23 Jan 2010

SOME FUNNY NEWS & MAXINE

With all the depressing News we hear lately at TV, I appreciate when from time to time there is something which makes me laugh. For example a 81 year old man who hated his 42 year old neighbour, drilled a hole in his floor and injected ammoniac in a syringe through the ceiling into the bedroom of the poor man. He woke up because it stank terribly in the room, could just escape and alerted the police who took some time to find out what had happened. I just imagined the old guy drilling a hole in his floor ! some people really have imagination.

A woman was sentenced to 1 year of prison with probation, because she had already got a warning. The problem was that the poor lady was so loud during love making that all neighbours had complained. I hope that now she puts a patch on her mouth if she doesn't want to spend a year in prison.

Our minister of retirement (we have ministers for everything in Belgium) showed up in parliament completely boozed and held a hilarious speech which of course next day was on YouTube ! Our President, and the Government were not amused !

In a town near Brussels a 56 year old woman was arrested while she painted Graffitis on the police building. She has done this for one year and nobody suspected her. But this time she was filmed by the video camera of the police. She had also decorated the city hall and other public buildings with her art. That gives me an idea where I could paint cats during nights whenever I can't sleep !

******

Please go to The Teach to find more "Maxine on Saturday"


22 Jan 2010

SHOW & TELL


More participants here

In our living room is a big cabinet along almost the whole wall with a vitrine where I keep other things than cats.

There are some very precious things in there from Napoleon's times which I inherited, medals, old coins and other antiques. I think with this vitrine I will have quite some things to show and tell about.





so I take out this :



When our son was born I had to give a little box with blue, pink and white dragées (sugar almond sweets) to family, friends, collegues, neighbours etc. which is the use in Belgium when a child is born.

The boxes sold in specialized shops were very expensive and considering the amount of boxes I needed, it would have cost a fortune which we didn't have. So I had an idea, I asked my boss if I could choose a piece of fabric, to which of course he agreed, then I cut it in little squares with special zig zag scissors, bought some pounds of dragées, and made little bags like the above one. My friend who had a son one year later was pleased with this idea and did the same with a more "romantic" fabric.

These little bags are now 35 and 36 years old. I don't know if the sweets are still good, anyway I wouldn't try, it's just a nice souvenir.



These are Dragées boxes of today, they are far more creative and funny. When our son was born they were only in white, pink, or blue and no design of course besides a golden inscription.

21 Jan 2010

THURSDAY THIRTEEN - Cat opinions


more participants here

13 cat opinions when their home is repainted


1. Humans have some nerve! Did you try to help with the painting?

2. We had major work done here last summer, it’s no fun unless they let you help. I hope you at least signed the wall with your paw print.

3. I hate it when that happens. My human usually moves the furniture then decides she preferred it where it was and then moves it all back again.

4. Tell me about it ! my humans remodel the utility room and wrecked the whole house in the process, things are just now beginning to get back to normal.

5. We’ve had stuff like that happen here too…we don’t like it one bit…and when we try to make the best of it and help out, we’re told we can’t…

6. You’d think they owned the place by the way they behave! Did you assist with the painting?

7. We’ve said it before and we’ll doubtless have to say it again: humans can have some pretty bizarre ideas…

8. I hope you’re still getting dinner at the right time! They better not mess with that.

9. They move stuff all the time. I’m still looking for my Christmas Tree !

10. I am sure none of these changes improves a cat's live, so why do they do them? You don’t care what color the walls are I am sure.

11. It was naughtyy of them to move stuff and use stinky paint!

12. Oh the furniture moving and paint are the worst! Just be glad you didn’t get it on you because they would have tried to give you a bath!

13. I know…what we have to put up with. You know when my humans painted this past summer…we liked it! My momma Ellie tried to help strip wall paper and we both tried to help paint with our tails. And what happened??? We got locked out!




PS. My source was cat comments on different blogs. Thank you, you blogging cats !

20 Jan 2010

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY









seen in Brussels' South station

19 Jan 2010

MY WORLD - Brussels Main Station


more participants here

If ever one day you arrive by train in Brussels you will arrive at the main station where I take you today.

Bruxelles-Midi (Brussels South) is the major railway station in Brussels. The station is bilingual French-Flemish (dutch), or at least should be, but if you take a closer look most of the informations are written in English that way it wouldn't offend neither the French nor the Flemish speaking people in Brussels. With both languages, there would be no room enough on the signs.

The railway station opened in 1869. In 1949 the station was demolished and replaced by the current yellow building with the clock tower.



An old picture. The South station outside, has the still the same look today .

In the 1990s the terminals of the high speed train Eurostar which runs through the chanel tunnel and connects France to the UK and the Thalys which runs to Paris, were added.


you can biggyfy all pictures

the huge hall



At the entrance of the Eurostar, there is this typical English telphone booth



time tables



and seats in front of "Air France"



A car rental office and not a red zone spot !



Snacks, cafés and restaurants



Boutiques and shops



of course the Belgian chocolate



the way through a shopping gallery







Not much work anymore mostly to exchange $ and £. Nearly all European countries have now the Euro currency.



A design of Hergé the "father" of Tintin and Snowy



and his signature

18 Jan 2010

FUN MONDAY - Household chores



Jill at Lile Mouse asks

What is your least favorite chore? Vacuum get you down? Dust bunnies saying, “oh yeah, you and what army?” Is there a chore that you neglect doing it until the absolute last minute when guests arrive? Do you just pray they won’t look ‘there’? Are you going green with your cleaning? Top tips?

I personally can't answer the question of a "favourite chore ??" Chores in general are not my favourites at all. Anyway I never had problems with chores. When I was living with my parents, my mother wouldn't allow me to touch anything in the household because she was convinced that I would do it wrong. She had a cleaning woman and was cleaning all day herself, I think that was her only hobby. I found it less funny that I could eat from the floor but was not allowed to play with friends because we could dirt her precious house. Later she calmed down a bit, fortunately.

When I was living of my own, I had my mother's cleaning woman that way she could keep an eye on my flat and it's cleaness. When I married, I had the neighbour's woman who came once a week for cleaning our appartment, the only thing what I did was ironing and dusting. But both didn't bother me at all.

Then we moved into our house in Waterloo, and there once again I was lucky I found a very nice and friendly portugese woman, she came once a week half a day and stayed with us for 15 years. Now I have my Janka already for 5 years she is from Poland and takes care of us like a mother. Anyway my target is to rather have a cosy home in which we live and not a sort of museum only to show.

The times when we were without cleaning woman for one reason or another, Mr. G. and I shared the chores, I took the dust and vacuumed the rags and took care of the bathroom, he cleaned the floor with the tiles and parquet. Household chores have never been a problem for me, because it is not important only a necessity. There are so many other things in life which for me counted first. My baby, later the little boy, my family, having a cosy home in which it was nice to come home after work. I was never a "stay at home" woman, that would have bored me to death.

Today I have so many things to do that there is no time for chores, I watch that the house is neat and clean, but that's not a big thing for me.

And for those who wonder about my cat collection once a year, I put the glass and ceramic cats in the dishwasher, more fragile once I give a bath and dry them in the sun, which had always been a big fun for the kids. Now there are no kids anymore whom I could amuse.

PS. I never clean the house before visitors, I clean after their visit, there is more dirt ! The only thing I watch are clean toilets, because there people have time to look into the corners ! That's a top tip !

17 Jan 2010

WEEKLY WINNERS - Snow on Waterloo Lion


More participants here at Sarcastic Mom Weekly winners

It was a wonderful cold winter day and I went to the snow covered Waterloo battle field



The battle field



The Lion from far looking towards England



and a little closer from the parking place





landscape



The Lion between the entrance and souvenir shop and the "Panorama"







For once he has a white "fur"



On the way back from the battle fields



The only open restaurant in winter time



but still tourists



and Napoleon who watches over them