Riyadh Jail Part 2

It later transpired that the owner of the villa who was a well-known banker had sacked his accountant that morning for embezzling. Subsequently the embittered accountant trotted off to the Mutawa to grass up his former employer by informing them that he was having a party that night.

It was the norm back then for the Mutawa to perform a raid on a villa or a compound once every six months or so to remind us of our privileges and their customs. However, they had never performed an operation of this scale.

When the majority of us did not turn up for work the next morning hospital staff began to get suspicious. In total we were from 5 different countries, UK, Ireland, Canada, Egypt, and Lebanon.

Consequently, all the embassies got involved. We were held for 36 hours and our bloods were taken in the evening. The tea was drugged. I did not drink it as it was too sweet and those that did were out for the count for 12 hours.

The other prisoners were offering us their crackers that they had been saving.  They could not have been kinder or nicer.  Most were from the Philippines.

I will never forget that one of the girls could barely walk with two crutches.  She said that she was brought over from the Philippines to work as a maid. It transpired that she was to be the sex slave of the married man in the house.

When she refused, he suspended her from the ceiling light fitting and broke every bone in her body by beating her with a bat.  She was then jailed for allegedly stealing from the man who had assaulted her.

I believe our incarceration was reported on Canadian CNN as there were so many different nationalities involved. We were released the following afternoon and within 2 months received a letter of apology from the Saudi government. As our bloods were clear of alcohol. Needless to say, our contracts were not renewed and we could not leave quick enough.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

Riyadh Jail Part 1

In 1992 I signed a nursing contract to work in King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh in Intensive Care for 2 years. From the moment I got onto the plane I met fellow Irish nurses. I shared a house with two Irish girls also.

We had the life of Reilly. Even though alcohol was banned, everyone made their own. The supermarkets had an aisle devoted to red and white grape juice, kilos of sugar, industrial packs of yeast and ‘near beer’- alcohol free beer.

It didn’t take a genius to work out that the Saudi’s knew what we were doing but their other (silent) law was that what went on behind compound walls must stay behind compound walls. In other words, we needed to have respect for their culture and their religion which in my book was fair enough.

It generally bodes well not to flout the laws when you are a guest in another country. Myself and a few friends had planned to visit a friend of a friend’s villa.  It was risky as it was outside and not in a compound but the man was well connected and we had been there once before. We ate, drank, were merry and left relatively early enough as some of us were working the next morning.

What we were not prepared for was the ambush that was planned by the Mutawa (the religious Muslim police) across three different roads. Twelve of us went to jail that night. Six females to the female jail and six males to the male jail.

Part 2 tomorrow.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

Whoops Hypothermia Part 2

I got into the car and blasted on the heat. When I got home, I ran a really hot bath and stayed in it for 2 hours, constantly topping it up with hot water.  When I got out, I was still shivering.

Buzz and Finn are my two lovely dogs and I couldn’t remember Finn’s name.  I was calling him Fizz. I put on my electric blanket and crawled into bed.  Buzz and Finn needed to be let out for the loo.  When I got up my vision was blurred and I was dizzy.

Apparently the two things that you are not supposed to do with hypothermia are getting into hot water or use warming electrical appliances. Who knew?   I have never cared for anyone with hypothermia so was clueless.   It wasn’t until I could focus enough after 18 hours sleep the next day that I checked the symptoms and the treatment on my phone.

The final physical insult was in getting out of bed I needed to fart.  Then I wasn’t so sure that it was a fart.  It was touch and go, but the sheets were saved.  I could not eat for 2 days.  Lost 3kgs throughout the week, we hey.

And I still want to get back into the sea once this icy cold snap dispels.  As I like to say the sea is my frequensea.

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

 

 

Whoops Hypothermia Part 1

This day last week I got hypothermia from sea swimming. Doh. I am sure someone like Dave McSavage the brilliant Irish curmudgeon of a comedian would be delighted to hear as he has been publicly (and hilariously) vociferous in his distaste for Irish sea swimmers #therealdavemcsavage .

It wasn’t the fault of the sea. As it was as cold as it has been for the last few months. I didn’t even stay in all that long. But possibly long enough to make a woeful decision upon changing.  It was pure gobshitery on my part.

I had not had the pleasure of sitting with my friends at Low Rock, by the sea, in our director’s chairs for quite a while. I decided that the spiritual fulfillment of our chat was more important than being warm. One of the girls had taken a half day which made the prospect of a chat even more inviting. I was cold, but not freezing.

Error number one was that I forgot my thermal socks, so my toots were actually freezing.  I had 3 thermal layers on and my coat and I realize now that I could have possible done with another layer.

We sat for about 45 minutes and as I left, I was feeling very cold. The girls stayed on.  Another part of me, foolishly, didn’t want to seem like a Diva. I know stupid or what?  Am off to warm meself, just thinking of it gives me the shivers. Part 2 tomorrow.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

 

Cookie Monster precious stone

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/geologist-finds-cookie-monster-rock/#.YBxPYCjIvFJ.mailto

You may have detected from my tone yesterday re spinach being able to send emails that I was not all that enamored with the fact. I ruminated, cogitated and vegetated over the revelation but unfortunately, I have still drawn the same conclusion as before.  But I have to say that as far as weird and pointless news goes (and I must say I am full of it) this has completely and utterly made my day.

I am a huge Muppet fan and have referenced than more than a few times in my blogs over the last many months. From ‘Animal’ to ‘Kermit’ to ‘Grover ‘in the ‘Near, far’ video.   I am also a mega fan of gemstones. And have collected a great variety over the years. When I came across this today, I almost squealed with pure glee.  OK, I admit, it was a slow and very cold day. The Muppets, specifically the cookie monster in a gemstone?  Who could ever have thunk it?

https://youtu.be/I5e6ftNpGsU

https://youtu.be/GxCplsdCwxY

If someone had tried to carve a gemstone into the image of the cookie monster they may well have failed.  Leave it up to nature to make a perfect example.  I am off to have a few cookies to celebrate this wonderful discovery.

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

Spinach emails

I am officially beyond enthralled and fascinated. This is a dream come true. I can only begin to imagine that it is just as much of a revelation for spinach as it is for me. If spinach were to dream and this is not as unlikely as it sounds considering it is now on the brink of sending emails, I am pretty sure that spinach all over the world has been having hot dreams of sending emails.

The vegetable patch buzz must be off the scale.  Imagine how the carrots feel? More than a little subdued, I am sure. Although they do get a bit more action than most other veg, in that they are used on snowmen and are adored by bunny rabbits.

I believe spinach will be able to clarify in an email if it requires better nutrition in its soil or more light or more hydration. Perhaps it may relay its chagrin at being used in smoothies and on poached eggs.  It may refuse to grow if we fail to meet its demands.

Of all the things that scientists can be researching I am perhaps a little surprised at this. Maybe a full-scale investigation into what happened in Wuhan could have been commenced a year ago, even virtually?

Maybe not, it seems. What can we expect next I wonder?  Parrots using mobile phones to converse with aliens, who knows?

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

So Graham Norton

Graham is the King of cool by disarming everyone with his Irish charm and wit. I just adore him

I can remember when he first began the show. It was called ‘So Graham Norton’ and was first aired in 1998 by the BBC. He would often spend time in the audience asking various unsuspecting guests to relay funny stories.     More often than not they were quite ribald and blue. Just what I enjoy.

There is one in particular that I remember about a drunken man waking up in a field with a cream-colored shaggy dog. I cannot relay the rest of the details for fear of upsetting sensible souls. So, I shall leave the rest to your imagination.

Here are the best bits, excluding this story but it’s hilarious. Two hours of a giggleathon with Dustin Hoffman, Dolph Lundgren and Kate Beckinsale amongst the many amazing stars.

https://youtu.be/sm7UfmT7Tmg

 

OK, just a hint then? The man awoke in the field and looked down to see blonde hair around his nether regions. He was enjoying a particular sensation believing that this was a lady he had successfully had a liaison with the night before. However, following a few minutes of coming to from all the alcohol, he realized that it was in fact a dog and not a woman.

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

 

Saturday Night Live ‘What still works?’

 

https://youtu.be/9LqK8GiIMYw

This is an interesting, accurate and wry look at the USA today. So the government with QAnon representatives are raising scary questions, the stock market may well be broken, social media is forcing people to go underground via the dark web, and the vaccination program may well be deeply flawed.     But besides all of this I think that things are all pretty dickety boo……….

Kate McKinnon is a comedy genius and I am surprised that we do not see more of her. I always love to see female comedians smashing it.  Although she is at a level pegging with the hilarity of Melissa McCarthy.

So today I asked myself ‘What still works for me?’

 

  1. My kettle.
  2. My PC.
  3. My didgeridoo.
  4. My passport- although, it’s taking some time off.
  5. My nail file, although I did snag a nail earlier today with it. I realize it is very much a first world problem, but overall, I would say that it is working.
  6. My lamp- it gives me light which is imperative for a lamp.
  7. My shower – it gives me hot high-pressured water which is a true blessing. (And imperative for a shower)

 

These are my external things that work for me today. The internal is doing OK too. Although I was calling Finn, Fizz today which is a mash up of Buzz and Finn which did concern me for a moment or so. Although Finn didn’t seem to be too perturbed.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele