This is a picture of the new Convention centre being built in Education city. It takes the Sidra tree for its inspiration which is the symbol of the Qatar Foundation and is designed by Arata Isozaki. The Sidra tree is also known at the lote tree (ziziphus spina-christi) and is mentioned in the Quran. It is a symbol of knowlege of the divine and also a symbol of life in the desert. Aparently there are stories of scholars and poets who used to sit under the shade of these trees to talk and write poetry. It was also a source of traditional medicines. It is actually an amazing sight to see as it is so huge and quite innovative construction. Yet another example of the different styles of building going on in Doha.

This weekend we didn't do much, and although the temperature didn't seem too bad we had been to a party the night before, held as a joint celebration for St. Jean Baptiste day and Canada day. It was really nice, held outside at the Intercontinental hotel. Lots of people from the company go there for the fitness facilities and they hold fitness classes, step aerobics etc. This time of year it is nice to take a class and then go and sit on a deckchair on their beach. This was the first time I had been there and may look into taking a class. It was a beautiful night and they had tons of little tasty things to nibble, all bought around by their attentive staff. However, the music was loud and it was the end of a work day for Derek, so we decided to walk around a bit to look at the pool area and the deckchairs looked so inviting under the palm trees, we just thought we would sit down for a bit. Well, I had been chatting away for a while, before I realized that there were no comments being returned and so he snoozed while I enjoyed the breezes looking up through the palm trees at the stars. You know you have turned into old fogies when you prefer sitting and looking at the stars instead of being at a party! Which brings me to Dates. Summer is the season for dates and these are the dates on the palm tree where I stand in the shade waiting for my bus. I noticed at the hotel, they have put netting around each individual clump of dates as I guess they can make a big mess.

We decided to check out the Wholesale markets on Friday. We went to the fruit and vegetable one and bought a few things and then drove around the animal one - lots of sheep, goats and camels for sale. At the back of the wholesale markets is the Omani market where we found the dates for sale. It is a small market and more authentic and old fashioned. You can buy plants for your garden here and big pots to put in your garden. There had been an article in the newpaper talking about the different varieties of dates and the prices you can expect to pay for them. Mupsri, Kanagi, Nagal, Sagai and Tamai are some of the types of dates they sell. All have to be tasted before purchase and not much bargaining goes on as most sell at the same prices.

Here are some of our purchases. They will keep for a while as they are only partially ready. They are ready when they are all brown and fairly soft. They are very sweet and fleshy, not at all like the dried up ones we get a home. They are utterly addictive so we will have to put them out of sight. The prices apparently get higher the closer to Ramadan you get. Dates are one of the traditional foods eaten first when the fast is broken each evening. There are quite a few palm trees with dates near the building, so think I will go on a photography trip during the week to get some shots as they are starting to ripen.