Looking back at the last blog, it dwelt slightly heavily on the leaving and perhaps I should have ended it with the sentence “I am now really excited about the new life we will have in Qatar”.

That new life started today at 4.24pm local time when the Qatar Airways flight 018 touched down at Doha International Airport.

My work visa allowed me to pass through immigration quickly. J arrived on a visitors visa which will soon be exchanged for a residents permit.

For a few weeks we will still be living in the Movenpick hotel… three meals a day provided along with laundry. It is an artificial existence and one which I hope is not prolonged.

While I was back in the UK I received an email to say that I had been allocated a three bed Barwa appartment in the Al-Sadd district and the keys would be available for collection.

It will be completely unfurnished, not even white goods. So furnishing will be a trip to IKEA in Dubai… but that will be another story.