21 Aug 2015

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

1. I brought my laptop to the shop where I had bought it to get it repaired, some of the keys didn't work anymore.



Mr. G. had the good idea to install a big screen connected to my travel laptop, so that I could  better see my pictures. It took me some time to get used to it, because sometimes I have to drag the program with my  mouse on the big screen. But now it works ! I have to wait 6 to 8 weeks before my computer will be repaired ! That I call a quick service. A snail in a race makes it quicker !

2. My friend Claudie arrived from the South of France fortunately on the last day where it was very cold. Poor girl was freezing ! After having dropped off her suitcase, we went for a drink to the Waterloo Lion.



Unfortunately it was too cold to sit outside so we went to the Wellington Café and had our drink inside.
As Belgium has more than 2000 sorts of Beer, each time we have or had a drink she tries out a new one !

3. The weather got better and even the sun came out, so I went with her to Mons which is about 60 km from Waterloo. Mons became the European Capital of Culture for 2015 and there is a lot to see.



First went to see the little monkey  the emblem of Mons which sits just besides the entrance. You have to stoke its head with your left hand which will bring you luck and happiness. That's why its head is so shiny, because everybody passing by strokes its head. We walked around this beautiful place and looked at the city hall, before we sat for lunch on a terrace of a café and had a "Croque Madam". It is a toast with ham and cheese and on top sits a fried egg. It was very good.

4.



After lunch we went to see the "Beffroi" which is Belium's only baroque belfry and dates from the 17th century. We climbed up the hill which was quite hard, but then inside the tower there was a lift which took us about 60 m high from where we had a panoramic view all over Mons. Touchscreens were installed at each window and you could zoom on buildings and find a description.



Of course we wanted to see the house where the famous painter van Gogh has lived as a preacher before he decided to paint again. We didn't go inside as there were no paintings or furniture to see. It was a little outside of Mons and really worthwhile to see.

5. I wanted to show the nice Chinese Restaurant to Claudie so we had lunch  there. She was delighted ! We ate that much that we felt like two balloons when we got out ! We walked a little around in a nearby located park, sat on a bench and tried to digest !



The rest of the day we spent on the terrace, and also did our fingernails. Mr.G. took the picture.

Claudie had brought us two enormous tomatoes from her garden !



They were so huge that they  just fitted on the plate. We ate them for supper together with Mozarella cheese. They tasted delicious !





more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.









20 Aug 2015




The first word a young child learns besides Mummy and Daddy is NO ! And they love to use it. At that time "No" is a word to try out how far they can go with adults, but for adults saying NO is another story.

During my life I have learned that it is far easier to say yes than NO. A NO always creates discussions, fights or misunderstandings. Some people prefer to say yes to everything and yet don't do what they are asked for while others dare to say NO and then have problems.

I instinctively mostly say NO, then think it over and can always change my mind to Yes. The other way around wouldn't be appreciated at all ! Some people even need help  by a psy in order to learn to say No !

This simple word can determine your whole way of life.











Jenny Matlock
more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

19 Aug 2015

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY







An open door besides the sign: How city administration works .......




more participants here

18 Aug 2015

OUR WORLD - BRUSSELS FLOWERTIME


Instead of the biannual flower carpet this year Brussels presented a "Flowertime" display on the Grand'Place and in the Brussels City Hall. The theme was "Italian Baroque".

Not to be in a huge crowd I arrived early on the Grand'Place and noticed that lots of people had had the same idea as me. read more here




more participants here


17 Aug 2015

WEEKEND REVIEW AUGUST 15

During the night the temperature had dropped from 30°C to 16°C and it rained cats and dogs or rather Elephants and dinosaurs the whole day !

The keyboard on my laptop didn't work properly anymore, some letters were stuck. Impossile to type even by hammering on the key.  After having tried out everything, Mr. G. came with a provisory solution !



He put another keyboard on my laptop and at least I could type again. I have to get my laptop repaired, fortunately it is still under guarantee.

In the afternoon I went to Nicole to share with her the rainy weather with a cup of coffee and some updating chats.



Charlie was happy to see me, he had a companion, the dog of Nicole's daughter. When I left she walked the dogs and I was happy that I don't have to do that with my cats when it rains !

On Sunday the sun came out again and I took the opportunity to visit the Brussels' Flowertime event on the Grand Place.



I was early a little after 9 am, but there were already lots of people walking towards the Grand' Place.



The flower display on the place was absolutely beautiful. The flowers looked like a stream flowing over the place. It continued inside the City Hall,  but there were so many people already lining up, that I decided to wait a bit.



I had a coffee on the terrace of the "Roi d'Espagne" which was in the past  the café where I had my dates. As it was high season the price for a coffee was so expensive, more than the half of the price in winter ! To compensate, the coffee spoon disappeared in my purse, I just had lost the one of my cup I use in my painting course.



Inside the café almost nothing had changed, not even the stuffed horse I had seen for the first time when I was 13 !

This flower festival was absolutely beautiful I will write a special post about it.