FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

1. I absolutely wanted to wear a special pullover as it gets cooler now, and of course couldn't find it. The result was that I emptied my closet and found long forgotten pullovers, old once I don't want to wear anymore so I used the opportunity to sort out what is still wearable and what is to be given away. The pullover I was looking for remained disappeared. I found it later in the dryer with other washed laundry which I had forgotten ! I hope my brain doesn't become like a "Gruyère" the cheese with the holes in it.

2.


In the beginning of the week we still had wonderful sunny summer days. After having bought some colors for my paintings, I stopped at Nicole's and sitting on her balcony we enjoyed the view over the gardens while Charlie took probably one of his last sunbaths.

3. Mr. G's 10 year old car had to be replaced as it got more and more expensive diseases. So when I came back from the Lake of Geneva, we decided to buy a Hybrid car. I had driven my friend's car who has the same half of the way to Thonon and back to Waterloo and loved it. Especially that it doesn't consume a lot of petrol only 60 % as a normal car, and drives on electricity when you drive under +- 60 km/h (37miles) which costs nothing. Ideal for the city ! As I drive more then him I got the new one and he inherited my only 4 year old Opel Corsa.



I picked it up on Wednesday and here I am the proud owner of a new Toyota Yaris, with the approval of cat Arthur who likes the fact that his fur is assorted to the color !

4. Amongst 6000 couples our age, we had been chosen by the Ministry of Health for a statistic ! An elderly man visited us, armed with his computer and first interviewed Mr. G. and then me. Mr. G's interview took quiet a long time, because to the question "when did you have your last visit to a specialist  in the last 6 months ?" He started from birth til today (nearly) and the poor man got quiet confused. He had to answer if he suffers cholesterol, heart problems, hearing problems, arthritis, if he had broken his hips, if he walks at least 500 m per day (which made me laugh, as he walks daily from the sofa to his office) etc. After nearly one hour the poor man had finished with Mr. G. and his detailed health problems. With me it was done in half an hour as I only answered yes or no and didn't make whole tales. Then he left us with a 6 page questionary to be filled in in one month time. So far I haven't had a look on it. I wonder what will come out of the statistics ? Do they cut or increase the health care budget ?

5. In my painting class everybody was working "hard" to finish the last of their paintings for the exhibition next weekend.



I also finished mine, which is quiet big, because I didn't have smaller canvas anymore.

I did my weekly shopping and made a lot of detours just to try out the new car. And as the city center was completely congested I drove with electricity only and didn't use any petrol ! What a pleasure for the wallet !

AN UNLUCKY DAY

more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

There are days you better stay in bed and don't move ! My day started when I woke up, stretched myself in all directions, hit the shelf over my bed and had a rain of cat figures falling on my head.



I got up and stepped with one food into something wet and disgusting which was a nice portion of barf of one of my 4 cats. Of course there was no signature. On one foot I hobbled to the bathroom, washed my foot, then cleaned the souvenir of course left on the rag and not on the parquet, which would have been easier to clean. My cats are posh !

Before I collected all the cat figurines on my bed and put them back on the shelf, I made myself a coffee, to get some strength to start the day ! When I came back I noticed that I had no internet connection ! This was a catastrophe. Mr. G. my specialist in computer problems, had just woken up and heard the bad news before his coffee, which taught me to better wait until he had swallowed his first cup. Swearing in his best Italian, he sat amongst the cat figurines on my bed and took out all cables from my computer ! Then he pulled and tried to disentangle the cable mess, connected them again with the result that now even my mouse didn't work anymore. In the middle of this stressful operation my cleaning lady showed up to inform me that the vacuum cleaner had given up its soul.

Finally Internet came back and I could continue to prepare my posts. I thought I better don't move too much today, there might be other misfortunes.



One lucky moment was when at 11 am I had to pick up my new car. I drove with Mr. G's old car to the Garage which they wanted to take back. I left in the sunshine with the 10 year old car and arrived in pouring rain at the garage. After some explanation and paperwork I got my new car and at least could try out that the windshield  wipers worked. Fortunately I was used to the Toyota Yaris hybrid, as I had driven my friend's one when we went to the Geneva Lake. I stopped at a household store, bought a new vacuum cleaner, and arrived home safely.

I fell on the sofa and had lunch while watching my little innocent crime story, without blood and shooting, but this time I was not so lucky an old lady died in her apartment and was found with 3 fingers missing which had been eaten by her 5 cats who obviously had been very hungry.

Mr. G. prepared the supper and forgot to put the bowl in the Micro wave, which turned empty for 5 min. When he wanted to stir for another round of 5 min, he realized that no bowl was inside and he had to wait for his supper. Unforgivable because his stomach is like a train schedule and we eat at 7 pm and not at 7.10 !

What a day !

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

more participants here

OUR WORLD - Thonon les bains, France

Last months I  spent 10 days with 2 friends in Thonon-les-Bains which once has been  the historic capital of Chablais, a province of the old Duchy of Savoy. The town was the capital of the Dukedom of Chablais. It is located just at the Geneva lake but on the French side, and only a few km away from Geneva. Read more here .....

MY WEEKEND OF OCTOBER 6

We had a grandparents weekend ! Little Toby arrived for a visit together with his parents on Saturday.



After lunch, first thing they did, our son cut part of the hedge and mum and Toby helped to collect the branches and put them in the garbage bag. The help didn't last long, he preferred his wooden bicycle and biked around the terrace.



Nonno, who is probably the only Italian man in the world with no musical sense tried to play on the little piano. Toby was not very impressed, my ears yes.





While the parents went shopping Toby heard the neighbor's lawn mower which made a lot of noise. So through the hedge I showed him what it was and then got out our robot and switched it on. Toby was very impressed, so impressed that I took two seats and we sat there like in a home cinema ! And when Oscar (the robot) approached we lifted our legs ! We had a lot of fun ! Then he played with his cars.



Later in the afternoon he tried the piano, Nonno had given him his Ferrari cap, and for a while he didn't want to take it off.



A little walk with his bike in our street,



then a game on Nonna's Kindle,



and one on mum's smart phone, which he both handled like an old professional,



Toby wore Mr. G's cap which he had gotten when he was called up for military service in Italy.

After that busy day, Toby and the grandparents were tired and we three went to bed, while the young parents had a drink in a Pub in Waterloo.



At 8 am on Sunday morning, I found Nonno and Toby sitting in front of the TV watching the Formular 1, while Toby had his breakfast. As Mr. G. is a Ferrari fan, Toby joined in and each time he saw a red car he screamed "Ferrari" !



Of course after that he had to try out Nonno's Ferrari helmet. But it was a little difficult to eat lunch with that thing on the head.



The weather was still kind with us so Toby could play and run in the garden, before they returned home.
He promised us to come back but now he had to go back to Amsterdam. He will be 3 in November and speaks like a waterfall in Dutch and French.

Although it had been such a nice visit and rather short, after the last weeks of stress with Mr. G's surgery we were quiet tired. I watched a little TV and fell asleep !

I pulled out some weeds and went to bed very early !