FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

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1. As usual I take care of the neighbor's cat when they are gone on holidays. Unfortunately this time the cat was sick and had to take medication. That is normally no problem only that the cat didn't eat !

In the middle of my Christmas preparations came the worries about the cat.

2. After three days he hadn't eaten, I decided to call his vet and he asked me to come over.



What I did. The cat was very good, didn't protest when I put her in the carrier and then she got two antibiotic shots. The afternoon I had some last shopping to do and at the exit there were 21 people before me and two cashiers open ! On top of that the whole bank card system in Belgium had broken down and people had to leave their shopping because they didn't have enough cash ! A real mess which we could see in the evening in the News. I had a lucky hand when I payed with my card it suddenly worked, somebody told me that I had a fairy hand and was applauded because now they all could pay with their cards. To my knowledge I am not a fairy godmother, so it must have been pure coincidence.

3. Unfortunately my DIL had to work on the 24th so that they arrived quiet late from Amsterdam for the Christmas Eve supper.



Grandson Toby discovered immediately his toys which I keep for him and started to play. Then we had our Christmas Eve meal, a Pierrade



A very easy plate to prepare because everybody does the cooking himself, on the top you roast different kinds of meat and underneath you can melt cheese. It's served with baked potatoes and vegetables.

4.


When Toby was in bed we put all the gifts under the Christmas tree and the next morning at 8 am we gathered half asleep around the tree, we even had to wake up Mr. G. He didn't like to celebrate on Christmas day early morning, he was always used to open the gifts on Christmas Eve when we are a little more fresh. It didn't bother me, but honestly I agreed with him. Toby didn't seem to be very interested in all the packages either but then he started to look and was in charge to give the gifts to everybody. I had put little photos of us on the packets so it was easy for him but he also could read his name !



Once everything unpacked he was happy and played with his new gifts, our cat Arthur helped him. He is the only cat who loves little children. The others were hiding !





As the weather was quiet nice we did a little walk through the Waterloo park and Toby had a lot of fun on the children's playground.

5.


After a brunch the men looked very "fresh", except Toby who refused his afternoon nap and played !



Late afternoon a friend of our son came with his wife and the two kids and they played while we were chatting. That was a real nice afternoon.

The Christmas meal, as starter scallops, was less cozy. Toby was very tired and was not hungry. So between the starter and the meal a roasted Guinea hen with vegetables he had his bath from which he didn't want to get out and got very angry.

We ate the main meal, when he was finally in bed. Then we too were quiet tired and we finished the evening talking a bit and then went to bed too.



The next morning before they returned to Amsterdam my son made this picture of us while Toby was watching "The smurfs", and Arthur played with a mouse.

Late afternoon I went over to Dominique who was happy to see me and report what a wonderful Christmas she had for he first time since her divorce and then the death of ex-husband, her 93 old mother, the youngest son with girlfriend and her eldest son with the three little once (5,2 and 1 1/2) came on Christmas Eve. And while they had a glass of champagne the little once stormed on the gifts. She said  it was the best Christmas she ever had since a very long time. I reported her mine, and she knew how hardly I had tried to make out the best of this for both of us new way of Christmas celebrations and she laughed when she saw the pictures of us hanging around the tree so early in the morning, fresh like roses ! Toby with his old age of three didn't anyway understand a single thing and was happy, and finally that was the most important. Mr. G. was completely "out of work" and collapsed on the sofa when they were gone. Ilona had no problem with her children, they are more Flemish then Waloons and had more celebrated St. Nicolas. Christmas they don't celebrate although she had brought them up celebrating Christmas. She went to her sister with her mother and rest of the Waloon family. I remembered my childhood Christmas and also the Christmases with my little son, and was a little nostalgic.