4 Jun 2021

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

 From "winter" we jumped into summer temperatures and I was glad that I hadn't changed anything in my "dressing", years ago in autumn I separated winter and summer clothes but since only the trees have the four seasons, it is not worthwhile anymore. From my autumn clothes I jumped in a T-shirt.  

The umbrella I had ordered had arrived and Myriam helped me to assemble it, which means she did all and I watched ! She had the good idea to attach it with a cord in case the wind wanted to blow it away. 

Despite the sunshine we had our scrabble inside and not as usual on her terrace, because she has a very naughty and uncooperative neighbor and she didn't want that saw that we were more than the lockdown rules allowed. He has a pump for heating his swimming pool which is so noisy since he changed its place that she can't stay on her terrace. She had tried the friendly way but he shut the door in front of her nose and then she had to call the police for an official statement and now it goes further ! 

I am happy that we have nice neighbors and we are only 3 on the same floor. Yesterday the fire alarm went on and made a hell of a noise. As it was early morning we all appeared in nightgowns or pajamas, the hairs standing up and wondering how we could stop it because there was no fire, the cleaning man had pushed too hard on the case when he dusted ! Fortunately the youngest neighbor who is the mother of little Michael Jackson (the boy looks like a twin when Michael was a kid)  disappeared in the basement and then suddenly the awful noise stopped ! We all were happy to have somebody on our floor who knows what to do ! We were standing there looking all very chic and laughed and chatted a bit before everybody went back in his apartment !

After 5 years without glasses now I needed one again ! I picked them up and it was strange because they are bifocals, but it lasted only one day and now I feel "normal" again, if that is possible.  

Two days later after having helped me with the parasol, Myriam came back and assembled the box to put cushions and all the stuff which lay around on the balcony.  Now with the "green grass" and no junk anymore laying around it looks  nearly like a living room !

To end the week the Doctors had kidnapped Mr. G. can't sayanother word ! They had brought him back to the Waterloo Hospital for a Scan, but hadn't told me anything. Fortunately a friend of ours was visiting Mr. G this day and the Doctor thought, instead of asking, that she was his wife and had told her about the transfer back to the Hospital. It's a too long story but I had to wait until 5 pm when I finally got an answer where he was !  I was was so angry and at that time of course you can't get hold of a doctor, but at least I got his telephone number. As he was tired and confused I couldn't find out what they had done with him so long and have to wait until tomorrow when I or my son will call the doctor and ask for some more details ! It's a shame they are all very friendly but nobody knows what the other is doing.

This ends my week and I am so tired because I was worried the whole day. 

Rosie had interrupted her lockdown sleep and was watching a pigeon which sat on the metal tube of the balcony.




more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

3 Jun 2021

HODGEPODGE

1. Besides the flag, tell us about something red, something white and something blue from your weekend.

My grandson visited me on  Sunday and he wears exactly the colors I have to show except white, blue T-shirt while taking a picture of the Waterloo Lion, red shorts for a sunbath and the white farm where we had our ice cream. I have no flag at all in our house, nobody uses flags in private houses except football fans (soccer)

2. June is here and it's National Give A Bunch of Balloons Month. Who would you give a bunch to if you could? Tell us why. 

I have never heard of this expression and had to google to know what it meant. I read

"Every day in June, National Give a Bunch of Balloons Month brings joy to a child battling an illness or struggling with a life-altering diagnosis"

Fortunately I only know children in perfect health. So I don't know to whom I could give a bunch of balloons except to poor children. 

3. What are three adjectives you associate with the month of June? Something you're looking forward to this month?  

As I am in a not very normal situation I don't look forward to anything else then Mr. G's health.

4. Tell us about a time (besides the obvious Corona answer) when you felt stuck in second gear. 

I have to say I learn a lot of expressions,with Hodgepodge ! I never heard that somebody felt stuck in second gear. But the expression comes on purpose ! 

The explanation Google gaves me fits perfectly to my personal situation ! I have to do the income tax declaration "online" ! So far since this exists Mr. G has always done it, I did it before when we still had paper. Of course I have never paid attention how he did it with the result that I am really stuck in a slow gear being unable to get this tax thing done, unable to achieve and have to ask for help ! It also means moving neither forwards nor back,  but one that really doesnt get you anywhere fast. Which is true, so far I haven't found a service who could help me !

5. Sum up your May in fifteen words or less.

A horrible month for me ! Rainy, cold, Mr. G still in the Reha clinic

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Since last weekend we finally have spring or rather summer weather up to 26°C. That's typical Belgium, or it's cold or it's too hot. I only hope that the warm weather continues that we can go outside a bit and doing daily excursions, or just laying lazyly in the sun on our balcony.  Being free again !!!


 

 

2 Jun 2021

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY






Modern Art painting, a lot of fun and quite dirty. We use all kind of ustensils but no brush ! This technique is called "Pouring" 

1 Jun 2021

MONT ST JEAN FARM WATERLOO


Today I don't need to dig in the past for once I have "fresh" photos because for the first time this year we could sit outside and have a drink ! On the way back from Mr. G's clinic, I had seen a sign at the entrance "Beer garden open" ! 

The farm is a beautiful place nicely restored for the bi-century battle in 2015.  At the end of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815,  the  inner yard of the Mont-Saint-Jean Farm was used as military hospital by the Duke of Wellington for the wounded soldiers.

On the first sunny Day Myriam and I went there to see how it looks now and of course enjoy our first drink outside our prisons. 


old farm and brewery ustensils were stocked here




The view on the fields, last time I had been here, there were also cows.

Myriam looks at the peaceful fields 

The place is so nice that you could sit here for hours. 


 

When we went out we had to go through the restaurant and discovered the machines for making beer

 
The restaurant from outside

There is even a place to dance !



And the children are not forgotten


 

more participants here

31 May 2021

AWWWW MONDAY




 
 
 
Linking to AWWWW MONDAY 
 
 
 
WEEKEND 

Saturday morning I woke up just before the alarm clock started ringing. I had to open the door for Maria my cleaning lady. I felt so as if I hadn't slept at all. 
 
While Maria full of energy took care of the housework, me like a zombie finally started to check Mr. G's computer. I was looking for passwords, had to delete lots of emails and spams and started to understand his way of filing ! Not easy ! He makes things complicated when they are simple. Finally I almost found everything I was looking for and felt like Miss Marple who had solved part of a case.
I had lunch and watched a little movie in fact I wanted to watch but fell asleep and will watch the film in the evening ! I did my shopping and hoped that I wouldn't forget half of the stuff I had to buy because my son and Toby would arrive tomorrow ! 
 
Tomorrow is now today and around 11 son and grandson arrived.
 
 
I got this beautiful bouquet and after lunch I had a few things to do where I needed a strong man or in this case two ! They folded the very big plastic cover with which I had covered our garden furniture.
 
after work Toby did a little sunbath ! It was really a beautiful day ! Then son went to visit his father in the clinic while Toby and I went to the Waterloo Lion where he wanted to take pictures with the new smarphone he had gotten for his 10th birthday ! I noticed that his feet are bigger than mine and he arrives now at my shoulder which must be 1,60 m at least. There was nothing to see at the Lion and the weather was too beautiful to go into the museum underground !
 
 
Instead we went to the (wrote about it here)  Mont St. Jean farm The farm is now after several transformations and renovations the brewery of the Waterloo beer  and a restaurant.
 
It had been closed or used for other purposes than as restaurant and it was the second time that I went there.

 
Toby liked it very much especially the huge portion of ice cream we got ! I had ordered two balls for each of us but did'nt know that they nearly as big as Tennis balls and delicious ! 
 
Toby now speaks fluently French and has no accent ! (I still have a little) He is learning English too and apparently that works quite well too. I liked the way of teaching the language. They learn first to speak and then comes writing and grammar. Like we had when we learned our mothertongue or have you started to learn grammar and writing as a baby ?? He loves to watch American cartoons like all "little" boys and I watched one with him and thought tonight I will do a nightmare ! All monsters who didn't impress him at all. 

Then we went home and my son came a little  later and continued to do little things which were too difficult for me. Unfortunately the chest I had ordered to put in cushions, blankets etc hadn't arrived  and I have to find another victim to assemble it for me !

The time went by so quickly and they had to leave because due to the lockdown rules he was allowed to stay a day but not a night ! Fortunately the distance from Amsterdam to Brussels is not that much, a little more than 200 km.

Although I hadn't done nearly nothing I was exhausted when they left. I am becoming more and more tired.


30 May 2021

SUNDAY SELECTION

When I look at these pictures I am full of nostalgia ! It's now two years that I haven't been in my "winter home in Hourghada (Egypt) where I used to stay each year in November/December !

I sincerely hope I can go this year, I would need it very much !!


 Hurghada on the other side of the sea

 

our beach


one of the Hotel cats (all  spayed thanks to  the British guests)

Cocktails


Food sculptures and decorations
 
 
 
 
 
Read more here Sunday Selection