FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

1. It was still the same cool and rainy weather and I didn't do anything special, pottering around in the house, TV and blogging

2. I had to do some shopping because my friend Claudie from Southern France would arrive the next day late afternoon.

3. We had a lot to chat of course and realized that we know each other since 10 years now ! It started with our Blogs in 2006, in 2008 we met for the first time "life" and ever since I go to France a week and she comes to Brussels for a week.

4. It's nice to have company, she is part of the family so we live our life just as usual, only I go out more of course. She arrived very tired because of antibiotics she had to take for a virus and I have troubles with my breathing, and have to change medication. So we are both not really on the top yet !

There was the football (soccer) game France against Germany and we laughed, we said if one of us will win we won't talk together anymore. Only Mr. G. as Italian was not really involved, but it was him who gave us the results the next morning, because both of us are not interested in football at all, but it's impossible to ignore it.

5. For 3 days Brussels celebrated the "Ommegang" and it was the last day, of the celebrations.
The Ommegang’s historical parade is part of Brussels folklore, and commemorates Charles V’s arrival in Brussels in 1549 to present his son, the future Philip II. It is celebrated each year.



This time the medieval village was built up in the Royal Park, just in front of the Royal Palace.
We watched the shows and had a delicious Brussels' wafel ! Claudie had brought the sunshine along and it was nice and warm.



The park is very beautiful and we walked a little around



Opposite to the Royal Palace on the other end of the park is the Belgian parliament and left and right buildings of the government.

 Today we will make more plans what to do and see !

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

FIVE ON FRIDAY

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

School class pictures ! Grandma times and now


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AROUND WATERLOO

It is difficult to show my world when it is raining all the time ! Summer is far from Belgium and it's nearly almost cold and wet.

From time to time a miracle happens and you see some blue sky. I quickly took my camera and  took some pictures of the surroundings of Waterloo. Despite the fact that new buildings grow like mushrooms a little everywhere, there are still some countryside like views around.





A little outside the center





the views from my friend's terrace





and still a lot of cows around, although not any more behind our house



And so looks my daily life since a months !

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WEEKEND REVIEW July 2, 2016

What a boring weekend again ! It is so cold that some people had to put their heating on ! We have 18°C (64 F) in the afternoon, plus the buckets of rain which douses over the country ! People are all complaining about a lack of energy and even "THE SALES" which started on July 1 didn't change their mood, because the shops were complaining. As we only have twice "sales" in Belgium usually on the first day people line up to make the best bargain.

The only once who were first very cheerful and celebrated already in advance were the supporters of the Belgian football team.


No decoration at Ilona's yellow house

When I went to Ilona, the houses in her street were all decorated with flags and pictures of the team. And then they lost and the general mood sank into the basement.

Fortunately we don't care about football (soccer) because on Saturday there was the game Italy against Germany, which didn't bother me at all because I have both nationalities and our son too. Only Mr. G. was the looser, because Germany won. Even if you are not interested at all in football, the News are always full of it and the newspapers too. Sometimes you get the impression that terrorist attacks or Brexits or whatever tragedy happens are less important than football.



I returned with Nicole to the "Lunch Garden" to eat my plate of Mussels with chips, they are so delicious this year. When I returned home it rained so heavily that cars had to stop, we couldn't see anything anymore ! Fortunately it only lasted a few minutes.

Sunday Mr. G. was glued on the TV screen to watch the Formular 1, nobody was allowed to disturb him, this car racing is sacred !



Arthur watching too !

I discussed with an English friend who is very worried about the Brexit events, especially for her children ! They would miss the right to live anywhere in the EU as well as the sense of being part of a European community.

The automatic right to work or study abroad would be missed they would miss having an EU passport. My friend had read that 10% said they were more likely to relocate abroad as a result of Brexit. My son will be 43 in August, exactly the time the UK stayed in the European Union !

It's just as if for example Texas would decide by referendum to leave the United States, would need visas to cross all borders of the other States, and would have their own president and nobody could work in another State without a work permit. It wouldn't last long and they would go bankrupt !