around a month ago or so. But I realised it was just not worth it. Quite how anyone can agree that stating a fellow human being can't work in a job simply because they are beholden to the whims of another human being is beyond me, but fortunately for me I have a good job and work for a good company and so I'll just leave that well beaten drum alone.

I was fortunate enough to visit Stockholm a few months ago, to watch a football game (which was incredibly dull) but I have to say it was incredible to visit the City, and it was very apparent that significant investment has been made into transportation infrastructure there - perhaps some lessons could be learned for the transport scene here in Muscat.

During this visit to Stockholm, it also transpired that I was asked to step in as Chairman of the Muscat Rugby Football Club, which I accepted, and it has proven to be an extra-ordinarily large amount of work. So expect more rugby-themed mutterings from me over the coming months - some exciting new perks have been agreed to, so hopefully some of you reading this might decide to become members of the rugby club - and no - you don't have to like rugby to be a member of the club - I'd like to think the perks of being a member will attract some non-rugby people into its membership.

Summer visits to both Canada and the UK were both welcome breaks to the endless heat here in Muscat, but rather disappointingly, it rained nearly every day in both countries! Still, the time away was nice, and I have managed to build up a rather nice stock of Canadian and British beers in my bar. In Canada I managed to get to see a favourite Toronto band live in concert for the first time ever, which was truly awesome, and in the UK I broke my Best-Man cherry and saw an old friend finally say his I Do's. It was a great summer, and now I've got my eye on the cooler months to come here in Muscat.

Also, much to my dogs happiness, I brought back some pigs ears for her. I bought a big bag of them off of Amazon and they've proven amazing - so if any of you are still abroad and have dogs - check out pigs ears for dogs - they love them! She (my dog) spent some of this summer at the Canadian Jebel K9 kennels where she also underwent some much needed obedience training (being the only male, apart from my much loved Orange cat, no one listens to me in my house, including the bloody dog). The dog seemed to be very happy in the kennels, and the training appears to have worked as well. I paid RO 10 a day for the boarding, and a bit extra for the training, but the facility is well run and the dogs there are happy. Well, the ones I saw were anyway. I didn't tell the Canadian Jebel K9 people I would write anything about them, but I believe in promoting valuable services here in Oman and I feel these guys are great - so if you've a dog and need to find a reliable kennel, check them out - here is their website.

I've a number of blog posts planned, and as always, if you've any questions or want me to post anything - just get in touch by emailing me!

le fin.