FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

Of course on Monday the elevator was still out of work, but at least they had checked what it was and there is a piece damaged and has to be ordered and then replaced ! Now with our National Day off and the flooding nothing had been done yet. We all complain about our poor legs which hurt. Fortunately my neighbor has a strong son who carries our shopping on the 4th floor ! Very helpful. 

I visited Mr. G. and he still was a little lost in his new home, but it was only 3 days that he had moved. He was tired so I didn't stay long only to leave him fresh laundry. Fortunately the bedlinnen and bath towels belong to the home. I only have to wash his personal belongings !

On Scrabble day I won !!! Oh miracle must be the fact that I am so relieved that the biggest problem had been solved !

Dominique my former neihbor for 15 years came for a visit and we went to say hello to Mr. G. ! She was surprised to see him in such a good shape ! He talked normally, even joked and all people who were in the room said hello to him and he talked to everybody ! That was a big change !

He also looked much better and walked without his walking stick. They had done a good job in the rehabilitation clinic.  

And here too they do gymnastic each morning and play games the afternoon. Apparently he participates in everything, and doesn't stay alone in his room. This is very important.

The terrace with the garden

Apparently the food is very good. and I hope he will put on some weight !  Happy we retuned home and sat on the balcony and talked and talked and she was very content that he behaves so good. She also has Parkinson but another kind, she trembles, but with the right medication it stopped.

With my painting group we went to the "Jardins d'Asie" (The Asian Gardens) and had a nice lunch.. The weatherr was wonderful and we could sit outside.

Now I really start to feel tired all the stress from the last 4 months seem to come out ! 

The only one who bothers me is the Income taxes service who claims money because Mr. G. hasn't filled in the formular of 2020 ! Now I have to prove that he was already ill and had put all envelopes from people who bothered him in the garbadge and I had wondered that we never got letters !!

But that too will be solved otherwise I bring them the Corona virus !! I have gotten my two injections.

Now Rosie and I live alone, but in about a month Mr. G. will be allowed to come home for an afternoon if he continues to progress. Earlier wouldn't be a good idea the doctor had told me, he has first to get really used that now his home is elsewhere. But he seems to like the place ! He never asks me to come back home as he did before.

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

 

I am sorry if I don't comment on your blogs, but I need a little rest ! 

A STRANGE BELGIAN NATIONAL DAY

Each 21 of July Belgium celebrates its National day. The Belgians in this way commemorate the oath made on July 21, 1831 by Léopold I, first King of the Belgians, to remain faithful to the constitution. I have to add that if you ask 10 people on the street 9 wouldn't know why. Only  few houses have a flag only the official once. But apart from that it usually is a very cheerful celebration where beer is flowing. Besides the entire royal family who watches the parade, there is less and less military things but more to safe human lives. It is followed by a huge ball in the royal park where even King and Queen say hello to the people. Each municipality of Brussels has it's own 21st July and in the center on a huge place where usually the flea market takes place is transformed to a restaurant where Brussels typical food is served.

But this year everything was different. Due to the terrible flooding the National day was reduced to a minimum. Not all royals were there, the parade was minim, no ball in the park no firework no festivities at all, everyting was cancelled, except the restaurant because the collected money was for the flooding victims. So the day went by without a soul on the streets, no dancing strictly nothing. Lots of soldiers and the firemen preferred to help the disaster victims to clean up rubble and still look for bodies, instead of participating in the parade. The fact that the airforce was overflowing Brussels was very much critisized, because it costs a lot and this money could have helped the poor people who had lost everything.

Brussels mussels !

The royal family. The girl in red will be the next Queen and follow her father the actual King Philip. She is very much appreciated and actually is trained as a soldier.

 

The surroundings were closed, no spectators were allowed. So we saw  people who climbed on trees or laterns to have a glimpse..

 

The place transformed into a huge restaurant

and the disaster

So far there are more than 135 dead and more than 80 missing, unfortunately these numbers may increase.

Such a disaster has never happened in Belgium there were floodings but never to this extent. It is a little country with only 11.500.000 inhabitants

The day went by like all the others, we only saw the "celebrations" on TV and of course it was a day off !

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

inside

  In Sidi Bou Said in Tunesia all houses are in white and blue, it is very pretty !

CONDROZ PART OF THE ARDENNES

Describing my weekend yesterday, I told about the very  first excursion organized for the seniors and the program sounded nice. What the poor organizer couldn't know, was that instead the announced heavy rain,  a real deluge which caused a terrible flooding which had never happened in Belgium  happened. It destroyed lots of houses and caused the death of quite a lot of people a real disaster. So he had to find a part in the Ardennes which was not flooded. And he found Condroz. I had never heard of this part in Belgium and had to google to find out where it is.

Anyway as we all had been locked in for nearly two years we didn't really care about the destination all we wanted was to get out of here to another place. Probably we even would have taken the bus to hell ! But our guide choose Condroz a part of the Ardennes and the only thing I remember was fields, fields, fields, green grass, green grass, green grass, sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep, and cows, cows, cows !

From time to time we crossed a pittoresque village but not a single living soul. Our guide talked about the history of the grass and the sheep which dated back to the old Romans, the only thing I remember was the "War of the Cows" I found  that real funny. It was a war which took place in 1275 til 1280 on the territory of today's Belgium. and started in  Jallet (no idea where this village is) from where the cow thief came.This cow war set about sixty villages to fire and blood, killing 15000 people.

 Route "Cow war"

Unfortunately nowhere was mentioned how many cows were killed or maybe none at least during this war, but later to be transformed to steaks and eaten on a plate.  My general knowledge improved !!

And here is what we see saw at least me because I took the pictures, the others were more interested in what had happened during the nearly 2 years lasting lockdown.

I liked the little villages, the houses were built in a special stone

 

This was the castle which is now a restaurant  where we had lunch for 4 hours !! Enough time to fill in the gap between the 4 courses with free red and white wine. When we came out, some were very cheerful and some women rather angry because Mr. Husband had a glass too much.

The two monster towers is the nuclear power station in Belgium which should be demolished since a long time but is still producing electricity very much to the anger of the Dutch, German and Luxembourg's inhabitants who live only a few km from there. From time to time there are manifestations, but nothing changes so far.4 (read more here)

 These are my favourite tourists, mother and child

 

 

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AWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND JULY 17

 Mimi the rabbit is very occupied to look for some carrots 

 

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WEEKEND

I can't remember since when I had such a cool and relaxed weekend ! Now that Mr. G enjoys his new home, at least I have the impression, I can do something  for me except the weekly scrabble.

There was the first excursion organized for the seniors and the program sounded nice. It was a welcom trip to Condroz, which I had never heard of and had to google to find out where it was. In fact it isapartof the Ardennes, but without any hills or rocks and the flooding hadn't touched this part. The bus was full and after having picked up everybody we sat on our seats all wearing our masks and saying hello to the people which we knew anyway from the past years. 

After the program we would see a lot. Indeed we saw a lot, cows, cows, cows, and sheep, sheep, sheep, etc. Sometimes a few horses.

The landscape could be everywhere, woods and fields. From time to time we saw a house and also a from far away a castle. We stopped once for a pee break and then drove to the castle where we were served our lunch. Fortunately we had a lot to chat and discuss, because after 10 cows and 20 sheep and 7 horses, we all had a bit enough from the landscape. Our poor guide did his best to inform us about the history of this part of the country, but the names were all in latin and dated from matusalem so nobody was very interested and we also heard some snoring in the bus.

But the worst was still to come, we finally arrived for our lunch in the castle.

 

The castle was very beautiful inside We all sat down and waited for the starter. Wine, white and red stood on the table and I got an alcohol free beer. Then we waited.

First came the apperitif  a Kir

The starter was local cheese "Mesclun" croquettes, that was good, then came :

"Le mignon de veau " (a veal brick) with mushrooms and pommes dauphines ( potatoe croquettes) I say brick because it was so hard impossibe to eat ! Ideal for the third teeth ! and the desert was a little cake with a very hard crust covered with lemon and mascarpone ! (I didn't lke it was too sour !) and of course cofffee.

Now I don't know if the cook had a contract with the dentist, because the meat was so hard that noboddy could eat it not really ideal for a group of seniors. To the joy of the castle dog everybody left his meat on the plate. The whole procedure lasted FOUR hours and as the wine was free, some people became very cheerful. Then the bus took us to Huy, we were all tired and there was nothing to see, so we stood there like a herd of sheep and didn't know what to do, because althouth it was a Saturday, all Brasseries, or cafes or restaurants were closed ! Nobody knew why, it wasn't a holiday.

Half dead we arrived in Waterloo, nearly forgot to say goodbye and disappeared in all directions ! Of course if you are locked in for nearly two years we were all a bit rusty. At home another surprise waited for me !  The garage door didn't open and somebody had to come to repair it and the elevator was still out of work had. When I finally arrived in my apartment, I jumped under the shower, and went to bed ! But still we had had a lot of fun !

The next day I didn't put a feet outside ! Only the idea to walk down four floors and then go up again four flors made me suffer even more. Mr.. G. was not sad at all that I didn't come, he had a friend who visited him to watch the Formular 1 together !

I spent the afternoon on the balcony the weather was delicious and rested my legs !

SUNDAY SELECTION

 

 Sunset in the Sahara on a camel

 

 

 

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