FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

The week started as usual with rain ! The poor farmers don't know anymore what to do ! Or they complain because it is too dry now it is too wet. 

It was Mr G's Whist day and after I drove him to his friend, cat Rosie and I played lockdown syndrome, we were both hanging around, she in her chair and I in the sofa. I tried to make some headers, but honestly my creativity has suffered very much in this strange year.

We should have our scrabble at Nicole's but when we arrived she wanted absolutely to have the coffee and cake first before we started to scrabble, with the result that we ate so much of the chocolate cake that we were too lazy and so involved in our conversations, that we forgot to scrabble and when we thought, now it's time to scrabble, it was time to return home!

Nicole explained that she had forgotten to switch of the hair curler since 9 am and meanwhile it was 4 pm ! Fortunately nothing had burnt the thing only was very hot. When we saw the picture it looks as if she sings !

Isis as usual kept us company.

The rest of the week was rather stressful. Mr. G's condition had gotten a lot worse and there were moments when he couldn't walk at all. On the day when, luckily, my cleaning lady was there, when he got up from his bed he suddenly couldn't walk anymore. Not one little step ! And she wanted to clean his room !

At first I didn't know how to drag him into the living room after all he is a tall man and for me far too heavy although he is rather slim.Then I saw his office chair! It had wheels! We put Mr. G. on the chair and wheeled him to the living room and sat him on the sofa. I have to admit that we had to laugh, unfortunately nobody filmed us. 

Now I had enough of doctors  and too long waiting times, I called the neurologist and told her that his condition was getting worse every day and that we couldn't wait until mid-April. It was now clear that he had Parkinson, but there are so many varieties that you first have to find out which medication he can take. 

She was very kind and understandable and arranged everything for me, called me again and told me to drive him to the emergency service the next morning and then he would have to stay in the clinic for a few days. I was very relieved, I really need a break, otherwise I will get a burn out ! 

In the evening looking out of the window I saw this amazing sky and took some pictures !

Isn't that beautiful, it cheered me up !

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**********

  

Often we have amazing skies in Waterloo/Belgium, sometimes even more beautiful then in other countries famous for their sunrises and sunsets

View out of our living windows

More participants here at

Skywatch Friday

HODGEPODGE MARCH 17

1. This week's Hodgepodge lands on St. Patrick's Day. Will you wear green? Eat corned beef and cabbage? Drink green beer? Have you ever been to Ireland? Is it on your travel 'bucket list'? 

Of course living in Belgium only a few know about St. Patrick's Day, but nobody here celebrates and no shop has any decoration. People  wouldn't know what it is. 

 I have been in Ireland and in Northern Ireland and loved it very much ! It is a pity that Northern Ireland belongs to the UK and the other is a country of it's own. It is very beautiful ! St. Patrick's Day is celebrated there of course as the Irish immigrants brought this use to the States. In our travel group were 6 American families whose ancestors were from Ireland and they went to each graveyard to see if a grave with their name was there. It is a very beautiful country.

2. Something you think is 'worth its weight in gold'? 

It's not something which is worth its weight in gold, but a somebody ! It's the daughter of my former neighbor who is so adorable ! Although we moved away she calls me every day to ask how Mr. G is today, she helps me when I am feeling abandonned by everybody and as she is a nurse she also calls the doctors and does often shopping for me. She comforts me and gives me precious advices.  I don't know what I would do without her ! She could be the daughter,  I never had. 

3. Something that makes you 'green around the gills'? 

Can't think of anything which makes me green around the gills, my skin wouldn't cooperate. I don't become red neither. My feelings are colorless apparently. The only thing which I really can't stand are spiders, but instead of becoming green, I ran away or put cat Rosie in the same room, she loves to catch and eat spiders ! 

4. What puts a 'spring in your step' these days? 

Nothing ! It's really not a moment to jump into the air because of happiness ! That's one year now that we are in prison with a little interruption. But now you can only go shopping, walking and you are allowed a few sports outside. Even the fact that the hairdressers could finally open doesn't make me spring. The only spring in my step I could do is springing into my bed ! 

5. Write a limerick using one of the following as your theme....March, St. Patrick's Day, Covid, 2020 and/or 2021, the color green, or life lately. Yes, you can do it. 

On St.Patrick's Day

The Covid crossed my way

I became green  and passed away

Now in March 2021

My life is done

 

 

Maybe this is not perfect, but at least I tried ! English is not my mothertongue

 

 

 

 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I wished spring would arrive, we had some hope but now it's cold again and it rains everyday ! I think that's a real lockdown weather. I do nothing or only what really has to be done and still I get the impression that each day which goes by I become more tired ! Soon I will do like cat Rosie and sleep 23 h per day. 

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

Grandson at Nonno's (Grandfather in Italian) hairdresser (also an Italian)

WATERLOO IN THE RAIN

My World in our world is not very funny ! On top of  the storm and rain,  we still are in lockdown. Besides shopping, hairdresser, and gathering outside with 10 people but for funerals 50 you can't do very much. travels are not allowed and most of the European countries have their borders closed. So the following pictures are from a few years ago, but nothing has changed ever since in my town. 

Here I came back from shopping (one person in the shop ) driving through Waterloo

and this is the weather since at least two weeks ! 

more participants here

AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND MARCH 13

Arthur the very special cat who left us a year ago after nearly 20 years of living together

 

 Isis my friend's cat

 Linking to

AWWWW MONDAY

 

********

WEEKEND

The weekend was real "wonderful" ! The storm blow down a lot of trees even a 300 year old from the Waterloo battle, and roofs, and when I looked down on the street, people were fighting with the wind to go further ! 

 

I got up in the night because I heard as if somebody was knocking at a wall and after a thorough research through the apartment I finally found that the knock knock came from the small box fixed in the wall with all the fuses inside, the door wasn't properly closed ! 

 

 

I didn't go out at all,  I only took the elevator to the entrance, where a girl brought me a very heavy box which she hardly could carry, but still went upstairs with me. It was the 25 kg heavy parasol base in the box, but the parasol I had ordered was missing. 

So the day went by watching TV, looking through my pictures, while Mr. G. mostly stayed in bed, which was good for both of us.

Sunday was not better we even had hail ! A wonderful mixture of rain, hail and wind ! Another day to stay inside. This time I prepared posts for my blog and afterwards I went to Myriam. 

We watched videos which showed us how to make modern art with acrylic, as we had already done before and it was very funny. The hail hit the windows and made a terrible noise ! 

When I returned home the sun tried to come out but for that it was too later now.

The only one who wasn't bothered about this awful weekend was little Rosie who enjoys not to move and sleep on her favorite chair !
 

 

 

SUNDAY SELECTION

The Hougoumont farm was the place where Napoleon lost the battle against Wellington and his alleys. You can still visit it today. 

Close to the farm stood three oak trees theywere about 300 years old. You can see them below on the picture

The three dead oaks still standing

and the bloody battle at the farm

Here is a picture I took when my friend Nicole her dog Charlie, a golden Redriever made a walk to the farm to watch the renovation of the farm. The tree in the middle had a big hole, but for Charlie it seemed a bit small to us.
 

Before we could hold him back, Charlie had squeezed himself in the hole ! Of course very interesting smells in there. Nicole was very worried that he couldn't get out again, but like Udini he did, when he had sniffed enough.

Last Thursday we had a terrible storm and this time the middle tree fell down after 300 years and took with it  Charlie's hole ! Now the scientifics are analyzing the trunk, pull out the old balls which are still stuck in the old tree and it will probably remain like that as a memory ! We don't know yet.

and here is our tree researcher in his full glory.

Linking to SUNDAY SELECTIONS