Articles from the author

With the continual building and development activity in Abu Dhabi, it is easy to forget the tremendous progress that has been made in the past four decades, or the wealth of history behind the modern facade.

As the month of August draws to a close, the population of Abu Dhabi swells once again with the returnees and those who are about to make it their home for the first time.

Because it was there," is the answer given by many people to the question, "Why would anyone do something like that?"

Start 'em young" goes the old adage, and starting young in Abu Dhabi is South African, Dale de Bruyn, aged eight.  Showing  great promise in his chosen sport of Motocross, Dale has recently had his first big win and looks set for greater things in the future.

It wasn't Abu Dhabi; it was Siam, pre-war Germany, Fifties America, revolutionary France... as show group Smackee enacted the musicals of Broadway and London's West End in a night of magical, melodious splendour.

Mirror, mirror on the wall ... starts the famous entreaty to the magic mirror in the children's fairy tale, Snow White.  It is also the name of an unusual exhibition being held in the Eclectic gallery in Abu Dhabi.

Audiences in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are in for a treat next week when the unusually named Smackee entertains them.

Out & About in Abu Dhabi: Read write

For those who are interested in art depicting the culture and styles of this region, a visit to Gutras of the Gulf, an exhibition of paintings by Amina Rizk El Haskouri, is a must.

"I am like a fish," says Pandit Amaradeva, the 'father of Sri Lankan music', with a disarming smile, "and the audience and the critics are the ocean, the water without whom the artiste, the musician cannot exist.

It is the 40th anniversary of the opening of the first post office in Abu Dhabi. So it is appropriate that a historic collection of the emirate's stamps be put on permanent display.

Have you recently moved house, changed your work hours or altered your social activities? Are your children changing school, taking exams or leaving home?