FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE - FIVE ON FRIDAY

1. Since 1976 Belgium never had such a hot weather, and that was in July and not in June ! 35 °C (95 F) and no rain since a long time. Everything is dry the grass yellow and people walk around in slow motion. We are not used to such a hot weather ! Accordingly was my week ! It started by getting up opening all windows to let the cool (?) air in and than close the shutters to keep the warmth out. Moving as less as possible.



2. Same as n° 1 only I went to aqua gym, and we found that even the water was too hot, in winter we complain that it is not warm enough ! The only place which is bearable is my car and I could drive around the whole day, because it has air conditioning ! The stores and shops too, I could also spend my day sitting in a chair in the bank observing who is rich and who is not, private houses have no airconditioning or only very few. What we usually need here is heating and an umbrella against the rain but not the sun !

3. I had my new smart phone connected to wifi everywhere. To try it out I googled for something in a big store. Notifications are announced with a chirp of a bird and when I was connected my phone started to chirp and everybody around looked at me wondering where the bird was ! The only action I did this day was returning to aqua gym I had to catch up a day. Top theme .... the hot weather ! 
Late evening I heard that a terrorist had been killed in the central station in Brussels, and that the station was closed. Nobody was hurt, fortunately he had been killed in time. People now take it easy, we are getting used to it that's better otherwise you would always live in fear. Anyway what an idea to commit an attack in this heat !

4. We were asked to put water out for birds and other animals, which I did, not necessarily for the birds because of my killer cats, but for hedgehogs or foxes. I am lucky to live outside Brussels in an open area where at least there is some air. The poor people in the city can't sleep in this heat.

I also went to Ilona and we sat under her lilac tree and drank some "Champagne" without alcohol. It tasted very good and we emptied the whole bottle.

5. Reluctantly I went to my painting class, because it's always very warm there, our class is in the festivity room of the city's retirement home. And as old people are always freezing the heat is accordingly. But to my big surprise they had air conditioning installed and it was nice an cool while we painted. Outside it was even more hot the temperatures climbed up to 36°C, ! The rest of the day I spent outside under our pergola at least there it was a bit windy.

Probably on Monday I will complain about cold and rainy weather, this heat can't last forever !!




Mr. G. and I

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

Fast Blog

linking to Willy Nilly Friday five

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

1. The first day of summer rolls in later this week. What are ten things you'd put on your list of quintessential summer activities? Will you try to manage all ten this summer?
First I will make a round trip through Ireland, from Dublin to Dublin, then rest, then probably holidays in Eastbourne UK, then rest, during August my friend from France will come and there is a lot to visit, then rest, so my plan is made and fulfil even more than ten ! 

2. Do you collect seashells when you're at the beach? What do you do with them once you get them home? What's your favorite place to comb for seashells? How many of these 'best beaches for hunting seashells' have you visited? Which one would you most like to visit?

Calvert Cliffs State Park (Maryland), Jeffrey's Bay (South Africa), Sanibel Island (Florida), Shipwreck Beach (Lanai Hawaii), Ocracoke Island (North Carolina), Galveston Island (Texas) and The Bahamas

I used to collect seashells wherever I was, but then I had so many that I only kept a few and the others went to the bin. I can't count the beaches I have visited during my life. And now I don't want to visit a beach but lay on it and visit more interesting things than sand.

3. At a snail's pace, shell out money, come out of your shell, go back into your shell, drop a bombshell, happy as a clam, clam up...which 'shell' phrase could most recently be applied to some event or circumstance in your life? Explain.

For the moment I come out and return into my shell, it depends on the weather

4. What summer activity do you dislike? Why?

Pull out steady growing weeds and garden work in general, because I don't have a green thumb

5. What's something you see as quickly becoming obsolete? Does that bother you?
Some of my friends, yes it bothers me because they have changed so much getting older or old ! 

6. Insert your own random thought here.
As it is early morning and already quite hot, I think how to spend my day in this heat. I will start with swimming. Which bathing suit should I wear ? 

From this side of the pond

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WATERLOO BATTLE FESTIVITIES

Since I started to watch the reenactment of the Waterloo battle which takes place all two years, this year I was so disappointed with what I saw as preparations that actually I didn't go at all in the afternoon. The celebrations took place on Saturday and Sunday, with a reenactment of the battle not at the Waterloo Lion as it had been for years and years but at the Hougoumont farm nearby. This farm had been in ruins for years until 2012 when suddenly somebody discovered that money can be made out of it. The farm was the place where Wellington won the battle. It was totally renovated for the bicentenary 2 years ago, had costed a fortune with a great participation of the British government.

So no more fun for the ignorant folk who don't care about history and the real battle and it's geographic situation, the celebrations this year were scattered around places where Napoleon and Wellington had put their precious feet. The Lion was probably disappointed not to see anything this year as he had seen for years until the day where the bicentenary was celebrated and everything had changed to so said "historical reality" of the battle.

Since the mayor of Braine l'Alleud, a little town which nobody knew before the bicentenary, had discovered that the Waterloo Lion actually stood on his ground and not on Waterloo ground he had started to claim his rights on the Lion ! Despite this fact it's still the Lion of Waterloo and not of Braine l'Alleud, confirmed even by ABBA !

Wellington had only signed the defeat of Napoleon in Waterloo and now after 200 years the battle of Waterloo should  be named the battle of Braine l'Alleud which of course nobody knows. And who has to run around like a headless chicken to find where the battle festivities actually took place were the poor tourists. But money is money so every little town around where Napoleon and Wellington had put their feet 202 years ago wants its share.





The entrance of the farm to the fields where the bivouacs were



The farm and a shuttle bus which took tourists from the Lion to the farm



The first thing I saw was this mobile "restaurant, where the soldiers could get something to eat and drink.




It was in the morning so there were not a lot of people or soldiers yet.



They had built up their tents and I saw even one single canon !



For each participant was a reserved space on the dry grass !






Modern camping I had never seen a solar bag for a shower !




Slowly everything got into place



First and very important for the English soldiers was the fire for the kettle to heat water for the tea !!



And here is the historical door through which the French tried to get in and beat Wellington's army; It was a very bloody battle and lots of soldiers died or burnt alive  in the chapel.

I made my tour and chatted a bit with the German and English soldiers.



And at the Lion there was nothing a few soldiers who played music. Some tourists tried to climb up the 253 steps to the Lion, which was quiet difficult because of the heat !

Sunday morning I wanted to go to the marked in Braine l'Alleud which wasn't at its usual place. Instead I found tents.



Battle souvenirs were sold here. Napoleon didn't sell but was only a poster.

I asked if there was something else concerning the battle and was directed towards the church  where a  little "village" was made up to show the craftsmen of this time




There was a terrible smoke here where the baker tried to get his oven ready






I observed how butter was made and was invited to try it, but I don't like butter I thanked. According to the others the butter was delicious;



This women spinning wool made me think of my cat who produces as much hair as the sheep ! If I would have such a spinning wheel I could knit cat wool pullovers or scarfs !



a few soldiers were walking around



Straw and blankets for wounded soldiers



Peeling potatoes





cooking a meal



Handmade arts and crafts



clogs which were also worn in Belgium



Carpenters

When I had taken pictures of everything, I returned home ! It started to get very warm, the poor soldiers in their historical costumes !

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WEEKEND REVIEW JUNE 17

This weekend was the commemoration of the Waterloo battle. 2 years ago was the bicentenary, last year was nothing and this year it was completely different than all the years before since the over 40 years.

I went to the Hougoumont  farm, where Napoleon had lost the battle and where on the fields around the soldiers coming from the UK, Germany and the Netherlands built up their bivouacs while the French are in another place as they were enemies at that time.



They had just arrived and were busy to install themselves. I chatted a bit with them, the Germans came from Cologne and even Munich, which is quiet far away.

In the afternoon my friend Ilona came to see a bit of the events, and while we drove there I saw at our Toyota garage an Aygo with a special price, - 30 %. Ilona who badly needed a car, hadn't seen it, so I told her and said we could go in there because we had already bought 2 cars in this garage and I knew the salesman. Ilona was a bit over rolled by my enthousiasm but followed me.



She knew the car already because Mr. G. has the same, and in not even half an hour, the deal was mad, the papers signed and a very happy Ilona went out of the shop to celebrate with me ! Now she has to wait until July.

We went to have  drink at the Lion where a few soldiers walked around



and an orchestra arrived and played for a while. There were a lot of people and we chatted together and Ilona proudly told about her new purchase. Everybody congratulated, it was real fun !