WATCHING THE QUEEN's JUBILEE CONCERT

I had recorded the Queen's jubilee concert and finally while I was eating my lunch and Mr. G. had joined his bed for an afternoon nap, I finally watched the concert. I found the stage great and everything very well organized. Once I had listened to half of Robbie William's songs I kept my finger on the FF button. I ffed through the songs, sometimes listened what the different presenters had to say, some quiet funny some with "below the belt" jokes which I don't like. Then showed up a chinese version of Tom Jones. Probably a not so good facelifting had given him this look. Although 72, he had still had his powerful voice and it was a pleasure to listen to the old song "Delilah".



Biting in my sandwich, I suddenly saw a pink Lady Bug on the screen and stated with horror that it was Elton John in a glittering pink jacket. I had seen him twice life in Brussels, when he was in his 30th just like I was and was dressed in his fancy costumes, jumped on the piano and played laying on it ! The second time he was 64 and it was last year, but then he was dressed in a dark suit and only sat at his piano, without playing "young". Now in the Jubilee concert he choose to look ridiculous and also his voice wasn't as strong as usual. I ffed again and saw an angel on the screen which made me laugh, it was Annie Lenox, outfitted for Carnival.

Behind my sofa which separates the sitting from the dining area, I heard "crack", "crack" "crack". As I didn't see anything special I continued watching the concert. I feared for 70 year old Paul McCartney's tiny voice I thought it would break in a minute. Being besides the Queen in fancy braces holding his trousers on the rather skinny body, wasn't of the best choice neither. 



The only one who looked really unchanged or nearly was 72 year old Cliff Richard who also was well dressed and performed as I had seen him when he was 30.

And while I thought why these artists who all have the same age range like me, don't accept that they are old now and behave accordingly ! Being ridiculous while wanting to look young makes them even look older !

Meanwhile Mr. G. had shown up again and said without looking at the screen "You know there is a big fat mouse behind you !" "Ah, I answered "I didn't know". Yes, he said and it looks like if she had played the corpse in a CSI series, she or he (he couldn't tell me the sex) was cut into several pieces, fortunately he didn't tell me the stomac content. He collected the different mouse pieces and throw them in the bin.




My concert was finished too with a beautiful firework and I saw my cat Arthur with a satisfied look on his face jumping on the radiator and rest after his mouse hunting.

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.


1. It still rained and I couldn't mow the lawn or take off the ivy who is invading our garden. I was so fed up with flower planting and also to put more bark in the front yard, that finally I asked our nice little gardener to do everything for me which he did it took him two hours and I was happy to sit behind my computer and write emails. Garden work is definitively nothing for me. I have no green thumb !



2. I still need some more flower plants since the ivy is gone and went to buy some, but they all looked so measly and also were far too expensive that I drove home in this weather !



That's how the weather is on a 5th of June !

In the evening Vivi (73), my neighbor called she was in a terrible state, she had gone over to her 93 old boyfriend to have supper with him as they do since 5 years, only this time she found him dead. In the morning he had done the shopping by car, in the evening he wanted to repair a vaccuum cleaner and was looking for tools in the basement, he had opened the door and got an apoplectic stroke and was already dead when he fell down the stairs. That's what the doctor stated later. As he has no relatives anymore besides a daughter who lives in Canada, the police came and poor Vivi wasn't even allowed to take anything private with her, as officially they have no legal relationship. I liked Jack very much he was such a joyful and charming man. In one way I am happy for him that he died this way, without being sick or suffering, but for those he leaves behind it is very sad. (Their love story : Love at 70)

3. We had a machine to vacuum dead leaves, which we had never used. I went to a shop a kind of Ebay only life and not on Internet and sold it. So now with money I will buy a little fence we need to keep the earth from the tiles.

4. I went crossed the street and visited Vivi, who looked like a shadow of herself. She was sitting on the sofa with a picture of John on the table. We talked about old times and what we had done together and I managed to make her laugh. She then pointed on a beautiful huge rose bouquet and told me that he has offered it to her just the day before he died. She wanted to dry a rose and keep it as memory. Suddenly I had an idea, I have some varnish in Spray for Acrylic paintings and thought if it varnishs paintings it also can varnish a rose. I cut off a rose, sprayed the varnish all over and then we let it dry. It seems that it works and on top it looks beautiful and even more red.

5. After the bad news I got some very good news. While I was with my friend Ilona on the phone her daughter called her on her mobile phone to tell her that she had just become great grandma !!! We have the same age and I just became a grandma. Now her mother great great grandma is very happy because there are 4 generations of girls ! That's rather seldom today.

BEING CREATIVE

more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

If you want to know what "creativity" means, the dictionary tells you "the state or quality of being creative". which is very instructive. Now at least you know. Another one explained a little better :

"the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination"

and real good is this quote from Edward de Bono, even though I don't know who he is

“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.

Being creative concerns a vast domain, it can be your home, your artwork, your garden etc.

In my painting group, there is one guy who is exceptionally creative ! Some take him for crazy others think he is a genius.

To make his painting he constructed this vehicle :



A toy truck on which he fixed peacock feathers



little train wagons and a baby shoe


Euro banknotes, family pictures, a candle, a compass, mineral stones



a starfish



a ship



even toilet paper, a little Coca Cola truck



maybe you discover more on these pictures, the truck's end was this little ladybug wristband




He had attached two brushes with red and black color and then he pulled the truck in circles and finished his painting. of which he then took a picture.

Now if this is not creative I really don't know what creativity means !

Maybe the painting which hangs in a famous Brussels Museum, showing a blank canvas titled "Landscape in snow" !

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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in a park in Brussels

OUR WORLD - Rain

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Since a few days it's pouring in my part of our world and it is cold. It should be warm and sunny, now in June ! I couldn't take any pictures of special places because of the rain.



What I did, I drove along our street and took pictures of the houses through the rainy window



at least the flowers give a little colored spot in this wet world !










and finally, raindrops look quiet nice on pictures !

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND ?

This meme helps you to remember what you did on the weekend of 2 June

On Saturday we were invited to a birthday lunch of a very old friend whom I know since 1966. We have worked for 10 years in the same company and became friends. He married a French girl 2 years later than we married, his first son was born 4 days later than ours. And now he reached the proud age of 70 !

The lunch should be a surprise and his wife had organized everything together with the youngest son. We should all arrive 15 min earlier than him.



The restaurant was an old farm, very beautiful, with a nice garden and surrounded by woods and fields with horses. The weather was beautiful and we could have our aperitif and coffee outside. On the above picture you can see Mr. G. entertaining the mother in law and friends.

 

I made this picture myself and had put it in a frame. I think he liked it very much.



The food was delicious, there were two menus for choice, one with fish and the other with meat, and of course the birthday cake !



and here we were all together, his sons with girlfriend and wife, the grandchildren, the parents of his daughter in law and friends.

We talked about old times and laughed a lot. He is a very cheerful guy and loves to joke. We sang I don't know how many times "Happy Birthday to you " and he sang "to me". It had been a wonderful surprise for him, we all laughed when he entered the room and saw his face ! He only had expected his sons and the parents of his daughter in law.



Outside I could take a picture of these beautiful poppies before we returned home at 5 pm. Long time I hadn't sat 4 h at table ! But it was so much fun that time flew by.

On Sunday when I opened the shutters it rained cats and dogs ! The man who was supposed to finish the joints on our terrace, showed up at 8 am just to tell us that with all this rain he couldn't work.

I sorted out my birthday pictures and after lunch I took a blanket and lay comfortable on the sofa to watch the Queen's Jubilee.





Unfortunately it started to rain in London too, but I could take my pictures on the TV and stayed dry. While I was watching I called my friend in Eastbourne (UK) and we commented together, because she was watching too. Isn't modern technology great ? I am in Waterloo she is in Eastbourne and we watched TV together. The pictures are not of the best quality, but at least a nice souvenir.

The evening ended as so often with Dominique and Inspector Barnaby who this time had a glass of cider from a barrel which contained the corpse of a man and poor Inspector Barnaby had an indigestion and was sick.

THE DAY AFTER

We went to a birthday party





Mr. G. just felt like this


and I like this,




I just checked the house a little




and tried to train my cats ....