HOW TO LIVE WITH A CRITICAL PERSON ?

The most critical person I met in my life was my father ! He criticized each and everything either behind the back or directly when it came to my mother and me. (I was an only child) For critisizing somebody directly he was to "polite" as he said, but I think he was just a coward.

Nothing since I could walk was good enough. Whatever I did he critisized me. Or I was too skinny or I was not normal because I didn't like sweets whatever came through his mind. His favourite phrase was "You are not normal" but he never told me what "normal" was in his eyes. When I grew up I was ugly unfortunately for him, I didn't become the grey little mouse who was afraid of his critics, it was just the opposite probably caused by the fact that I always had to defend my mother. He critisized her all the time ! She was too fat, she was not as elegant as other women etc etc. When I became a Teenager I started to reply ! When my mother once again disappeared crying into the bedroom, I took his newspaper away where he was hiding behind and told him to look closely into a mirror !

I told him that he is not an Adonis either and why did he marry her if she was such an ugly woman, that his spine was crooked and that he walked like an 100 year old ! Of course that wasn't true but in my in my anger, I did not know anything else to say. He was so surprised that somebody dared to answer him, that he was speechless. I left the room and comforted my mother.

Since that day he was a bit more careful with his critics. Anyway he could say what he wanted, the people around me and the family told me exactly the opposite !

I couldn't change him, but I learned to deal with him thanks to a good psychologist. We never had a very good relationship, although I have tried my best especially when my mother had died. But whatever I did, nothing was good. Even his grandson was a disappointment because of me of course. I am very proud of my "disappointment" and just let him say. But it had been a very hard school to learn how to deal with such a person. I think he was probably born unhappy !

linking to SOCS - Critical

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

We had to change our Scrabble day because one couldn't come on a Tuesday anymore so we decided to meet on Mondays. It was my turn and as usual I only bought English stuff because all the others serve the cakes etc from here. I had bought a fruitcake, little round pancakes, Donuts, the so appreciated sour cream and of course Blueberry jam. They emptied the whole pot of sour cream, and only two Donuts were left ! Mr. G. cleaned it off after supper ! For once I was second ! And the one who always wins was last !!

The weather had changed and now it was sunny and I had to think of all repairs to be done outside ! There is a step which is loose, the wooden border of the rockery rotten and has to be replaced, the door of the mailbox is loose etc etc. I had found two men who do such work for people who are too old or can't do it. They will come end of the week to give me a quote ! In the past Mr. G. has done such things, but now he can't do it anymore and me neither.

I had some shopping to do for my painting class and noticed Easter decoration in the whole shop there was nothing else ! I had completely forgotten about Easter and had to google to see on which date it was and it is exactly in a month !

Son and grandson will come over the weekend and I am very happy to see "little" Toby again, it has been a long time I hadn't seen him life, fortunately Whatsapp exists ! On my way back I stopped at Myriam's to show her the new program of lots of daily excursions for us, and we choose already two we want to go, it's always for a day, the first one will be Liège where an Exposition about the 80 takes place. The other one takes us to the Netherlands to the Keukenhof famous for his tulip fields.



Since two days spring shows its nose it is still cold in the mornings and evenings but during the day, you don't need  a winter coat anymore



In all streets of Waterloo Japanese cherry trees had been planted and now they bloom and it looks so pretty and tiny little flowers come out of the grass



In our painting course new energies and ideas came out and new paintings were started. The messy table is mine, I just had tried to do a abstract painting. We were all in an excellent mood and were all very cheerful ! After class we went to the Lunch Garden where we arrived at 12.15 and left at nearly 3 pm, so much to chat ! The main menu was "Fish and Chips" which of course I ordered, the fish was good, but the chips were on diet and very skinny !



When I came home Arthur was busy with a sunbath !

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - THE BEAUTY AND THE BEARD

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THE BEAUTY AND THE BEARD

While shopping I saw a middle aged man, at least I supposed so, because he looked much older. I only could see a little spot of his face as the rest was covered by a wild growing beard, red ! On the top of his head he had a few hairs left, which seemed to have slipped to the back of his head and tied together in a tiny ponytail . He probably found himself a superman. I didn't. I gave the poor man a disgusted look and rushed to the exit.

I don't like real long beards, I always think that it is a face food storage, but as all things in life it is a question of taste.  Probably lots of women like beards.

The worst thing for me is an unshaved man. That really looks dirty, especially when the man has dark hairs,  then his skin looks like covered with coal dust and hedgehog spikes. The blond once are not better as they very often have a dark beard or red beard !

Now short little beards like goats have, are in fashion, and I slowly got used to them, even my son has one !

It is also very fashionable not to shave. A beard of three days is almost a must. Even advertising has taken over this fact and the models are all looking dirty in their faces (I mean the males, not the girls of course). Actors too think that looking dirty is sex appealing and more and more are showing their not mowed beard.

When my better half (I have my doubts about better) doesn't shave even for one day, he looks like the worst criminal mafia boss of all times. I don't even have to put a "wanted" sign on him, because I am sure if he would go like that through a border control, he WOULD be arrested. And then I would have all the troubles to prove that he is a peacemaker and not a terrorist or a drug dealer or a serial killer to get him through. Now he gets some grey hairs and maybe grey doesn't look so suspicious.

I wonder if I hate beards because of my paternal grandpa. He had a very long grey beard and he was paralysed and lay in bed and when I and my cousins three little girls, had to visit him on Sundays,  the old man scared us he had a piercing look and no smile. I was hypnotised by his long beard because there was always some food between the hairs. That's the memory I have of my grandpa !!

One liner Wednesday

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OH GREEN - GARDEN/YARD CENTER

Since now two weeks we are blessed with a cocktail of storm, wind, rain, hail, snow, and of course an always grey sky. Everybody is really fed up. To cheer us up I remembered a Garden Center in a little town in the French speaking part of Belgium. Last time we had visited another one but in the Flemish part. I had been there a few years ago when it had just opened. This was the only place where you could see colorful flowers and plants.

I had forgotten that it is very huge ! It was impossible to see it all. But we saw what we wanted.



It's huge indeed !



At the entrance we we're greeted by  an Easter Bunny and his wife



There was a little bar with drinks, coffee and Belgian waffles, where we had a well earned coffee and a waffle after our tour !

We began our tour with these artificial flowers !





They look so real

Then we went outside in the greenhouse ! The hail made an awful noise it was as if a drummer sat on the roof.



We were safely in the dry





and looked at little figurines for the garden







and all kind of decoration for inside and outside



This chair was very comfortable !



Not really my taste



the greenhouse was very big too



and to my surprise, there were little rabbits for sale !



Looking down to the first floor

The time went by so quickly and we had to return home. Driving was not that easy with hail and rain !



but fields and country side looked beautiful even in this moody weather.



I saw with pleasure that the trees start to bloom !

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AWWW MONDAYS - WEEKEND MARCH 16

Who woke me up ??? &é"$@


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My friends and I were invited to a vernissage by a Facebook member of our group. We had known her during our Facebook's meetings and as we all paint, it was normal that we met.



Her exposition took place in a very fancy place in a little village nearby. It was a restaurant/painting furniture shop/and Exposition place all in one. We didn't eat but we had a buffet with little snacks and drinks of all kind. The table sets were old 78 records what I found very original.

It was a very nice vernissage and we met a lot of people.

On Sunday all Shopping malls are closed, but I remembered that around 20 km far was another Garden Center on the French speaking part of Belgium. As it was very windy and it rained, we decided to go there. Looking at colorful flowers and plants would be mood lifting for us. I drove and had told my Mrs. GPS to take the shortest way. It was perhaps the shortest but also the longest.

Suddenly we were in the middle of fields and woods on a cobbled narrow street. We saw cows and horses, but no people and many farmhouses! A very romantic way. My car hopped on the pavement and we laughed and laughed! Finally we saw the Garden Center from a distance and arrived at destination.

As soon as we had entered the store, it started to pour down ! 




Finally we had arrived !



and while we heard the rain drumming on the roof we walked around amongst flowers, vases garden decoration, furniture and more flowers.



There were even little bunnies on sale and I loved this balance ! Unfortunately I couldn't take it along it was also rather expensive. I rocked a bit and my friends feared that I couldn't get out, but they were wrong I almost hopped out like a young girl !

This time I asked Mrs. GPS to take the easiest way ! With the result that we crossed woods, fields, little villages, cobble stones everywhere, narrow streets and not a soul around !



We also had a variety of weather, it hailed, snowed and rained !

I had to drive very slowly, sometimes it was difficult to see the street, but we arrived home without any problems !

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