EXCUSE LETTERS FROM PARENTS

- My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.

- Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick, and I had her shot.

- Please excuse Gloria from Jim today. She is administrating.

- John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.

- Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side.

- Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels.

- Please excuse Tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak.

- Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.

- Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.

- Sally won't be in school a week from Friday. We have to attend her funeral.

- My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the Marines."

- Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well."

- Please excuse Susan, she has been sick and under the doctor.

- Mary was absent December 11-16, because she had a fever, sore throat, headache, and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick, fever, and sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn't the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going around, her father even got hot last night."

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

1. A miracle happened, winter had moved in, it was cold with frost everywhere and the sun was shining ! What a changement to the last weeks with rain. After Acqua Gym, where we were in warm water and could look on frost white grass, I thought I make a little walk through the city center, but I had forgotten that all boutiques were closed on Mondays, because they are open on Saturdays. (A weekend has to have two days off) Only the bigger stores were open. Anyway there was nothing special in the windows so I returned home.

2. I did my weekly shopping to fill in the empty fridge. I also started Yoga classes again, it was the first time after 3 years, but with another group and in another location also organized and supported by the city for seniors. The room was much bigger and had a beautiful view on a green field, and the teacher a very friendly man. After Yoga we all went to the café which is located just besides the hall and had a drink together. It was real fun.



3. Of course I needed a new outfit for the Yoga so I went to look for some large and comfortable trousers, found the perfect one and with an old T-shirt I am now ready for next week.

4. When I woke up yesterday, it was again raining cats and dogs, the cold and sunny winter weather had gone. I wanted to do some photo hunting after painting classes, but it rained too much. Instead I spent the afternoon by sorting out and filing my photos in the computer.



5. I finally put away the last sign of Christmas which was my "season" basket, still full with the Christmas decoration and arranged it for the next few months, until I get fed up and do a new decoration.

THE MEANING OF "IDEAS"

more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

Today is I - day and I had no idea about what I should write. Something interesting starting with an I.

What do you do when you run out of ideas ? Suddenly I had an idea ! Idea starts with I, so that's a great idea ! I will write about ideas !

In order not to write stupidities, I informed myself on Internet (which by the way starts with I too) what the word "Idea" really means, because I had no idea.

Therefore I googled "idea" and got the explanation !

"In the most narrow sense,
an idea is just whatever is before the mind when one
thinks"

I thought that is a great description, because indeed I have no idea what I have in mind before I think, and there is still the question when do I start to think ? Probably when I wake up and think that I need a cup of coffee. My mind cleared up, I stated that ideas are a really vast term.

You have no idea where to go on holidays, or you have no idea how to pay your bills. Which are two completely different subjects. I have a wonderful idea for my next painting. I also have an idea how to stop my cat from scratching the armchair and I have a good idea what to wear for my Yoga classes I will start today. Unfortunately I have no idea how to convince Mr. G. not to feed the cats each time they pronounce a little "meauw" ! My cats would protest and think that is a bad idea. I also don't have any idea how to commit a perfect murder.

From ideas how to change the world to ideas how to sort out your garbage, there is an enormous gap of possibilities. Today for example I have no idea what I will do this afternoon, this will probably come later when I have past the state of mind before I think.




just an idea

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

more participants here






Brussels on a Sunday morning

OUR WORLD - Brussels, Marolles and fleamarket

The oldest fleamarket in Brussels is located in the Marolles the oldest part of Brussels
read more here

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND ?

Helps you to remember what you have done on the weekend of January 14, 2012.

The sun came out for exactly one hour, so Dominique called me and asked if we should make a walk through the streets and the fields behind our neighborhood. It was a good idea to finally get some fresh air, and as it was quiet cold, I grabbed my berret and a scarf and a thick jacket and off we went.

We walked for about 45 min, then the sun disappeared again and we returned home to have a nice warm cup of tea.

I had got a Smartphone Nokia E7 from my son on Christmas, but I really have no use for such a sophisticated thing. I need a mobile for phone calls and messages and that's it. For emails I have my computer at home and my little notebook for when I travel. So I put it for sale on Ebay (with his agreement of course), sold it for 200 € and in the evening a young woman with her friend picked it up and we both were very happy. The money wandered in my piggy bank for my travels. So it was still a wonderful gift !

Sunday morning, since a long time, the weather was just beautiful, sunshine, blue sky and cold around 0°C (32 F).



I felt like a bird in a cage when suddenly the door is open, took my camera and my car and drove to Brussels to the palace of justice which stands on a hill, took the lift down to the most famous flea market in Brussels. I walked around in this oldest part of Brussels and took pictures. There were many German and English tourists and I also heard some Spanish. I had run out of outside pictures for all the themes I am participating in. How can you take photos when it rains all the time.

In the afternoon my son called me on Skype and for the first time since I had bought a webcam little Toby could see me too ! It was funny because I showed him a little cat and he laughed and then waved good bye when we had finished talking. It really is a great invention when you have family who lives far away.

We lightend our open fire in the evening and Dominique came over this time not for a Midsomer Murder but for a Miss Marple crime ! We admired the hats of the ladies !

THE 35.000 YEAR OLD MAN OF SPY

Would you ever believe that this man is around 35.000 years old ?









Man of Spy. Isn't this reconstruction perfect ? you can see all details (I only had to cut off the private part of the man, not to get in trouble with prude Bloggers !)

The body and face of the man of Spy in Belgium, had been restored, he was one of the last Neanderthals whose bones date back about 35,000 years. The project cost 87,000 euros and was presented in the Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels. Now he has been moved back to his "home town" in Spy.

Fifty researchers participated in the physical reconstruction and also two artists from the Netherlands. To make it as real as possible, the artists have worked from the bones of one of the three individuals found at Spy. Ten years were needed for its reconstruction, silicone and real hairs were used. Today he stands there where he came from in Spy.

I was in Spy in October to visit the Grotte de Spy where the remains of the Neanderthal man were found. We had to ask several times because there was no sign indicating the way.



only this. When I see how people imagined a Neanderthal man and how he really looked like it's unbelievable.

The place was beautiful and finally we found a way through the woods walked a km and couldn't enter the cave because the way to the cave was so difficult and dangerous that we didn't dare to go.

I suppose that now it's more easier to find this man ! and I certainly will go back there and see him. Apparently he is quiet short only 1.50 m (5 feet).