FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE - RANDOM 5 FRIDAY

1. On Monday I had the blues. It was the first day at home after my one week holidays in the sunshine of Tunisia. I just did nothing except my aqua gym class, and found that I had done enough for the day.



I didn't even unpack my suitcase much to the delight of Rosie who had one more day to sleep in it, while Arthur played with my beach slippers.

As we had a breakdown of our internet, I finally decided to sort out my holiday pictures and put them in order, at least I had the impression to be there again.

2. Looking in the mirror and saw a mop like head, I called my hairdresser for an appointment, before I got back to civilization outside our house. Then I could make my weekly shopping and say hello to my friend Nicole.

3. Brussels was blocked by the visit of Mr. Obama ! The streets were closed in many places and  trams, buses and even the subways were not allowed to run. Although the city was quite proud to receive such an important visitor for the first time, the companies, shops, stores etc were not so happy. Nobody could get through.


They block all the roads, and I am only arriving by helicopter ?!

In reality he arrived in the evening with his special airplane Air force one and its twin. The planes were escorted by 2 helicopters of the marines, 5 helicopters of the army, 3 airplanes carrying "the Beast" and two other armoured  cadillacs. 45 patrol cars escorted the convey. 900 employes worked on the organization, 300 security agents were posted all around and snipers were on the roofs. This less then 24 h visit has cost Brussels 500.000 € (689.000 $) and 10.millions € (1.4 millions $) for the USA (according to the British Newspaper "The Guardian) !

Quite an expensive excursion for only one man.



He was greeted by our King and the Prime Minister, and the next day went to the military cemetary in Waregem, called  "The Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial". It is the smallest World War I American cemetery in Europe and the only one in Belgium.

Although the American president is very much appreciated in Belgium, people found these security measures a little too much !

 4. My friend Ilona had her birthday so I went to give her my birthday present. I had bought her a USB stick so that she can do back ups. She just had bought a new computer and had lost all her photos and documents which were in the old one. Fortunately I had almost all photos of her paintings, as it's always me who takes the pictures, which she regretted the most but also from our trips together, which I had put on the stick. Ilona and I have the same age both born in 1943 she is only 4 months older.


Here we are in Edinburgh together

5. Nature has changed in the one week I was gone ! The trees are starting to become green again



I have put some red (fake) flowers at the entrance and the Magnolia tree of my neighbor is in full bloom.



For the first time this year Oscar the lawn mower robot had to work, while Mr. G. and I were busy on our computers ! What a difference ! Two weeks ago we had to mow the lawn with our "normal" lawn mower and for our handkerchief sized lawn we needed two days, the grass had grown so fast and it had rained all the time so that it was wet like a sponge and too high for Oscar.

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CHARLIE THE STUBBORN DOG

This is Charlie, my friend Nicole's dog. He is the best dog in the world, I love him and he loves me, he only barks once when I ring the bell but then he recognizes my voice and brings me some of his toys to welcome me.

Charlie is a well educated dog, he doesn't pull you (unless he sees a cat), he walks quietly besides you, he sits and lays down on command. He gives the paw and does everything what his beloved nanny asks him.

When he comes to us, he first checks the whole house, has a glance on my sleeping cats, but ignores them, they are part of the furniture. Then he empties all the rests in the cat's food bowls and with two slobbers with his tongue empties the water bowl. My cats would need two days to do that. Then when he has done his check up, he lays bravely down and listens to our silly conversations, and falls asleep.

He only has one fault, he is stubborn, I never thought that a dog could be stubborn like that. 



I noticed that for the first time when we were at the Belgian coast. Suddenly in the middle of the road he sat down and didn't move. Nicole and Ilona pulled and pulled on the leash, but there was nothing to do. I laughed and took pictures but then I helped or at least I tried, I pushed his bottom. We were three vintage girls pulling and pushing Charlie without any success, much to the amusement of the people walking by. Finally we gave up, and we stood there not knowing what to do. Suddenly Charlie got up, went to a nearby café where Nicole used to have a drink before she goes home, looked for the water bowl, drank some water and then pulled us home ! He has his habits, and the fact that we didn't sit down there, didn't please him at all.





Apparently he always had been like that. Once when Charlie was 6 month old, he sat in the middle of a very busy street, and even then although he was much smaller, she couldn't convince him to move. She stopped a truck by waving with her arms, and told the truck driver that her dog just had decided to sit there and nowhere else. The driver, a huge man, got out of his truck, picked Charlie up and put him on the sidewalk.

Yesterday happened the same. In the middle of the very busy main street going through whole Waterloo, Charlie stopped, sat down and blocked the whole traffic. Nicole got angry, shouted at him pulled and pushed, but stubborn Charlie didn't move. The cars had all to stop and fortunately nobody got angry because it was so funny to see the dog sitting in the middle of this large street with his owner trying by all means, vocally and with force to get him move.

Finally a man got out of his car and they both pulled and pushed him on the sidewalk, while Charly braked with his front paws ! Of course he couldn't be carried anymore he is a big and heavy dog.  When finally the mission was accomplished, Nicole and the man where exhausted.  Charlie, a little offended got up and and showed her the way to the shop he wanted to go to. Of course it wasn't the shop with curtains she wanted to look at, but the shop a little further with dog food and toys !

Charlie knows what he wants !

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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Seen in Djerba's airport, special entrance for diplomatic corps

Wordless Wednesday
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THE BEST OF HOLIDAY MEMORIES IN DJERBA

I spent a week in Djerba which is an island belonging to Tunisia. There is nothing special to visit, it's just a nice place to spend relaxing or less relaxing holidays.

When you come back it's nice to see the pictures which bring the best memories. That's what I did for "Our world".



The wonderful surprise after a little less then 3 h flight, is the the sunshine, the light and the warm weather when you come from a rather cold, wet and grey country. The first thing I saw was the airport.



I arrived rather late and discovered the hotel walking from my room to the restaurant.



The next morning I saw the entrance of the hotel Homere.



Some beautiful decorations



The gorgeous tiles in my bathroom



My blogging space was a room decorated in Mauritanian style





I never had such a nice "working" place.



The inside pool was enormous



The swimming pool had nearly an Olympic size and the water was as warm as in a bathtube;



That's where my sunbath place was



sometimes occupied by my little friend a ginger cat



 While we were watching the animation team performing their dance to start the day with all kind of activities.







On the hotel ground there were beautiful flowers



The sea was rather rough, I loved to watch the waves.



And in the evening Tunisian dancers showed us local costumes and dances.

MY WEEKEND OF MARCH 22

This weekend was also the last days of my sunshine cure in Djerba. While I was busy with my computer



a group of dancers arrived and changed into their costumes. I was discreet enough not to take pictures while they were undressed. I was even surprised that they didn't even hide or ask me to go away. One woman had such a big belly that I could have sworn she was pregnant, but she wasn't. Her belly was enormous. One of the men had to hold the long scarf she draped around or rather under her belly and he had to pull hard until she finally got into the dress. What did we laugh, the girl from the animation team (in pink in the background) and I.

After supper the show began with a wedding ceremony.



The "girls" danced with baskets, can't tell you why, from where I was with this loud music I could hardly understand the guy who explained in a mixture of French and German the whole ceremony to the guests.



Then one danced with a jar on her head and another one a wedding dance.





To end the show there was the traditional belly dance. Before all guests stormed the bar and started to dance too, I escaped to my room and continued to read my book.



The next day I said good bye to my girls who had been such a nice company for me and from whom I learned so much about the life on Djerba. I haven't seen many women wearing scarfs, only the once who  cleaned the rooms or outside, but this was more to protect themselves from the dust and sunshine, as our grandmas did when they worked on the fields and not for religious purposes. The female employes of the hotel were dressed in suits and looked very elegant.

I took a last picture of the hotel and the swimming pool where I had spent so many hours and head read two books !



I also fed my little friend for the last time, with sausage slices and turkey, he was such a sweet cat, his half bitten off tail had healed and the wound on his back looked much better. I was not the only one who fed him !

On Sunday morning I had to get up at 3.30 am ! The hotel had even prepared a breakfast for us but I couldn't eat anything so early and just had coffee. The bus made a tour to other hotels and picked up other guests and we arrived finally at the airport at 6.30 am. To get us out of Tunisia it went very quick, not like when we came in. They hardly checked the luggage and had a glance on our passports and we went through.



As the flight was only at 7.30 am, I had time to look a bit into the tax free shops. But there was nothing special to  buy, it only looked very colorful.

In the airplane it was freezing cold  and we all kept our coats on !  I finally asked if they couldn't turn on the heating a little more and after a while the temperature was better. The flight was smooth and we even arrived half an hour earlier.

Mr. G. was waiting for me and told me everything what had happened meanwhile, most of it was concerning our cats !  I think he had good holidays too.

The rest of the day I was feeling a little upside down and didn't even unpack my suitcase. It's such a difference being back in this grey and cold weather.