A MAG is a Modern African Girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things which may interest a MAG.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Doré Fasolati, this week's subjects: Espadrilles and aging, Looking for a partner, Bisphenol .

Espadrilles and aging

Espadrille is a sandal usually having a fabric upper and a flexible sole, which means they need care and attention as well if you want your entire shoe to stay in top condition. But not all espadrilles are made of the same materials.

Depending on the type of material used, your shoes may require different types of care. Shoes like the ones shown here are probably complicated to take care of. But not impossible. If your espadrilles are starting to look worn and dirty, take a minute to freshen them up. Instead of tossing them in the washing machine, you'll need to clean them by hand so the jute doesn't unravel.

Mix a gentle cleansing solution and use a cloth dipped in the solution to clean the upper fabric part. Then wipe the upper-part with a damp cloth and let the shoes air dry. When washing the jute soles, Mix a cleansing solution in a bowl. Pour 2 cups (500 ml) of water and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of mild soap such as laundry detergent or dishwashing soap into a bowl. Stir the mixture until the soap dissolves. You should see a few bubbles in the cleansing solution, but it won't foam up a lot. Keep in mind that heavily fragranced soaps may scent your shoes for a few days.

Dry the shoes if they're muddy. Avoid rubbing the mud into the shoes which will make them more difficult to clean. Instead, leave the shoes to dry completely. Then you can gently brush off the dried mud using your fingers or a small brush. Use a toothbrush to scrub the solution into the soles. Dip an old toothbrush into the cleaning solution and gently rub it onto the jute soles of the espadrilles. Continue to dip the toothbrush into the cleaning solution as you scrub. If your shoes have parts made of suede,

use a brush designed for suede instead of a toothbrush. Ensure that you don't saturate the jute with water since this can damage it. Instead, try to scrub the dirt out of the soles and then stop scrubbing. Wipe the soles with a damp cloth. Hold a clean cotton cloth under warm running water. Wring out the cloth so it's damp and not wet. Then use it to wipe away the cleaning solution and dirt from the soles. If the soles are very dirty, you may need to run the cloth under clean water again and wring it out. Wipe until there's no visible dirt on the soles. Air dry the espadrilles. Set the shoes somewhere with good air circulation and leave them to air dry completely. Don't put them in the dryer because the heat can shrink the fabric of the upper-part. The espadrilles should be dry within a few hours if they didn't get completely saturated. Stuffing your shoes with newspaper can help them dry faster. Everything needs care to make them stay in great shape.

Looking for a partner? Assuming today you were given the money to buy a brand-new car, you would listen to others as to what is a good car, you would talk about fuel consumption and cost and availability of spare parts, and you would only buy fuel from a trusted source. Now look around you and tell me how many seemingly good marriages you know, and how many seemingly bad ones. Obviously, many didn’t ask many questions and just went for the “I like him, he as a good job”, and in many cases that has resulted in bad and very bad marriages. And once you have kids most stick it out, unhappy for the rest of their lives, which is about 2/3. Good morning and have a nice day. So, in blog No. 5, in July 2022 I suggested you make a list of things you like and things you don't like, so you get a better idea of what you really want in life. In September 2022, blog No. 14, I followed up by asking what you really want out of a relationship, things like protection, money, a listening partner, a father for your kids, someone to enjoy things with etc. so that you have a better idea as to what you expect from Mr X, your future hubby. In blog nr 34 in February 2023 we then tried to decide what we wanted Mr X to be, Tall? Intelligent? Rich? Popular? Sporty? Sex star? Handsome? Steady job? Successful businessman? NGO worker? And so forth, and I suggested you look at some of the pros and cons. So, by now you know what you want, you know what you want out of a relationship, and you know what you want the guy to be like. So now let's look at how to meet Mr. Ideal. And meet you must, many of us are maybe not in a hurry, but time is going anyway and you need to learn a few things, and you will only learn them by having relationships. Forget about people at your workplace, unless you wanted to leave the job anyway. Plus, guys who chase you around the office seem not to have the guts to go out and meet girls. There are chance encounters and planned encounters. Chance encounters are e.g. when you meet someone in the lift or at some waiting room or a reception area. Don't underestimate these. But how to approach the guy, if you see him? He seems to fit the bill and is busy with his phone? Excuse me, do you know where...., did you buy that shirt at.... are you also going to see....., I think we are lucky to get here before the rain started, but now how to get home..... Have a list of non-embarrassing questions and statements ready, don’t let him go. Now either he tries to ignore you, but that may be because he is shy, he looks away but also wants to look, or he is really not interested and carries a huge wedding ring. If you see he is interested simply say: I'd like to talk more to you, you seem an interesting person, but I don’t have the time now, I am ABC, here's my number, please give me a call. And you get out. I'll continue in the next blog or this blog will become too long.

Bisphenol has been around and in a bad limelight for at least 20 years now, but it is so useful that manufacturers of all sorts of things continue using it to harden plastic and on the inside of metal cans for the contents not to react with the aluminium. Bisphenol A is an endocrine perturbator, the short and long of that is that it causes miscarriages, low birth weight, malfunction of the sexual and reproductive organs, breast cancer, prostate cancer, immunity changes, obesity, diabetics, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive delays, and child behaviour problems. There is more, go onto the net. It does not really concern me, one may think, I don't use any products which hold bisphenol. Could be, if you never use H&M baby bottles, or Ikea and Philips products or cans with Panzani tomato paste, Lipton ice tea, Pepsi Max, Sprite, Perrier, Redbull, San Pellegrino, Delmonte, Heinz, Cocoa Cola or Fanta. So I try to buy my things in glass bottles.......

Lydia...

do not forget to hit subscribe button and confirm in your email inbox to get notified about our post.

I have received requests about leaving comments/replies. For security and privacy reasons my blog is not associated with the major media giants like Facebook or Twitter. I am talking with the host about a solution, for the time being, you can mail me on wunimi@proton.me

I accept invitations and payments to write about certain products or events, things, people, but I may refuse to accept and if my comments are negative then that's what I will publish, despite your payment. This is not a political newsletter. I do not discriminate on any basis whatsoever.