Looking back at October 2011

It has been a wonderfully busy month with so many friends and AWOL supporters - old and new - being in Luxor during October. It was great to see you all so do hurry back.

October Pictures Click on any picture below to see a larger image or CLICK HERE to take the tour.

One morning, just after we uploaded our last newsletter, we got up as usual but on entering the living room it looked like a scene from CSI. Our three dogs, Tufty, Marcy and Dobby were fine but Tufty sat there as proud as punch, with the body of an immature Egyptian cobra dangling from her mouth. Its head was on the floor but its entrails were splattered over the walls. There was a lot to clean up for such a small snake and for several days afterwards we were still finding drops of blood on the walls and furniture, that we missed in our initial and subsequent clean ups.

It was lovely for us to meet up with Di, Alan, Bill, Janet, Kath and others on the Nile boat "Misr" that they spent their two week vacation on. Di and Alan come to Luxor twice a year in both May and October and we really look forward to our regular get together's. On their second Sunday, Graham took them all off to Medinet Habu, the Ramesseum as well as Howard Carter's house before I met up with them all at Africa restaurant for lunch. It was a lovely day. Last year Jan was able to come with us as well but this year Jan arrived to stay with us, for two weeks, just a few days after they left which was a shame. Jan's immanent arrival is why we are putting our monthly update up early as she arrives on Monday for two weeks but the good news is that she is also back with us at Christmas this year, which we are also looking forward to. On our day off we are all going to have a day at Abydos as Jan has wanted to go back there for some while, without the pressure of time, that is forced on you when you go on a tour. Babette, our good friend from Namibia, has given us a list of photos that she would like us to take for her from both Abydos temple and the Ramses II temple, which is a short distance out into the desert from the back of the main temple. So we will do our best to get them all for her.

Graham's back is much improved and though still nowhere near as good as it should be, he did disappear off to the temple of Mut at Karnak one Saturday morning. He had only gone down into Luxor to go to the bank and the medical supplies shop for the AWOL bits that I needed but as the light was just perfect Mut called to him, as you can see in this month's pictures. He did eventually come back with everything that i needed though he only arrived home just minutes before I arrived back from my AWOL day.

We also decided to splash out and buy a new motorcycle. Our old one, that we bought for £300, is now well into it's 6th year but it has done incredibly well. With Graham's bad back balance is now a problem for him and with the opening of the AWOL Centre anytime now, we decided to change it to a three wheel motorcycle, which has a load carrying back as you can see in this month's pictures. Though it is ours, and obviously we paid for it, it will be very useful for both us and AWOL. Saudi, our cleaner, now has our old motorcycle and is very happy with it.

PLEASE NOTE: All mobile phone numbers in
Egypt have changed.

Please CLICK HERE for our new number.

If you are coming to Luxor and plan to meet up with us then do drop us an e-mail from the link below.

Pauline and Graham XX and our zoo xxxxxxx

Click Here to start our October photos tour.