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Auntie Araba's SpaceLAUGH AND THE WORLD LAUGHS WITH YOU, CRY AND YOU CRY ALONE
February 28 I FELL IN LOVE WITH A MERCEDES BENZ MODEL W123 I fell in love with a Mercedes Benz. I was given this to use and it was in a state. Driving it was a dream even though I had so much work to do on it. I changed engine, starter, alternator, heater plugs, brake pot, radiator, ball joints and many more things. Everyone thinks I am a fool and all I hear is "why don't you buy a new car". This is a classic. I am a woman in love. I can sit in my car, switch on the engine, and just listen to her purrrrrrrrr. I have had her upside down and rewealded, undercoated, and resprayed. I have just got the crown, and more trimmings for the finishing. Saving up for chrome wheels. I have done the inside and just need a footwell and new dashboard. No one thinks a woman can be crazy about a car but I love her. Will keep you posted with new pictures. This is an expensive time consuming hobby but when its all done............Can't wait August 15 Loneliness in SocietyYesterday I sat in the park and watched people pass by. In this advanced world people have no time for each other. The coldness in people’s eyes and the body language was very obvious. It seemed that eye contact and a smile were something that could give an allergy. I have said "good morning" many times to people and had a blank look in return or a look as though they were saying "is she mad?" but I always say to myself, "its not your fault" and don’t feel hurt. I will never stop saying "good morning" ,"good evening" ,"hello", "thank you" "please " or "have a nice day" to people when I meet them. i.e :bus drivers, ticket collectors, shop keepers, postmen, or people I have to interact with. The day I stop doing this is the day I know my spirit will be dead. I was brought up to show kindness and it can never change. In this society, there used to be that friendliness and calls of "morning " but not any more, even the thought of your arm touching someone in a bus and train gives one the shivers. Why? Humans are meant to have contact with each other. We are meant to have care and consideration for each other but all that is gone. Keep an animal in a cage with no love, care and attention and it will turn on you. Is that why there are so many dysfunctional people around? Because no one cares, not even even to say hello? You may even live in the same block with ten other people and I bet the only ones who talk to each other are those over the age of 70 or children under the age of 10. Some adults wait until Christmas before contacting a parent or family member or worse still just send a card to them. What is the cost of picking up the phone and saying "I love you" to a parent or family member or just asking how they are? We are losing it!!!!!!! Parents leave children all day in school, with nannies, with child minders and sometimes you can see them going home around 6pm with their kids. How much time would they have spent with them the whole week? Is making money more important that spending quality time with your kids? They didn't ask to be born, we brought them into the world and the least we can do is give them our love and attention. They are on loan to us for 18 years, after that they will leave or become responsible for their own lives so while we have them, give them care and love to the fullest. If we cut down on our material needs and unnecessary expenses like new clothes every time, new furniture, the latest car, modern gadgets, expensive toys and games and spent more time with our kids ,we would see the difference and they would appreciate it. Rewarding a child with your time is worth more than just putting another gift in their hands.
Children brought up in a brand name conscious atmosphere tend to be the unhappiest (even though they would not admit it). I know that peer pressure is to blame sometimes but I have seen kids who don’t care if they wear certain brands or have certain games and things because they have attention, love and care from parents who don’t put so much emphasis on material things even though they could afford them, but who spend quality time with them. Children from a caring home tend to have less social problems and pass on their confidence to their own children.
July 12 THE AFRICAN DANCER
The dancer moved to the drum beat His expression full of heat His
neck moved in unison with his feet His hands told a story His eyes spoke of things past, present and future The beauty enough to move you The feet moved gracefully The body twisted and turned Like a piece of leaf in the hot sun
The muscles rolled and jerked To
the pulsating rhythm of the drum beat. Every so often his cloth slid down his hips And graceful fingers pulled it in place The movement so slight you’d hardly notice.
The drummers drummed in trance Their rhythms vibrating up the soles of our feet The dancer kept on talking with his body Sweat run down his dark muscular flesh Only to fly off him when his movements jerked and land at his feet
There was a silence then a shout when the dance ended Women with brightly coloured scarves wiped the sweat off the dancer to acknowledge the beauty of the dance
The dancer’s glazed eyes sparkled His lips turned up in a smile His spirit came back inside him The spirits of his forefathers came to him During the rhythms of the beautiful dance C Araba 2007 July 05 Water Water EverywhereThere is an acute water shortage in Ghana. Some get water flowing once a week (if you're lucky). The water will sometimes come on at night then the whole household gets up to fill every container available. You see little children half asleep, carrying little pots and pans filled up with water. Everyone has drums, jerry cans, tanks barrels and underground tanks at home. Most days you will see people going to work in their suits or uniforms sitting in pickup with large yellow or blue drums on the back or in the boot of their cars. The centre of town (the business centre) has water 80% of the time, so everyday you go in with your containers and bring water home. This puts the value of water up. It is more expensive to have a box of 24 bottles of water than a bottle of champagne, taking into consideration the man hours fuel and strength it takes to get the water home. One thing though, no matter the task of getting water, Ghanaians will always have their twice daily bath (not in a bath tub) but shower or bucket. There are many queues for water all over town and you see both men and women out early in the morning, by early I mean 4am, carrying buckets on their head for their precious water. Wells are being dug at the homes of those who can affort it but it is not enough. The most common scene is the farming tractor with a square tank built behind it delivering water (popularly known as "tu tu tu" )- which you have to buy of course. They all have mobile phones and deliver on demand. They are a mafia of water deliverers and can refuse to deliver if your attitude is not to their liking but usually there is another one nearby if you are lucky. I have driven 10 miles across town looking for them sometimes. When there is a complete shortage they they are in heaven 'cos no matter what, you will pay the price they ask. I must say though, that they have an unofficial union that sets the prices they should charge and it seems to work. Where I live the pipes have not seen water flowing through them in over 8 years. I always buy water every two weeks to fill my tank which is connected to my house and drink bottled water. The water company seems to be able to sell to the water deliverers but can't get the water through the pipes - with the excuse that the towns are expanding, and the pipes not enough to let the water flow everywhere. I read somewhere that one day wars would be fought , not over oil, but over water and looking at the situation in Ghana, I can believe that. My advice to those in countries where water is always flowing and to those who complain when it goes off for 30 minutes, or those who face the hosepipe ban, be thankful for what you've got, think of how you can conserve water and maybe how to purify and desalt seawater and believe the hype - water will disappear one day. Then it will be "Water, Water everywhere but not a drop to drink", especially for those surrounded by the sea - Even with all this Wahala" (problem) I still love GHANA May 26 Frozen Feet and the SunToday, I stood at the bus stop somewhere in London and my feet froze. I thought it was summer, or so the official time tells me. British Summer time. What has happened. Where is the summer??????? This weekend should have been a warm one, bank holiday. It is exactly as it says, a holiday for the banks and no one else.......
People change when it is warm, they smile at you, nod in acknowlegement and even sometimes say "nice day love". After being cocooned up all winter, the body cries gasping "vitamin D vitamin D" "Give me vitamin D, toes look up at you and say I want to be free....
The mind goes into reverse mode in winter. Things that one tolerated when it was summer become annoying and intolerable. For example that extra 5 minute wait for the bus, or the presence of foreigners (I have experienced that). This seems to bring a scowl across the faces of the indigenous not because they hate you but because they are fed up of life in the dull, damp, environment and as everyone knows, if you can't blame yourself or nature for a situation, blame someone else..........
If I could carry the sunshine from the equator to London I would, and would gladly pay the excess baggage charges the airlines charge, just so that I could share it with everyone. for FREE!!!!!!. Winter brings sniffles, headaches, overspending and depressive eating.
The sun also brings out surprises... Why else would you find so many yet to be born appearing as soon as the sun comes out. It is as though coats and jackets kept them hidden and the sun opened the gateway for them so they could shout, "look at me, I am about to be born,". I pray that the real summer comes soon so that when the children stream out of school the sun rather than Xboxes, PS2's and computers keep them occupied. Until then I am thawing my toes against the radiator which was switched on today........  ... or  Thank You for being interested. May your day be a happy one and I will smile for you.
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