June 27th, 2016
OFF we went to the beach to this time, go knee deep. The waters of the Northumberland straight cool. Recollections of swimming in May had been voiced, and reinforced by others on the beach. It was not to be a swimming day. However a nice beach day it was. Umbrellas’ and sun screen at the ready.
Lucy was frolicking. Yes you read that right, but landed incorrectly while chasing fish, one of her all time fav occupations‘. We will check the bank levels and OFF we go to the vet to get assurances.
The rib fest was next on a busy day. Stood in line with the charcoal sending plumes of smoke towards the array of persons eager to eat. This was early afternoon and that was a good thing, as I had been invited to eat yet again. Keeping up this girlish figure.
It is Ramadan and my refugees are observant Muslims. They cannot eat or drink, while the sun is up. I questioned if they were back in Syria what the time difference would be. The closer to the equator the more equal the time. They would only be fasting 13 hours instead of 18.5. I mentioned to them a program I had heard on the patriot radio station, that Muslims in the Arctic had to get special dispensation as the sun did not set in the summer up there. The 16 year old did not know that the sun did not come up in winter, when he favored the former idea. They kept referring to the meal as break fast. Which it is, could set off a round of time traveling on my part.
They asked me to take them to the American box store for groceries. 4 year old in tow, and famished. All of them. Not a good combination for savings at the store.
They shop much differently than the north American shopper. They stop and chat with the 500 other Syrians’ in the province and go for the article rather than the lane. The zucchini were too big, and I found out why at the supper, as they are stuffed (like I was all day) with rice. This lead to a discussion that took a bit of time, in Ariabic as to what to do about the recipe planned. The child was throwing in things like Fruit loops into the cart with wild abandon. The mother prying it out of his hands to ask me to read the ingredients’ to see if there was any contraband in the contents. I knew there was sugar, which was the least of their worries. It was the pork products they were worried about. La tomato was wet inside, and very dirty, the 4 year old did not like this at all. Out we came with bags of provisions’ as a consequence proving there is more than one way to stuff a tomato.
In the time that I had that was spare, whipped up and took over a cake for dessert, but was in fact, given a huge bowl of ice cream to go to sleep on. “”The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life. William Morris Moi and the Golden girl, Lucy