A CUTE LOVE STORY

My neighbor Vivi "inherited" after nearly 16 years her daughter, a granddaughter, a dog and a 16 year old cat named Wodka. The daughter's partner had left her and she had nowhere to go but home to mom for a while. For the granddaugther and the dog there was no problem, but the cat, what to do with him ? Vivi had already a cat and a special one who would never tolerate another cat in the house. Besides that her other daugher is allergic to cats.

And then they found the ideal solution ! Vivi's boyfriend 92 year old Jack who is also my neighbor, (I wrote about the couple In Love at 70 here) always complained that he felt lonely so the idea to adopt a 75 in human years old cat and give him a new home, he found simply great ! He prepared an own room for Wodka, bought the best cat food, basket, litterbox etc he could find, called the vet for a general check up and kept him inside for 2 weeks until he got used to the house. Wodka, who had to lived outside the last few months and wasn't fed correctly by the bad partner in question, was suddenly feeling in heaven. Now they watch TV together, Wodka sleeps on Jack's bed and they "talk" together from morning til evening. Vivi joked that she is jalous now.

Only some neighbors are wondering why sometimes Jack suddenly stands in the middle of the night in his pajama in the garden and shouts for Wodka ! They certainly worry now about his state of mind. Nobody of course couldn't know that it was only the cat's name.





at the beginning



Now

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

1. I drove my neighbor for her eye check to Brussels and as it took such a long time I went out for a stroll through the neighborhood and found some beautiful old houses in the little streets around and took pictures for my post "Our World" Uccle (Brussels) here. We came back quiet late, so I just had time to download my photos and prepare my post.

2. When I got up and saw my head in the mirror I thought that I am looking like a witch, without broom.


Therefore I jumped on the phone and asked my hairdresser if she had a moment free during the day and she had ! Coming out I felt a new woman, sometimes these little things are necessary !

3.



I continued salting our gravel and barks, it was much more work than I thought and I used 39 kg (86 lbs). Now it's finished and it really looks as if it had snowed, and for once I am waiting for rain so that the salt dissolves ! If ever one single weed dares to show its nose I will shoot it ! Do you think there are guns on Ebay ?

4. The sun was still shining so I went to Ilona to bring her her birthday gift, a beautiful scarf (at least in my eyes) and we took the very first sunbath this year on her terrace. We tried to change the world together, but I doubt very much that it works !

5. I have a "holiday" wallet and one I use at home. When I transferred the content from one to the other I stated that my driver licence was missing. I looked through all empty wallets in the house and every possible place, but couldn't find it. Then I remembered last year my wallet was stolen in Istambul, but as there were only 5 € in it and nothing else, I just bought a new one and forgot about it. Now I believe that besides the 5 € there was also my driver licence in the wallet.

Therefore I spent the morning at the police, to declare that I lost my driver licence, which took 45 min, because they had to fill in I don't know how many formulars which I then all signed. It was quiet interesting to hear the conversations of one lady who had her mobile stolen, a man who had a fight with his neighbor and a youngster who had also lost his driver licence. The policemen are all very friendly and rather funny, so we laughed together when the guy who had the neighbor fight finally left !

SOPHROLOGY AND I

more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

I like my yoga classes, because I do soft gymnastic and that keeps my muscles and the whole body fit. Our teacher had the good (?) idea to also introduce us to Sophrology. The official explanation of this thing is :

Sophrology is both a science which studies the human consciousness and techniques and methods using body mediation.It aims to reinforce the balance between our emotions, our thoughts and our behavior, to find our inner-resources and to improve their quality of life.
(if you want to know more just ask Wikipedia)

Curious from nature I was ready to try out the exercise. He put a CD player in the middle of the room, told us to lay down on our mats, close our eyes, relax and do what the voice told us. I did lay down and tried to relax and listened to the waves of the ocean coming out of the CD player. Suddenly a very honey soft voice told us to take consciousness of our whole body. I did and stated that my back ached. Then she told us to breath deeply and start relaxation from our face on til the toes. When I arrived relaxed at my toes, I suddenly thought that I have to go to the pedicurist, because my toe nails became too long. Quickly the voice made me come down on my mat for relaxation and breath with my toes. I tried but it didn't work, my lungs wanted to breath and my toes refused. Before suffocating, I quickly used my lungs again. My neighbor got a caughing attack.

The waves continued and the sweet voice told us to take conscience now of all parts of our legs and relax each muscle up til our waist. My back ached more. When finally we came to the chest and had to breath in with the chest and out with the belly, one jumped up, because she had got a cramp. This mixed my breathing up and I didn't know anymore with what I was breathing, but the waves made me think of laying at the beach, and I just started to dream about holidays, when besides me a man started to snore. We tried not to laugh but you could hear some giggles between the waves, the soft voice, and the breathings.

Finally the voice talked about our faces, to smooth all muscles and wrinkles (which didn't work with me, my wrinkles are still there) and then the whole session was over. We all sat up with more or less back aches, and only two of the whole group (we were 11) found this nice and efficient, all the others complained that the mats were too hard !

The result for me was I am not made for this, it made me rather stressed and I always had the wish to laugh, I couldn't keep my eyes closed because I found it more funny to watch the others in their breathing efforts.



And for my back it wasn't ideal either because I felt like the princess in the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea This was my first (and last) experience with Sophrology !

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

more participants here





Anatomy, pathology, mortuary

Encouraging welcome sign when you arrive at the hospital entrance

OUR WORLD - Brussels

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Once a month I drive my neighbor to the hospital Edith Cavell, dedicated to her as a a British nurse and patriot. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from all sides without distinction and in helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during World War I, for which she was arrested, found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.

Vivi has to go there for an eye check up and a shot. The hospital is located in Uccle which is one of the nineteen municipalities of Brussels. Uccle is mainly known as a residential "posh" area, its green spots and its high rental rates.

While she was busy with her check up, I took the opportunity and strolled through the streets, in which the old city residences of the upper class are still standing untouched, at least from outside.

They mostly date from 18 hundred to beginning 19 hundred. Today they are nearly all converted to flats, only very few families still live in these big houses.




The hospital dedicated to Edith Cavell



and a closer look on her monument



opposite the street is a flower shop



and a Taverne where you can eat and drink



The trees are blooming in the warm sunshine



and the flowers too.













The old houses





with their decoration and





the beautiful balconies in cast iron



this house dated from 1910

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND ?

Helps you to remember what you have done on the weekend of March 24, 2012.


This weekend we really had a fairy tale weather ! The sun was shining and it was warm, no cardigan or coat needed. Only in the mornings and evenings it was cool.

Of course if you have a garden, with this weather you want to be outside and do some necessary things which spring requires. Dominique wanted to buy a garden shed, for her garden tools and lawnmower which are taking too much space in her garage.



We went to a big garden store and we choose one, which was not too big and not too small, the perfect size. I thought when I saw the picture in the catalogue because not all sheds were displayed, that I had seen this one already somewhere. When we returned home, I realized where I had seen it ! In our garden, we had bought the same more than 10 years ago ! That was really funny. Now they will sit side by side only seperated by the hedge, and hers has to be painted of course.



We strolled through the shop to see what other things they sell and I found the perfect product for a murderer to comit his crime in a very clean way and it would be the perfect one because it's Bio Kill ! After Bio Cognac, Bio beer, Bio wine and Bio dolls, pots and pans we slowly will all become Bio humans. Don't forget to increase your household budget, when it becomes a Bio budget.

I had started to put salt on the bark which is all along the entrance to our house, to avoid weeds to grow through. After having used 10 kgs (22 lbs) I ran out of salt and I couldn't finish, Mr. G. bought another 20 kgs to disperse on the bark and on the gravel in front of the garage.



On Sunday morning I went to the next little town for a walk and some photo hunting, people were sitting outside and the market was full. I found a nice scarf for me and then returned home.



The afternoon I continued my salting. It hasn't snowed on the pictures, the white is the salt. It's really very efficient against weeds and is so cheap (I didn't buy bio salt if ever that exists) and far better than chemical products especially also for my cats.

I still haven't finished, it is a harder job than I thought, so I will salt the gravel sometimes during the week. After that I collapsed behind my computer, finished commenting and after supper we had our Midsumer Murder evening together with Dominique. Now we met the new Inspector Barnaby, who is not bad at all. It must be quiet difficult to take over such a role without looking like a bad copy.

SUMMER TIME !

Today or rather this night Europe changed to Summer time, which should save energy. Maybe it saves the energy of the once who invented this thing, but certainly not the energy of crying babies, meowing cats, barking dogs, and mooing cows ! They certainly are full of energy since an hour at least !



Switching over to summer time, also saved my energy so I have an empty brain today and are sitting in front of a white page, no sorry, of a white screen. I suffer from the syndrome of the white page.



Even the scientists have difficulties !



and a few housewives too



Take it easy



and with philosophy, like Arthur !