Jolly good show!

On this day I shall refrain from reminding anyone that I am Scottish. Together with the estimated hundred thousand subjects of Her Majesty who call the Emirates their home I am today content to be British.

I note with some satisfaction that the Queen's visit today and tomorrow is to Abu Dhabi... Dubai is not on the agenda.

It's a funny thing, nationality. Of my three-score-years-and-ten I have spent far less of them resident in the United Kingdom than in Germany. Does this, perhaps, explain why I am looking forward to tonight's event organized by the Goethe Institute... a casual get-together of German speakers at a cafe on the breakwater not far from the office. I shall drop my Dirham coin (again... 0.20 Euros) into the box on the (M.A.N.) bus to get to the venue on the Breakwater and... when I get there...  enjoy the feeling of being environmentally correct as I stroll among the gargantuan SUVs and luxury sports cars.

Although I must admit that the mini version of the Aston Martin... as seen below in the window of the wee shop owned by the Qataris... is very fetching.