Well today I finally found my get up and go before it got up and left me in the dust. Last night I crashed around 8:30 - had a headache so opted to head to bed. Tried to call Aymn - he had asked me to call him around 10 to know if he was coming back - did try to call him before I crashed and got a message in Arabic - woke up around 11 and called again - same message - just after 1 a.m. I woke up yet again and called him - and actually got him. He had just turned his phone on - he has a new phone - ARGH - and he had forgotten the pin number or some such thing - so had to go to a cybernet and get online to find out what it was - now please can someone tell me why he spends so much money on a phone that he cannot even operate without getting online - he had been unable to use the phone for quite awhile - from at least 8 - 1 a.m. - I just do not get it. I found out about his purchase of the cell phone from my nephew Mahmoud - when I congratulated Aymn on it he wanted to know who told me - my response was, "Well it wasn't you." To which he responded, "I wanted to surprise you." Yeah right - he knows I was against his spending that kind of money on a cell phone - there is always money for his new toys and for toys for his kids - each of his kids have really nice cell phones - and at last count he had purchased 3 phones for Amel - while he has not purchased even one for me. The cell phone I have I had to purchase myself because he did not have the money to buy one for me - and it is like my car - no bells and whistles - does not have a camera, cannot download music on to it, no GPS locator in it - all it does is make phone calls and receive them - oh yes it does also receive and send messages. I still do not have dining room furniture - deal was when I bought the apartment he would pay for half the furniture - yeah right - then he changed it to he would buy the dining room suite - hmmmm - so far nothing. And of course I am not going to buy a dining room suite - last I heard he wanted to pick it out and pay for it - he knows what I like - no way - even Suzanne was aghast that he would pick out the furniture - that is the woman's job - to pick it out and then it is up to the man to pay for it. Just seems to me that things are very lopsided - there is always money for his family - his eldest son goes to private school, there is money to pay for private tutoring for the kids, he always buys the kids clothes and shoes, etc. when he is in Libya, he paid for the trip to Hajj, but yet there is never any money for things I would like. Must remember my mantra - cannot change him can just change how I react. But it is very galling that he never contributes one red piestra to my trips back to Canada - and he can afford to - but he does not see that that is his obligation. Only thing I get is money for groceries. Guess I should be thankful that at least I get that.

I manged to get out of bed around 7:00 - had been dozing on and off for a bit - had a shower, made my bed, hung up my clothes, started laundry, dust mopped the floors, had breakfast, did dishes - then washed the kitchen floor. I even washed the hooked rug that I have on the floor on my side of the bed - my grandmother made it for me a very long time ago - likely about 38 years ago. It is now hanging up on the line. Today is a great day for laundry - sunny with just enough of a breeze to dry things quickly. I was even a very good girl and I watered the garden. Last week I planted some seeds and it looks as if something is growing - hoping it is not weeds.

Friday I spent the day with the family at my mil's place. Unfortunately, Aymn's kids were in attendance and they were very resolute in their stand to ignore me. When they came in they did not acknowledge my presence. When I went to leave Mom and Mawada, Little Mohammed and Islam (Aymn's youngest) were in the bedroom, and I went to say good bye to mom and the kids. Islam was laying down on the bed - after I kissed Mom good bye and went to say good bye to the kids Islam rolled over so his back was to me - such a rude and ignorant child - but then all of Aymn's kids are the same - such a surprise - not - despite Aymn telling me time and time again that they do not hate me - yeah - tell me another one. Amal has done a good job on them. Such is life. I try really hard not to let it get to me - but sometimes it is really hard not to let them get under my skin.

Saturday saw Sharon and I at Fathalla - wanted to get a key cut for the car - but they wanted 9.5 LE for the key and then 9.5 LE to cut it - they are nuts - will ask Mahmoud to go out and get one cut for me - was told there is a shop in the neighbourhood - so will see if he can get another key cut for the car.

Yesterday was Club - AWA - had an enjoyable time - must admit taking the car is sometimes a drag because it is tough to find parking sometimes - last week was a breeze - this week took me about 20 minutes of driving around and around to find a spot - and then had the fun of parallel parking in a very small space - some guy finally took pity on me and directed me - took no time at all then. Really do need to bone up on parallel parking - not one of my strong suits - never had to do a lot of it.

Do not have a lot planned for this week - no idea when Aymn will be returning - he is waiting for a truck to come back with - he figures he will be heading out tonight - I am not holding my breath as I would pass out from lack of oxygen and then hit my head on the floor when I went down - sounds quite painful so I will just pass. His travel plans are very elastic - when he left 10 days ago he was only going to be gone for 3 or 4 days.

Well here it is Thursday - have not been doing a lot - yesterday saw Sharon and I hopping into a taxi to head downtown - not wanting to try to find parking with the car - to get my ticket to Canada - and wouldn't you know it there was plenty of parking by the travel agency. Then we decided to head to Ibrahamiah to check out the Chinese Bazaar - got there before it opened so checked out a few other shops - managed to spend time and money - of course - I actually found a 'bathing suit' that covers me appropriately - only drawback is that it is skin tight - but no matter what I wear when I get out of the water it is sticking to me - also managed to get a few scarves to go along with the new 'dresses' I have purchased - need to quit buying them - have lots - but they are so inexpensive and change the look of the outfit with minimal fuss and expense - and of course Sharon is not much help - she is just like Maurine - my cousin - egging me on to buy more - I bought quite a few things - it was a lot of fun - looking forward to going back with my mom when she is in town. So be warned - bring your shopping shoes - lol.

Today we went to Fathalla - I wanted to go and get a key cut - got home and realized I had not remembered to get the key - dang it - oh well - Suzanne tells me there is a place not far from here where I can get a key cut - want an extra key for the car. When I went to get the car - it was parked in a corner and well and truly boxed in - should have taken a video of the guy trying to get it out of the corner - they eventually moved it sideways by bouncing it and pulling/pushing it - but in the course of events they managed to bank up my front bumper - scraped the paint off and put a dent in the side panel - ARGH - oh well - such is life. Need to go and park the car - just left it on the street in front of the flat - but really do need to take it back to the parking area - hard to believe - but it is relatively 'safe' there - at least no one will rip off the Toyota symbol or anything like that - in shaa allah - fingers and eyes crossed as well.

Heard briefly from Aymn - he is finally in Tripoli - not sure when he will be heading back - but whatever happens, happens. I am no longer counting on his arrival when he says he will be back - after just about 4 years of marriage I have figured out that his eta is very elastic - in fact I think he has only made it back 'on time' 3 times in four years - and that is travelling on average twice a month - so.....

Tomorrow I am booked to spend some time with my family here - we will meet at my 'mom's' place and go from there - at least that is the plan for now - could change momentarily - one never really knows what is going on until it happens. The joys of living in this part of the world.

Today before I went out I stripped my bed and washed it and got it hung up on the line. Was a great day for drying clothes outside - a nice breeze - nice blue sky and lots of sun. The sea was beautiful - gorgeous colour - not really still as it was a bit breezy - but just awesome. Lots of local boys in the water and more playing on the beach.

All in all it has been a good couple of days. So no more to say - such an exciting life I lead - but at least I am still alive and kicking.

I would like to comment on something that was said on my last entry. My co-wife is certainly hoping against hope that I will pack up my bags and go from whence I came - but little does she know me - I can be very stubborn and pig headed - just ask my family. I am here for the long haul - after adjusting my attitude and my expectations I am quite enjoying being here - I love the country, the people are great - my 'family' - all right it is his family - but I consider them mine and they consider me a part of them - is fantastic - so I am set to stay for a very long time. She can do her best and I will still be here - she is just showing her own true colours and she will be judged accordingly. I have no malice towards the lady - or the kids - I am just glad that there is a great deal of distance between us - not geographically - but in every other way we are world's apart. Aymn has made our home his refuge - a place he can come for peace and tranquility - I admit he does not get it 100% of the time - but he does get it 95% of the time. After all I am a Gemini and a westerner - so no way is he going to have peace and quite 100% of the time.

It has been a fairly uneventful week - not a lot of action - although I am out and about a lot - even more so now that Aymn is not around - he left for Libya on Saturday. Even when it is not my day he comes over for the morning because everyone is at school or work and he cannot be on his own - such a strange phenomenon - but then of course he thinks I am crazy because I quite enjoy some time on my own - not that I want to be on my own all the time - but I do enjoy some me time - when I can do what I want when I want and not have to worry that anyone is going to make demands on me. Like if I do not want to cook I don't cook - love that one. And if I want to laze around in bed for an hour or so after I wake up - I can - this one is also a favourite. Last Friday was my day but Amal and the kids were upset so he spent the day with them - and I had a quiet day - actually Aymn was quite miffed when he left - he wanted to take the car to help a truck driver who had been pulled over and lost his license - not sure why - and I dug in my heels and said no - then he dug himself a really deep hole - telling me that he worried about my car more then I do - that he looks after my car better than I do - and that after driving with me he drives better than I do - like he thinks I am going to let him ever use my car after that - I felt kind of bad - because it really is not like me to be like that - but after he would not allow me to drive his car - and on top of that I have only had the car for a few weeks - and I want to be the one that gets the first ding or dent in it - then he can drive it - maybe - but as I said after the comments - I am not sure he will ever drive it again. Then he leaves me to go and do whatever with the driver - and phones me - we had made plans to head to Tanta on Friday - to look at a smelter of some sort or other - using the car - and he tells me that he has decided to go to Tanta on his own on Saturday via taxi - but he was not upset - YEAH RIGHT - and I have some prime real estate in Florida for sale. He came over Saturday morning - told me he was going to the bank - counted his money and left - went to the fish market to get fish for his mother - phoned me and asked if I wanted any - told him no thanks - so spent most of the day out and about - came back in time for lunch - I made tacos - he commented he had never had them before - he ate lots of them - so I guess they are acceptable - then we spent a bit of time together - when he told me that he was not upset only hurt - could someone please explain the difference - and then he packed his bags and took off. Not sure how long he will be gone as he is planning on going to Tripoli. Sunday saw Sharon and I out and about. We stopped at the telephone company and paid our respective phone bills - mine was 814.75 LE - quite high - had a lot of international calls - actually most of them were Aymn's - we need to go to the main phone company and get a print out so that Aymn can pay for all his calls - then we headed to Carrefour - I wanted mushrooms - and of course spent way more money than that - but such is life - then we headed to the 'garden centre' to get a few plants - a few of the plants I had purchased had died - so I was sent to replace them - and I bought a couple more - that I thought were cute - now I need to make the time to plant them. Was going to do it today - but did not feel like facing the sand storm that was going on around here - YUCK. So am hoping I can get them done tomorrow. Bought some soil at Carrefour and planted some seeds - second try - hope they grow this time - if not I am going to give up on growing things from seed. Today I actually got some of the seeds planted - lots of herbs and a variety of cherry tomato. Today I also tried a new recipe and it did not work out well - threw most of it out - such a waste - but there was no way I was going to eat it - if I am going to gain weight from eating treats I want to at least like them.

As I said not much going on in my boring little life.

Well here it is Tuesday - we had a very busy weekend. Friday night - actually early Saturday morning saw us - Aymn and I - catching a bus to take us to Taba. The Engineering Syndicate that Aymn belongs to had organized this trip. We left at 1:00 a.m. Saturday morning and arrived at Taba at 11:30 a.m. The picture to the right is a sample of the scenery as we approached Taba. Prior to this the scenery was miles and miles of desert - kind of reminded me of driving through Saskatchewan - miles and miles and miles of brown - and flat - really flat. So this 'mountain' range was very interesting to see - and the mountains were quite large - nothing compared to the Rockies - but still quite impressive - the colours are hard to see - but there was lots of red granite and some grey granite as well.

The second picture is a picture of a fort that is found in the area of Taba - it was built shortly after Islam started to spread - to protect the area from the 'infidels' that were determined to put the run on this new religion. We did not get to see the fort up close - as time was at a premium - next time I want to be able to take a boat out and see it - if that is possible - would be nice to see it.


Taba is a very famous or 'infamous' area in Egypt. The third picture shows the border between Egypt and Israel. The hotel we stayed at - the Taba Hilton - was a very large court case - going all the way to the World Court - as it had been built by Israel during the time they occupied this area and in 1976 when Egypt took the area back - Israel wanted to keep the hotel - but Egypt insisted that it be returned to Egypt's jurisdiction - so after much legal maneuvering it was returned to Egypt and the border is within easy walking distance of the hotel. People from Israel walk over to stay at the hotel.

The next picture is a picture of the actual hotel - which is also quite famous as it was involved in a bombing incident four or five years ago - makes one really confident to stay in this area - but we were very fortunate and it was a very quiet weekend. On the way to Taba we drove through the tunnel that goes under the Suez Canal - as we passed through it at night - was not really all that impressive - would be nice to be able to see what you are going under - but maybe next time. It was Easter weekend - quite busy - we had to wait for 4.5 hours to get checked into our rooms as people who had booked in and were scheduled to leave on Saturday - decided to spend another time - putting a real cat amongst the pigeons - meaning that we could not get into rooms that were supposed to be available but all of a sudden were not.

The next picture is a picture taken from our balcony - fantastic view - there were two pools - one for kids - along with a hot tub and one for the adults - no hot tub - just a bar - go figure.

The following picture is one of the scenery - there were beautiful garden areas - lots of nicodemus - so it was very fragrant. The beaches were wonderful - there is lots of coral reefs to dive and see and if you had the time and the money you could go scuba diving - lots of people were snorkelling - we just spent Saturday lounging on the beach. I dragged Aymn into the water and of course he complained bitterly that it was toooooo cold - would love to get him into Kootenay Lake in BC during the summer - now there is cold - I found the water to be refreshing when you first walked in - but I got used to it within a few minutes. I have included a picture of me in the water - as well as a picture of Aymn enjoying a hammock. It was a quiet weekend - most of the people gathered around the pools as it was deemed by the locals to be much to cold to enter the water - a few hardy souls spent a bit of time in the water. Sunday we spent a few hours by the water - I got wet - but Aymn passed on the opportunity - then we headed back to the hotel to pack and get ready to check out - we were to check out at 1:00 p.m. and then the bus would be ready by 2:00 p.m. The next pictures are just pictures around the area. Taba is a very interesting area - from the shore you can see four countries - you are standing in Egypt and a hop skip and a jump to the north is Israel - across the water are Jordan and Saudi Arabia. We could see the ships going into the port in Jordan - we could also see a cement plant in Saudi. All in all it was a good weekend - much too short - but long enough to know that I want to go back and spend more time. We arrived back in Alex around 1:00 a.m. - getting home around 1:30 a.m. Aymn's phone rang at 6:00 a.m. this morning and he headed out - he will be spending the next few days with his family - after all must not shortchange them in their time allotment - that is for me only - mmmm - do I sound a tad bit bitter - you betcha - but that is another story for another day. It is 9 p.m. and I am fading fast - managed to get the garden watered - got out to get a few fruits and veggies and did three loads of laundry. Aymn very kindly informed me 'that when I have time' the balcony needs cleaning - will be getting right on that one - not likely.

This recipe is for Cairogal - who asked for the recipe for Boiled Raisin Cookies:

2 cups raisins
1 cup water

1 cup soft butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 chopped nuts

Bring raisins and water to a boil in small saucepan. Boil 5 minutes. Cool.

Cream butter and both sugars together. Beat in eggs 1 at a time.

Stir remaining ingredients together and add to creamed mixture. Pour in raisins and juice. Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake in 350 F (180 C) oven for 12 - 15 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.

Today Sharon and I went to see Dream Girls - but it was no longer being shown in the theater that we went to - so we went to Charlotte's Web - really good movie - there were only three people in the theater - so it was nice - not noisy and roudy. Although I must admit - I was quite roudy - I do laugh quite loudly - used to embarrass Miles all the time - Sharon did not seem to mind - although maybe she was just being nice as I had the keys to the car - LOL. Got home and Aymn came over for a few hours - he misses me - I must admit I enjoy seeing him - but I feel badly that he comes over when his family is around - when he comes over in the morning after everyone has left for work or school I do not mind as much - must try to talk to him - but he does get offended quite easily - he takes it to mean that I do not want to see him - which is not the case - but I do not feel it is fair to his family for him to spend time with me when he should be with them. Although most of the time they are sleeping after lunch - but still - they are there - and I think he should be there - if they choose to spend their time sleeping - that is their choice.

I am going to go now and make some pastry - am planning on making a brocolli, mushroom quiche for breakfast tomorrow - got some really nice brocolli from a vendor outside of club on Monday - so need to eat it now. Last night I made up some of the salad dressing that I asked my mom to send to me - dill dressing - I get tired of oil and vinegar dressing all the time - do not mind it on a tomato and cucumber salad - but when you put lettuce in it I much prefer a creamy dressing - so made it up - called for buttermilk and mayo - I substituted yogurt for the buttermilk - made lots of it - 2 cups of yogurt and 2 cups of mayo - so now I need to make lots of salads and eat them. So will have salad as well - that is the norm here for breakfast, lunch and supper to have salads - Aymn likes to eat salad - and so do I. Must admit I do better when I am feeding someone else besides me.

So I best be off and get that pastry made before my get up and go deserts me once again.

TTFN.

YEAH - at last all the hoops have been jumped through - the car is now licensed and insured. Yesterday we went and got the license plate - was supposed to be a slam dunk - but thankfully Mohammed was with us - as a few more hoops had to be jumped through - ARGH. Then we had to wait for them to find a new (old) plate for me - then it was attached. We were then off to Toyota to turn in the temporary plates and to get the insurance. The fellow from the insurance company had us wait for over an hour - I was less than impressed - and then when he finally deigned to show up I was informed that I would have to come back today to get the paperwork - gotta love that good old fashioned Egyptian bureaucracy - one can hardly imagine that they built the pyramids - I am beginning more and more to subscribe to the alien theory. So today Sharon and I drove out to that end of town - and we hit Carrefour and Fathalla then went to the Toyota dealer and waited 30 minutes for the insurance guy to come - he was supposed to be there at 4 but showed up at 5 - very frustrating - but at last the car is insured - YES. You do not get a pink slip like in Canada - you get a letter - as 97% of the drivers do not have insurance - but I am glad that I do. Now I think - I hope - I PRAY - that I do not have to deal with Egyptian bureaucracy again for a very long time - although I guess I will have to when I go for my citizenship - maybe I won't bother- just keep extending my residency permit - I think that is easier.

Aymn returned from Libya yesterday - much to my surprise - although I had figured he was in Egypt as he was unavailable on either one of his phones - he managed to call Mohammed and find out what was going on - then his phone died - it needed to be charged. He has a 'new' phone - guess the old one was giving him grief - lucky Ahmed as it was Ahmed's phone - so he bought a second hand one in Libya - cost him 100 LD (Libyan Dinars) which is how much my phone cost me and it is coming up two years old and it works just fine - but it does not have any bells and whistles - just a phone - no camera, cannot download anything - but amazingly it works. Must admit it does tick me off the amount of money he spends on cell phones for his family and he has yet to buy me one phone - simple or fancy. I had to pay for my own phone and my lines both in Libya and here in Egypt and yet he has bought Amel at least 3 cell phones - but then I know where I fit into the scheme of things. Ah well - the joys of ....

Tomorrow we are planning (Sharon and I) on going to see Dream Girls - it is showing at San Stefano Mall - so we are going to go see it and get a few things at the grocery store that is there - actually I do not need anything - but I like prowling around Metro as they have a very large selection of western goodies. Great place not to go when you are feeling homesick.

Well that is all for today - I need to finish my emails and finish putting my groceries away. Such a thrilling life. LOL.

TTFN

Here it is Sunday and I still do not have my new plates or insurance on the car. When we went to the police station on Saturday it was to find out that the officer was not in - would not be in until today - ARGH. So that meant I could not get anything done. Went today to get the investigation report today and surprise surprise the officer was there and the report was ready - Suzanne came along with me - and the officer asked why I did not show up on Thursday - if he only knew. And of course today is a holiday so the license office is not open - so will go down tomorrow after my meeting and get it done - in shaa allah. Must admit I do not like driving around with no insurance - and I doubt I will be getting insurance tomorrow - just a feeling I have - but at least I will have the plates and I can look after the insurance on my own - I hope - that the person has enough English so we can muddle through it.

Today I got busy and baked - yep - just what I need - Sharon came over and I made brownies and boiled raisin oatmeal cookies. Also barbecued - had bought a couple of rib eye steaks - they were not really great - next time will go to the butcher down the street and buy some filet - same price as ground beef - does not matter what cut you want - it is all the same price 43LE per kg - which is about 8.60 CDN per kg - not bad. Must admit I do miss my gas barbecue - they have them here - at least I have seen some - but they are quite expensive - so will bide my time and see what we can figure out.

Sharon took the rest of her pets home with her tonight so I am on my own again - does seem kind of quiet - although I do not miss tripping over the cat - and the parrot got on my nerves a bit - she is ready to give the parrot back to me - he has been really bad since he got home. He has been shredding the newspaper in the bottom of his cage - something he never did while at my place.

Anyway - that is all the news for now.

TTFN

Well I have had another wonderful taste of Egyptian bureaucracy - what a run around to get a car - yesterday we went to the police - I need a statement from them that they have investigated me - no idea why - no investigators around - so today we went around 9 - told to come back at 1:00 - then off to the Toyota dealer. They have fellow there that 'registers' the cars - we had to go to the Traffic Centre - near the dealer - then make a deal with them that we could do the registration there instead of near where I live - ARGH - then they checked the VIN and chassis number against the sales receipt - then I had to purchase a fire extinguisher - yep - such a safety conscious society- one HAS to have a fire extinguisher in the car - but no car seats and seat belts are definitely an option - I have seen little kids - and I mean little - like 6 months old sitting in their daddy's lap as he is driving the car - and no one is wearing seatbelts - anyway - then we had to have the car inspected - fellow said that because I was covered there would be no inspection - there is actually no inspection if it is a new car - just an opportunity for the 'engineer' to earn some more baksheesh. Then we were off downtown to get the license plate for the car - because I am a foreigner we had to go somewhere else to get a plate - and of course because we did not have the police investigation report we could not get one - but things are all laid out for Saturday. Seems I will be getting an old beat up license plate - they only manufacture so many licenses for foreigners and when they leave the country the plates are recycled - wonderful. Then on the way back to the dealer to drop off our helper - a guy cut Aymn off - turned left in front of him - he was driving - I refuse to drive with Aymn in the car - and besides it was downtown durng the peak time - ARGH - then the driver called Aymn a donkey and Aymn was off and running - man he was really hot under the collar. The guy finally gave Aymn the slip - thank goodness or there would have been blood flowing - Aymn was bound and determined to teach this punk a lesson. A rather severe case of road rage - I just could not get over it - Aymn was just livid - of course if it had been me - a) I would not have understood what was being said and b) even if I did I would have just continued on my merry way. We missed the chance to got and get the investigation report - so on Saturday Mohammed (Aymn's buddy) will pick me up and take me around to get everything finalized. I will be getting insurance on the car - through Toyota it is a bit more expensive but I am not going to worry about it much - the going rate is 2.5% of the value of the car and Toyota charges 2.95% of the value of the car - no deductible though - and it is just easier - rather than running around downtown trying to find a better price. I think it will be about $60 CAD more expensive - the total cost for insurance on the vehicle for a year will be about $2,593 - which translates into about $520 CAD a year - not bad - in fact very, very reasonable. When I got my Corolla in 1990 the insurance for the year was $1,200 a year. Anyway I still think anyone who complains about the bureaucracy in Canada should come here and try to do anything - then it will be a real cake walk.

I still have in my possession Sharon's cat and turtle. I have included a shot of the cat and the turtle for your pleasure. Must get busy and get them back home, Sharon is missing the cat.

It has been a hectic week - last Thursday we went to a Mother's Day luncheon (Sharon and I) that was put on by a group we belong to - WIACA - we had a great time - they played music and I got up and danced - I could tell I was one of the youngsters in the group - because the music was before my time - but I got up and twisted anyhow - one of the Egyptian women commented that I could dance really well - LOL. I was the only one that was up there that was covered - little do they know that I am not Muslim - I am so bad. Then the leader - Suzy - donned her belly dancing outfit and performed for us - it was a hoot. Then this past Monday was AWA meeting - drove the car there - then Sharon and I took off for Carrefour - did a little touring - in other words got lost - but managed to find our way. I spent lots of money - bought two mattress pad covers and more towels - the towels I have I bought when I bought the house in Whitehorn - which was about 13 years ago - how time flies when you are having fun. Spent that evening and the next morning (Tuesday) doing laundry - washing all the new things - also washed the bedding and made up the bed. Then Tuesday Sharon and I took off and went to visit a friend from AWA - Suzanne - she had obtained a copy of 'The Secret' that Oprah has been raving about - so we went to watch it - very interesting - need to get a copy so I can watch it on a regular basis. Aymn got his knickers in a knot because I had made plans for Tuesday - as it was my day - so he did not even show up - so he spent three days with his family - he came over yesterday morning - and left for Libya this afternoon. So now I have a few days of peace and quiet - if I can just manage to stay home - LOL. Must admit that after being on the run for the better part of a week I am looking forward to some R&R time - need to catch up on my blog and a few other things.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the newest member of my small family - LOL. Bella was brought home on Sunday, March 25, 2007. Ta Da - my new car - YES - finally managed to get everything going at the same time. Intended to purchase a Toyota Yaris but ended up with a Toyota Avanza - a small van that seats seven, has a hatch back, and the last row of seats flips up to allow for lots of cargo space - very nice. She is champagne in colour - against Aymn's wishes - he does not think the contrast between interior and exterior is good enough - wanted me to go for white - I wanted red - but there were no red Avanza's to be found in Egypt - so it would have meant waiting for a month to six weeks - and I was not inclined to wait any longer. Bella is very much a plain jane - the only thing she has is air conditioning. No power windows, power locks, power mirrors, central air conditioning, cd player (does have a tape deck though), air bags, console between the front seats, but she does have a gas pedal, brakes and a clutch - yes she is a standard. Have been having fun getting out and about - causing a bit of friction with Aymn - he is not really happy

that I am so much more independent now - but he is going to have to adjust. He sold his car Sunday night - needed the money for his business - so .... I have found a place to park her - so she is not left on the streets. The 'car park' is a vacant lot 2 blocks from my flat - not covered - but at least she is off the streets and I am not worried that she will be dinged, dented or somehow damaged while she is 'resting'. She is the same size as a Corolla - not much bigger than the Yaris - but it is nice that she has seating for seven so that when I take the family somewhere - they can all be buckled in - a very foreign concept for them - but they will soon learn that this crazy canuck does not drive unless everyone has their seatbelt on. She was made in Indonesia - but I am not at all concerned - as she is still a Toyota and I am sure their standards are just as exacting no matter where she was assembled.

Today I went for my usual morning walk - against my will - if I had not had company I would have bailed - it was a miserable morning. Windy - walking was a challenge - and you dare not open your mouth or you would get a mouthful of sand - gag. And of course you got an eyeful no matter what. My 13 year old nephew opted to join me this morning - I think he regretted it. On the way back home it rained and hailed on us - there was thunder and lightning and a rainbow - so a real mish mash - just no nice weather. It has been really windy for the last couple of days - makes it tough for me to sleep - as the wind just howls through the place - just what this insomniac needs - another thing to keep me from sleeping. After I got home and warmed up a bit I did have a snooze - such decadence and I even managed to get a bit of sleep - missed a phone call - no idea who it was - not going to call back and find out either.

My downstairs neighbour came up - with the bowab's wife - to see Popeye - not sure what that was about - but you should have seen the bowab's wife when the cat showed up - she just about jumped out of her skin - she was also quite taken aback when I came to the door with Popeye on my shoulder - what a hoot. And of course like most kids he would not perform for them - shut the door and he started going a mile a minute - typical.

Not much else to report - Aymn is still in Libya - no idea when he will be returning - he was supposed to leave last night (Wednesday) now it is tonight (Thursday) - needless to say I am not holding my breath on that one - he is waiting for a truck to show up - he spends a lot of time doing that.

So 'til later - TTFN.

Well - as promised - a couple of days late - but hey - noone is perfect - here are some pics of the new kitchen. It is about 2.5 times bigger than the original one. In the pics where you can see the stove - the kitchen ended at that wall that goes behind it - so it was tiny to say the least. I am so glad to have a bigger kitchen - makes cooking so much more enjoyable - although maybe I should have left it tiny and cramped so I would not enjoy cooking and baking nearly as much. The fridge has three doors. The top - as usual - is the freezer - and the bottom door opens up the vegetable crisper - so you are not opening it up every tim you go into the fridge - kind of neat. I am planning on getting a freezer - all I have seen here are upright freezers - and they are kind of neat - no shelves - just drawers - so we will see how that goes. Am kind of anxious to get one soon as strawberries are in season and I would love to buy a whole wack of them and freeze them for in the summer - they are sooo expensive - 2.5 LE a kilo - about 50 cents CAD - oh hurt me - bought two kilos last night - got one kilo for 2 LE and the other for 2.5 LE - gotta keep up that dollar averaging. Came home and washed one of the kilos and then had some with cream - mmmmmm - then had a second helping this morning before I went for my walk. Must admit walking is a tad bit painful at the moment as I have developed blisters on the back of my heels - not sure why as they are not new shoes - and had worn them walking a few days before the blisters developed - very frustrating and makes the first 15 minutes quite uncomfortable. Today I stopped at my SIL's place and picked up Mawada and walked with her to school - Mahmood asked me if I could go walking at 6 so he could come with me - I said sure - no problem - am awake then anyway - having a tough time with getting sleep these nights. Last night was even worse than usual - was very windy - so it was very noisey - windows rattling - YUCK. When I made it outside it was kind of cool - and of course very sandy - so did not go for a prolonged walk - but long enough to get my heart rate going. Am faced with dusting - although not sure I should bother - as it is windy - and nothing here is sealed properly - will just end up with another fine layer of sand - not dust - but sand to work at tomorrow. Actually got the dishes done and the kitchen tidied - finished cleaning up the master bedroom - keep putting off the 'dusting' - because it seems to be such a futile task - but alas cannot leave it nearly as long as I managed to in Canada - if I did I think I would have my own personal desert in the apartment. Because I do not have carpets I sweep every other day - and the amount of sand I collect always surprises me - especially when Aymn is not around - of course when he is around there seems to be twice as much sand - he has trouble with the concept of taking your outdoor shoes off when you come in - and then switching sandals when you go out on the balcony - so you can leave the dirt outside instead of bringing it in - he claims it is because there are no carpets - and that is the way it is going to stay until the windows are fixed so they are better sealed - so when it rains I do not have floods.

Yesterday I made my way to my SIL Gehan's place in Smoha - took a taxi - had my niece Yasmeen with me - she had been at Mom's place - and she opted to come back home with me - preferred to take a taxi rather than microbus and then the tram. Had a good evening with the family. Left around 9 - came home and had plans of going straight to bed - but wasted a bit of time watching some television - made it to bed around 11:15 or so.

Well today was a relatively quiet day. Got up around 8 and puttsed around - had great plans - but somewhere along the line my get up and go got up and left me in the dust. Spent some time outside reading and enjoying the sun - was quite windy - but the sun felt good. Then Mahmood called - wanted to know if he could come and play his game online - said sure - then he informed me that Mohammed and Mawada were also coming- Mohammed to ride his bike on the balcony and Mawada to keep me company - truth of the matter is they came to watch cartoons as they no longer have TV - which is fine. I actually got busy and hung up my pictures - got my rogues gallery up at least - dragged out the drill that I had purchased and drilled a few holes - not a pretty job - but the pictures are hung - which is a step in making this place really feel like home. Have lots more to do - but ran out of inspiration. Am debating putting up my pics of 'my' prophet and counsellors, as well as some pics of the saviour - talked with my g/f who is a Canadian married to an Egyptian - both of them are Muslim - wanted her two bits - she suggested that I not put up my Christian things as this might cause Aymn to feel even more as if this place is mine alone - but then we talked some more and I said that I would not mind putting up some verses from the Quran - they are not allowed to put up pics of the Prophet Mohammed - so now I need to talk to Suzanne and see if we can find somewhere where I can find some pictures and/or verses to put up so we can have a mixed religious wall. I do miss having my pics up - so hopefully we can figure something out and have it all done before Aymn gets back home - I have no idea how long he will be gone - he had said 2-3 days - but I am not holding my breath on that one - have learned that 98% of the time 2-3 days ends up being a week or more. Have included a couple of shots of the rogues gallery. For those of you who spent time in my home in Calgary it will look very familiar. I even got busy and put up my maps of Canada and The World - may end up moving them - may put the other pics there and move the maps to the hallway to the bathroom and the master bedroom. Who knows - I am just hoping that the pics stay up - in Canada I used push pins to hold them up - but push pins just do not do the trick when workng with concrete walls - so for the pics that do not need 'nails' I have used sticky tack - hope it holds up - I tried it in Libya - and they held - until it got to 45C - then everything just fell apart - this place does not get that hot - thank goodness.



I know, I know - I need to get busy and get pics taken of the flat and post them - soon - I promise I will endeavour to get my act together and get some pics taken and posted. Maybe do a room a day until they are all done. But that means I have to get busy and get the rooms all cleaned up and ready for inspection - such a drag - LOL. The spare bedroom was fine until I started working on pictures - now the bed is a mess - but should not take all that long to get it organized - she says so blithely.

I have enjoyed my two day break from walking - my legs have just about recovered - so tomorrow I will be back at it and they will be protesting - oh well such is life.

FINALLY - yesterday Suzanne and I managed to work through all the bureaucracy that is required to switch over the water and the electric - and now both are in my name. Anyone who thinks things are tough to do in Canada - just come here and see what has to be done - what a hassle - I can certainly understand why people do not bother changing things over until they want to sell the place. The water changeover was a real walk in the park - the electric - what hassle - we were at both places twice - but the electric you had to fill out the form - then come home and wait for someone to come and check to see the meter - then go back - and hand in the application with a copy of the sales contract of the apartment as well as a copy of my passport and other things - then wait - then we had to go to another floor and pay 42.50 LE for a bill that is coming out next month for garbage pick up - then to another floor to pay 30 LE for the old metre - then another window - where we are given another form - then we have to somewhere else for them to look at it - make six copies of the form we were given as well as another copy of the sales contract and purchase seven stamps - then back to stand and stick the stamps on the appropriate papers - and then the guy hands back the first copy of the sales contract - ARGH - then pay 184.75 for the new contract and away we went - took only 3 hours - I am so grateful to Suzanne for her assistance in this matter and all the other things she does for me. Aymn got his nose out of joint because I did not ask him for his help - and he did not want to see me in trouble - having to take microbusses and that sort of thing - but when I asked him about making the change he said it was no big deal - not important - at least now I can sell the place without any problems - maybe that is why he was not keen on my making the change - I don't know - but it is done and Suzanne and the rest of the family are happy as is Margaret's hubby Mustafa - he was also pushing to get the change in contract made.

I had been hoping to have a nice quiet day at home today - as I have been out and running for the last three days - but I had said I would go visit Gehan and family - so I will be heading to her place in a few hours. Will be nice when I get a car and do not have to rely on public transportation or taxis - getting a taxi on Friday in the evening is a real disaster - and of course not many of the drivers want to go all the way to Miami - so it sometimes takes 30 minutes to find a taxi.

So next on the list of fun and games things to do is to get the car - joy oh bliss. Going to be another challenge I am sure.

I managed to walk for three days last week - will be taking Friday and Saturday off - back to it on Sunday. I even managed to drag Aymn along with me yesterday - he was not thrilled - but he keeps commenting on gaining weight and wanting to walk more - so ...... after the walk he crawled back into bed and slept for an hour or so. Then I took off to work on the electric contract and he went out and bought some liver to make sandwiches with as he was planning on heading out to Libya. He had dropped his passport off on Wednesday to be renewed - I had washed it and the stamp signifying he had fulfilled his military service was washed out - and much to his chagrin he did not get it back on the same day - but he got it yesterday and he was off to Libya by 1:00 p.m. I am assuming he has arrived safely - have not heard anything from him. So now I am on my own for a few days - YEAH.

Today is looking like a nice day - was wondering when I got up - was cloudy - but the sun has started shining and it looks like it will be a great day. I managed to get some laundry hung up - washed it yesterday before I headed out - but did not get it hung up - so it is hanging up now. Should be a domestic diva and sweep floors and do dishes - may just do that - so at least tomorrow I do not have anything to do.

That is the extent of the excitement in my life.

TADA - Well today I finally got my act together and got out and did some walking. Just hoping I can keep it up until such time as I can get time and money together and get myself a treadmill so all I have to do is roll out of bed throw on my shorts and t-shirt and go instead of having to get all dressed up - must admit that is a real drag. And I actually even did some stretching after I got home.

Aymn showed up - he was supposed to call me - he wanted me to go with him while he went to the Toyota service centre to get some work done on his car - but he had to get up early - translation (I am speculating as I did not ask) he had to drive his eldest son to school - really is amazing how unable these kids are to get out there and get to school on their own hook - and if they get up late - no way can they find their way to school. Poor Miles had such a mean mother - did him so much harm. But anyway - I was not able to join Aymn as I had made arrangements with my SIL - Suzanne - to go out with her and start working on getting the water and electric transferred into my name - apparently until you have this done - the apartment is not considered mine - even though I do have a contract - not worth the paper it is written on - well we went to the office and were told we had to have the original owner along with us - so Suzanne found out where the manager hangs his hat - and went and talked to him - so he agreed to do the switch with just the contract and my passport - but someone had to come to the flat to ensure that I am actually living in it - gotta love it - man sure is a challenge to deal with the beauracracy in this country - I am very much spoiled. So we headed back in a mini bus - gotta love them - really will be glad when I have my own wheels and can just come and go instead of crawling into a mini bus - of course we could have taken a taxi - but I try not to do that when I am with Suzanne as she feels she needs to contribute. On the way back we got a call from Suzanne's hubby - Sadeek - I had an appointment with their dentist at noon and he had received a call asking us to come now - so we were very grateful that the fellow from the water company showed up shortly - he verified that I do in fact live here - I gave him a little baksheesh - and in shaa allah everything will be ready for us tomorrow - must admit it does kind of amuse me when they try to figure out my name for 'legal' purposes - the guy has my passport in his hot little hand and he is asking Suzanne what my name is.

Then we were off to the dentist - she is the head dentist at a hospital not far from here - a Christian hospital - not sure what that really means - but - well it was an interesting experience - makes me think about waiting and just coming back to Canada to get my dental work done - have never had the privilege of the dentist poking to find out what is wrong - just about hit the ceiling - she poked at the sore spot twice - went for a third go round and I just about bit her - at which time she decided maybe she should get an x-ray - well talk about realizing that I am in a developing country - the x-ray machine was taped together - it took the x-ray tech two tries to get a film of my tooth - not sure if it will be good enough - and I have to hold the film in my mouth - no fancy x-ray films with wings so you just chomp down on it - oh well - gotta love the new experiences.

I think Aymn is quite chuffed at the moment - when he came he was not his normal 'cheery' self - and I commented that he was not a happy camper and he agreed. Yesterday he went to visit Mom - and he was back in less than 20 minutes. He told me she raked him over the coals because he does not visit her every day - hmmm - then I talked with Suzanne and got the scoop - she was after him for her money - so things are tightening up for him. He also has to find 5,000 LE to pay for his son's private school - after transferring him from the Egyptian school to the new Libyan school that opened up (and that is so very ironic) - because the curriculum is 'easier' and so with less work he can still attain a position at a university - but he is now hanging out with his cousin Mohammed who has no interest in school whatsoever and his marks are slipping. The irony of this is that Aymn and Amal decided six years ago that Amal and the kids would come back here from Libya so the kids could get a better education and now they are sending the eldest to Libyan school because it is easier - DUH.

Sunday saw us at a garden centre - I could have just lived there - lots of 'western' flowers - pansies, silva (?), nasturtiums, petunias, snap dragons - we brought home 500 LE of new flowers - a lot of pansies - which I ended up paying for - which did not really sit very well with me as I had told Aymn that I was not going to spend another pence on the garden - but there you go - I got rooked again - and now he is saying that we need more flowers because the garden is not completely covered - but I am not saying anything. If he wants more plants he is going to have to pay for them - after all he has 5,000 for his kids schooling - I think he should pay for the plants - but then he does not see it that way.

Guess that is about all the excitement in my little soap bubble at the moment.

Well today has been another quiet day. Weather was not very great - rained early in the morning and then was cloudy and windy most of the day with a few sunny breaks - not conducive to working in the garden. Actually the last four days - since Aymn left - have not been great for working out doors and I promised him I would get some work done - thought he would be gone for at least a week - but should have known better - he is on his way back - crossed the border a couple of hours ago - now I will never hear the end of my not getting the yard work done - oh well - such is life in the fast lane. Would have done it - but the weather has been really quite windy and chilly - did manage to get the garden watered - ended up getting quite wet myself because it was so windy - and even got Popeye a bit of a shower - not sure he appreciated it much. Since there is not really a lot of news to report I will put some pics of the garden in the blog - so you can see what we have - of course the pics were taken last year in the fall - and it looked much better then than it does now - most things have gone to sleep - with the exception of the weeks. We still have some hibiscus blooming and the geraniums are doing really well. Anyway - hope you enjoy the pictures.



One of these days I am hoping to get some pics taken of the apartment and then I will give you a tour of the new (well sort of) place. Just need to get my mind and time going at the same time - I always think of it at night -and of course it will be better to take pictures during the day.

Okay, this is view is on the east side of the balcony - looking south - kind of - not really sure of the accuracy of the north-south line. But you can see the gazebo Aymn had built, one of these years we are hoping that the bouganvilla, jasmine and other plants will cover it and make a nice shaded area.

This view is along the south side of the balcony - notice the tall building on the right side of the balcony wall - well it was 18 floors high - but a new governor came in and is enforcing the building code that no buildings can be higher than 11 floors, and he is not open to bribes - so that building had to have seven floors taken off - needless to say the governor is not in favour with all the builders - they arelosing money. In the foreground is the rose garden - there are 50 little rose bushes planted, quite a sight when they are blooming - a real disaster for weeding though.



Another view of the gazebo - to the left at the corner is one of the norfolk island pine trees that Aymn bought for me after I noticed them at a 'garden centre' and commented how much I liked them. He came home with two of them a few days later.









One of my favourite plants - love the two colours on one bush - unfortunately the plant is quite brittle and the winds destroyed both of them - will get two more - and stake them up so the wind does not knock them about so much - will also make sure they are planted much deeper.

And of course a picture of my favourite gardener, he spends a lot of time looking after his babies, in this picture he is washing down the balcony, needless to say I am quite happy to leave this chore to him - only fair as it was his bright idea to have such an elaborate garden.

ARGH - do not like it when these programs will not cooperate with me. Could not manage to add the photos to the previous post - so will add them as a P.S.




Decided not to include a pic of sulky sue - as I do not have her permission - not that she would ever find out - but you know.

At the right is a pic of the birthday girl - she is a real sweety - she turned 10 today actually (the 24th) - sitting behind her is Aunt Mahasan.

Next up is a pic of my two SIL - Gehan is on the left and Suzanne is on the right - Suzanne is the one who lives in my building - she is a real life saver.

Here is the naughty picture - Uncle Samir and I - he is such a sweety:

Well here it is Saturday evening. Managed to get the apartment tidied up before I was hauled off to the b'day party yesterday evening. Good time was had by all - at leat I think it was - although I do not think Aymn's daughter was happy - she had this scowl on her face - especially prominent after I arrived - and then the dance started - her evading me at all costs - managed to get a few shots of Ms. Mary Sunshine on my camera - will endeavour to include one of them - much laughter was happening - it is great to see the family together and enjoying each other's company. I managed to embarrass Uncle Samir - will attach the photo and let you see for yourself.

Today has been a quiet day - the elevator went out of commission last night whilst I was at the party - so much to my horror (not really) I actually had to walk up four flights of stairs - was good for me - they are currently working on the elevator right now - so no elevator for the day. And on top of that I did not have internet connection until around 4:30 p.m. - after I had messaged Aymn and told him I had no internet - he called the internet guy (Aymn is in Libya) and found out that he had hooked up the internet feed box to the elevator as a power source - and since the elevator was out - so was the internet - so he told the guy to hook it up to our power - wonder if we will get a discount - not likely - but one can always dream. As soon as the internet was up and running my 13 year old nephew Mahmoud was up to get online to play his game - he was here for two hours - must say he certainly has more time than sense - but then not my call to make - although I know his parents are despairing - as his marks are starting to slide - gotta love teenagers - I am so glad that mine is 25. Last night at the party there were a couple of little girls - man I was so glad that mine is 25 - no more running around, screaming - I am much to old for that.

Managed to get some laundry done, washed down the bathroom and even managed to water the garden - need to do up a few dishes and clean up the kitchen again. I think I am going to head to bed early so that I can get some sleep - last night was a bust as far as sleep was concerned - woke up with a major headache - have had it all day. Need to get some sleep so that I am feeling better tomorrow - I do not like feeling like this.

I really do want to get busy and start getting more exercise - I just keep putting it off - mother of procrastination.

Well time has flown by. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you want to look at things I have not really had time to make any entry in my blog because Aymn was around so much. He has taken to spending the morning with me - no matter if it is my day or not - he does not like to stay home alone and when it is his day with his family they are at school/work all morning until around 3 p.m. He has also taken to spending every evening with his kids - spends 6 hours with them studying - not sure how that works - but - I have a real funny feeling that he likely spends a fair bit of his time glued to the TV - as he is kept much to busy here to watch a lot of TV - and he certainly goes through withdrawal when he does not get to watch all his TV shows, news, documentaries - whatever. His sons have been running him a merry chase - unfortunately I 'caught' them - and all heck broke loose. He is one very stressed out man - I sure do feel sorry for him and the kids. It seems that my cowife has decided that she is no longer going to be a parent - but a best friend to the kids - so all the discipline is landing on Aymn. And unfortunately the kids are paying the ultimate price and it really tears me apart seeing what is happening to his kids. His children are quite obnoxious - but that can be laid at their parent's door - Aymn and Amel have certainly failed them in a lot of ways. Last Thursday I noticed that his eldest son had been online - after having been told he could not go to the cybernet - commented on it to Aymn - and he basically called me a liar - after all his kids would not disobey him like that - so needless to say I took umbrage - and had a shower and went to bed. After thinking about it - he opted to go home and see what was going on - he went home and eldest son denied having gone to the cybernet - as did the youngest one - but Aymn contacted his two eldest nephews - who were staying at my MIL' place - and they both confirmed that both of Aymn's sons had joined them at the cybernet. Discipline followed - and the youngest one recanted and also included his big brother in the mess. Well big brother continued to refuse to admit that he had lied and that he had been at the cybernet. Aymn did not return back to our home - I called him at 2:30 a.m. to find out what was going on - and he did not answer - called him three times - and he finally sent me a text message saying he had overreacted with eldest son and would talk to me later - needless to say I was some ticked - as it was my day and night - but I am learning that my time is not of much importance - whenever something happens at home with the kids he is gone - but when something crops up with me - I am on my own. Great life - will be interesting to see how long I choose to live like this. I am still working on making myself happy and letting go of the rest - as I cannot change Aymn - I need to work on changing myself. Not meeting with a lot of success on this - really need to get my butt in gear and get out and get some exercise - either that or find some money and get myself a treadmill - should look around for one and see about getting one - because I know that if I had a treadmill I would get up and get moving in the morning - but the thought of getting fully dressed / covered from head to toe to go out walking does not hold much appeal - but either way I need to make a decision and get things moving. Of course today really helped - have spent most of the day baking - make rice krispie squares - for my niece Mawada's b'day party tonight - the family really likes them - and also made matrimonial squares as I have lots of dates and also made brownies - and all I really want to make is a spice cake - should have just made one and had done with it - will take a lot of the stuff to club on Monday and share it with my friends - LOL.

Weather here has been quite good. Have had a few days of wind and rain - but I have managed to spend a few hours sitting out on the balcony enjoying the sun - even have some colour - Aymn does not like me going out on the balcony wearing my shorts and big t-shirts - he is worried about me - yeah right - he is worried that someone might see me and connect me to him and think badly of him. I told him when I bought this place that in my own home I do not cover - unless I have company - and I consider the balcony to be part of my home. And when I am sitting outside the 'men' are at work and the only people I see out on balconies are women hanging their clothes out - so it is not a big deal. Sometimes there are men working on the roof of the apartments around here - but they are far enough away - and besides they should not be looking - but of course that is not acceptable. God forbid that a man should follow the edict set out in the quran to avert his eyes - no it is up to the woman to cover herself from head to toe - now that is another topic that I am not going to get into any further.

I am babysitting my g/f Sharon's animals while she is stateside. I am now the proud sitter of an Amazon parrot named Popeye - he is a real character - can get quite noisy when he feels he is being neglected - and then there is the cat - named Cleo - she has been here for 3 weeks and is finally getting used to it - so I am actually seeing more of her - to the point of tripping on her as she wraps herself around my feet - and then there is the turtle - Myrtle - who lives on the balcony - she is not much trouble at all and last but not least is the fish - no name - he is very quiet also. I will endeavour to include a pic or two of Popeye - as I said he is a real character - loves to be held - and if your hands are busy and you cannot scratch his head he will rub his head against my cheek. And when your hands are not busy he loves to have his head scratched and goes "OH YEAH" - real character. Notice how Aymn is leaning away from him - he was afraid that Popeye might take a nibble out of his ear - lol. You can see a bit of our garden behind Aymn - one of these days I will take some photos of the new place - and the garden and add them to the blog. He is right now trying to get my attention - by talking away.