Well, perhaps first I shall speak of the minor tragedy. My Good Morning Greeting consisted of a photograph of a bandaged arm with the following caption:
Good morning. Wounded in battle. Fell but nothing broken so I shall blog on.
Responses urged me to take care of myself – as If I would not do that without their encouragement. I bravely answered:
Me: Well I did not loose my sense of humor nor my ability to write.
There words were shared as well.
Me: Nesh is such an encouragement. A sheer genius.
So first I shall speak of that. I hate being a victim, refused to be one despite the abuse I suffered as a child and during my adolescence. I rose above it all.
Nesh’s sheer genius has been revealed through his blog breakdowns. They may be found in their entirety on Instagram: alexis-alaa-mcbride.
Eye on the Prize. Modesty vs. Dour and a Hot Water Bottle’s Betrayal.
Some mornings greet you with sunrises. Mine? A leaking brand-new hot water bottle. Bed soaked. Clothes soaked —ego slightly bruised. The WhatsApp responses were pure gold from “HOT RED” to GIFs that made my back hurt (again).
But somewhere between damp sheets and chocolate reels on Instagram. I found myself thinking about modesty, joy and keeping my eye on the real prize.
Spoiler: For a Muslim, the prize is not money, or a perfect morning routine. It’s Paradise and the Parth there is paved with knowledge, humility and a little laughter along the way.
Swipe through for the full soggy take, the wisdom it spiked and why “modest’ and “dour” will never be synonyms in my blood>”
Go Instagram and swipe, No swipe capabilities on my blog at the present time. Hahahah
The absolute joy of having Nesh occurred yesterday morning at Lyf breakfast. I was in the breakfast room, drinking coffee when suddenly Shamir arrived. He came to say goodbye to me – he on the way to Thailand for a few days. That made me SO happy. I have him a big hug, and wished him well. .
Two young girls were sitting next to me in the breakfast room I thought they were speaking French, their mother told me they were from Spain. I just laughed at myself.
Me: I cannot speak Spanish despite the fact that I lived in California for fifty years. You think I could have learned. And besides that, for some reason, I have never been to Spain. I absolutely must go there.
The girl’s father arrived, he spoke English. I had told the girls that I never had children of my own. They were a bit distressed to hear that. But I had a happy story to tell them – made possible by, and through, Nesh’s Instagram blog breakdown. Showed the father the post entitled Faith, Fossils and Found Family. I explained that although I did not have children, I had a grand daughter. She, her mother and I are pictured. Nesh’s absolutely beautiful words were translated: “Because family is not always the one you are born into. Sometimes, it is the one Allah chooses for you, and the one you choose right back.”
Laney and her mother are Muslims. As a Muslim revert my family must be Muslims. If I had Christian grandchildren I would continue to be kind to them but not have a filial relationship with them. Filial, an adjective, means of or due from a son or daughter:denoting the generation or generations after the parental generation.
I have so much to be grateful for. Alhamdulillah. I have a family, a rather unusual one. I have Shamir (the uncle) and Laney. Not exactly a typical one, that is for sure. But I am sure that we will make it all work out.
I am not exactly a typical grandmother. What proof do we have of that?? Go to my YouTube channel and watch Horse Riding. It is a 58 second view of the first time I ever rode a horse. It was during a visit to Saudi Arabia in July of 2023. No idea why I was stupid enough to take this on at my advanced age. The premier event occurred at McKenzie Stables, outside Riyadh. The stables have the finest Arab horses, including the gentle one who took me for a short ride. I am NOT planning to do it again. Once was enough. Actually I once had a grand daughter whose name was/is Sara. She, a talented equestrian. I remember back in my California days, when she was very young, watching her fall off a horse. I am terrified for her, but she got right back on and went on to excel in her later years. Who knows maybe she follows my YouTube and, I guess, would admire my courage. Or, on the other hand, think I am out of my mind.
I was thinking the other evening of some of the things I wanted to do before I died. I was eating at Mojo Jojo, watching the novice chefs learn their ‘trade’. I always wanted to be a chef, toyed with the idea of applying for a job there and then, but decided not to. At the time of my retirement, some twenty years ago, I did contemplate going to chef’s school – but decided that it would be too grueling to be on one’s feet in a hot kitchen. Instead, decided to write. Was able to combine both worlds, which you can find here for your viewing pleasure. Go to the right hand corner of the blog, press the four lines. There is a category called Books. The first entry is Le Cordon Bleu – An Adventure in Paris. Download it. It is very interesting, if I do say so myself.
Returning to my YouTube channel, you can view there is a 9.41 video of a cooking class I took at the Bahrain Rex Carlton, in January of 2024. Chef Alexis, a 1 minute reel provides an introduction to the class, describing how I was able to earn the privilege. Alexis and the Staff Dinner, shows me enjoying the fruits of my labor, so to speak. I am a Foodie, perhaps I should add that talent to the new blog cards Nesh has designed for me. Not Equestrian, but Foodie. Hahaha
This is going to be a short blog because you have a lot of reading and YouTube watching to do. Hahaha Photograph of my injured, bandaged arm, the invitation to the Gnocchi cooking class and my Alexis Chef’s Hat.
