Two days until we travel back to Australia for my brother's wedding. I'm so excited to get to see my family and friends.

Part of the deal of coming to Saudi with my husband's company is a great leave policy. Although I'm settling in much better than I had thought I would, we have been here nearly 7 weeks and I'm ready for a small break.

Life in the compound is busy. Life on the weekends is busy and yet at times I can feel the four walls closing around me. My husband drives to work each day and I tell him that's his freedom from the four walls of our place. 

I shouldn't complain too much as there are a number of activities in the compound. There is aerobics, Body Pump, yoga, spinning classes etc. So I've been going to those and trying to meet new people, which involves a lot of coffee and cake. I try to bear it as best I can. 

I haven't been in the compound bus for a few weeks as we seem to spend most of our weekends going to the Malls, Ikea or Saeco for something else we find we need! Really exciting purchases, like last weekend when we bought a valance for our monster super king bed.

A few mornings ago we woke up to some rain. The first since November. There was really only enough to wet the tiles outside (although they're actually inside tiles - but that's another story). Later that night there was another shower. The husband had gone out for tea and said it was like it was raining mud. Sure enough the next morning everything was covered in a layer of dust./mud. Its strange seeing bright yellow and orange petunias become grey. The next morning the gardeners were walking around the compound hosing everything down. Coming from water restrictions at home it amazes me how water is wasted here, particularly living in such an arid place.

I'm hoping to put some more photos up but one photograph I'm yet to take is of the signs outside restaurants. You see, here there are two sections of seating, the Single (male) section and the Family section. It seems most restaurants are two storey. The Single Section is down stairs and has a different entry to the Family Section which is upstairs. Men are allowed to go not the Family section if they are accompanied by a female. 

It's just one of the many differences between home and Saudi Arabia and I'm enjoying discovering them all...well, most of them.