QUITE A SURPRISE

The last time I went to the movies, a young woman sat just in the row before me. I admired her beautiful hair which surrounded her head. I couldn't see much more in the dim light and her body was hidden by the chair.

When the forecasted programs for the next week had ended the movie started and I forgot the long hairs in front of me. They didn't disturb me because the woman was not very tall.




When the movie was over and we all got up I had four people before me in my row and I had to wait until they were gone. Suddenly I saw the beautiful hair in front of me ! I tried to estimate her age, as the hairs were almost white and took her for a thirty to fourty years old woman.



Then she turned around and looked over her shoulder ! It was not a young woman but a rather old one, but still with beautiful hairs. I tried not to leave my mouth open because I was more than surprised.

I thought of  the proverb they say in French : from the back a licée  (high school) and from the front a musee (museum) !




Linking to SOCS_- Four, for, fore

FRIDAY's FAV FIVE

Scrabble took place outside on Monday, it was warm and sunny after a rainy morning. Nicole was for two days at the sea and another girl replaced her, so we were four. Instead of cake we had ice cream with melon cubes and whipped cream, that was really very good and refreshing.

The temperature climbed to very unusual temperatures and even moving one finger was too much. On TV they said it was the hottest day since I don't know when, because last year we also had high temperatures, but maybe the heat damages the brain and people forget. For that a blog is very useful, because I just go one year back and read my weather comments.

So what I did was ..... nothing ! I sat motionless with a bottle of water in front of the TV and watched my little crime stories. One played in Austria where it snowed, which seemed unbelievable too me !



The cats prefered to lay lazily outside, Arthur the white in the sun, he got a sunburn on his ears and Rosie in the shade under the garden table.



I think my mailbox too could do my toast for lunch !


Unfortunately I have no chicken, I only had to hold the plate at the end of the chicken.


As for once the weatherman was right, I thought this will be left of me in a few weeks ! No funerals needed.

But as it is the next day it was cooler and Nicole had just escaped bad weather at the seaside and came back here into our slowly cooled down furnace ! Two "Hulk" like workers were there to install a second bathroom with only a  shower ! They really looked strong but were not green and despite the heat they worked very quickly and good. As Nicole has to stay home the first days to show where everything is, water connections, electricity etc I kept her company and explained again a little (at time) how to use her smartphone.

The heat came back and it was hard (at least for me) to paint something, I really had no inspiration. This time we didn't have lunch together because they all were busy. Myriam who has a swimming pool but not a big one had the honor of her grandsons visit with 15 (!!) friends who behaved like savages, hitting flower pots with a football, jumped all in the water (there was only half left) beer cans and bottles lay around, and holes burnt in the table cloth etc etc. The poor girl had said that we would go for the day to the sea so the grandson had invited his friends thinking that Grandma wasn't there, but she was ! Bad surprise and grandma was very very angry. She had allowed him to use the swimming pool but not with so many youngsters !


Didn't have a summer photo of the pool, it's only to show the size ! Imagine 15 youngsters of 18 years old in there !!

After the painting course she went home to see if they would dare to come back and I joined her to help her to throw them out. I thing I am quite good at that, she is too good and is not firm enough. But nobody showed up. These well educated young "men" are the victims of being their father's son, they get everything material except education and time !

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHEN YOU BETTER STAY IN BED

Sometimes when you think of all what happened to you during the day you think this was one of those days you had better stayed in bed.

My day started with my Yoga exercises, stretching my legs in the air, I touched the shelf on which at least 30 cats of all material are sitting, which all dropped over me.



Fortunately there were small so besides a shock I had no facial damage. I collected the cats, still sitting on my bed and put them in a corner until I finished my exercises.

I got out of my bed and barefoot I stepped into something liquid and strange, I looked down, one of my darling cats had just vomited besides my bed and of course I had to step in.

On one leg I hopped to the bathroom not to forget that I bumped into the chest standing by the door and had a nice blue spot in the evening. In the bathroom I washed my feet, went to the kitchen to pick up a cleaning rag and cleaned my bedroom. I still had not had my coffee. Meanwhile the cats meowed in concert they wanted breakfast ! Instead of keeping their meals in their stomachs they have to spit it out only to give me some work.



Finally the coffee was ready, the cats were fed and I sank in my sofa and put on the TV to watch the News. The screen remained black. Nothing to do. I called my neighbor, she had the same. I called our provider who told me that the whole net was out of work for at least two hours.

I thought I can watch the news in the evening anyway there are only dramas and I had enough for the day. Besides stumbling over cat Arthur and let my cup of coffee fall on the tiles where it broke into thousand pieces, I didn't find my phone, somebody rang to sell me a leather sofa which I didn't need  without listening I put the telephone down.

Of course I couldn't find the car keys when I wanted to do my shopping, I finally found them between my shoes on the shelf. Fortunately I had no accident and came back safely.

Now that plastic bags are not allowed anymore and replaced by paper bags, I took out the bag, it broke and 8 apples rolled through the kitchen.

At that moment I thought now you sit down and don't move anymore. I wanted to survive one of those days you better skip !


Linking to Linda Hills One Liner Wednesday

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

I want to be a cat and spend my days like that !




more participants here
and Image-in-ing

COUSCOUS AND KAFTANS IN WATERLOO

In our painting class we have a vintage girl who is Belgian but stems from Morocco. She and her husband and family live here in Waterloo too. We had been in a Moroccan restaurant together and then she invited us for a "real" home made Couscous !

The house is huge and reminded me the houses in London, 3 pieces following, but they had taken the walls off so it made one big room.

The first one she had decorated in Moroccan style although the sofas had the western height here we had our tea after the Couscous.

On the wall hang an very old framed page, a story of her family, and a beautiful frame with the a Koran page. It was all very cozy.

Her husband is religious and she is not. That works too. Exactly like in Christian families. He enjoys staying home and read and look TV or fumbles around in the yard. She is like I am, she likes to go out, to travel and to paint ! 



The Moroccan room with the tea glasses



The dining area



and a patio where we had our Champagne



Outside was a small garden with beautiful roses and on the table all Moroccan goodies. Her grandson was there with his Philippian girlfriend. He speaks French and Dutch as all Belgians should do, but don't !



I had taken out one of my Kaftans I wear in Egypt. Nicole hadn't found hers and Chantal had forgotten.





and wow ! here is the Couscous ! Simply delicious but what a work !! I got a Tupperwear for Mr. G. he was happy ! We chatted about Morocco and all the wrong things which are published in the press or what ignorant people think. Of course she and her husband have combined perfectly two cultures and I really take them as example. Open minded and funny.

What we didn't know was that a man is allowed to marry 4 woman not more. But he has to ask his first wife if she agrees to the marriage. If she says no, he can't marry another one. I mean officially. He has to entertain them, they are not allowed to work only with the husband's agreement. But as women are expensive, there are very few who have more then one wife and then it is also a question of social classes. Of course on the country side it is practical to have 4 women working in the fields but in a city, only sitting around and let the husband work is another story.

We joked a lot about the different customs and traditions.



Then we had coffee and cake, amazing that we still had some room in our stomachs !

Then she showed us her kaftans ! You can see how keen everybody was to choose one and wear for the tea ceremony.





Here we are wearing the kaftans. They all were absolutely beautiful



And for the first time since I was a child, I drank mint tea ! I had always hated the taste, but here I wanted to try. And was it good, it had a special taste and I even drank two glasses !!

We had a  wonderful afternoon, spending an afternoon in Morocco but being in Waterloo !

more participants here

AWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND JUNE 22

How do I get into this bag ? It smells so nicely another cat !



Linking to AWWW MONDAYS



WEEKEND

Since nearly a week our weathermen announce hot to very hot weather 35°/40°C (86/104). People start to panic because the majority has no airco, only in the malls and shops.

On Saturday we should have reached the 35° but only arrived to 24° which wasn't very hot. Anyway I stayed home and whispered or croaked to husband and cats. Fortunately Mr. G. had his Formula 1 and was in France virtually sticking on the screen. I sorted out my pictures and rested my voice. Fortunately nobody called ! I felt lousy and weak and dragged myself from computer chair to sofa and the other way around.

When I woke up this morning, the sun was shining and it was already warm at 8 am. I did like they do in Italy, I opened all windows and cooled the house  then I closed them all and let down the shutters. Now the whole house is dark only in the living I left a shutter open. Before the Air con time that was the only mean to keep the house cool.



Feeling better, I went to the cinema. It was the first time in my life that I went alone ! It had never happened before, but I wanted to see "Rocket Man" the early life of Elton John, and it was the last day ! The film started with an AA (Anonymous Alcoholics) session where he appeared in a devil like costume and ended when he stopped drinking and drugs. I shouldn't have compared it to the Freddy Mercury film Bohemian Rhapsody, because I was a bit disappointed.

I had seen Elton John twice in Brussels, in his wild and fancy period, where he played piano standing on one hand with legs up and playing with the other ! What a performance. The second time he was already a Sir and a brave family father Elton John concert 2010. He was extremely polite, stood up after each song and bowed in front of the public. He was dressed in a dark blue suit and wore a tie ! What a difference ! But his voice was even better I thought.



I took a few pictures from the screen, just as a memory of the movie.