washday

I now know why these people go begging  they need soap powder to wash the cuddlies.
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This farm is right in the middle of the village its a pity they do not spend more time washing the live animals,

its quacking up time.
A New York lawyer went duck hunting in eastern North Carolina. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer's field on the other side of a fence. As the lawyer climbed over the fence, an older man asked him what he was doing. The lawyer responded, "I shot a duck and it fell in this field, I'm going to retrieve it."
The old farmer replied. "This is my property, and you are not coming over here."
The indignant lawyer said, "I am one of the best trial attorneys in the U.S. and, if you don't let me get that duck, I'll sue you and take everything!
The old farmer smiled and said, "Apparently, you don't know how we do things here in North Carolina. We settle small disagreements like this with the NC Three-Kick Rule."
The lawyer asked, "What is the NC three-Kick Rule?"
The Farmer replied. "Well, first I kick you three times and then you kick me three times, and so on, back and forth, until someone gives up."
The New York attorney quickly thought about the proposed contest and decided that he could easily take the old southerner. He agreed to abide by the local custom.
The old farmer slowly climbed down from the tractor and walked up to the city feller. His first kick planted the toe of his heavy work boot into the lawyer's groin and dropped him to his knees. His next too kicks caused the lawyer so much pain that he just about gave up. However, the New York lawyer summoned every bit of his will and managed to get to his feet and said, "Okay, you old redneck southerner, now it's my turn."
The old North Carolina farmer smiled and said, "Naw, I give up. You can have the duck."

Palm Sunday

This  what i think is some kind of mosque is built on the narrowest piece of land possible in the Centre of the old part of Luxor town its about 4ftx4ft, 

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this mosque is on the main bus route through town not sure why they have a road checkpoint police tower next to it. but they do rather strange things here in Egypt. 
 
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The rear of the new  build Coptic Church as seen from the railway line in Luxor.

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Palm fronds these are being sold  for Palm sunday  as its a big event in the Coptic callender.
I may go to the church tomorrow see  why they sell the fronds.  knowing the copts  maybe they put it down for the baba to walk on,  would not surprise me they put more emphasis on prayer to Mary  than the savior.
 but saying that they have a very strong faith. after all they put up with from the Muslim in this country,
 and Copts were here a few hundred years before. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copt
Copts are Egyptians whose ancestors embraced Christianity in the first centuries after Christ.
 

One week ago in the this Coptic Church  the second building in the frame.
the Priest was forcibly removed  from his office and dragged downstairs by the secret police  the bully boys of the guvorner of Luxor Dr Samir Fawak. the priests wife was molested.   this was done in front of several witnesses  of whome some took photos  the police confiscated every camera and mobile phone within seeing distance. and took all the films and sim cards away.   a bit like Adolf Hitlers Nazi tactics in ww11.
The reason ?  they want the Church down to continue the work on the 50 million dollar  avenue of the Spinx
and yet they have refurbished the Mosque  that sits on the  stone walls of the Luxor Temple. this place had a convenient fire in 2006 .  and the Luxor City council allocated American aid for it to be updated??


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The  Mosque was dedicated to the first Muslim in Luxor,   Looks real nice now  especially electrically lit up at night not with candles as it would have been for centuries  a few years after  they put electric in  it caught fire.
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Luxor Temple, Views from my roof balcony

The Nile at 5.30 in the afternoon.
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Direct from my roof there is the Luxor Temple with the  obelisk,    the other obelisk is in Paris 
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sundown over the Nile and the Temple 
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The roof pigeons these spend most of their day  sitting on the Temple walls  
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the young kestrel  that was hatched in the Mosque near the temple its parents are on .http://birdinginegypt.blogspot.com/2010/02/lanner-falcon.html 
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A rather wind swept Hooded crow on the sat dish, 
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looking down on Karnak street  a horse delivering food to the calash horses. 

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the table my kind  landlord left in my  flat  is still on the stairs its been there for 2 months and it will be there for the foreseeable future,

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Then he wonders why we have rats running around the place.

there are only 5 hens up on the roof and the 20 pigeons do not like stale bread in a lump.
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Looking down on hassle street   the carriage drivers trying to convince the tourist luxor market is far away  in fact its 50 yards away behind my block.
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How many sales men does it take to sell rubbish papyrus.   well eight today  and the number is steadily growing,  
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The old house across the lane  with its load of rubbish

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 Egyptians it seems are hoarders of rubbish   
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 The turtle doves are nesting somewhere near my roof  one lot has already had its  fledgelings .

A strange place to nest

This guy was prancing about in one of the restaurant gardens  while i was trying to get a photo of the Bulbul  Nesting.  now if he stays long enough the sparrows will start taking his beard for nesting materials


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looks like Bulbul is not happy he has gone. wheres my material gone? 
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This Bee/ wasp  was about 30ft away not a bad photo!   taken with my ef 100x400. get some strange looks when I am armed with this rather long lens camera. around Town. 

market day in Luxor Egypt

Today I decided to go for a walk in the opposite direction to the Nile. out towards the sugar cane fields  to see the area they have fires each morning.  100 yards from my home there is the railway  the main line from Aswan to Cairo  and the first photo is from the line over looking the new Luxor by pass road.  first I thought there was a funeral  seeing a mass of black garments,

Today its market day in Luxor city  here all the farmers wife's from the east bank come to sell whatever'
so no more comments  enjoy the scene at 8.00  on a Tuesday morning  and held  every Tuesday.


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goslings 
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pigeons
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salted spiced fish

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Aylsbury ducks 
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Muskovey    duck/ goose 
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Aylsbury ducks 

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Garlic by the ton 

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that's it  and I am heading out to see whats around the next corner I love the market and did my buying first thing this morning - camera ,  but I did buy  an orange from this guy  they looked so nice and fresh and it was.
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I know I have blogged on the sugar before, so I will bring it forward and put a few of today's photos on. so call in tomorrow,    the birds and other widlife from today's walk are on  http://egyptswildlife2.blogspot.com/