Christmas comes but once a year and busy Father Christmas has a lot of ground to cover. Here he is enjoying a spot of R & R in a shopping complex in Muscat as Anil, the Magician of Muscat, performs for a crowd.

I had an enjoyable visit to the Oman Native Animal area at Bait al Baraka Palace with the Environment Society of Oman. The first time I had come face to face with a Hyena – he or she looking like a character from Lord of the Rings. They have a healthy herd of Arabian Oryx with each female producing offspring every year.