A MISUNDERSTANDING

Sometimes conversations are misunderstood and this happened Thursday in my painting class.

I asked my classmate Ginny, what happened to Max exactly ?

I don't know, she answered, he came home and blinked with one eye at me all the time

I imagined the picture and laughed

Yes she said, but the next day his eye was completely closed so I had to bring him to the doctor. He gave him a shot and now he has to take pills 3 times a day, it's so difficult ! I try to put them in his food, but he smells it, and spits them out ! Imagine ! and the drops I have to put in his eye ! that's a real drama !

I know I know, I said, I have the same with Arthur when it comes to pills. He lost some weight and I thought he was sick, but he still washes himself and he plays with the girls ! I think I have to give him a vermifuge, or it's the spring hormons although he is spayed.

At this moment another classmate who had listened to our conversation said horrified : Spayed ??? Spring hormons and you give vermifuge to your husband ?? and what is with yours she said to Ginny, you put pills in your husband's food and he spits them out ??

We looked at each other and bursted in laughter, we had talked about our cats and the poor girl had thought we would talk about our husbands ! Ginny said, fortunately I haven't mentioned that he (the cat) also had been bitten in his tail !

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

1. Acqua gym on Monday morning was as always fun ! We are such a nice group. At one moment the "boss" showed up and asked us to be a little less noisy, because she was busy with Yoga meditations and our laughter disturbed ! I complained about me right arm, some exercises reminded me that I had carried my 8 kg (18 lbs) heavy grandson Toby and my muscles weren't used to such weight lifting.

2. I bought a new cat to watch over our mail box and the flower pot,



somebody had stolen this cat sculpture and I was very angry about it. Nobody ever stole something in this street and all the garden gnomes of my neighbor are still sitting in their front yard !



This is the new one, not exactly the same, and this time I will cement it, my friend Ilona helps me she can do everything. On my way back we had a cup of tea together. I had brought my little Notebook with me to show her the pictures I had taken of Toby the giant, she said he looks like a one year old boy.

3. The weather is still like summer, apparently these temperatures and sunshine had never happened in Belgium since the weather station was created in 18 hundred something ! Armed with a book and suncream I did a little sunbath, only for half an hour then it became to hot and I moved in the shade.

4. I spent some time on Internet to look for an itinerary when I go to my friends in Eastbourne end of July, I want to combine my holidays with them with a stay in Oxford to visit this interesting town, which I had never seen. I want to take the bus from London to Oxford, because I think I will see more from the landscape and then go from Oxford to Eastbourne by train.

5. I had to drive my neighbor Vivienne to the clinique in Brussels, once a months she gets a shot in one eye to avoid that she is getting blind. Fortunately it works well, so she takes it easy and after the doctor we had a coffee together and she said that I am her guide dog, I protested and said I am rather her guide cat.

THE FUGITIF

more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday



letter F


This not a fairy tale, but a true story which happened a few years ago in Belgium

A felon who was already 5 years in prison for aggravated battery, burglery and drug dealing had still more than 8 years to do. But during a medical visit at hospital, he managed to escape and was searched all over the country and in whole Europe for months.

For an unknown reason one day the fugitif decided that life in liberty wasn't that nice and he was better in prison. He decided to give up as nobody catched him and presented himself at the door of a prison in Verviers, a city in the south of Belgium. As he was not in possession of his identity card (!), the prison's employes refused to let him in and sent him away ! But that wasn't all, they even suggested him to go to the city administration and ask for a new card ! I think this is the first country were a criminal fugitif has to have an identity card* to be admitted in a prison.

The man had been initially incarcerated in Gent, a flemish speaking town, but he spoke only French. When he had decided to give up his life as a fugitif and go back to prison life, he didn't want to go back to a Flemish speaking prison, but prefered a French speaking one that's why he choose Verviers in the French speaking part of Belgium.

During his escape, the fugitif had been arrested twice, once because he had no car insurance and once during a police control for an alcohol test. Each time he was released. Apparently nobody wanted him although he still was actively searched by the police all over the country and abroad.

When he finally was arrested, the director of the prison who had refused to let him in, explained to the press the reason why the man wasn't admitted : "We have never seen this person before, because he wasn't incarcerated here. We had no possibility to identify him because he had no papers, everybody could pretend that he was him (!!)and we would be accused to arrest an innocent, and anyway our prison is full and we have no space for eventual intruders" !

Don't forget your identity card, if ever you want to spend some time in a Belgian prison, they are fully booked !

* All citizens of Europe, except the UK have to have an identity card with which is like a sort of passport, driver licences, as in the USA are not valid.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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Toby's first trials with vegetables

MY WORLD - Brussels

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WHAT DID YOU DO LAST WEEKEND

Helps you to remember what you have done on the weekend of May 21. You never know if you need an alibi ! If you participate please put the little logo on the top of your post and leave your link.


This weekend was quiet busy for us, we had the visit of our son with his little family. I hadn't seen Toby, now 6 months old in real, since February and of course he has changed a lot.




When they arrived Toby was hungry and I tried to get used to bottle feeding again, after a pause of 37 years ! Fortunately he is an easy baby and has a very good appetite !

With the bottle it worked well.



a little less with an avocado, he only has started with consistant food since a week.



but he didn't cry, he swallowed what he could and we laughed a lot about his grimaces. He is already a big boy of a little more than 8 kgs (18 lbs) and mesures 72 cm (28 inches) !

After our lunch and his nap, Dad and Granddad tried to put up an ombrella, the soil was so hard because it hadn't rained for quiet a while so that Nonno G used great means !





Finally Toby was comfortable installed and played, I was reading, a neighbor came over who knew my son since he was 2 years old and found that Toby looks a lot like him. The parents meanwhile took the opportunity to do some shopping.



Toby tries out my carnival wig but always wanted to put it in his mouth instead of leaving it on his head.

For supper we had a nice Sushi meal, I had ordered (and forgot to take a picture) and the first day was already over. We had been so lucky with the weather so that we could spent the whole time in the garden.

Sunday morning I had a big surprise when I opened the stores ! I just had time to grap my camera



and take this picture of a fox crossing our garden ! In the 35 years I live here in this house in Waterloo, I had never seen a fox here around ! He was probably looking for some food ! Kim the cat got angry at him and chased him away !



Preparations for the walk around the market

Unfortunately the weather had changed and it was very windy. We did a little walk on the market but came back early. With a baby you have to respect feeding hours, and for that Toby is very ponctual !

We had lunch together and then they returned home to Amsterdam, Mr. G. into his bed he was exhausted, and I watched TV and relaxed !

JUSTICE A QUESTION OF MONEY ???

I think by now, everybody had heard about the IMF boss Mr. Strauss Kahn, DSK for friends.

Honnestly I don't care what happens to this old goat in heat, if he would be treated in an equal way by the American justice. Something reminds me of the Simson case, Money, money, money !

If you are a murderer or a rapist, the American justice makes a big difference between a full or an empty bank account and blow up a huge story of what probably would have never been known by the public if the rapist would have been a less famous person, although I didn't know him til now !

Unfortunately DSK followed his sexual instincts in the States, and not in France where probably, the victim would have gotten the millions of $ (but probably less) to just shut up, and a treatment by a psychologist, and DSK would have continued to be the boss of IMF, because business is business. Amongst us, the Italian president Berlusconi is not better, but apparently besides a few women, Italy doesn't really care.

The European countries are very much annoyed, because now they have to find somebody to replace him, and all that because Mr. DSK had spring feelings and didn't ask if he was allowed to have some.

After having spent 4 awful inhuman nights (said French TV) in a Rikers cell, he was now allowed to leave jail for only $1 million cash bail, a $5 million insurance bond and a house arrest at a New York apartment already rented by his loving wife and daughter, his foot decorated with an electronic monitoring bracelet. One armed guard must be deployed at all times, at Mr Strauss-Kahn's expense ! The forgiving wife was already there to put out the red carpet to welcome her little innocent (of course) DSK. Unfortunately they had to move elsewhere because residents of these luxury appartments refused to accept him in this building. Poor man.

My worries now are, how can he take a bath or shower with this electronic foot decoration ? Is it water proofed or not ? If not he could kill himself the poor guy ! But probably the armed guard watches that he let his foot hanging out of the bath.

Now I am not so sure if exactly the same would have happened if it would have been Mr. Jones, a garbadge man. Apparently justice is not really for the poors or normal people !
And meanwhile nobody talks about the poor victim and her feelings.

How the French press sees the case



DSK candidate for elections



Accused of sexual agression ...



I come to vacuum





He even tried to make me believe that he was a socialist ! ... it's terrible