CHRISTMAS HOME TOURS

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I decided to participate in this meme because I am not curious at all and want to see decorated houses in all parts of the world.

As we will celebrate Christmas in Amsterdam together with our son and family, I only decorated the entrance and our living room without a Christmas tree.



When you enter our house you will see my "season" basket decorated for Christmas



little golden cats and a pine cone with nuts



The unused open fire (it's too warm)



little houses, a mini nativity scene and an angel in a corner cupboard



What we see while watching TV



I bought this angel from an old lady she had made it herself on a Christmas market



The golden angel is very old at least 58 years ! and still in good shape.




Our advent's wreath



and a nativity scene










We didn't make a Christmas tree this year, so I put some garlands and balls in the plants and have these little once on the tables



Climbing Santas are greeting me when I arrive home.

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

1. - 3. I can't really say that I had any favorite day in these 5 days ! From Monday on I moved myself from bed to computer and computer to bed, because Mr. G. in his generosity had handed me over his cold.



My daily food as a still life.



and my bed table



and a very happy cat acting as nurse to warm me up and also entertaining me.

4. - 5. From time to time I also watched TV and heard about the terrible killing in Liège (about 100 km (62 miles) from Brussels) where a mad man, Nordine Amrani, had thrown 4 grenades into the crowd of mostly students Place St. Lambert, coming out of their schools after the Christmas exams. Fortunately the Christmas market was closed because of strong winds otherwise there would have been even more people in the streets. Amrani was not a terrorist, or a racist or whatever, he was known by the police because of drug and weapon dealing and had a few years of prison behind him. Fortunately he killed himself !



These were the first picture, when he had also thrown a grenade at a bus stop.



This 15 year old boy got a bullet in his belly, and described what he had lived to a journalist. The article above informed us that a 75 year old woman died because of her severe injuries in the night of Wednesday to Thursday. Two 15 and 17 years old boys died almost immediately after the attack.

On Wednesday evening the doctors announced the death of a 17 months old baby. This was terrible to hear the doctor could hardly control his emotion.

Before Nordine Amrani started the killing in Liège's center, he had killed another woman who was found later in his garage. This makes 5 deaths so far because there are still other people in critical states. Over 120 people were injured and brought to nearby hospitals.

Nobody can understand how this happened and why ?? In this little normally peaceful country of just 11 million inhabitants, there are of course crimes but never such once. The only real big criminal we had or unfortunately still have in prison is the child rapist and killer Dutroux.



Police found ten complete weapons and 9500 weapon parts ! In 2007 all his weapons had been seized so he had got them illegally from somewhere, as in Belgium weapons are stricly forbidden and to get a permission to buy one is very difficult.

People who knew him, his classmates in metrology, and also his wife a nurse are all very shocked, apparently he was a very friendly and helpful. One never knows behind what face the devil is hiding !

A FUNERAL INSURANCE ?

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I have read somewhere that some people have no sense for black humor and that you have to specify that you are only joking. They take everything very seriously. So it would be a pity that some of my readers would be under shock after reading my post ! Since I am blogging I have noticed that when some Bloggers make a joke about you they add "just kidding" to be sure that they are not taken for a bad person.

This morning when I opened our News paper online, a pop up jumped into my face asking me to take an insurance for my funerals ! "You can help protect your loved ones from the potential financial burden of paying for your funeral costs" and ".With guaranteed acceptance and no complicated forms or medical tests required". Medical test ? Are they afraid I wouldn't pay long enough to be profitable ?

It's very interesting ! You pay € 26,87 (why eighty seven ??) (35,02 $) each month during 15 years and then you get 4.750 € (6133 $) to pay your funeral. Unfortunately they don't say what happens if you live longer than 15 years. Do you get the money and you can enjoy a cruise then it would be an investment. But a rather bad one, because you can't even buy a new car with that money. Then it's better to take a life insurance for 15 years instead of a funeral insurance. At least I think so. Life insurance also sounds and looks better in your files.

Now honnestly I have never thought about who would pay for my funerals. I know that dying is very expensive, sometimes like a wedding it depends, but I have no intention to give a big party when I go to heaven or hell. I think with all the taxes we pay, the city can take care of my funerals and incinerate or burry me wherever they want to. This would safe me money and my "beloved once" too.

Insurances are very creative in inventing things to insure ! From your beautiful legs to a multiple birth ( 3 babies instead of one) you have the choice and can take your precautions.

But back to my funerals ! I don't take an insurance and I don't want my "beloved once" to pay. I herewith leave my last will :

The city or the government have to pay ! I have payed and still pay enough for all kind of taxes and legal insurances. I don't care if I look at the flower roots from a beautiful coffin which costs as much as a car, (or nearly) or if my ashes are thrown all over the Royal Park. I could also join the Waterloo battle field to have some company it's just around the corner.




I wanted a burrial service, he preferred cremation, so I
decided to compromise and have him clambaked.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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As nobody found out what this is, so far .... it's an apple, a little strange looking one I admit, that's why I took a picture !

OUR WORLD - CHRISTMAS MARKET WATERLOO

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Just opposite the Exposition building, where I had to watch over our paintings, was the Waterloo Christmas market.

I took the opportunity for a little stroll through the market, leaving our paintings to a classmate.





The market was in a big white tent, but not big enough for all the stalls, so inside the stalls looked a little squeezed together, and it was difficult to see all the exposed items for sale.



The entrance this year was on the side of the tent.



Just in front was a traditional "caricol" (little snails) stall which are sold on markets and fairs and is a typical Belgian tradition. You see at least one cart with caricoles cooking in an enamel pot, with celery juice and pepper on each market or fair. They are served in little bowls and you eat them hot to warm you up.




the stalls one after the other






Very important,a very big surface for food and drinks ! The speciality of a Christmas market is the hot red wine.



An ice skating for the kids, with fake ice. It was too warm in the heated tent.







Little gifts to buy



and nativity scenes with little figures. It was here I bought the missing king for our nativity scene, because he had disappeared and Mr. G. was very upset about it.



Waterloo center on my way back home. I took the picture through the windshield

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND ?

Helps you to remember what you have done on the weekend of 10 December
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Our son had made a flying visit to Waterloo, to pick up some furniture he had left in our basement and needed now for his new house. We only saw him for a few hours, and then he disappeared again. But we will go to Amsterdam on Christmas.

In the afternoon there was the exposition of the paintings my painting group had done about the theme "Les misérables" from Victor Hugo. The exposition was organized by the city and all what I can say the paintings were not "miserable" but the exposition definitively was.



In this large building were exposed pictures painted by children and from our painting group. But the place is so huge, that the paintings looked really lost. There was no sign at the entrance to the exposition, so that each time I saw somebody approaching I had to shout : "It's here" because besides the entrance was a sign with an arrow "the entrance is at the end of the building" ! But this was the entrance to the offices ! We were 3 to watch over the paintings and finally had 11 visitors in the whole afternoon. People just didn't know. We all were very disappointed.



and to pass the time, we tried to amuse ourselves, here with posing in the 150 years old fashion, somebody had sewed.




Fortunately just besides the building was the Waterloo Christmas market under a big white tent, so I made a tour and then my "classmate", but there was nothing special either. A little ice skating for the children and a lot of hot red wine to drink and lots of specialities to eat. Probably because of the wine, people were very cheerful !

Sunday I woke up with a sore throat, a running nose and sneezing and feeling lousy. Mr. G. in his generosity had given his cold to me !




I didn't thank him, instead I stayed most of the day in my bed and regretted that I don't have a suit like the one above. With pink socks of course.

Lots of people have a cold for the moment, and I hope it won't last too long. The only one really happy about this was cat Rosie as she took the "nurse" job over.

THE "BUTTERFLY" GOVERNMENT

After 18 months without government, Belgium finally has one and the Prime Minister is Elio di Rupo. As he always wears a bow tie people called the new government "the Bow Tie government" which sounds far better in French because a bow tie is a "Papillon" which means "Butterfly" so now we have a "Butterfly" government.

Nobody really cares, because we are probably the first and only country which lived and continued life without any major problems for nearly one and a half year ! That's something to go into the Guiness Book of Records.

The fact that he is homosexual and answered to the question if he is, "Yes, and so what ?" Which took the wind out of the journalist's sails. People just don't care about private life when it doesn't harm anybody and religion is not a problem either, we don't even know if he goes to church or not. Which makes all the difference when you look at American Presidents where researches are done since he was in his mother's womb.

I think the most important thing is that he is very intelligent and has everything to be a good leader. Now we will see if there are more taxes, since we have now a "Butterfly" Government !




and the "Family picture" with the old clowns in new positions. Just like the figures on a chessboard. Only the King remains the same. Everybody knows that chess players need a long time for a move !