FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

The 1st of November is a holiday in Belgium and I think the weatherman had some glasses of wine too much because it was so warm that we could sit in a T-shirt on Nicole's terrace.



It was like a summer holiday and we enjoyed it very much. Can't remember when or if that happened last time.



Nicole had bought new bathroom furniture and we had to laugh because when she opens the small cabinet over the sink it looks as if she had a whole shop display because of the mirror ! Very confusing.

2. The flowers in my pots on the terrace had done their job and had completely faded.



I hate garden work but it had to be done, so I pulled the rotten plants out and replaced them with fake flowers. At least I will have a nice colorful view in this dull, gray winter time.

3. Mr. G. who had put Oscar the lawn mower robot in his winter bed in the basement, had to carry it up again and mow the lawn ! It had still grown. Usually it stops growing in October.

4.



Three days later when the above picture was taken, I sat with a thick pullover in front of Ilona's wood burner ! It rained and it was cold outside, so we had a hot cup of tea chatted and watched TV together. What can you do else when the weather is so lousy.

My cleaning lady arrived with a big cold, no wonder with this roller coaster weather. I only hope she won't give it to me !

5. I did some shopping and also looked for a bathroom lamp, ours is old and broke. But I didn't find anything I liked.

In the afternoon I went with 253 photos of Charlie to Nicole, to chose one portrait ! She wants to paint him on a canvas. Finally we found one which was suitable.



Meanwhile the model was sleeping happily at our feet.

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

THE YELLOW LINE OR A VERY STRANGE FINE

Last time in our painting class Chantal told us a for us western people unbelievable story which happened to her son who is actually working in Dubai.

He had got a phone call from a girl friend who was on a roundtrip and wanted to meet her for a few hours, which they did. To show her Dubai, they took the metro. In the middle of the wagon was a yellow line. The seats on one side were in pink and reserved for women only. On the other side were the seats for men and couples. As the metro was fully packed he had to stand in the middle together with his friend. To keep his balance, he had put one foot on the other side of the line in the women's space. Not long after two female controllers appeared and he got a fine of 30 € (33 $) because he had put his feed in women's "domain". This will probably be the most unique fine in his whole life ! So be careful if you are a men and don't put your feet in female spaces, big sister is watching you !

Not always the Islamic men keep to "traditions" ! Sometimes women are worse !

more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Now you can also do your shopping with your organic chicken !

VINTAGE MARKET IN BRUSSELS

I had read that there was a vintage market in the Hal St. Géry in Brussels, and decided to have a look.



The way from Waterloo through Brussels if you don't take the motor way leads you through a beautiful park and wood.



When I approached the Hal, looking for a parking space, I saw a lot of people sitting on the terraces of restaurants and bars. It was unusually warm for November.



This is the Hal St. Géry, I took the picture another time, because it was impossible to take a picture yesterday with all these people around for the Vintage market.





The 3 floors of the hall was packed, I had a look on the different items which were sold, but to me it didn't look vintage at all, because I am a vintage girl and all these things on sale were certainly not from the 60th !  I rather would have called it "Flea Market" !



The cake and ice cream was not vintage of course. I didn't stay long inside, because I preferred to go out into the sunshine.



I walked over to "La Bourse" the ancient stock market, which today is an exposition hall.



to the Grand'Place





where I noticed that nearly all buildings had been cleaned and repainted and I had never seen them looking so new. The gold was sparkling in the sunshine.

I sat on a terrace and watched the crowd taking pictures or filming, and when it started to get cool I left and returned home.

more participants here

WEEKEND REVIEW OCTOBER 31

Nicole and I have discovered a Bistro called "Le Grill de l'Empereur" (The emperor's grill), meaning Napoleon of course. The speciality are the good Belgian fries or chips ! We had never noticed it, although it is near the Waterloo Lion. The chips were excellent and the homemade sauce too. The Bistro was full. Now wonder.

Since a few days we have wonderful "Indian Summer" weather !



You could even sit outside in the sunshine. That's what I did Saturday afternoon, while having a coffee. An old friend of mine has a bathroom boutique on the main street and as she was there, I popped in and we had a little chat. It was nice to see each other it had been a long time. Meanwhile she is also grandma of a little girl who was also there with her daughter.

After that I met with Nicole and we went to the the cinema there was a new French comedy movie on the program and it was really very funny. It was the story of a woman who had an only son, who was such a manipulator from his childhood on that he even managed that his parents divorced and no other man could stay with her. He always managed that they separated from his mother. And the boy even now 20 looked like an angel ! That sounds not funny at all but the film was made with a lot of very good humor. We had a drink in the Gallery Wellington before we returned home.

On Sunday there was "All Saints Day" and as Belgium is a catholic country all people who have somebody laying in a graveyard pilgrim there, even if it is a long forgotten great great great aunt. Once a year everybody has to go to the cemetery that's the use and also an occasion to meet friends and family on the graveyard and have a drink together afterwards.

I instead went to Brussels. My way leads through the "Bois de la Cambre" a wood and public park on the edge of the Sonian Forest in Brussels. It has an area of 1.23 square km (247 acres). In this season it looks particularly beautiful.



There were many people enjoying this exceptional weather and the terraces were full.



Here the people tried to discover "Manneken Pis" the very little statue, that's why I biggified it (in the corner). Usually everybody is disappointed because they think it has at least the size of a little boy !

I went to a vintage exposition and market and will report about this in another post.