On Thursdays, I share pictures about ‘Echos of my Neighbourhood.
I would like to invite you to participate. The challenge is quite simple and you can find out more about it through this link.
My week has been a bit downcast, but I still tried to pep it up by doing something that I enjoy (walkabouts) to take my mind off things.
At the station selfie
Approach a tunnel
A little bird on the rails
Another train approaching
…and it goes past.
Random view
Selfie take 2
Another view
Fellow passengers
A view of the tram below
A snip of Sheikh Zayed Road
Over the weekend I stole time to take a 2 hours train ride from one end of town to the other and was privileged to ride right at the front coach – the opportunity is always scarce with many people queueing to inherit any vantage space.
I honestly don’t know what it is about trains that make me feel as happy as a little child, but it’s certainly a refreshing way to view the city. It was also interesting to talk to absolute strangers and gain some inspiration.
On Thursdays, I share pictures about ‘Echos of my Neighbourhood.
I would like to invite you to participate. The challenge is quite simple and you can find out more about it through this link.
TWG Tea house
Rows and rows of tea in big tins
Making a choice
More tea
Exotic teas
A tea lover making her purchases.
Sampling a cuppa
Oh Yes! There are delicious Macaroons 😉
Absolutely sublime and smooth diffusion.
Pretty tea set
A Russian Tea set.
In search of the health benefits of more antioxidants, I decided to make a conscious effort to reduce my coffee intake and replace it with tea, so I went tea tasting the way a wine connoisseur would go wine tasting 😉
We all know the benefits of tea but it’s worth recapping them briefly:
Tea is a superfood whether black, green, white, Oolong and other types.
It’s rich in polyphenol antioxidants that detoxify all damaging free radicals in the body.
Helps to lower LDL cholesterol.
Reduces the risk of heart diseases and possibly helps to prevent various Cancers and Alzheimer’s.
Contains disease-fighting flavonoids.
Soothes stress by reducing the stress hormone, Cortisol.
I visited TWG, a Tea house in this area that has a plethora of different types of tea from all corners of the World and I must tell you that I sampled some cups of tea that were so smooth they didn’t require cream or sugar. Of course, I made some purchase of several interesting flavours and you are welcome to join me for a cuppa. To our health 🙂
Let’s zoom to Munich through our e-portal on a quick trip with Lady Lee. Absolutely gorgeous photos 🙂
So what’s your neighbourhood and week been like? Feel free to share with us.
P.S. Any place that I feature on my series of Echoes of my neighbourhood is my singular choice. I don’t receive any form of incentive to give my opinion or to promote the establishment.
In all my working years and having ventured around a bit, in recent times I will adjudge this place as one of the best office environments that I’ve been in. The open plan office is cheerful and welcoming. Polite, friendly and efficient staff attend to you as briskly as possible. Everyone sits in an open area in one corner or the other. No closed cubicle offices that assign importance to anyone.
Birds flitted about and tweeted all over the place, visitors could play a tune on the grand piano and admire the resident Parrot. Free coffee, juice, fruits, tea and different flavours of ice-cream were on offer at the in-house cafe which is manned by smart baristas’ who quickly attended to your request.
Needless to say, I went away feeling calm, happy and refreshed and I plan to have a reason for a repeat visit sometime soon 🙂
On Thursday’s, I share pictures about ‘Echos of my Neighbourhood.
I would like to invite you to participate. The challenge is quite simple and you can find out more about it through this link.
Stumbling upon an Alvin and the Chipmunks show.
Spectators
Alvin, Simon and Theodore
Bumblebee train
Gorgeous Urn
Watching this fella cycle under today’s 50 degree scorching Sun made me feel tired.
Buy your Chai and sandwich here 🙂
A gentlemanly parrot.
Pegasus in leaves
Vendors
Checking out a fitness center. I need to rebalance.
After a busy last week, I took things to the slow lane this week though I still took lots of photos of ‘this and that’ in the course of the week.
Kirst shows us the singing, ringing tree and I must say it’s spectacular. I’ve never seen anything like that before and would love to hear it. Lady Lee loads of ripples of thankfulness and smiles are delightful 🙂 Take a peek, please.
So, when are you inviting us over to your neighbourhood?
On Thursday’s, I share pictures about ‘Echos of my Neighbourhood.
I would like to invite you to participate. The challenge is quite simple and you can find out more about it through this link.
Night Teddy
The ladies are in their boudoir applying henna and beautifying themselves 😉
Slippers, slippers
Robes
Of course there’s always food
A funky drink on dry, smoking ice
The kids get to play, of course at a cost. Nothing is free!
Chair massage en masse
Colourful vests
Sugar cane and cane juice
I nice Majlis sitting area for men who wait on their ladies to finish titivating themselves with henna.
Hand made dolls
Handcrafted bags
Night workers. If you check the time on the wall clock it’s almost midnight
I met the Dark Knight and he flapped his cape and flew away 🙂
On the street
People are milling about well past midnight
Sales still go on
The bus runs late into the night then the taxis take over
Do you want some tender care? 😉
This week, I bring you some bits of night life in my neighbourhood.
I don’t exaggerate when I tell you that this city is sleepless and as the weather heats up more and more, night business grows longer into the night and runs quite efficiently. The entire place glows with light therefore belies the true sense of the lateness.
I went to a Ramadan night market exhibition and up till 1 am, people were trooping in and out of the venue.
For a Middle Eastern city, it’s quite safe and people are comfortable to mill around that late.
On Thursday’s, I share pictures about ‘Echos of my Neighbourhood.
I would like to invite you to participate. The challenge is quite simple.
Every Thursday, share a photo of bits and pieces of wherever you are at any point in time. It could be a house, backgrounds of your neighbourhood, activities and so forth and you can tag it Echos of my Neighbourhood, add my link to your post so that I will get the ping from your post.
Every other Thursday, I will publish a post with the links of all those who participated the previous week.
This is just a fun way of getting to see more of the World around us through your eyes since we cannot all be at those places, we could, at least, see them through you.
Blooming flames
More flames
Resting under the flames of the forest
Charging phone at the free bus-stop charging point.
Purchasing tickets
I want that trolley of coconuts, but I only bought two 🙂
I had no idea Kenny Rogers had a roastery. I thought he only played country music. Out of curiosity, I stepped in…no country music was played.
Walkabout Union train station.
The lady in the remarkable outfit caught my eye
Random photo through the train window
Mall of the Emirates station. People lie under the Palms to relax
Tourists chilling under the stations overpass.
Took a moment to chill at this nice post. They have good sandwich.
I saw Montreal..oh well the hotel at least.
A white blinged up Stallion but I see no Sir Galahad 🙂
I didn’t see the owner. Would have loved to know what he sells, but since it’s Ramadan fasting time so no open sales of food items.
I’ve seen the large and interesting vending machine doting the cityscape. You can practically make your grocery purchases from it.
It’s all good that the trees and plants are blooming at this time of the year. The flame of the forest’s orange blooms are vibrant and offers people a colourful cool spot to take cover from the Sun that’s literally baking hot.
During the weekend’s, I always find a couple of hours when I disengage from family affairs and take that time to meander a bit about town and just be by myself.
All the photos in this series were taken last week Saturday. I traipsed or rather, took the bus, train and taxi to different parts of town and most weekends, tourists flood the city in droves.
We e-zoomed around various neighbourhoods on our laptops, pads, phones, and got a peek into what lovely folks are doing.
Like Mercury Colliding: Receiving natures serendipitous gift on your birthday can be such a delightful blessing. Kat makes me want to grow some Magnolia’s.
Jazzy Tower: Beautiful moments in life captured with a great sense of satisfaction.
Don’t horde the beauty of the life around you, just for yourself. Do share with us
Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
She is amazing at describing love and life in her poems. She creates such beautiful images with her words. Truly, she is a talented writer and I’m so excited to have her poetry book and to continue reading through it.
“Don’t let people pull you into their storm. Pull them into your peace.” Kimberley Jones
The ladies in the photograph hold their fingers up in the sign of peace.
Peace! We all crave it. We all cherish it. Yet it seems that in today’s political climate, peace is far from what a whole lot of people are currently experiencing.
May we have peace.
Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
On Thursday’s, I share pictures about ‘Echos of my Neighbourhood.
I would like to invite you to participate. The challenge is quite simple.
Every Thursday, share a photo of bits and pieces of wherever you are at any point in time. It could be a house, backgrounds of your neighbourhood, activities and so forth and you can tag it Echos of my Neighbourhood, add my link to your post so that I will get the ping from your post.
Every other Thursday, I will publish a post with the links of all those who participated the previous week.
This is just a fun way of getting to see more of the World around us through your eyes since we cannot all be at those places, we could, at least, see them through you.
We found time during the weekend to go to the Miracle Garden where I took tons of photos. Just sharing a bit of some of them with you and will share a bit more another time.
It’s a lovely place to spend a day. Always teeming with tourists and families especially during the weekend.
There are blooming petals everywhere and the mingled floral essence of these flowers hangs delicately in the air as you have an ice-lolly and traipse around leisurely or enjoy relaxing in one of the sit-outs or swings to be found around the perimeters.
I totally curbed my zeal in going photo bombing with today’s photo 101 theme ‘Architecture and Monochrome’ in a city that is an architectural delight.
Buildings sprout like mushroom in this place and each with it’s loveliness in intricacy or even simplicity.
The sprinkling weather of today, curbed my clicky fingers delight, so, I have a mix of new and old.
Some were tweaked in black and white for comparison and in as much as I like both, I think I will naturally gravitate to the bright colours like a happy butterfly 🙂
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![Peace[1]](https://acookingpotandtwistedtales.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/peace1.jpg)
a cooking pot and twisted tales 