HOW DO THEY EAT ???

During the 10 days I stayed in Istanbul, twice there was a family from an Arabian country, I don't know which one, where the men and kids wore modern clothes, jeans, T-shirts and sneakers while the women were covered from top to toe in black, even their face, were visible and observed us. That's why I gave up my intention to play the paparazzi and didn't take a picture. But I noticed that she wore sneakers too and pink once !

As I am not curious at all, I kept a discrete eye on her just to see how she would eat !! That was a mistery to me. She went to the breakfast buffet which had everything for everybody's taste, choose eggs and cheese and other stuff and returned with the fully loaded plate to her table and the rest of the family who ate already with a good appetite.

It was exciting ! If I could have pulled out my eyes like a cameleon, it would have been more easier to see what she was doing. Would she take the food in her fingers, lift the veil and put it in her mouth, or maybe she would swallow a part of the veil with it ... or maybe there was a hole in the veil for food ?? But no, she pulled the veil down and we all could see her face, because I was not the only one who was intrigued how one would eat with a half covered face from nose to neck !

She ate and drank her coffee and smiled to her family, didn't look around anymore, and each time she got up and to the buffet she covered her face again. We had time to notice that she was quiet beautiful what pity, if she would have been ugly the veil would be understandable.

The mistery was solved to the satisfaction of all guests.




To use a mobile phone the veil is slightly lifted too !

I finally thought that it is very practical as an habit, you can wear whatever you want underneath from nothing to sexy underwear and you don't need to comb and wash your hair to go out, for shopping. Nobody would see my wrinkles and black suits me very well ! Maybe I would get cheaper prices were I have to haggle ?? or maybe not because these kind of clothing is not well seen in Turkey.



Me at a costume party in Egypt. (Before and after eating ! )

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

1. The week started with an appointment for a mammography, which I had taken beginning May. Usually it doesn't take that long but I was on holidays, so I only got a date beginning July. It's never very funny, I went there as always a little worried, but the result was perfect, I could enjoy the rest of the day which I did by buying a nice summer jacket on sales. Everybody needs some comfort.

2. I took the train to Brussels (only 20 min) because I wanted to take pictures of an event which takes place each year on the Grand Place and is called "Ommegang" a historic parade, part of the Brussels folklore with more than 1.400 actors, folk and historic groups, horses, puppet theater, giants, flags etc.



From the 1.400 actors I saw none, I could only do this video of the preparations, where the sound was tested ! I didn't see a single person in a historical costume. In the evening I saw on TV that I had mixed up the dates and places ! So it will be for next year !

3. I had lunch with a friend I hadn't seen for quiet a while and as nice as she was a few years ago, as boring she is now. Her main conversation was about her health problems especially the bowels; I think the whole restaurant is now informed. I had a very nice steak with chips and salad, it was so tender it almost melted in my mouth. But we also talked about the travels we had made in between.

4. I finished my painting for the Victor Hugo festival in Waterloo. We had to paint something representing Les Miserables (the miserable once) I choose Cosette, the little girl whom her mother had given to people to take care of her and who didn't get enough to eat.




I think she looks hungry enough. Now I will see if it will be choosen by the city for the exposition !

5. A wonderful surprise I got from the postmenlady, she brought me a parcel and what was in it there ? Clogs ! My virtual friend Mara from the Netherlands had sent them to me because I won the jackpot on the question "which special footwear is only used in the Netherlands". I answered "Clogs" ! And here they are !



Aren't they beautiful ? Just right for the winter ! They are warm and comfy and fit perfectly ! My cats Rosie and Arthur were not impressed at all when they saw them, they didn't even have a sniff. Mr. G. laughed his head off and waits for winter to admire my feet. Thank you so much Mara, on top the clogs arrived exactly for my birthday which is today !!



I had the front yard cleaned ! There were bushes which grew higher and higher just under our guest room window, as you can see on the picture above (left) Now it looks nice and clean. The gardener had put bark on the ground and I bought 3 flower pots. Now it's very easy to entertain and I don't have to have it cut twice a year. The bushes also darkened the room.

LOST

more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday


Apparently "Lost" is a TV series, which I have never seen, but I like the title because it fits on me.
I get lost all the time when I am walking or driving, but this is getting better with the help of my new Madame GPS who also has a pedestrian mode. Unfortunately she doesn't dispose of a function to find things !

I had to google first to know what the Series "Lost" was talking about and learned that "Lost is a drama series that follows the lives of various individuals and groups of people, most importantly the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean".

Of course I don't mean this kind of loss, because what I loose are not the guests in my house who would end on the hill of the Waterloo Lion, which could also be an idea for a new TV series, but I loose things !



Permanently I loose my glasses, my camera and my car keys ! It's hide and seek here the whole year long, there must be a ghost in our house who hides these things just to annoy me ! Mr. G. pretends that he is innocent and helps to find the lost things, grumbling that I should put my stuff always at the same place. I agree with him, the only thing is the place changes too.

What should I do ? wear the things attached to a chain around my neck ? but my glasses have to sit on my nose. The trouble also is, when I don't wear my glasses I don't see anything and can't find the lost keys or camera ! It's a real drama !

Only once a family member got lost, and that was cat Arthur !



He disappeared for 3 days and we already had lost all hope to find him again, when suddenly he showed up in our garage, not hungry, not thirsty, but with a shock. For 6 weeks he didn't put a paw outside and I guess he had been kidnapped by a child until the parents discovered and liberated him.

Honnestly I prefer to loose every item in our household but not one of my cats !

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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Turkish girls enjoying the cruise on the Bosphorus !

MY WORLD

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WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND ?

Helps you to remember what you have done on the weekend of July 2. You never know if you need an alibi ! If you participate please put the little logo on the top of your post and leave your link.

I had the excellent idea to make a little window shopping on a Saturday morning. I had completely forgotten that it was the first Saturday of "SALES" ! In Belgium "Sales" are only allowed twice a year, on 1st of July to get rid of the rest of the summer collection and on January 2nd to get rid of the winter left overs. Therefore twice a year lots of Belgians get crazy storm the shops, boutiques and stores in the hope of the best bargain.

When I saw the traffic I changed my mind and thought I will only buy some Chinese Food at the catering service of a restaurant which unfortunately is located in the Waterloo Shopping Galery. And then it happened to me what never had happened in the 36 years I live in Waterloo ... I didn't find a parking space ! And there are really more than enough usually. After turning around for 20 min without success, I tried another shop for my chinese food, it was the same, I turned around and waited for another half an hour, gave up, changed my mind, thought we would have Lasagne instead which Mr. G. had already bought early morning on the market.

As I was outside already I had another idea, I need a new windbreaker because my old one got dammaged (God knows why) in the washing machine.

There was a special Sport boutique in a little shopping mall with hundreds of parking spaces but not for me, each time somebody left there was immediately another car taking the space. After turning around for more than 30 min, I gave up and returned home. At least I had seen the windows and lots of full parkings. Mr. G. only shaked his head instead of comforting me !



I had the choice between this



or that.

After supper it was "Midsomer Murder"s time and together with my friend Dominique we watched only 3 murders but a "high" Inspector Barnaby who had eaten Canabis muffins presented by an old couple in their late 70th ! Please be careful if you eat muffins baked by Grandmas !

During the Sales period (whole July) the first Sunday the shops are open ! That's of course an event, because on Sundays everything is usually closed in Belgium. I tried my luck again to find a windbreaker. This time I found lots of parking spaces because I went early when the stores just had opened at 10.30 am, but of course they were not on sale and on top they didn't have the turquoise color I wanted. I left the sports store with a chic brand mark winter cap for grandson Toby, for 1 € ! I thought even if his head has not the right size at that time another baby can have it.



Fat up of "Sales" I returned home and prefered to stay watching "Miss Marple" and writing my posts.

WHERE I STAYED IN ISTANBUL

When you book a hotel, you can be very disappointed from what you saw on pictures or pleasantly surprised. We were both at our arrival. First we had imagined that it was much bigger than the reality, and I had never had a hotel in the center of such a huge city as Istanbul. My view was on the next building's flats, I probably had expected that there was a view on a huge green park, instead I watched the inhabitans living in their appartments, which was far more interesting than green grass and trees !

The entrance of the Lalleli Gönen Hotel.

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