Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things that may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, this week's subjects: Festive June, Today we celebrate 2 years of Lydia's blog, Rocomamas Burgers, Canoe Beach Sushi & Grill Bar, Full Moon, and The Longest Day

Festive June. Happy second anniversary to you our loyal readers. Now let's delve into Eid fashion. In West Africa, Eid fashion is a vibrant celebration of culture and style. Traditional attire varies across the region, reflecting diverse influences from local traditions, Islamic heritage, and contemporary fashion trends. Here are some common elements of Eid fashion in different West African countries: Agbada: In Nigeria and other West African countries, men often wear the agbada for special occasions like Eid. This flowing robe is typically worn over a shirt and trousers and can be beautifully embroidered or adorned with intricate designs. Boubou: The boubou is a loose-fitting robe worn by men in many West African countries, such as Senegal, Mali, and Guinea, for festive occasions like Eid. It can be made from luxurious fabrics like silk or cotton and can come in a variety of colors and patterns. Kaftan: The kaftan is a popular choice for both men and women during Eid celebrations in West Africa. It is a long tunic or robe that can be embellished with embroidery, beading, or other decorative elements. Ankara/Lace Fabrics: Ankara fabric, a colorful and patterned wax-printed cotton textile, is widely used in West African fashion. It's often used to make dresses, skirts, shirts, and headwraps for women and shirts, trousers, and even hats for men. Lace fabrics are also popular for festive occasions. Gele/Headwraps: Women often wear elaborate headwraps called gele to complement their outfits during Eid celebrations. These headwraps can be tied in various intricate styles and can be made from colorful fabrics like Ankara or lace. Embroidery and Beading: Intricate embroidery and beading are common in West African fashion, adding a touch of elegance and luxury to Eid outfits. These embellishments can be found on clothing items like agbadas, boubous, kaftans, dresses, and headwraps. Colorful Jewelry: Jewelry plays a significant role in completing Eid looks in West Africa. Women often wear statement necklaces, earrings, bangles, and rings to enhance their outfits and express their personal style. Henna: Henna art is popular during Eid celebrations in West Africa, especially among women. Intricate henna designs are applied to the hands and feet as a form of adornment and celebration. Eid fashion in West Africa is a rich tapestry of tradition.

Today we celebrate 2 years of Lydia's blog. A lot of effort and meanwhile a lot of readers, and increasing. A bit of fashion tips and news, health issues, restaurant reviews and food tips have your interest. A lot has changed in these 2 years. The gold price is up 28 % and truly speaking I can't afford it anymore so I now ask my jeweler to make things out of silver. The biggest fashion conglomerate, LVMH has added Tiffany into its folds, sales have risen 10% and share values 20%, and LVMH has now been handed over to the children of the founder and we wish Bernard Arnault a happy retirement at 75. We also see the big fashion houses diversifying, Dior now owns vineyards, and Louis Vuitton is running luxury hotels. Mega-stars like Joseph Farrell and Beyoncé were appointed fashion ambassadors, and fashion is also linking with sports and politics, trying to keep the attention of the public. We have also witnessed the rise of Shein fast fashion and others, against the bigger awareness of the impact of fashion on the environment, and looming taxes for the more polluting ones (that includes you throwing things away). And diamonds, a girl's best friend have reduced in value a little in the last months, some say it's because of the competition from artificial diamonds, but all in all it is still a good investment. (Can you see the difference? Don't spend money on things you do not understand). The market for NFT( Non-fungible token) and luxury watches has collapsed back to more normal levels. And then there is the pending LGBTQ-BBQ law which will make it a criminal offence to have oral sex with your own partner, and some MP's suggesting wives report husbands to the police. Wait for condoms to be forbidden and sex only to be legal if it is to create children. This is the 21st century, right?

Rocomamas Burgers. In our quest to find a decent beef burger, we bought some at Rocomamas (45 Ndabaningi Sithole Road, Labone, Accra), The meat was not juicy but a bit dry, and tasteless, the onions were too few for my liking and the bun could not be made crispy as I had asked for. They don’t sell sparkling or soda water But their prices are good, 75 GHS before taxes for a classic burger (bread bun, 200m gram meat, onion, ketchup), the cheapest we have seen so far. They also sell 150 grams at 60 GHS. We'll continue the search.

Canoe Beach Sushi & Grill Bar, (Fourth Circular Road, Labone, Accra) which opened not long ago sells really fresh seafood. We had edamame (soybeans) at the bar, and then shrimp crackers with salmon salad, for mains we took tuna rolls and red snapper. Next time I want to have a proper go at their sushi and check if they sell ceviche (which you can also easily make yourself from cassava fish).

Full moon this Friday, but it will probably be too cloudy to enjoy it.

The longest day will also be today, from tomorrow the days will slowly get shorter, eventually 38 minutes less, on December 21st.

Lydia...

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