FEELING IN AFRICA

"sweet" pictures are here

Pookie presents her new sister, seven week old Rosie

On sunday I went to Brussels to the black district called " Matonge" where a street party took place this weekend. In this district almost all people are africans, coming mostly from the Congo or sometimes also from Senegal.

The congo was an ancient colony of Belgium and is independent since 1960. The Congo had been bought by the Belgian King Leopold II in 1908 and given as a gift to his country. That's why so many Congolese are living here for different reasons.

The street party takes place every year and is of course very colorful ! When I arrived I could smell the odor of strange, exotic food. There were so many stands each of them with another speciality !

A lot of african women were dressed in their home costumes, long very colorful dresses with a kind of high turbans on their heads. Drums and congolese songs made an enormous noise, especially the drums which went through your whole body.

People sold african jewlery, shirts, statues and masks in many stands. The streets were decorated with baloons, colored flags and everybody seemed to be in a very good mood. For the evening african danses were foreseen and other shows.

It was like going on holidays, I drove to Brussels and found myself suddenly in the middle of Africa ! Exept of the heat of course !

FRIDAY FEAST

Pookie has some decoration for the table !

Appetizer
How many pieces of jewelry do you wear most days?

Not most days but every day ! Turquoise rings on 2 of my left hand and two on my right hand the other fingers are occupied by my engagement and wedding ring and a small ring with saphires. My thumbs are free ! I also wear a a chain around my neck and turquoise bracelets on each arm. What stone do I like ??

Soup
What is your favorite instrumental song?

All songs played by Richard Cleyderman, but I honnestly prefer songs with songs !

Salad
Who has a last name that you like?

A vet's name the poor man inherited from his father the nice name of Poildevache, which means Cow hair ! I think it's a very appropriate name.

Main Course
Name a popular movie you’ve never seen.

All these pirate movies with Johnny Depp. My arm hairs are already standing up when I only think of him. You can conclude that I don't like him. Please feel free to insult me in your comments ! Spams and anonymous comments are welcome.

Dessert
Fill in the blank:

Nothing makes me angry like stupid people.

THURSDAY THIRTEEN

Pookie always keeps away from children !

13 reasons to keep away from children

1. It all started with an apple which Adam got from Eve and he ate it although it was not allowed

2.God's punishment was that Adam and Eve
should have children of their own.

3. you have persistently and lovingly tried to give your children some wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be hard on yourself.

4.If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you?

5.You spend the first two years of their life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.

6. Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.

7. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.

8. Children seldom misquote you. In fact,they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.

9. The main purpose of holding children's parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own.

10. You childproofed your homes, but they are still getting in.

11. Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home one day.

12. If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the Aspirin bottle : "take two aspirin" and "keep away from children" !

13. and in spite of all that we still have children !

We are not hardwear and softwear we are your parents !

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

GIVE YOUR GUNS BACK !

Has she to give her pistol back ? It's only a fake ... you never know with administrations !

The day I wait for my lost identity card statement at our local police station, an old white haired grandma came in with a big rifle and a gun. I thought that's my day it's just like a crime story where old ladies attack banks or kill people and here I was in a police station.

Fortunately I was wrong, the poor woman just followed the new law which indicates that everybody in possession of arms has to give them back before July 1st, or ask for a new permission to keep them. The old lady had inherited the arms from her late husband and she wanted to sell them instead of giving them back to just be destroyed.

That wasn't allowed the responsible person told her, she had to first ask a permission from the governor and when she had that she could sell them and the man who wished to buy them had also to ask permission. What a mess ! She also was informed that it would take about 2 months to get the permission for sale and another month for all the formulars to sell them.

I thought that during this period she would have enough time to do hold ups or play sniper. Then a man came in with a revolver (this police station became more and more cosy) and wanted to give it back. This too was not possible because for that he needed an appointment because they had too much to do ! (while I heard laughing and chatting behind a door !) He also couldn't do the appointment right away because it had to be done by phone !

The poor man then proposed to the young policemen to handle him over his phone so he would call now. The police youngster answered that he is not allowed to give the phone away ! The man started to get angry, then took his mobile out, called the respective number for appointments and I heard the phone ringing in the next office ! Finally he got an appointment for 3 days later and the funniest thing was, I could hear what he said and what the person behind the door said too. Administration I thought, instead of coming out and talk to the man !

Three other people arrived with arms in plastic bags but they had an appointment and had just to wait until somebody appeared. I have never seen so many arms in my whole life !

In Belgium from July 1st on, keeping arms whatsoever is illegal and if you don't have a permission renewable every year (to pay of course) you have to give them back. Even collectors with antique arms which don't shoot anymore have to do that too.

Now I wonder if the royal family is involved too, because I know that they are hunting in the Ardennes ! Has the King to give all his arms back or ask for permission ? And all the once which are in his collection which he inherited from the former Kings ?

All this paperwork is really too exaggerated. In the States arm laws are not severe enough or not existing and here you are not even allowed to keep a 2 or 300 year old weapon !

I wonder if I have to ask for permission for the water pistol I bought to shoot on my cats when they climb in the curtains ?

Hurrah ! I am a Rockin' Girl ! ! Linda from This and That has nominated me for this award. Now I have to oil my rusty bones and let my fingers dance Rock 'n Roll at least on the keyboard !

I should also find 5 other Rockin' girls, and as there are quite a few, I thought you better choose yourself if you consider that your fingers are still rocking on your keyboard too ! Please note that I just acted like a politician. Never a clear decision !

MANIC MONDAY - GRACE

MANIC MONDAY link



With this week's word I really have a lack of inspiration. I don't know anybody who has got days of grace, or felt in the king's bad grace lately. I even don't know anybody who says funny graces at table, in fact not even one who does it at all. No famous act of grace had been pronounced the last months (besides maybe for Paris Hilton). So the only thing which came into my mind were the gracious "restrooms" I had to use in Turkey, fortunately not everywhere because you can imagine that you couldn't do your business with grace on such a toilet !






Everywhere I went I saw these figurines in souvenir shops. Unfortunately I don't know the meaning of these gracious things. I sincerly doubt that it is a kind of advertising for XL condoms from a famous company. But anyway I hardly could imagine that they could grace my living room !

A NEW IDENTITY CARD

Pookie doesn't like to fill out paper stuff

Last week I got a letter from the council to inform me that I need a new identity card. I looked for my card and couldn't find it. I searched through my wallet and handbag, turned every thing around and took everything out, I made a FBI house checking (with warrant), no card. I tried to remember when I had used it last but of course it had been such a long time ago that I didn't remember at all.

This card is only valid for Belgium, to proof that you are still alive and not dead, although it had already happened that a person was declared dead, while she still enjoyed life. I need this card to open a bank account which hasn't happened in years or for a traffic control and I hadn' been involved lately in an accident or incident, so I really didn't know. It could only have happened when I changed money in Turkey and I probably left my identity card there as souvenir.

To get a new card you first have to go to the police and declare that you lost it to get an official statement. Then only you can go to the council office to get a new one. So I got first pictures made for the card smiled in the camera had it cut to a special passport size and then went first to the police to make my statement.

There was only one window open with a very young policeman who looked as if he were still wearing diapers. I told him my problem and was promptly asked when and where I lost my card. I found that rather comical and answered that if I knew where and how, I probably wouldn't be here but had picked up my card where I had lost it !

He looked at me with eyes like a veal and told me that he couldn't do it, but he had to ask a collegue and she would come as soon as she had time. I wondered a little about what that meant but sat down. After a (long) while a pregnant (up to the nose) woman showed up and asked my name, birthdate, and address and then disappeared again with my informations. I sat down again and waited.

After a while I asked myself if she hadn't gone to hospital to give birth but then she finally came back and still looked round. I signed two papers, took one and went over to the council office for identity cards. There for once it went very quick because I was the only foreigner this day asking for such a card.

I get a blue card (not a green) in old fashioned carton and not like the belgians one which looks like a credit card. The poor girl was still in possession of an electric typewriter with which she typed my card, stack the photo on, stamped it and it was done !

I only could see one computer for at least 6 (empty) desks. I have to say that our council house is very new and nice, but the office equipment looks more like antiques. Now I am in order for another 5 years.

My new card

The modern town hall