DCWB at DTFF

Yesterday, the Doha Community Wind Band played its first concert of the season at Family Day at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival. It was the first time that the band has played in that venue. There is such a festive atmosphere around the festival, and Katara Cultural Village was full of flags, kites, lights, parasailers, and so many children.


Stages were set up all along the Village Corniche and various community groups and schools performed all afternoon and evening. Our little friend, Julie, performed with her Compass School choir. There were Bollywood dancers, and Qatari sword dance troups. Quite the afternoon.




Julie is the one in the front, on the left. I do yoga twice a week with her mother, Bridgett, and her father, Brad, is the director of our Teaching-Learning Center.



The band played a selection of movie music from Colonel Bogey March, to a John Williams medley, and a medley of music from Chicago. I think we sounded pretty good. The trumpet section was particularly good!



DCWB trumpet section.

Sweet Jasmine

I've had this Jasmine plant since Sept. 2008. After a traumatic start on our patio (I think the sun and heat in Sept. was just too much for a young plant) it has grown and prospered. But I despaired that it would ever blossom. Behold! Last fall it had one beautiful pink flower that smelled as sweet as a jasmine should.


Last weekend, when I was out back hanging out laundry, I noticed not one but four! buds on my jasmine vine. Later this week I spied another bud. So I have to share these pictures with you all.

Home Baking--Just Like Home!

For some reason, I have been doing a lot of baking this fall. It makes the place seem more like home, I suppose. Besides I have to take some home baking to work on Tuesdays for Donna's tea time! My oat scones get the best reviews.

Oat Scones

1 3/4 C flour
1/3 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 C butter
3/4 C oats
1/3 dried cranberries or chocolate chips
lemon or orange zest
2/3 C buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients, oats and zest. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs. Add cranberries or chocolate chips (Or both if you dare!) Add butter mild and stir until everything is moist. Pat into a rectangle or a circle and cut into pieces. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

I made a date loaf last weekend that was pretty good. Full of local dates and walnuts.

Date Nut Loaf

1/2 C chopped dates
1/2 C sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 C boiling water
1 1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg, fork beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 C walnuts
Combine first 4 ingredients . Stir and let stand until cool. Add flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Stir. Stir in egg, vanilla and walnuts. Turn into greased 7 3/4x33/4x21/8 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.
This recipe is from the Company's Coming Cooking for Two cookbook.

And of course Dave's famous Maritime Brown Bread, mixed up in the bread maker.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Doha

The Thanksgiving weekend in N.B.--Paul and Jenn and little Anna will be visiting with Dave. I think he probably has his pork roast in the oven as we speak! But think not that I have been left out of Thanksgiving just because I happen to be in Doha. CJ and Donna and Kathy B. invited everyone to a potluck dinner at the new apartment building Umm Bab, in West Bay. They cooked the turkey and everyone else brought the rest. My apple pie was a hit! The new apartments are quite luxurious, with lovely furnishings and finishes. Everyone is quite happy after their move from the Regency apartments. The meal was so good--just like home with mashed potatoes and gravy, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, and lots and lots of desserts.

CJ in the kitchen stirring gravy

The dessert table. It filled up more than this as the evening progressed.

Some of the gang in Donna's apartment across the hall from C. J. The party filled the two apartments.

Alice, Carolyn, Brooke and Eric in the hallway between the two apartments. Eric has been car pooling with me this semester. He puts the seat back as far as it will go but still has his knees up under his chin!

Tam and Brooke in C. J.'s living room looking out over the downtown lights of Doha.

Not much for left-overs! What a bunch of gorbies!