Another rain day.

Monday:
Just before 8.p.m. they announced on the news that schools will be closed in the easter province and central parts of Saudi Arabia due to rain. Again, this announcement came after the kids went to sleep. I am about to go to sleep and I BETCHA they will be up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, at 5.30 am without prompting.

Today:
They were up at 5.26 am on the dot. The nanny told them it’s still the middle of the night and they  have to go back to bed (It’s still dark at that time) which worked only for the next hour but better than nothing.

It did rain a lot for about an hour. But it’s been drizzling all day. They probably could have gone to school but I get why they wouldn’t risk it. (people not used to driving on wet roads, risk of some roads being closed off because they are flooded, etc).

We had a really nice day today actually. S has started showing an interest in falconry (like father like son) and it’s about that time of year again (weather is cooling, falcons come out, outing to the deserts are weekly). So they spend the day outside, in the cold, in their sweats and hoodies, and a falcon each. A small S sized one (very tame and broken in) and one big Baba sized one (not so tame, not at all broken in).

They sat there and bonded with their birds. Of course J wanted to join in and it was so lovely to see S teach her what his father taught him (only minutes before). She always surprised me with her bravery. Where other kids would be nervous and second guessing their movements and actions she just goes for it.

After their arms got tired and their hunger levels rose we headed out to a restaurant for a late lunch for us the grownups and an early dinner for them. They behaved really well which was a relief because I didn’t have to listen to myself nag them all through dinner.

We treated them with chocolate eclairs which we regretted when they were still running around like hopped up rabbits 5 minutes before bedtime. But even that didn’t make the night a nightmare. After some, loud but not excessive, protests from J they were both asleep within 10 minutes.

I liked today… the kids looked like they dressed in the dark because we let them wear what they want. S especially, he was wearing jeans with a grey and blue long sleeved shirt, a green and grey lined sweatshirt, a red bandana tied around his forehead and finally orange crocs over thick white socks. Priceless.

So rain days are supposed to be boring. This rain day was lovely and cool and refreshing. My husbands voice in the background is calling up friends and family asking about the level of rain fall. Congratulating the ones who will wake up tomorrow to a suddenly, impossibly, magically transformed desert landscape with greens and purples and beautiful scents that the desert isn’t supposed to have.