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I am back in South Africa after my wonderful visit with my children in Belgium. What a holiday I had! In the end I got a wee bit more comfortable riding the bicycle through the town of Hamme with it's cobbled streets, and apart from the cars whose owners , not all of them, are under the misunderstanding that they are all driving formula one cars, that cobbles were also a big threat to me keeping the bicycle in an upright position! However, when Irma proposed that we ride the bicycles all over Hamme to Colruit, a kind of food wholesaler, I refused point blank, as we had to drive through the centre of the town to get there! In the end we walked, and I was absolutely pooped on coming back, as it is quite a way, and Irma is one of that long legged people who has to bally run wherever she goes, forgetting that I have a supposedly heart condition!
The first leg of my three legged flight was the funniest I have ever had! I just wrote the other day about the young English missy who took pity on the little African boy on a flight to Heathrow, and then on this flight from Brussels to Abu Dhabi, I had the quaintest, smallest, and strangest little Chinese woman next to me, and for some reason this old lady decided to that I was clueless on a plane! I was already seated when she arrived, and after making herself comfy, she lifted my hands off my lap, and checked to see if my seatbelt was fastened.
I thought nothing of it, until the hostess brought us a warm cloth to wipe our hands, and the old lady opened hers, patted me on my arm and with her mouth sucked in so that her lips had disappeared completely, she showed me with great care how to use this towel to clean first my face, and then my hands! Being one to live and let live, I left it at that, just smiled at her without getting a return smile. Then the hostess appeared with the trolly and started dishing out drinks and small packets of little biscuits, and when the old lady saw that my tray wasn't coming down, she took things into her hands again, and let it down, looking at me with small slitted eyes to see if I saw how it was done. I just nodded my head.
She sat with her eyes almost closed from trying to decide if I knew what I had to order, but was satisfied when the hostess gave me a nod, and started pouring out my apple juice, then took the juice from the hostess, and looking at me earnestly, she commenced with great care, looking first to see if I was watching, to put the plastic glass into the appropriate hole!
I closed my eyes for a moment after finishing my drink, but was rudely awakened by the old lady shaking me vigorously, and when I looked at her feeling quite upset, she put her thumb and two  fingers to her mouth, indicating that we were about to eat. By this time I was not all that much amused any more, but I smiled at her while she opened up my little tray that was folded still, and I was surprised that she didn't order my food as well, but by now I think she realized that I understood English a little bit, but apparently she still could not believe that I was up to snuff with this flying business, and I was not at all surprized when she took my packet with cutlery from me, and opened it, again watching to see if her pupil was paying attention.
While she was busy opening me cutlery, I grabbed the starter and opened it, but she was not to let me do anything stupid, and looking at me with real concern, she pointed at the main meal, shaking her head reproachfully, and saying' food! food!, but I had enough, and looking at her with what I thought was quite an angelic smile, I pouted my mouth, and said 'naw food, naw food!', while shaking my head like a naughty child.
She was baffled, and decided to my relieve that she was through with educating this unthankful woman, grabbing her own cutlery, and still looking at me without any trace of a smile, she opened her main meal and started hungrily on that, all the time watching to see whether I had by now realized what a blunder I had made by not starting off in the right order! I sighed with relieve, as I am sure that if I didn't make a stand, she would have force fed me, but for the rest of the journey she kept to herself, I suppose pondering the unthankful state of the world!