FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE - RANDOM 5 FRIDAY

1. On Monday I was feeling really burnt out, after this stressing weekend, I had no energy left. It was a long time that this didn't happen to me, but sometimes it's just too much. I hang around the whole day, forcing me to do at least something, but I just can't remember what I did. The only thing which was very nice was my aqua gym group, we had a lot of fun and I felt comforted, because I wasn't the only one feeling like this. Too much taking plus this awful winter, had its consequences on some of us.

2. Nicole came for a visit to pick up the little boot I had ordered for dog Charlie's wounded paw, unfortunately he thought it was a ball and wanted to play with it, it was impossible to put it on !



Finally we managed to put it on his paw, but then he turned around in circles to catch the boot ! Finally I put it back in the box and hid it in a closet. But Charlie is very stubborn so he sat in front of the French windows and barked for the boot ! We sat in the sunshine in our garden and tried to calm him down. He only stopped when Mr. G. arrived and played with him !

3. I started to check my summer clothes as on Sunday I fly to Tunisia to spend a week there just to disconnect from everything and enjoy sunshine and the beach. It will be rather a health cure then exciting holidays. I go alone, I think I have to find myself again. As years ago I suffered from depressions I don't want to get into this trap again.

4. My little travel computer didn't work properly anymore and that would have been a catastrophe for me as I continue blogging from Tunisia. Mr. G found the solution ! He took Window 7 out and put a new Window XP in  and now it works perfectly. The only trouble is I have now everything in French and am not yet used to all the words. But I think that's not a problem as everything else works perfectly and my computer is not like a snail anymore !

5. I didn't feel to attend my painting class, I would have to start a new picture and my head is empty I have no creative ideas. But it was the birthday party of my friend Chantal, so at least I went there for the birthday celebration.



Our grass had grown so high, that it was impossible to use Oscar the lawn mower robot. As I was out of work, Mr. G. tried to mow the lawn with our old lawn mower. He did one half on one day and the next day the rest. If you see the size of our yard, it really seems ridiculous, I helped a little too, but had to give up. Finally we managed it and now at least it's done. It had always rained and it had been impossible to mow the lawn it was like a sponge.


From Sunday on I will blog from here !

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

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QUALIFICATIONS ?

Letter Q

When finally I had managed to slip through primary and highschool and had finished which is supposed to be the best time of once life, the question for my father was now, what to do with this girl and found out what qualifications she had. I wanted to be a make up artist for actors in a theater, do the make up for monsters, witches, or beauties, together with the costume creator. For that I thought I really had the qualification. I only had to look for an adequate school. Of course this profession was not good enough for my father as those people were workers and I had at least to be an educated employe. So I did nothing but amusing myself by going out a lot. My father certainly hoped that I would find a rich husband who could entertain me for the rest of my life. But that was the last thing I wanted to do.


School finished, what a relieve !

Finally he took me to a vocational adviser who did some tests with me and the result was that I could do anything except languages, for that I had no qualification at all.

We found a compromise. I should go to a French business school a very expensive and posh one, still in the hope to find the right husband there. It was a mixed school, the boys were mostly sons of company owners who wanted their son to take the business over, but unfortunately the son was too stupid to go to university so he had landed in my school. The best thing was, they all already owned a car, which was rather seldom in the 60th and I had the opportunity to be invited to posh parties in huge mansions or even castles. It was a very interesting time and I learned a lot about people.

Despite the fact that I had no qualifications for learning languages I learned French rather quickly and also commercial correspondence in French, typewriting and business knowledge. When I had my diploma I was hired immediately by a Belgian import-export company for leather clothes, not for my French, but for my German. I did a little bit of everything there, answering the phone, writing letters, paying the tailors and served as model when one of the models was sick. I learned to walk like a model on the catwalk and had quite some fun in my first job. When my boss started to find out if I had other qualifications for example in his bed, I quitted.

Meanwhile I had met my first big love who was an Italian too and surprisingly learned Italian rather quickly. Then I looked for a new job and found one in an American company. Now I could use my French, my German and even some Italian. With English I had no problem I had learned it for 9 years at school. First I was a little rusty but improved with the time.

I wished I could have met this vocational adviser, and tell him that despite his judgement that I had no qualifications for languages, I now worked in four. Ever since I am very suspicious about these advisers !

My father had to wait with my marriage, I enjoyed life very much. I earned good money, could afford my own apartment and bought a car ! With 23 I was free, I could do what I wanted and started traveling through Italy together with my first love and my Volkswagen.



In Italy

Again I had been a big disappointment for my father, as I hadn't found a rich husband, and had dared to learn four languages, had found a good job and didn't depend on him anymore ! That I think was the worst ! He loved to have control over everybody, and I swore to myself that I would never depend on a man !

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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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A WALK TO A HISTORICAL PLACE

People are all happy ! Since a few days we have nice and sunny spring weather ideal for a walk.



That's what we did and went to one of the parts where once British soldiers have fought in the Waterloo battle.



We made a stop in an old farm which had been transformed into a beautiful restaurant. The kitchen was in the same room as the guests so that you could watch the cooking. We only had a drink there, before we crossed the main street and visited the farm of Hougoumont.



Before the Waterloo battle in 1815 it had looked like this.



After the battle and a fire and over 30 years of neglect the entrance now looks like this ! In view of the 200th anniversary of the battle, finally renovations started !

The Chateau d'Hougoumont  was large farmhouse. Here the British and other allied forces faced Napoleon's Army at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815.

Very attached to the building, which is of great historical value because it was a turning point in the battle, the British were involved in renovation costs, paying out a million pounds (1.2 million euros). The farm will then be a permanent memorial tribute to fallen British soldiers during the battle.

It was also the place Victor Hugo described in Les Misérables





It was not allowed to visit the site, but I insisted, pretending that I did a reportage for a British magazine ! After the promise to be careful I was allowed to go inside. There is still a lot to do if they want to finish in June 2014 !








were these memorial plaques.

I certainly will go back there in a couple of month to see how far they are with the renovation.

MY WEEKEND OF MARCH 8

My weekend was very busy this time ! First I had to catch Kim and drive her to the groomer. Catching is a big job and leaves me exhausted !



Once at the groomer she is an angel and the hairs coming out of her fur in only 3 months were enough to make a nice long scarf !

Then we expected the visit of son and grandson. We had to roll up all the carpets and clean the floor because Toby is allergic to cats, which just takes the biscuit with a grandma owning 4 cats !



As soon as he arrived he took possession of all his toys and some new little cars and played until he had to go to bed, he was quite tired as they only arrived around 9 pm.

The next morning I prepared his breakfast and sat down with him, which made me a little nostalgic because 37 years ago another little boy was sitting at the same place and had his breakfast ... my son.



Toby has a good appetite and ate two bowls with Choco pops, banana slices with milk and half an apple !



Once dressed, he went outside in our garden and discovered the new tricycle we had bought for him. First he still preferred the little tractor he had already here, but then started with the tricycle and it went very well, he seemed to be quite happy about it. It's difficult to say when you have the choice between a bike, a tractor and a tricycle. After having tried driving on the terrace he wanted to go on the street which he did, escorted by his two bodyguards (Daddy and Grandpa) and a photographer, but it didn't last very long. Fortunately he had two porters at his disposal, who carried his stuff out and in again.



Our cat Arthur loves little children, which is rather seldom for a cat and they played a little together.

After lunch we went to my son's friend stayed there for a bit on their terrace, we were so lucky to have such a wonderful warm spring weather.



While I had a chat with the friend's wife, the two Daddies watched over the boys. The afternoon ended with an ice cream and we returned home. We watched a little TV together and had supper. My son took the opportunity to go out with his friend, while I did my grandma job and put Toby to bed. As with all kids they behave much better when the parents are not around and I had no problem at all.

The next morning Toby showed up in Daddy's arms and was a little surprised to see his grandma in her bed with her legs in the air, I just was busy with my Yoga exercises ! Daddy handed Toby over and disappeared into his bed again, how nice to be able to sleep longer when you have been out the night before !

Toby and I had breakfast and he watched TV a little with grandpa, while I was busy, and when Daddy finally appeared, he got dressed and wanted to play outside.



The 3 generations played football (soccer) together and Arthur of course had to watch the game ! He wasn't disturbed at all when the ball almost fell on his head.

The visit was short, because after lunch they left, to return home with a stop to say good bye to Toby's  little friend. We put the carpets in place again, Mr. G. collapsed on the sofa watching TV, being an "old" grandpa was rather tiring for him and I went to my friend Nicole and had a relaxing sunbath on her terrace, with a nice cool beer, we had a lot to chat of course. While I was talking about a 3 year old she was talking about her 21 year old granddaughter who had her first lovesickness. If ever that will happen to Toby I will be in my 90th or in heaven or hell. That's the difference between an old and a young grandma !
As new  parents are more and more old, grandparents are dieing out.