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IN THIS ISSUE

• Kate Brookfield describes a Turkish bath and a traditional dance
• The editor writes at length about the preliminary hearing
• Verda Cook says goodbye to the gardens they have loved
• Don Henderson sends another blonde story
• Sites are recommended by Betty Fehlhaber, Catherine Green, and Tom Telfer

Kate Brookfield continues her description of

FOUR DAYS IN ISTANBUL: PART 2

The first day, January 13, was sunny with a blue sky and we strolled through the gardens to the museum of Hagia Sophia. The name Hagia Sophia is Greek for the ´Holy Wisdom of God´ and is not named after a Saint Sophia. (Something new I learned on this visit). Two other churches preceded this present building and remnants of the second church, plus other Roman remains, can still be seen in the grounds surrounding the museum.

The church was constructed between 532 and 537 AD during the rule of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. It housed an extensive collection of holy relics, some of which are still to be seen in the National Museum. The relics drew the crowds and brought wealth to the church. Today, it is mainly the architecture that draws the crowds. After the separation of the Catholic Church into Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Church, Hagia Sophia became the centre of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The size and grandeur of the building and the light coming in from all directions are breathtaking when you first enter the building. The other main feature is its immense dome. After the Ottoman conquest, the building was converted immediately into a mosque. Minarets were added outside and a gold-plated ´mehrab´ marks the point facing Mecca, which is not in the centre of the building as it is not due east where Christian churches set the sanctuary. Four large circular disks suspended from the ceiling on either side of the mehrab with Arabic script give the names of God and Mohammed. A stone throne shows where the sultan would have sat in all his splendour.

The building became a museum in 1935, when Turkey was declared a secular state by Ataturk and the original Christian frescoes and mosaics that were plastered over by the Ottomans have been restored. When I was in Istanbul in 1965, this work was in progress and it was wonderful to see the beautiful mosaics appearing from under the plaster. The restoration is complete now and although not all the mosaics are complete, it is amazing how much has been preserved by the plaster. The sultan gave orders that nothing dedicated to God or Christ should be defiled because Muslims also acknowledge Christ as a prophet of God.

My photos and any search on the internet will tell you a lot more about this wonderful place. All I can say is that to see it in person is an incredible experience.

Later that day, we walked around the gardens and Mike has his shoes polished at great expense. He decided to be nice and gave in to the shoe shiner´s persuasion, but was charged 10 lira, the equivalent of 10 dollars! That evening we walked from our hotel along the promenade beside the sea wall and saw many huge container ships coming and going. They were all brightly lit and at first we thought it was a lot of luxury cruise ships. Our destination was one of the many restaurants specializing in fresh fish. After a delightful meal in which I had red mullet and Mike had sole, we walked home and saw the floodlit fish market was still doing a good trade at 9:00 p.m.

The next day was still sunny and we spent the morning walking around the city gardens and enjoying the views. Near the Blue Mosque, in what was once the site of the Roman Hippodrome, there stands an Egyptian obelisk. It is made from rare pink granite and is the oldest monument in the city. Its origin dates back to 1490 BC, when an Egyptian Pharaoh, Thutmose III, had two obelisks set in Luxor to commemorate his victories in Mesopotamia. The hieroglyphic inscription on the obelisk describes the victory of the pharaoh and a sacrifice to the god of the sun, Amon-Ra, in which the pharaoh kneels at the foot of the god. One of the pair was brought to Istanbul in the fourth century by a Roman emperor who wanted to be remembered. But he was not remembered, and it remained in obscurity until Emperor Theodosius I had it moved to the Hippodrome and set it on four bronze plinths. The Roman base is carved with reliefs of Theodosius and his children with other prominent Roman citizens watching races from the Imperial grandstand. The obelisk, including the base, measures 84 feet.

In the same area is a fountain donated by Kaiser Wilhelm when he visited Istanbul. We walked some distance to see the famous column of Constantine, but it was covered in scaffolding under restoration.

In the afternoon we took a guided city tour. We saw what remains of the original city walls. Just outside the walls, an ancient Christian Church in Chora has remained virtually unscathed by the Ottomans. The Church of the Holy Savaiour is an excellent example of a Byzantine church. The wonderful frescoes and mosaics are breathtaking. I leave it to my photos to show you why this church is a must to see when visiting Istanbul.

Istanbul has many bridges. The famous Galata Bridge spans the Golden Horn. When I was in Istanbul in the 1960s, there were shops along the bridge, but today it seems to have only restaurants. Our tour took us over to the Asian side of the city travelling by bus on the Bosphorus bridge. This ´new´ suspension bridge, built in 1973, was at one time one of the fourth-longest suspension bridges in the world.

The Asian side is mainly the residential part of the city and ferries transport commuters in crowds from home to work and back again. We stopped at a restaurant and enjoyed a plate of French fries and a cup of Turkish tea on a patio overlooking the Bosphorus, but the clouds were rolling, preventing good photographs of the view.

The tour took us back to the European side and ended at a factory outlet for leather goods. We were all seated on elegant seats and given a glass of tea while a presenter talked about leather and passed a sample of deerskin for us to see how soft it was. Then we watched a fashion show of young men and women wearing fancy skimpy leather outfits. I looked along the seats and nobody in the audience seemed younger than 50 years, so the fashion show was hardly good marketing. I had a quick look at the leather jackets and although we were told the prices were 10% off, I would want at least 75% reduction to meet my budget for a new jacket.

To be continued.

I promised I would tell you about the preliminary hearing, and here is what I learned:

THE WHEELS OF THE LAW GRIND SLOWLY

I was told to be at the courthouse in Abbotsford at 9:30, so left here by taxi at 8:30 for the 40-mile drive against the morning traffic. I got there at 9:10, and was fortunate to meet Cheryl, who had been one of Nell´s concerned next-door neighbours. We sat and chatted while various people went back and forth. The courtroom door did not open until at least 10:00, but the first witness was not called until some time later.

At one point the crown attorney opened the door and asked how old Nell is. I told him, 84. He went back in.

Finally the first witness, a bank teller, was called. After some time, the witness, the lawyers, the accused, and the policeman who was in the court came out, so I asked the attorney if there was any coffee in the place. He said we had time to go next door to the cafe to get coffee. By this time it was about 11 o´clock.

I was finally called into court about 11:45. The crown attorney went over the cancelled cheques and bank statements and had me identify each one as one that I had given to the police after I received the power of attorney. He asked a number of questions which he had already asked at the interview, and then the counsel for the defence began a cross-examination in a very low voice. I had to ask her to speak louder because I could not hear her murmurs.

She asked me if I had ever met the defendant. I said no. Had I ever phoned him? No. Had I seen him around Nell´s place. No. Could I have forgotten? No.

Then she asked if I knew any of Nell´s visitors. I told her I knew the first names of her neighbours.

I don´t know what she was trying to establish with her questions. I got the impression she was trying to show that I was forgetful or confused, but to what end I could not imagine.

Then the judge said it was time for recess; come back at 1:30.

So Cheryl and I went shopping and had coffee, and returned at 1:30. But they did not resume until after 2:00. I was finally called in again and the lawyer asked the same questions again, and got the same answers. She asked about the condition of Nell´s place, its age, the fact that one of her dogs was incontinent. Was Nell incontinent? No. I assured her that Nell was a meticulous owner (she was always fussier than I!) Finally she gave up and I was free to go. I think perhaps she was trying to establish that Nell´s place was in a terrible state and that the accused had done a lot of work around there. If he did, it was not evident.

Evidently the accused is pleading not guilty, though what he is claiming he did in one month that was worth $19,000 I do not know, and can´t imagine. He could have cleaned all the rugs in the park for that amount.

I talked afterward to the bank manager who had first noticed the discrepancies in Nell´s account, about why this man had not been accused before, as he was well known to the police for the same offences against seniors. She speculated that people were afraid to accuse him, perhaps because they lived alone and felt insecure, but I feel there is also an element of shame at having fallen for his scam. No-one likes to admit to having done something stupid. Whatever the reason, no-one had been willing to make a stand, and it was not until now that the Crown felt it had enough evidence to successfully prosecute the accused.

If it is judged from the hearing that they have enough concrete evidence to convict, there will be a trial in the future. I am not looking forward to that, but I am fervently hoping the man can be stopped from defrauding any more vulnerable seniors. They have enough to contend with without the fear of being victimized.

Verda and Stanley Cook have decided to leave their home of over 39 years for health reasons. Here Verda describes the sale:

FAREWELL TO THE GARDENS

The sale of our property was totally unreal!

On Thursday, February 21, the real estate agent sat with us and we filled out all documents for listing the property. The For Sale sign was not installed until the next evening. We were told the property would not be listed in the paper until March 1st, as it takes one week to get the photo and description submitted for printing. We decided not to have an open house. All viewings were to be by appointment only.

Thursday afternoon the phone began to ring. In the next three days we had 18 viewings. Our agent would receive the requests for viewing. He would then phone to inform us who was coming, what real estate company was involved and at what time.

We were asked to be at the house to answer questions for real estate agents who had not previewed the property. By Saturday noon, we had enough; the stress was too much. Our agent agreed that we should leave and we did. We had dinner out that evening.

Our agent commented that he was overwhelmed by the interest shown. Sunday evening he told us that we would be given two offers to consider, on Monday evening. Monday, people continued to view the property and in the evening our agent arrived to present the offers - not two, but six! The interesting thing was that all the offers were from neighbours. The neighbourhood is interested in protecting the garden and the woodlot.

One offer stood out. A couple looking for a retirement property placed an offer with no conditions on the sale, flexible moving date and a price offered, well in excess of our asking price. They are avid gardeners and live only 2 km. east of us. They have landscaped their property beautifully, making it a showcase. We accepted the offer, being assured by the buyer´s realtor that financing was no problem. They had been pre-approved. When the evening was over, we were in shock and so was our agent. We had to sit and sip tea for awhile to understand what had happened within the last four days. After all the stress, we had an emotional release by shedding a few tears.

It is just unreal how this all evolved. Our agent was calling so frequently to schedule viewings that at one point when we answered the phone he said, "I haven´t spoken to you in the last half hour, so thought I should phone and see if you are O.K." One evening when we came home, we found a message on our voice mail from the agent. He began his message by saying, "Hi. This is Dave, your adopted family member."

By Monday the final papers should be signed and then life can go on. I said to Stanley, "We can get back to a normal routine, but what is normal?"

"Normal" did not occur.

Early Monday morning, we had a phone call from our friendly real estate agent informing us our house was not sold. We have been caught in the backlash of the U.S. housing market crash. The gentleman offering to purchase our house has a secure, very high-paying position. Despite this, the bank appraised our property (without viewing it), at less than half the list price. Both real estate agents (The agent representing the buyer and our agent) were in shock. This meant the bank placed a lower value on our 3 ½ acre country property than the property we purchased in the city.

All real estate agents were issued an alert. Previous bidders on our property were contacted and given the opportunity to submit another offer. The flow of people viewing the property continued.

Within two days, our agent presented three more offers. Before we would accept any offer, we requested a statement in writing from the bank involved stating that financing would be available. We received that guarantee and our property was sold. Interestingly, the property was to have been listed in the real estate listings, but sold so quickly it was never listed.

The successful buyer is from our neighbourhood, someone who is also an avid gardener. We have been told by the purchaser that we will be welcome to come visit anytime.

We feel so blessed to live in a neighbourhood where everyone is friendly and very helpful. We are the oldest on the block, the "Grandma" and "Grandpa" to the little ones in the neighbourhood. They substitute for our own grandchildren who live at quite a distance. We will miss them all. Neighbours have asked if they may come see us in the city. The answer was "Yes!"

ED. NOTE: Verda and Stanley have purchased a condominium in Kitchener right opposite the Botanical Gardens, where they can enjoy the flowers without having to do all the work. We wish them many happy years of retirement, strolling through the gardens.

Don Henderson forwards the story of

THE BLONDE ON THE PLANE

A plane is on its way to Toronto when a blonde in economy class gets up and moves to the first-class section and sits down.

The flight attendant watches her do this, and asks to see her ticket. She tells the blonde that she has paid for economy class, and that she will have to sit in the back.

The blonde replies, "I´m blonde, I´m beautiful, I´m going to Toronto, and I´m staying right here."

The flight attendant goes into the cockpit and tells the pilot and co- pilot that there is a blonde bimbo sitting in first class who belongs in economy, and won´t move back to her seat. The co-pilot goes back to the blonde and tries to explain that because she paid only for economy, she will have to return to her seat.

The blonde replies: "I´m blonde, I´m beautiful, I´m going to Toronto, and I´m staying right here."

The co-pilot tells the pilot that he probably should have the police waiting when they land to arrest this woman who won´t listen to reason.

The pilot says, "You say she is a blonde? I´ll handle this. I´m married to a blonde; I speak blonde." He goes back to the blonde and whispers in her ear, and she says, "Oh, I´m sorry," and gets up and goes back to her seat in economy.

The flight attendant and co-pilot are amazed and asked him what he said to make her move without any fuss.

"I told her first class isn´t going to Toronto."

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES

Betty Fehlhaber writes: This poem is truly beautiful it arrived on the day we learned of the death of the 18-year-old granddaughter of dear friends of ours.

http://www.simpletruths.com/dash/index.html

Catherine Green writes: The postcard virus is making the rounds again. Check it out at

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp

If you have received e-mails about the dangers of cell phones, check out this site sent by Tom Telfer for the truth of the warning:

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/techno/cellcharge.asp

Advice is like castor oil, easy enough to give but dreadful uneasy to take. - Josh Billings