WHY DO WE YAWN ?

The official meaning of  a  yawn is a reflex consisting of the simultaneous inhalation of air and the stretching of the eardrums, followed by an exhalation of breath. I took this explanation out of Wikipedia, and tried to do what they say, I inhaled, tried to stretch my eardrums (which I didn't know how to do) and then exhaled. That worked. What didn't work was the yawning. I didn't yawn. Too complicated.

I usually yawn when I am bored and that is sometimes very difficult to withhold especially in a conference or if somebody explains something to you. I probably always had my mouth open at school, or at least very often.

I also yawn when I wake up but not when I am tired. Should be the other way around. When I was a young girl, I found it funny to yawn, because I had discovered that it is contagious. But in 1508, already,  Erasmus wrote, "One man's yawning makes another yawn"
 
One person yawns and suddenly the others follow, maybe not all, but still a lot. That's the same when you are in a shop and you stare at the ceiling, you can be sure that in a few minutes everybody will lift their heads and look at the ceiling too.

When my cats yawn, I have to yawn too !



Much more as when a human yawns.

We all have learned to put our hand over our mouth when we yawn. Often people forget this and you can see their plumbed or golden teeth or holes in their mouths. Sometimes the mouth is so wide open that one has the impression that he could see outside the other end.

Apparently yawning is healthy because you inhale a lot of oxygen, unless you are in a smoke filled  or in crowded room. 

Please try not to yawn !

Linking to Linda G. Hill SOCS-Yawn

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

Monday was a day for funerals ! It was dark and it rained the whole day. I think I become like my cats, they are contagious !



They lay around on all available places and sleep only interrupted by their hungry stomachs. I made a Television cure ordered T-shirts and cat food on Internet and was exhausted in the evening !

Next day it was better and at least I could do my shopping. We had nothing to eat anymore. That's the only thing which disturbes Mr. G. I can disappear the whole day, but I have to think of  supper ! For that he and his cat Arthur are exactly the same. Both routine beings, they are hungry at the same time, the only thing which differentiates them is the noise they make when they are hungry ! Arthur meows operas while Mr. G. sneaks around in the kitchen to check if the meal will be in time.

There were a lot of people this time in our aqua gym course, instead of 10 or 11 we were 14 ! The water raised and one who is real short had the water until her chin. We suggested her to do the gymnastic on stilts ! It was fun we are really a very nice group.

This time it was my turn to receive our Scrabble group. Again I went to my "Stonemanor" shop which only sells British products.



I bought pancakes, blueberry jam, clotted cream and Donuts filled with cream and blueberry. They ate like horses and loved it so much, that they when they left all went to the shop to buy these pancakes which nobody knews, as ours are very thin and big.

There was a general strike in Belgium and the whole country was paralyzed. No public transport, airports closed, post closed, the garbadge men didn't show up etc etc. Some shops were open but in front of supermarkets or malls there were strikers who hindered people to shop.  We didn't realize very much except that there was no airplane noise and no traffic jams so that was rather good. The strike was organized by all unions to protest against increasing prices and no salary increase and other things. They are right the country is badly managed. And we are again without government since a couple of month.




Brussels center

But outside Brussels, there was nothing but silence !

In our painting class there was nothing new, and I forgot to take pictures for our Facebook page. Some had started new paintings others finished, I was hanging in the middle I was not very much motivated. 

After painting we went for lunch in the Carrefour "Lunch garden". It was full ! We wondered why and then the penny dropped ! It was Valentine's day and lots of couples had lunch together. We didn't stay long because Nicole and I wanted to go to the hairdresser who is in the same building you don't need an appointment there and I only had to wait for 10 min.

Then I drove home to pick up my nearly 20 year old cat Kim, whose claws were too long as she doesn't walk very much and doesn't sharpen her claws anymore.



Although I brush her nearly every day, there were a whole bunch of hairs coming out of her fur. She seemed to be very happy and for once even did a little walk in the garden.

Now I am more confident that she will make another year ! 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

and

FMF - confident

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - BLACK IS BLACK

Surprised !


Until I was 18 I never had seen a black person ! I am sure that I have seen some when I was two or three, but my memories are a bit fuzzy. It must have been in 1946 when American soldiers arrived in the little town where my grandparents lived, near Frankfurt, this part of Germany was occupied by American soldiers.

Of course there were also black soldiers, but I didn't realize, I only remember the helmets, the ugly uniforms (maybe since then I am allergic to all uniforms) and the awful cracking noise which the tanks made, when the chains broke the surface of the street and left deep traces.

That there was something strange going on I sensed because my grandpa hold my hand so tight and pulled me close to him. I was intrigued by the noise and the strange behaviour of the people around me, but then the soldiers threw sweets into the crowd for the children. My grandpa held me even stronger because the children hurried to pick up the sweets. I was not interested in sweets but in what was going on. The rest I don't remember.

When I started business school in Brussels I was nearly 19. In my class was a black girl. I had never seen a black person life and so close. I tried to avoid to stare at her and was impressed when she turned her hands that they were pink. I don't know why, but she choose to sit besides me and smiled at me with her sparkling white teeth in her black face. I thought before she thinks that I am a bit stupid, I chose the truth and told her that I had never seen a black person in my life ! She bursted out in laughter and said "Then look at me as you wish" I laughed too and found the white in her black eyes very strange or maybe funny. From that day on we became friends and at one point I didn't even see anymore that she had another skin color as me.

I had told her that I had lived in Germany until I was 14 and there I had never seen a black woman or man. Of course Germany had no colony and under Hitler it was better to be white then black and even that wasn't a guarantee people had to be white, tall, blond and blue eyed. He never had looked in a mirror, because he was small, had brown hair and brown eyes.

Belgium had the Congo and therefore there were a lot of black people in Brussels My son had a few friends and still has and now children are all mixed in a class. Black, white, asiatic, it doesn't matter they grow up together which is a very good thing.

more participants here
and Image-in-ing

One liner Wednesday

RAINY WATERLOO

I wished I could show you some beautiful pictures from a nice historical place in Brussels or Waterloo, but alas it rains and rains as if the weather would get payed for. While in other countries or continents people are longing for water we are at the point that I have to check if I still have feet or already flippers !

This is the main street of Waterloo, which I had to take to return home.









Doesn't it look beautiful ? Certainly only for those who are depressed. I took the pictures out of my car, I didn't want to get my camera wet, fortunately no policeman saw me, it is certainly not allowed to photograph out of a car. You are not allowed to call your dearest either and soon we are not allowed to smoke in the car ! It doesn't bother me, because I don't smoke, but there are smokers who won't be very happy. On the other side my car is my car and I can do in it what I want, just like my home as long as I don't bother other people. Where is our freedom ?

But I digress ! I continue my way home







rain in my street



and rain in front of our house.




The only one who doesn't bother and comes home wet like a sponge is Arthur.

more participants here

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WEEKEND FEBRUARY 9

The poor people who work the whole week always have an awful weekend, with a lot of wind and rain. It is due to the generosity of the UK who sent it over to France and Belgium. Thank you very much.

The result was that I answered comments, filed photos took some pictures of sleeping (of course) cats and watched "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" of which I had recorded a few, as one Belgian channel broadcasted the series for two weeks.

Early evening Waterloo city had organized a one woman show for its seniors. Her name is "Bibot" and the title was "Bibot Posh" (Bibot Distinguée).



Usually I don't like one man shows (or in this case a woman) and was rather reluctant to watch the show, but as we were 5 I didn't want to make an exception on top I had thought it was a theatre play. So I was pleasantly surprised that the show was very funny ! It was not stupid at all and not political either, she made fun of daily life ! Organic sales, men, family, climate, it was too funny and we laughed and laughed.

The others had seen her already on TV she is a Belgian, but I had never seen or heard of her.



We ended the evening in "La Pomme" (The Apple) a Brasserie, Pub, where we had very good Spaghettis. The Restaurant was full and we were lucky that we found a table.

On Sunday I heard the rain beating against the shutters and the wind howled around the house. Nicole and I wanted to go to the market, but that was impossible the stands were probably not even there because of the strong wind.

So I spent the day looking for a massage cushion, and other things on Internet, and made plans to paint my dark brown furniture (English style) into white. I had seen pictures. I am so fed up of the now 50 year old furniture, but I don't want to spent a lot in new things, it will anyway end on the flea market because nobody wants it. Young people have other tastes. Anyway I had seen one cupboard which Nicole had painted in white and it looked terrific ! But for that I have to wait until the weather gets warmer and dry, to paint on the terrace ! or at least leaving the windows wide open.

I continued with Miss Fisher and thought how beautiful the dresses where  around 1930 and how emancipated this young woman was !



I think even today we could wear these dresses !

And then another day was over !