AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND OCTOBER 26

 

Rosie loved camping !

Ironing my Menu card !

stretching exercise

 Halloween spider fighter 

Linking to AWWW MONDAYS

 

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On Saturday my son came for a short visit, that was quite a surprise. He had brought Toby to his friend Benji, to spend their school holidays together, for once they were lucky because the holidays were at the same time in Holland and Belgium. I don't know if I will see him, the two are probably too busy to visit the old grandma. Doesn't matter, they are now 14, and if I remember well, I preferred to play with my friend then with my grandma, at that age. 

But mother and son had a nice very sunny afternoon, we chatted in my room and then went joining the others in the restaurant.  

I shrank over the years ... still 1.71 m !

 I always feel like a zoo director showing off a particularly rare animal when I am walking besides my son. I feel like a dwarf. He was warmly greeted and we stayed with the others until he drove back to Amsterdam at 4 a.m. The roads are very bad for the moment they are being rebuilt and renovated, he wanted to be early at home as he has a lot of work and was also tired.

On Sunday I washed my hair and colored it as usual always with the same color .... light blond. When I had finished and looked in the mirror, I nearly got a heart attack ! 

 

My hair was grey !! horrible, even if it is the fashion now, I don't like it. My first reaction was to stay in my room until Monday and then buy the right color, but then the cleaning personal came and didn't notice my unusual hair color, and when my friend Pauline came she didn't pay attention either. So finally I thought $µ&@* and joined the others for coffee and wafels. Nobody said a word, so I suppose they didn't pay attention, or it's only me who doesn't recognize myself. This spoiled my Sunday, because I want to be presentable not for the others but for myself.

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

On Monday I had an appointment with my doctor's replacement. I needed some medication and I also wanted to know who to talk to, if I ever needed a doctor. My doctor had a burnout and was on sick leave until mid-December. That's a long time. But it's no wonder she took so much time for her patients that I once told her to slow down a bit. We had become very close because she had accompanied Rick until his last moment.

I immediately liked the young woman who replaced her, she looked as if she was still in High School. The first contact was real good and now she knows me better, I only have to make a blood test that's always good, at least hidden diseases are often discovered. 

In the night of Monday to Tuesday at 2 am I woke up because the fire alarm made a hell of a noise through the whole castle. I waited a bit, but it continued and nothing happened. After half an hour I jumped out of my bed put my bathrobe on, the long corridor was empty not a soul in sight. At the reception the doors were wide open and the one to the park too. The two night nurses looked a little lost and tried their best to stop the alarm. Nothing to do, I tried to read the instruction and followed them pushed on the button, nothing to do the hellish noise continued ! Meanwhile Lilli, another resident joined me and together we tried to stop the alarm. 

The male nurse had the alarm company on the phone, it was a real mess. Finally I had enough. The residents on the first and apparently second floor were all deaf and slept like babies ! I had FOUR ear plugs in my ears and still heard the alarm. As usual when I have enough I explode, I called the firefighters, I thought if there is a fire somewhere, they can and also stop the alarm ! 

Ten minutes later I found myself in front of a fully dressed fireman, with mask, gloves and he certainly had the volume of twice himself. The boots were impressive, I hope I didn't keep my mouth open ! I had seen so many fire fighters in movies but in reality they look different as on a screen !! 

Meanwhile it had been 3 h that the alarm did his work ! I told the fireman what happened and then excused myself and returned to my room, I was exhausted, on my way back there was my neighbor, leaning at her door and crying. She sobbed that she couldn't stand the noise anymore, I was close to that too, despite ear plugs, pushed her softly inside and on her bed and made a sign to sleep ! then I disappeared in my room, in my bed and tried to sleep. But I still could hear the alarm and then at 5 am, silence ! Unbelievable ! After 4 hours of torture, there was silence. 

The next day I wanted to hear what had happened after I had left ! The firemen couldn't stop the alarm system either !! They called the company which had installed this more then efficient alarm and asked them to sent somebody to stop the alarm. Now the company was located somewhere in the wild west, and it took them one hour to arrive. I suppose that now they will install another alarm or at least repair it ! I was really jealous that no one had heard this hellish noise and congratulated me for having called the firefighters.

All these excitements had influenced my asthma and the next days I only could walk very slowly and the slightest effort left me breathless.

Now I wonder if the castle's ghost is deaf too, because I haven't seen it !

 

 

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HODGEPODGE OCTOBER 24

1. Monday was National Apple Day...did you eat an apple or enjoy something made with apples on Monday? Do you like apples? Do you prefer your apples raw, baked, or in cider? Do you have a favorite variety of apple? 

I didn't know that it was "Apple day", anyway there was a time in my life where I ate 2 to 4 apples per day for at least a year or more, now I don't like apples anymore only cooked as dessert. 

2. Do you think there's any truth to the saying 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'. Of the following healthy habits which do you find easiest to incorporate into your life and which is the most difficult for you to adopt-

adequate sleep, a balanced diet, plenty of water, eat breakfast, don't smoke, exercise, limit alcohol,  include fruits and vegetables in your diet, manage stress, limit screen time

I followed an apple diet because I had put on weight, which was quite unusual for me. On top I also believed that an apple per day would keep the doctor away. I don't know if it's true, but a part from a cold I never had a serious disease. I only notice that people like the Stones, Beatles, and a lot of actors are still amongst us in their 80/90, and they certainly didn't live healthy especially in their youth (famous people/age-group/80-89)! It was also the time of different drugs which you could consume just as you wished, there was no law yet. And everybody smoked like a chimney no smokers were not well seen. Finally those who had not a healthy life at all, live longer then those who pay attention on everything and eat ORGANIC ! Unfortunately we don't have yet a 100 year old organic person, to check.

3. Who taught you how to drive? Do you enjoy driving? Would you rather be the driver or the passenger?  Do you have a favorite scenic drive near you?

When I was 18 or 19 I wanted to learn to drive. I wanted to be independent and go wherever I wanted to go. In Belgium no driver schools or driver license existed. You learned with family or friends, my father had hired a guy who had transformed his car into a driver school car. I didn't want to learn to drive with my father, I think we would have killed each other. With this young driving teacher. I learned quite quickly and then I bought a used car and was happy to drive around. I think I was the only girl this age who drove a car and who owned one and had bought it with my own money. The reason for my luck, was the fact that besides German (my mother tongue) I also had made a diploma for business correspondence in English and French. (later came Italian) and had a very good salary.

4. What small habit has had a big impact on your life ? 

I would say the habit to talk to people in their language. That gives a completely different relationship to others..

5. Tell us about something nice that happened to you recently. 

It's not really nice, but the fire alarm went on at 2 am and lasted 4 hours, finally I had enough after 2 h of this awful noise and where nobody did something concrete and the two night nurses were running around like headless dogs and didn't know exactly what they had to do, I suddenly exploded and called the firefighters, who came quickly. Unfortunately they couldn't turn off the alarm either, but at least they called a specialist. The fact that they thanked me sincerely, was nice !

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Since the fire alarm I thought how much my life has changed. It is not unhappy it is completely different. I have new friends and I also like my "work" here as  "coordinator" between the residents and the personal, as most of these old ladies don't dare to say something they come to me ! It doesn't bother me at all, they are so touching.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

 

more participants here, and Image-in-ing